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Missions Interest Committee |
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The Missions Interest Committee (MIC) began as a mission-oriented organization of certain Old Order Amish in the 1950s. Russell Maniaci, a former Catholic from Detroit, was instrumental in its establishment, as he admired the Amish Christian devotion but wanted to arouse their interest in missions As it was not received warmly among many Amish, the movement gravitated to the Beachy Amish-Mennonite church. In the 1950s, M.I.C. established a nursing home in Arkansas, conducted mission work in Mississippi, and planted churches in northwestern Ontario. IN the 1960s, M.I.C. agreed to jointly sponsor (with A.M.A.) a mentally handicapped children’s home in Virginia (Faith Mission Home). In the 1980s, M.I.C. established a mission church in Belgium. The church closed after a quarter century. The most recent work is a church in Ireland. This church has attracted converts from across Europe. A recent project of the church is established a camp to help troubled boys. Sources from the General Library and Archives: Mission in Belgium: The Beachy Amish Mission in Europe (1980-1990)
The Amish Mission Movement: The Amish Mission Movement of the 1950s and Its Effects on the Amish Community of Partridge, Kansas The Amish “Mission Movement” and the Reformulation of Amish Identity in the Twentieth Century |
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Above: Dunmore East Christian Fellowship (Ireland) after services
(Top): Staff of the new boys’ camp plan a future project
Below: Dunmore East Christian Fellowship on a foggy Irish morning |
