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A Different Way Os Life Near Perry
A Visit With The AAennonites
by
Jean Edge
Feature Writer
“We don’t pose for pic
tures,” my hostess told me
when she saw me readying my
camera for shooting. “But you
may take as many candid
shots as you’d like. Some of
the older people may not
approve, but I’ll let you know
if there’s any question about it
at any time.”
My hostess was a member
of the Mennonite community
of Montezuma in Macon
County. My son and I had been
invited to her home as
weekend guests. I had, as a
writer who feels it’s important
to know and understand as
jpuchas possible about people
with lifestyles different from
my own, been curious for quite
some time about the Men
nonites, their beliefs and their
way of life.
I learned that showing
admiration for one’s ap
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A sea o/ black automobiles surround the small white Mennonite church in
Montezuma during a Sunday morning worship. The Mennonites’ disbelief in
.flashy colors leads them to purchase only black automobiles.
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j DOWNTOWN • PERRY, GA. 2
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pearance is against their
religious beliefs; therefore,
posing for a photograph would
appear to be an act of vanity.
The family with whom we
stayed during our visit con
sisted of the mother and father
and seven children. They lived
in a large two-story far
mhouse perched atop a hill,
nestled in a thick pine grove.
Surrounding the house were
gently rolling hills covered
with dark green grasses.
From the window of our up
stairs guest room we could see
cattle grazing contentedly on
the lush vegetation, and in the
distance, the tall silos of
nearby farms.
During our drive into the
Mennonite community that
morning, we had been able to
pick out those farms belonging
to Mennonites, not only by the
neat appearance that
characterizes all of their
farms, but also by the totally
black car or truck parked near
the farmhouse. The Men
nonites’ disbelief in flashy
colors leads them to purchase
only black automobiles.
The Mennonites are
descended from the 16th
century Anabaptist movement
which began in Switzerland in
1525. They rejected the
church-state concept and
insisted on a free church,
voluntarism in matters of
faith, believer’s baptism and
pacifism or nonresistance
based on the New Testament.
The name “Mennonite” is
taken from Menno Simons, a
leader during the 16th cen
tury.
The first American colony of
Mennonites settled in Ger
mantown, Pa., in 1683 to
escape persecution in Europe.
Today there are settlements of
Mennonites in Montezuma,
Richmond, Va., South
Carolina, Ohio and other
sections of the country.
Mennonites are a deeply
religious sect whose basic
belief is to live a Christian life
of self-denial for the cause of
Christ and to lead a simple
life. They regard Christianity
as not merely a theory of
salvation but as a life of
obedience springing from
grace and love. They believe
that love involves an attitude
of doing good to all men,
without qualification. Their
practice of this attitude was
witnessed by the people of
Fort Valley several weeks ago
when a tornado swept through
the town causing much
destruction to many homes
and other buildings. The
Mennonites came as a group
to this area, bringing along
their heavy equipment, and
worked for days without
thought of remuneration,
helping the people of Fort
Valley to clean away the
debris and wreckage caused
by the tornado. The wives
came along to prepare meals
for their men.
The men of the
denomination have organized
disaster units which serve
often in conjunction with the
Red Cross in emergencies
created by floods, storms and
fires.
Mennonites oppose the
taking of oaths, infant bap
tism, and military service,
and favor plain dress and
plain living.
According to their belief, the
taking of oaths is forbidden,
not only by the gospel but also
for conscience sake, since in
the spiritual Kingdom of God
on earth the truth is the
highest law.
They believe that the
congregation of the Lord
consists only of believing and
regenerate children of the
Lord. Only those who are
sufficiently advanced in years
and experience, and
therefore, able to believe, can
be admitted into the
congregation by baptism.
Children are not baptized until
they reach such an age of
responsibility.
Although the members of
the church do not accept
military service because of
their belief in biblical
nonresistance, they work in
mental hospitals and other
public institutions as a sub
stitute and serve their country
in this way.
