The Amish Church Community in Southern Michigan

I have been working with the Amish in Southern Michigan for the past twelve years. During this time, I have grown close to several families. I have even come to regard the family that works for me as "my second family." I visit often and eat meals with them, sing with them, travel with them, and just hang out. I have watched the children grow up and the boys become furniture makers now in their own right. The parents, Chris and Emma, are magnificent and I have grown to love and respect them tremendously.

Having had a close look at their lifestyle, I am offering you an "inside" look. This is how it really is for the Amish families. I have made a start here and hope to add more as time goes on.

Amish Church

First and foremost for the Amish, is their devotion to the Amish Church. They do not just go to church on Sunday. They live their beliefs day in and day out seven days a week. Each individual church district is governed by its own set of behavioral rules, known as the Ordnung. The Ordnung for the Church governs almost every area of their life. The rules for each community are set forth by the bishop. The bishop meets with the church ministers and elders and they decide in consensus what they think is right for their community. The community I work with in Southern Michigan is considered one of the strictest and most old-fashioned of any Amish.

Religious services are held on alternate Sundays. Services are usually held in the homes of members. (They do not build special church buildings.) Men and women sit in different rooms on long wooden benches. Only the elderly are given rocking chairs and comfortable seating. On the "in-between" Sundays, members often attend another congregation's service, or visit friends or family. The four hour long services consist of singing, prayers, Bible reading, a short opening sermon, and a main sermon. After services, simple peanut butter and cheese sandwiches on white bread are served.

Education and Child Rearing

Amish in this community are not allowed to practice any type of birth control. Consequently, families are quite large with 8-17 chidren.

Amish parents are extremely devoted, and loving. Mothers usually breast feed their infants until they are about 6 months to a year old. Cloth diapers are used almost exclusively. Infants, both girls and boys, are dressed in little cotton dresses. Little boys are not put into pants until they begin toilet training which is usually around 18-24 months.

Parents are strict, but also attentive and patient. I almost never see an Amish parent "snap" at a child who is misbehaving in a store or social gathering. Instead, I have witnessed a mother pick up her young toddler who was having a tantrum, quietly excuse herself and remove him from the room. I watched out the window as she spoke calmly, softly, and lovingly to the toddler to settle him down. Later, they returned to the room and continued their social visit with the other mothers and children.

The Amish have their own one-room schools with about 30 scholars per school. Often, this amounts to only about 6-7 families, since each family might have 4-5 students enrolled at the same time. All families in the community pay a school tax which goes towards maintaining the school, purchasing supplies, and paying a modest salary to the Amish teacher. (Often a young woman who has not yet married, or perhaps an older gentleman who is no longer able to do manual labor.)

Children start Grade 1 usually at age 7 and graduate after the completion of Grade 8. School education beyond Grade 8 is not allowed. However, young folk continue to learn as they work side by side "apprenticing" with their parents. Boys learn how to build houses, farm, shoe horses, and much more. Girls learn quilting, canning, sewing clothes, gardening, and more. Having watched my own two children go through high school and even college and somehow graduating without any REAL transferable skills in the job place, I often wonder if maybe the Amish realize something we have lost. Parents, not bound by company timeclocks, have time to pass along their wisdom and skills to their children. Parents, not the schools or teachers, have the primary responsiblity of educating their children.

Daily Life

For everyday clothing, the men wear denin trousers with suspenders and broadcloth long-sleeve shirts. The mens trousers have buttons to attach the suspenders and front flap. No zippers are allowed. The women wear long dressers with long sleeves as well and aprons. Their dressers are held together with hooks and eyes and safety pins. Acceptable colors for work dresses and shirts are blue, gray, tan, brown. No buttons are allowed on the women's dresses. For Sunday, men wear black suits and white shirts. Women usually wear black as well. At all times, women must wear a black prayer cap (even while sleeping). A larger black bonnet is worn when they go out. In the summer, men wear straw hats for work. In the fall/winter and always for dress, they wear black felt hats. They usually have a separate one for church and every day wear. The brims on the hats are 3 1/2" -- however, the ministers and bishops must have brims of 4".

Men follow the laws of the Hebrew Scriptures with regards to beards. They do not have mustaches, because of the association of mustaches with the military. Men wear their hair in a bowl cut just above the bottoms of their ears. Women are not allowed cut their hair. Their hair is rolled up in a bun to fit underneath their black caps. Young girls have long braids which are wrapped around their heads. Neither are they allowed to shave their underarms or legs, use makeup, nail polish, or perfume.

