Mennonite call to wake up

I was at FMH this weekend (sat) there was an Amish volleyball tournament.  I live in Lanc Co and am around the Amish, my ideas about the Amish don’t come from the movie Witness. I am familiar the Amish youth’s desire to ‘sow wild outs’ but I am still amazed when I see Amish girls with ear bud connecting there ears to mp3 players.  When I left there was a group hanging around a SUV with it’s windows rolled down, a I got into my car I saw a female hand poke out of the window to drop ashes from a cigarette.  I looked again and saw 2 or 3 girls in the back smoking (in full Amish garb) I don’t know if I ever recall seeing that.  I often see guys smoking, but this seemed worse. 

My disgust with Amish youth culture in this locale has grown into a burden, how can these kids be reached?  I teach and am always thinking about my students, and I wonder how long this kind of subculture can exist without internally destroying itself. 

It doesn’t take me long to start thinking about the position the Mennonite kids are getting themselves into.  So many of Lanc. co Mennonite youth are getting themselves into the same ‘wild oats’ position, and not unlike the Amish, never realize the lostness they are getting into.

I was reading a newsletter from Val Yoder, IGo school in Asia, and he mentioned something John D Roth said. 

Never before, he said, have Mennonites enjoyed such credibility and support from other denominations?in ecumenical circles, Anabaptism is seen as the ?darling child,? with interest, support and acceptance of traditional Mennonite distinctives such as peace and service. Even the emergent church movement, he predicts, will one day start looking to Mennonites for authenticity and grounding.
But it?s a different story within many churches in Mennonite Church U.S.A., said Roth, this year?s speaker at the November 6-7 Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) John and Margaret Friesen Lectures. While other Christians are embracing core Mennonite theology, Mennonite Church members in that country are turning away from their historical beliefs, he stated.

How do not become like the Amish youth?  Maybe I don’t understand the site but The Beachy Complex is just an example of what makes my heart ache for the future of our kids.  Help me understand.

Canadian Mennonite University News | John Roth lecture 2007

1 comment

  1. No, you don’t understand the site. Check out the sidebar:

    The contents of this site in no way reflect the doctrine, views, or opinions of the Beachy Churches, of any one church, or even of the individuals you find under the mantle of Beachy Amishism. The contents of this site are non-serious attempts at humor by Beachy young people trying to appreciate their heritage while at the same time not taking themselves too seriously. Any observations or critiques delivered along the way remain the opinion of the individual writer and not Beachy Complex.

    Also please check out one of The Beachy Complex’s serious posts.

    I am a writer on The Beachy Complex and there is not a denomination that I would rather be than Beachy–I am extremely excited about Beachys’ futures. I was just talking with an eminent Beachy mission director/pastor the other month and we were discussing the many, many good things about the Beachy church.

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