My Mennonite Neighbors

I've had lots of experiences and interactions with Amish and Mennonites. Most of it began back in 1981 when I bought draft horses. In 1988 I farmed together with an Amish Man in a crop sharing arrangement. I lived in a self contained camper right on the farm located in the Lykins Valley which is just north of Harrisburg Pa. We were growing vegetables to be sold through an Amish co-op .... the packing house was located on this farm and managed by this Amish man who also managed his 80 sow farrow-to-finish hog operation. I was a working supervisor of the vegetable production.... we had a crew of migrant Mexicans. We had 8 acres of staked irrigated tomatoes, eight acres of peppers and 4 acres of unstaked tomatoes.... what a mess !!!

Then in 1991 I moved back to W. Pa and started a wood business and for years I bought lumber from many little Amish sawmills.

A year or so before farming in the Lykins Valley there was this Amish man who was known for beating his mules unmercifully ... then one day as he was beating, one of the mules rose up and killed the man !!!!!!!!!!!!

.... but the Amish man I farmed with took good care of his animals .... they had to work but were not abused.

That's because they don't really have a list of forbidden/allowed items. Each community has a group of elders that decide what their particular community can use. Those decisions have no bearing on other communities, other than stricter communities avoiding the more "earthly" ones. It's why you see so much variation within different communities, even those that aren't that far apart geographically.

Unlike other Denominations of Christianity there is no governing body that controls the Amish, the decisions on the use of worldly items is a local one, in the local church district by the bishop and not the entire community.

For example, I rent several farms from Amish neighbors in Sections 13 and 14 of our township. However, the Amish living in Sections 12 and 11 can not rent to me because their Bishop forbids it, they can use 150 HP diesel power carts though.

There are very few times you can make a blanket "The Amish are...." statement outside of a few universally help beliefs.

Jim

And because of this their beliefs have drifted off into may directions producing many factions .... and in the process their religion has become very legalistic being not much more than a list of rules to follow. I generally believe they have departed from a real Christian faith. What I just said does not apply to Mennonites to the same degree as the Amish.

Down somewhere in Kentucky the Mennonites are so much like the Amish that they routinely inter-marry.

I agree.

I had a conversation with a young man that was adamant that a young woman in their church would NOT go to heaven because she wore a skirt that was too short and sheer according to their ordnung. He could not understand the redeeming qualities of Jesus' love for us and our repentance could lead to us sharing the table in Heaven, only that following the rules would lead to heaven and only if you continued to follow the rules.

I lived next to old order amish for many years and also had 2 old order girls that helped me around the house and property.

I see a lot of stereotyping going on here.

There are good and bad people in all communities. English people abuse animals, and do everything that the amish have been accused of here, and much more. I would imagine that for every amish man that kicked a cow, there are 100 English who have done the same. People are all human...

Personally, my own experience with amish has been nothing but wonderful. They are truly the hardest working people I have ever met. For example, when 2 sisters were helping me clean, I walked outside and found one of them barefoot and balancing on the peak of my roof. I asked her to clean the windows, and when she could not reach the 2nd floor outside windows, she simply removed the screen and climbed out onto the roof. The ingenuity that the amish come up with, when not "spoiled" by modern conveniences is amazing. These 2 girls will literally find a way to do anything that is asked of them, they do not complain, will work 10 circles around other people, and thank you for giving them work. They also walked 2 miles barefoot at 7 am to come to my home. Amazing people that I feel honored to have known...

__________________
"For if you start dancing on tables, fanning yourself, feeling sleepy when you pick up a book... making love whenever you feel like it, then you know. The south has got you.”

Yes, the ones around us do not read their Bibles. They just live how the bishop decides.

Also, the Amish family that moved away last spring told us that the preaching is done in high German, which many of them don't understand very well. Once the wife of the family (our old neighbors) got an English Bible and started reading it in secret, she realized that they were in a cult and wanted to leave. Her husband, however, refused.

There can be personal revival or complete church revivals where serious reformation occurs.

This is a ministry to the Amish by Amish who converted and became Baptists

http://www.mapministry.org/

We have quite a few friends who are involved in that ministry.

Im a Baptist. Im not to sure thats a big step up. The Baptists are always making new rules, then making new Baptist Denominations to go with them.

Lazy J; We may have met at one time. I do a lot of business in Topeka and Shipse.

The one across the road from me is open and honest when we talk. He farms about 30 acres of produce, and always is willing to give me anything for the asking. We trade on barter. I give him a dozen eggs, or mow his ditch. He gives me produce. I couldn't ask for a better neighbor.

There were menonites living around Vienna 40 years ago.

You should read a book about the depression in Southern Illinois called "A Nickels Worth of Skim Milk"

When we lived in Billings MT, we encountered a group of Hudderites. It was interesting to talk to them and their way of dressing was completely different than Amish or Mennonites. Loud plaids and floral dresses with a bonnet that didn't match. We lived in town and I never figured out where they lived. I am sure it would be interesting to visit their homes and farms.

Central Missouri has large populations of Amish and Mennonites all over.

Hutterites
http://www.hutterites.org/our-beliefs/

Many demoninations read the bible but then have an additional source of divine revelation - so they claim - this holds true with Catholics, 7 Day Adventists, Mormons etc. - often times these additional sources corrupt the gospel - but then everyone has to make their own decision with regard to what they want to believe - no doubt at the end many will be surprised -

The Menno's don't believe in an additional source of divine revelation. Instead, it's done to help keep us on the straight and narrow way. Not to save us. Only belief in Jesus can do that.

For instance, I Corinthians 11 says a women to be covered when praying or prophesing. But you see what has happened in the past century after women from all denominations used to cover. So our church says in order to help us keep this, they decide what kind of covering and then that we should were it most of the time so when we go to pray or prophesy, we are covered. Do we think this will get us to heaven. No. But it helps us to keep the ordinances.

We buy chickens from a Hutterite colony in Chester, Montana.

There was a reality television show a few years ago about a sect of Montana Hutterites of King Colony, it was very interesting and somewhat sad... The elders didn't like it it only lasted one season.

There have been some good TV documentaries on Hutterites.... I had no knowledge that they existed until I watched a documentary back in the early "90's. They are very much like Mennonites except they do not have individually owned farms .... they have these co-op farms .... maybe church owned ? .... A community owns a very large modern farm and they all work on it.... I think ?????????????????