Amish/Mennonite Communities (Springfield, St. Joseph, Branson: rental, buy, cabinet)

[ShadowCaver]

Originally Posted by stepka

There is another group that may be mistaken for Amish or Mennonite. They are the German Baptist Brethren and are also in Missouri. All of these denominations are anabaptist--that is, the Brethren groups, the Mennonites, and the Amish. All that means is that they believe in adult baptism or "believer's baptism". Believe it or not, this could get you killed by the state in Germany of that time. All of them believe that all war is sin, so they study peace issues in depth. Even the most mainstream of them hold simplicity and community as important ideals.

The GBB are split off from The Church of the Brethren (COB--also found in MO and more mainstream) and The Brethren Church (not sure if they're in MO, but also more mainstream). The GBB have a lifestyle similar to the Amish, though I'm not aware of what the differences are. These Brethren are not related in any way to the Plymouth Brethren, the group that developed the Scofield Bible. The Brethren denominations are 300 years old this year and originated in Schwarzenau, Germany. None of them are very well known in MO, but as a member of the COB, I can say that I've never met a more loving group of people. Unfortunately we don't have a church in St. Louis.

stepka - thanks very much for the info... very interesting. Best to yas.

[tambre]

Hi everyone,

I am an adoptee, but my birth father's family was Mennonite, from the West Chester, Pennsylvania area. There is a large group of Amish, Mennonite and Quakers, in Pennsylvania, as well. It's really interesting to hear the differences between Amish, Mennonite and now COB and GBB, as mentioned on these posts. When I found out in my twenties about my German heritage, I had some bad feelings associated with being German, due to the Holocaust. When I found out that I was Mennonite, it sort of relieved that guilt, as my family came here generations ago, so were not part of the atrocities....maybe to escape religious persecution themselves. Silly to have that guilt, as I had nothing to personally do with it, but had guilt nonetheless (have Jewish friends) . Hey, with the price of energy soaring, maybe the future of the country is going to be modeled after the Amish! Peace to you all! Tambre

[stepka]

When I found out that I was Mennonite, it sort of relieved that guilt, as my family came here generations ago, so were not part of the atrocities....maybe to escape religious persecution themselves.

Even if the Mennonites had been in Germany at the time of the holocaust, they would not have contributed to the Nazi cause, and probably would have been killed themselves because of their peace stance. All the members of the anabaptist churches and the Quakers are eligible to claim themselves as conscientious objectors, though that's not to say that all of them do. Many got in trouble for trying to or actually staying out of the US Civil war, and they didn't believe in owning slaves, so that was a bad situation.

A great work of fiction on that topic is Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West. It's about a Quaker family during the Civil War and how they dealt with staying out of the war--one son did go fight for a day. They got involved in helping with the underground railroad. It's both a funny and a tear jerking book and I can't praise it highly enough.

Shadow caver, thanks for your praise. I worry that I come off as a know-it -all sometimes, but I love to talk about this subject, and it's not a well known one. We are so small in MO--when you get west of the Mississippi, the churches really thin out. I looked up The Brethren Church on the net, and it looks like there arent' any in MO. There are several COBs though, and they're all wonderful people.

[tambre]

Hi Stepka,

I'll have to read that book you suggested. It sounds fascinating. Can you explain further the reasoning behind why certain anabaptist sects don't use modern amenities? Thanks for all the great information. Tambre

[stepka]

Tambre, I'll have to get back with you on that--I have a book I'm getting ready to read. Here's a quick answer though: I am not from the anabaptists who are off the grid, but my understanding is that they choose to not be connected to the world--they can have refrigeration, but it must be kerosene powered, not hooked up to electricity. They don't have cars, because they don't want to have the option of just jumping in the car to make a run to town, and so forth. Many people believe this makes them hypocrites, but that's because they don't understand the reason for why they do what they do. Also, people sometimes judge the whole community poorly because some of them are dishonest, but they forget that the Amish are people too, and subject to all the vices that we all are subject to. The only difference is that the Amish strive to remove most of the temptations that are present for the rest of us, and I don't know whether that helps or not, but I believe there's a lot to be said for not having a TV in the house.

[tambre]

Stepka,

Ok, so I understand it better now. Thanks for the information. Tambre

[nmnita]

I have enjoyed reading this thread but admit I didn't read all of it> Now, I have a question, in NM there was a very small store near our home run by the mennonites (spelling) they had great spices, deli, etc at very good prices. When driving in East OK last year we visited a couple of Amish stores, larger, but again with a great selection of non parishable and some parishable products. Next week we will be going from NWAr to St Louis. Does anyone know if there are any such stores in any of the towns we will be driving near?

thanks a bunch,

Nita

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by bssjkc

YES THEY DO AND REALLY EXCEPTIONAL WORK

In NM they did, were very good but their rates were often off the wall.

We found the people on the whole very nice, and yet stand offish a bit. The women seem to be pretty controlled by the men. The kids were usually very healthy looking and polite, but again, not outgoing.

Nita

[stepka]

Originally Posted by nmnita

I have enjoyed reading this thread but admit I didn't read all of it> Now, I have a question, in NM there was a very small store near our home run by the mennonites (spelling) they had great spices, deli, etc at very good prices. When driving in East OK last year we visited a couple of Amish stores, larger, but again with a great selection of non parishable and some parishable products. Next week we will be going from NWAr to St Louis. Does anyone know if there are any such stores in any of the towns we will be driving near?

thanks a bunch,

Nita

Oh what is the name of that place? It's on Hwy 60 in Cabool, MO. Shetler's or something like that. It's just the kind of place you might be looking for--bulk stuff + bent n' dent and I'm thinking you'll be going right that way.

[northbound74]

It seems like I've seen a few Amish places along 60. Watch for the signs. Several Amish live in that area, especially between Rogersville and Seymour. That's where I see the most horse & buggies along the road...