The quaint appearances of
these people stem from their
religious beliefs. The women
wear no make-up on their
faces, and all wear simply
made dresses of subdued
colors which reach to mid-calf
on their legs. They wear black
shoes and stockings. The hair
of all females, including small
children, is worn up off the
neck and is kept covered at all
times - even when they are in
the home -by a small, white
cap that sits on the back of the
head. They rarely work
outside of the home, and feel
their obligations are to God,
the husband, and the family
and home.
All married men wear
beards but no moustaches. On
Sundays they wear homemade
plain black Nehru-type suits
fastened with hooks and eyes
instead of buttons. They are
hardworking, as is evidenced
by their successful farms, and
make devoted husbands
Divorce is not tolerated in the
Mennonite community.
The children are obedient to
their parents and are very
industrious. The girls all do
work in the homes and the
boys on the farms. They at
tend the Mennonite school -
which is totally financed by
of the Mennonite
community - until they
complete the eighth grade
They are then taken out of
school, the boys to begin
working full-time on the farms
and the girls to learn the
responsibilities of
homemaking from the
mother.
During the afternoon of the
day of our arrival, we were
taken around to visit some of
the farms and we met many of
the people of the community.
All the people were extremely
polite and everyone we met
made us feel very welcome
Most of the Mennonites in
the area are dairy farmers,
although a number of them do
general crop farming.
The next morning, Sunday,
we attended church services
at the Mennonite church.
Upon entering the church
there are rows of pews on both
sides of the main aisle and
rows up front and left side of
the pulpit. The younger
women and girls are seated on
the left side of the church and
the men and boys on the right
side, the smaller children
\
HAYNEVILLE
Mrs. D. A. Forehand
V,
Mr. and Mrs. L.D. Hamsley
spent May 23 thru 25 in
Columbia, South Carolina,
with their son, Clifford
Hamsley, and his family.
The youth of the First
Baptist Church of Hayneville
enjoyed fellowship together
Sunday night at the pastorium
in Clinchfield. Games were
played and homemade ice
cream and cake were enjoyed
In Service
Marie Woodley, daughter of
Charlie Woodley, 207 Chase,
Perry, was promoted to Army
specialist four while assigned
as a supply clerk in the Ist
Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood,
Texas.
Army Private James Ford,
Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. James
Ford, Elko, completed the
new ‘One Station Unit
Training’ (OSUT) program at
Ft. Polk, La. OSUT provides
basic and advanced training
with the same unit, on the
same post.
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being seated in the front pews
so that they may be under
watchful eyes during the
service. The elders are seated
up front, the women to the left
of the pulpit and the men to the
right.
The service was conducted
in English and based entirely
upon the bible. During prayers
all worshippers knelt. When a
by everyone.
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Huff
visited in Savannah over the
weekend with their daughter
and her husband, Sherry and
Ben Rogers.
Mr. and Mrs. Roy Jinks
have their granddaughters,
Jessica and Erika visiting
with them from Texas.
The First Baptist Church of
Hayneville has been holding
Bible School this week.
Commencement exercises
will be Friday, June 6, at 7:30
P.M.
The Hayneville Assembly of
God will begin Monday at 9 :00
A.M. with their Bible School
and will run thru Friday.
Friday night, June 6, the
Hayneville Assembly of God
will hold their fellowship
supper for all members and
their friends at 7:00 P.M.
Pam McClintic spent the
day Saturday at Six Flags
Over Georgia with the Perry
Junior High School.
HOME JOURNAL THURB., JUNE 5. 1975,
page number was announced
for singing, I discovered upon
opening my hymnal that all
the songs were printed in
German. I tried to follow
along in my book as the songs
were sung in German, but I
was soon completely lost. No
musical instruments ac
companied the singing.
I learned later that German
was kept alive by singing it in
the church and by teaching it
to the small children even
before they are taught English
in order that a part of the old
country could be kept with
them, as most Mennonites’
ancestry is of German-
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PAGE 5-B
speaking people.
The Mennonites have
electricity in their homes and
on their farms, but they don’t
have televisions. Their
possessions are only those
necessary for living a simple,
adorned life. To go into their
homes, to visit their farms and
their church, to observe their
customs and learn of the
simplicity of their lives is
almost like stepping back in
time when life for most people
was simpler, more relaxed
and hassle-free than is our
present way of life. It’s a
simple and beautiful way of
life