Beachy Amish

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Beachy Amish Mennonite Church arose from a 1927 division in the (Casselman) River Old Order Amish congregation in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Bishop Moses M. Beachy led the congregation during that time and, though he objected for the sake of humility, his name became associated with the faction. The Beachy Amish favored a milder discipline for members whose only offense was transferring membership to other Anabaptist churches, specifically the Conservative Amish Mennonite congregation that broke from Beachy's congregation (then not under Beachy's leadership) in 1895. (For a detailed discussion of the 1927 split and its history, see [1]. The author, Alvin J. Beachy (1913-1986), was Moses' eleventh son.)

Until the 1950s, the Beachys resembled the Old Order Amish, but accepted some adaptations in technology and discipline. In contrast to the Old Order Amish, the Beachys have church buildings, Sunday Schools, and a Bible School, and some also support missionary work. Excommunication is used less frequently and accompanying bans are even more rare.

With these innovations, some more closely resemble the conservative Mennonite and Brethren groups rather than the Old Order Amish. Other "orthodox" Beachy churches, most notably in Kentucky and Illinois, still resemble Moses Beachy's early congregation; for example, they use German in services and do not support evangelistic missionary work.

The Beachys are rightly called "Amish Mennonite". The influences of both the Amish and Mennonites are distinguishable, yet the Beachys are neither solely Amish nor Mennonite. While Beachys are the largest Amish Mennonite group, other affiliations include the Mennonite Christian Fellowship and the Maranatha Amish Mennonites (a subgroup of Beachys) as well as a handful of unaffiliated Amish Mennonite churches. The group now known as the "Conservative Mennonites" who resemble mainstream Mennonite groups more than Amish Mennonites were the largest Amish Mennonite group for a couple decades prior to the growth of the broader Beachy church in the 1950s.

In 2004, there were 10,038 Beachy members in 159 churches, with the highest concentrations in Pennsylvania and Ohio. International Beachy churches or mission work can be found in El Salvador, Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Ireland, Belgium, Ukraine, Romania, Kenya, India, Australia, and Canada; Canada includes both "domestic" Beachy churches as well as missionary work with the Sioux Indians, and Costa Rica is made up of non-mission oriented churches. Mission work is sponsored by Amish Mennonite Aid (AMA), Mennonite Interests Committee (MIC), Christian Aid Ministries (CAM), or individual churches.

[edit] See also

Weavertown Amish Mennonite Church

[edit] References

Beachy, Alvin J. 1955. The Rise and Development of the Beachy Amish Mennonite Churches. Mennonite Quarterly Review, Vol. 29, No. 2, 118-140.
Gaetz, Susan Melinda. 1994. Understanding Mennonitism: A Visual Ethnography of the Beachy Amish Mennonites of Lott, Texas. M.A. Thesis. Austin: University of Texas at Austin.
Landing, James Edward. 1975. The Spatial Development and Organization of an Old Order Amish-Beachy Amish Settlement, Nappanee, Indiana. Ph. D. Thesis. State College: Pennsylvania State University.
Lapp, Aaron. 2003. Weavertown Church History. Sugarcreek: Carlisle Printing.
Lesher, Emerson. 1983. Family Integration and Psychological Well-Being Among Older Adult Beachy Amish. Ph.D. Thesis. Los Angeles: Wright Institute.
Mast, J.B. 1950. Facts Concerning the Beachy A. M. Division of 1927. Meyersdale, PA: Menno J. Yoder.
Matthew, Samuel 2001. The Development of Missional Vision in a Midwestern Amish Mennonite Congregation. Ph.D. Thesis. Pasadena, CA: Fuller Theological Seminary.
Mennonite Church Information 2006. Harrisonburg: Christian Light Publications.
Miller, Devon. 2005. Amish Mennonite Directory. Millersburg, OH: Abana Books. A directory of all US and Canadian Amish Mennonites, including the Beachys.
Miller, Leroy and Leon Zook. 1995. The Amish-Mennonites at Kempsville, Virginia, 1900-1970. Virginia Beach: Donning Publishers.
Miller, Linda Rose. 1997. The Miracle of Faith. Free Union: Faith Mission Home.
Petersheim, Henry. 2005. Bringing in the Sheaves. Sugarcreek: Carlisle Printing.
Schwieder, Dorthy and Schwieder, Elmer. 1977. The Beachy Amish in Iowa: A Case Study. Mennonite Quarterly Review, Vol. 51, No. 1, p. 41-51.
Vollers, Maryanne. 1990. Helping Kids Beyond Help: Mennonite Volunteers at the Faith Mission Home for the Severely Handicapped Children. People Weekly, Vol. 34, No. 22.
Yoder, Elmer S. 1980. The Amish Mennonites of Macon County, Georgia: 1953-1980. Hartville: Diakonia Ministries.
Yoder, Elmer S. 1987. The Beachy Amish Mennonite Fellowship Churches. Hartville, OH: Diakonia Ministries. Comprehensive account of the Beachys by Beachy minister Simon L. Yoder's son.
Yoder, Nathan, et al, eds. 1991. The Miracle of Love. Harrisonburg: Campbell Copy Center

Articles on the Weavertown church:

Irwin, Jerry and Douglas Lee. "The Plain People of Pennsylvania." National Geographic. April, 1984: 492-519. Pages 502, 511, 514, and 556 have pictures of Beachy Amish church members from Weavertown Amish Mennonite Church. Page 507 has picture of a family from Pequea Amish Mennonite Church. Accompanying text summarizes Beachy Amish/Amish Mennonite belief and practice.
Heller, Karen and Rob Clark, Jr. "The Fancy Quilts of the Plain People." Inquirer Magazine. January 25, 1987: 18-23. Includes interviews with and photographs of members of Weavertown Amish Mennonite Church.
Kito, Makoto. "Contemporary America: The Amish in Lancaster County." The Yomiuri Shimbun (Japanese daily newspaper). June 22, 1994: 4. Brief overview in Japanese of plain churches in America, including brief comments from an Old Order Amish historian and a Weavertown Amish Mennonite church couple; excellent insight by Japanese journalist.
Kraybill, Donald B. The Riddle of Amish Culture. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1989. Describes the 1910 split (between the Old Order Amish and what later became Weavertown Amish Mennonite Church) on pages 142-143. Also describes division of 1927.
Stone, Erika and Merle Good. Nicole Visits an Amish Farm. NY: Walker and Co., 1982. A photo story for children about a New York City girl who visits an Amish Mennonite family for one week under the Fresh Air program. The family members pictured are members of Weavertown.