The Beachy Amish Mennonites   

Mennonites   

Beachy Ministers’ Meeting 2011

The Beachy Amish Mennonites hold an annual three-day meeting of the constituency’s ministers to share in fellowship and exchange ideas, receive reports from Beachy agencies, and vote on constituency decisions if any are brought forward.

 

· The 2009 meeting was held in Sarasota, Florida. (see meeting page)

· The 2010 meeting in April was held in Goshen, Indiana. (see meeting page)

· The 2011 meeting was held in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

· The 2012 meeting will be held in Plain City, Ohio (April 3-5)

 

The Weavertown A.M., Pequea A.M., Mine Road A.M., and Bethel C.F. congregations hosted the meetings at the Ridgeview Mennonite Church near Intercourse, PA. The program committee included Ben Stoltzfus, John Lee Stoltzfus, Daniel Lapp, and Merv Lapp. The meeting attendance was higher than last year, attracting around 440 ministers and wives during daytime sessions. Committees met starting on Monday and continued through Thursday. Nine ministers presented messages, five gave devotionals, and six presented workshops.

Facts, Figures, and

For the Record

Perry Beachy of Pennsylvania preaching

 

The Birth and Basic Doctrines of the Church: Acts and Epistles.

 

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Phil Beachy of Ohio sharing

 

Jeremiah, an Example of Perseverance.

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Tim Stoltzfus of Arkansas preaching

 

Teaching to Observe.

 

 

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Marcus Kauffman of Virginia preaching

 

Early Anabaptist View of the Church.

 

 

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Laban Kauffman of Ohio sharing

 

Building a Vibrant Church.

 

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Marvin Kauffman of Iowa sharing

 

Paul and Barnabas: team Ministry in Evangelism and Nurture.

 

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Dave Nisly of Virginia sharing

 

How the Early Church and Early Anabaptist Views Differ from Current Popular Views of the Church.

 

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Ed Yoder of Arkansas preaching

 

Go and Teach.

 

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Tim Miller of Virginia preaching

 

The Major Decisions (2 Timothy 1:12-14)

 

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MEETING DOCUMENTS (download)

· Official Minutes & Committee Roster

· Meeting Brochure

· Bishop Committee Statement

· Proposal for the Amish Mennonite Historical Association

· RECORDINGS, both CD orders and MP3 downloads,  are available via Victory Music Services

 

BUSINESS MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

1) The bishop committee is sought approval to develop a constitution of core beliefs and is seeking input.

2) The bishop committee asks churches that feel their practice in regards to radio usage is at variance with the churches of the constituency to consider withholding their vote in constituency decisions.

3) Two of the five MIC churches in northwest Ontario are leaving the Beachys, a process to be completed in four years.

4) AMA once used a standard of practice for its missions, but these were “archived” as each country has developed its own standards.

5) An historical association was established to archive Amish Mennonite materials

6) Northern Indiana, Holmes County, and Lancaster County will now host the meetings twice as often as smaller settlements because of the size.

 

WORKSHOP SESSIONS

In addition to nine sermons, attendees could participate in two of six workshops. While transcripts were not done, handouts and summaries may be available.

 

(A) Why Do Young People Leave Anabaptism?

             Wendall Hochstetler, Abbeville, SC

Summary:

Wendall focused on the home and the father's responsibility in raising Godly children. What the child is taught at home is key to what he believes and embraces when he becomes older. Do our children have passionate fathers? Fathers that are sold out to the Lord Jesus Christ. Fathers that spend time with God and read His Word. Fathers that are committed to doing His will, whatever the cost. Fathers that appreciate and support the Anabaptist teachings.?

     Where are the hearts of our Fathers?  What are their pursuits in life? Wendall demonstrated this with a John Deere illustration. He wore a John Deere T-shirt, hat , had a John Deere book to read to his children, John Deere tractor toy, Johnny Pop Pop-corn, etc. In other words, Dad loves John Deere and is not ashamed of it. Dad argues about it, believes in it, drives it, mows with it, wears it. Green is the color of his blood. What do you think little Johnny  will believe in when he gets older? John Deere of course.

     Fathers are the most important factor in guiding our Childs heart.  "Where there is no vision the people perish.” Paraphrase - "Where there in no John Deere tractor, the children will drive something else."

PRESENTATION HANDOUT (youth survey from Calvary Bible School, Heritage Bible School, and a church youth group)

            

(B) Should/How Should Written Standards Be Changed?

             Robert Beachy, Plain City, OH

 

(C) Is Modesty the Same as It Was in 1910?

             Mark Miller, Sugarcreek, OH

(D) Dealing with Church Growth

             Stan Nisly, Altamont, KS

(E) Principles of Biblical Interpretation
             Melvin Lehman, Guys Mills, PA

             PRESENTATION HANDOUT

 

(F) Partnering with My Husband in Ministry

             Carol Nisly, Altamont, KS

 

FOR THE RECORD

             If you have feedback about the ministers’ meetings, comments may me made to the Canaan Fellowship church in Plain City, OH, which will be hosting next year’s meetings (check your directories for contact information).

 

             Between the nine speakers and six workshop presenters, the following last names had representation three times, each one accounting for 20% of the presentations: Beachy, Kauffman, and Nisly. No non-ethnic names were represented this year.

 

             While ministers may talk about a variety of subjects, they may gravitate towards certain topics more often than others. This year, as I made my way through crowds of people, I gave attention to snippets of conversation as I passed (four to seven words), to try to get a feel for what is talked.

 

Night of 1st day & morning of 2nd:

General “hellos,” re-meeting old friends and meeting some new ones; shorter conversations.

 

Afternoon & evening of 2nd day, morning of 3rd:

As people meet the same ones again, they begin longer conversations. Here is a sample of four phrases I caught on one walk across the crowd:

“...we as a ministry…”

“...I’m certainly not saying the church…”

“...when do you expect the form to…”

“...if it’s just tradition, say it is…”

 

The way practices and the church structure are framed and contextualized is perhaps the most popular conversational topic. Those who are not as central in ministerial networks fluctuate between ongoing short conversations of meeting people and standing to the side or with spouse.

 

Afternoon & evening of the 3rd day:

Some tire, and it doesn’t take as long to clear the sanctuary after the evening sermon as it did the first two nights. Those who have not tired find those sympathetic to their frame of church and practices, and continue the conversation.

 

             One local young man attended part of the ministers’ meetings for the first time. With enthusiasm, he later listed the names of some ministers he recognized, concluding that “there was a lot of clout there!”

 

             This year, ministers seemed especially prone to extending their break time by loitering in the lobby after the service had begun, even beyond the singing and at times into the message. This was commented on by moderators and a minister beginning his sermon.

             Some expressed an interest in allowing more time to visit at future meetings.

             Others felt that the disorganization arose because of recent changes. The introduction of snacks two years ago and the availability of a coffee bar one year ago has been attributed by some to the ushering problem.

             Also, the introduction of mixed-gender seating at last year’s meetings caused several unforeseen problems . Two that were pointed out by some of the attendees were the common after-church exchange of waiting for your wife while she talks, so you talk to someone else, then she waits for you while you talk, so she talks to someone else… In addition, those who didn’t look ahead while being ushered in found themselves sitting next to someone of the opposite gender in addition to his/her spouse.

 Eighty-five years in God’s service: June 26, 1927 — 2012

WORKSHOP: Carol Nisly

WORKSHOP: Wendall Hochstetler

WORKSHOP: Mark Miller

WORKSHOP: Robert Beachy