Facts ~ Did you know?

Culture

1. Most Amish in Northern Indiana no longer earn their living by farming?
2. The Pennsylvania Dutch dialect is not Dutch, but rather a mixture of German speckled with English words.
3. “Rumspringa” literally means running around. This term designates the period of Amish young people when they test the ways of the world before getting baptized and settling down.
4. Many Mennonites go to college while their Amish cousins complete their formal education with grade eight.

History

1. The Anabaptist movement started in 1525 in Zurich, Switzerland.
2. Issues like infant baptism, the mass, separation of church and state, and non-violence were key issues in 1525.
3. Three groups make up the majority of the Anabaptists: Mennonites-1536, Menno Simons; Hutterites-1528, Jacob Hutter; Amish-1693, Jacob Amman
4. The Hutterites are the oldest Christian communal group in the world.

Geography

1. 1,200,000 Anabaptists live in 63 different countries
2. Anabaptists live in six continents. Asia, Australia, Europe, Africa, North America and South America.
3. Today more people of color than Caucasian are Anabaptists.
4. The Amish live in many different states. The three largest groups of their 200,000 population live in Holmes County, Ohio; Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; and Elkhart/LaGrange Counties in Indiana.

Lifestyle

1. Common themes like community, non-resistance, simplicity, service, justice, humility and stewardship of the land bind the Anabaptists together.
2. The Amish way of life is an attempt to be separate from the world and follow Jesus.
3. Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is a multi-million dollar service and relief organization that Anabaptists jointly support.
4. Menno-Hof’s large exterior structure was built in one week by a traditional Amish style barn raising.