Saturday is bath day. During the summer, sometimes they take baths during the weekdays as well. Children are bathed out of a large laundry tub. Older children and adults just use a pail or large bowl filled with soapy water. Water is hand carried in and heated up on the stove so large bathtubs are just not practical.

Monday is wash day. Wash is done by hand and wring dried and hung on the line.

Men are allowed to chew tobacco or smoke a pipe (no cigarettes). Women are not allowed to smoke.

Amongst themselves, the Amish speak a German dialect called Pennsylvania Dutch (Deutsch). Through the years, however, many English words have slipped in. High German is used during worship. Children do not usually learn English until they start to attend school which is at age 7.

Music and Entertainment

While the Amish are not technically not allowed to listen to a radio, their "drivers" are allowed to play the radio while they escort the Amish to their destinations. So the Amish do become familiar with top "country songs" and the young folk love to sing them!

Young Folk & Marriage

Some Amish groups practice a tradition called rumspringa ("running around"). Teens aged 16 and older are allowed some freedom in behavior. Since they have not yet been baptized, they have not committed to follow the extremely strict behavioral restrictions and community rules imposed by the religion. The intent of rumspringa is to make certain that youth are giving their informed consent if they decide to be baptized. Actually in this community, the young folk are not really given that much freedom, but they are allowed to take their buggies out at night, smoke, and maybe drink a beer. So they do not really get that much contact with the outside world. About 99% of the young Amish people in this community decide to remain Amish.

The "Young Folks", as they are called by the Amish, usually have get-togethers on Sunday evenings rotating places amongst the church families. During these gatherings, the young people have supper, sing, and socialize. After the formal gathering, some couples take leisurely buggy rides and get home quite late.

Marriages outside the faith are not allowed. In addition, marriages are not allowed between first cousins. (This often limits the number of available mates in their own community.) Gatherings are planned for young folk to get together with others from similarly minded Amish groups. Couples who plan to marry are "published" usually only a few weeks before the ceremony. Their weddings are large community all-day events with usually around 500 people in attendance. I personally have attended several weddings and usually end up feeling like I am immersed into a swarm of black hats and clothing.

Livelihood

More on this later: Farming: Raising Livestock: Working out: Furniture Making: Crafts: Gardens>/p>

Health Care

Transportation

The Amish have black buggies (made from poplar wood) they are open -- that is, they do not have tops. Large umbrellas are used for protection from wind, rain, and snow. However, they will ride in cars when needed (doctor visits, long trips). Their Standard Bred horses are usually those who have retired from the harnass racing tracks or have been raised by the Amish themselves.

No bicycles, No motorized vehicles, No skateboards. No roller brades.

Electricity, Plumbing and other Modern Life Conveniences

The Amish do not use electricity at their own homes or farms. They use kerosene for their lamps for lighting. For cooking, they use wood stoves and kerosene stoves (in the summer). However, the Amish are allowed to use electricity at the homes of the English people with whom they are employed if it is necessary for their work. For example, they can use power tools, phones, chain saws, push lawn mowers. Under no circumstances, can they watch TV, use a computer, drive powered vehicles, or have a cell phone.

Plumbing is virtually non-existent. Outhouses are the norm. Some lucky families have windmills to pump the water outside. Many families have sisterns to collect rain water which they use for washing since it is much softer.

In-home or cell phones are not allowed. In case of emergency, they are allowed to use the phones of their neighbors.

The Amish do not take photographs or allow themselves to be photographed. To do so would be evidence of vanity and pride. Also, it might violate the prohibition in Exodus 20:4, the second of the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that...is in the earth..."

Amish Houses and Farms

Land: Houses: Decorating: Barns: Pets:

Finances & Retirement

The Amish do not participate in any government programs. This is against their religion and belief in separatism from the rest of the world. Consequently, the Amish do not collect Social Security/Canada Pension Plan benefits, unemployment insurance, or welfare.

Dawdy houses

Shopping: Money: Auctions:

Amish Funerals

Funerals are solemly conducted in the home without a eulogy, flower decorations, or other display. At death, they are buried in their church clothes in a plain pine casket. A simple unengraved wood marker is placed at the burial site. A map is maintained by the ministry to specify the occupants of each spot.

There are many web sites relating to Amish culture on the Internet. I have compiled a list of those I have found to be the most useful and information. I invite you to find out more about the Amish people, their beliefs and their lifestyle.