Bøger om Mennonite people

"They were "only friends" . . . but they wanted so much more. Crystal Glick is grateful to live with her brother's family since her father died and her fiancâe, Owen, broke their engagement. Crystal loves her bruderskinner and cheerfully helps her sister-in-law through a difficult pregnancy with babies number seven and eight, but she yearns for a husband and children of her own. Duane Bontrager is mourning the recent death of his wife, Connie, after twenty-four years of marriage. He and his grown sons have a thriving roofing business but can't get used to life without her. As the young men prepare to launch out on their own, Duane can't imagine life alone--nor with anyone but Connie. When a roofing job at the Glicks introduces Duane and Crystal, they're attracted in spite of their fourteen-year age difference. But their bishop thinks Duane is better suited for the sweet widow Tricia, and Duane's sons object to his interest in anywoman. Crystal's family fears losing her indispensable help. If she must go, they'd rather she be reunited with Owen in spite of his betrayal. They're the only two who believe they're a match made in heaven, can Duane and Crystal overcome the obstacles to lov"--

CRIMINALLY COCOA As if being in New York City for Easter isn't exciting enough, Charlotte Weaver is helping her cousin, Bailey, on the set of her first cable TV show, Bailey's Amish Sweets. Charlotte notices odd events intended to make Bailey look bad . . . and realizes her cousin has a dangerously jealous rival. Can she find out who-before someone's sour grapes turn fatally bitter? BOTCHED BUTTERSCOTCH Mother's Day is a sweet and busy time at the candy shop Bailey King runs with her Amish grandmother. This year, Bailey's parents are visiting, and for Mother's Day Tea at the local church, Bailey's whipping up her mom's favorite: butterscotch fudge. All's going well, until a sticky-fingered thief makes off with the money raised for a local women's support group. Can Bailey find the culprit before events boil over into disaster? CANDY CANE CRIME Thanks to her new cable TV show, Bailey's shop has more orders than she can handle this Christmas. Fortunately, her beloved Cousin Charlotte is organizing the Candy Cane Exchange, pairing sweet notes with a peppermint treat. Charlotte is delighted to discover she may have a secret admirer…until she sees something underhanded going on beneath the merrymaking. Can she stop a local Grinch before the holiday, and her fledgling romance, are ruined? Recipes Included! Praise for Amanda Flower and her Amish cozies "As it turns out, Amanda Flower may have just written the first Amish rom com."-USA Today "Flower has hit it out of the ballpark . . . and continues to amaze with her knowledge of the Amish way of life."-RT Book Reviews "At turns playful and engaging . . . a satisfyingly complex cozy."-Library Journal

"When widower Stephen Lapp moves his five children from New York State to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, his only plan is to buy his family's farm stand, Lapp's Pastured Pork. That way, his brother can move closer to his fiancâee and open his own stand. But on Stephen's first trip to the market, his brave act of kindness nearly ends in catastrophe-until strong-willed Nettie Hartzler saves him-and makes an impression he can't forget . . . A widow with private heartaches of her own, Nettie has no interest in getting involved with any man, though she doesn't discourage their respective children's new friendships-despite Stephen's contentious oldest daughter. But when Nettie runs into serious money worries and Stephen proposes a marriage of convenience, she's distressed and conflicted. She's come to know Stephen's gentle heart and generous soul, and she can't believe he'll want her if she reveals the sins of her past. God has His own plans for the faithful, however, and this time they may include a second chance at love . . ."--

Filled with faith, family, and a whole lot of heart, New York Times bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray joins Charlotte Hubbard and Rosalind Lauer for three all-new holiday stories celebrating the spirit of the season, the warmth of simple Amish traditions, and the joys of coming home for Christmas. The crisp fragrance of pine trees and the warm spice of fresh cookies aren’t the only blessings that Christmas brings, and no one knows more about happy homecomings than three couples who are celebrating the greatest gift of all . . . BUGGIES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES * Shelley Shepard GrayCalled home by family, John Miller and Ellie Coblentz are each looking for a way north from Pinecraft, Florida. With few options, they decide sharing the burden of travel must be the Lord’s plan for them. But can this bumpy, bad-weather journey home help them find their way into each other’s hearts, too? STAR OF WONDER * Charlotte HubbardWhen Raymond Overholt comes to Promise Lodge, hoping to sell the barnboard signs he’s painted with stars and Christmas messages, spirited young Mennonite Lizzie Zehr is intrigued. But any courtship between them will face fierce opposition from the bishop of Raymond’s Old Order community—unless someone can convince him that at the heart of faith lies love . . . STARLIGHT EVERLASTING * Rosalind LauerNewlyweds Rachel and Luke Coblentz can’t wait to celebrate their first Christmas together after years of courtship. But when Luke’s factory job threatens to keep them apart—from each other and their dream of a family—it will take faith to believe in the gift of a truly joyful ending . . .

In an uplifting inspirational romance that will make your heart smile, award-winning, USA Today bestselling author Amy Lillard’s “Whoopie Pie Widow’s Club,” a group of women who share solace, friendship, and faith in the close-knit community of Paradise Valley, Missouri, reunites as a local writer embarks upon the joyful Amish tradition of matchmaking…For fans of Charlotte Hubbard, Amy Clipston, Molly Bebber, and Linda Byler.While most women her age are searching for husbands, Astrid Kauffman has chosen a different path—writing romance novels and donating her profits to her beloved Amish community. But when Astrid struggles with writer’s block, she agrees to play matchmaker for Imogene Yoder, a widowed mother of rambunctious twin boys. Perhaps the diversion—and the entrée it gives Astrid to the stories among the Widows’ Club—will spark her creativity . . . Fortunately, Astrid has just the match for Imogene: a widower she believes is the finest, most handsome man in town. In fact, Astrid realizes he’s perfect . . . for herself! Soon, the plot thickens as Imogene questions what kind of marriage she really wants, and Astrid wonders what kind of matchmaker falls for someone else’s match. But by letting faith guide the way, all involved may discover true love has written a far better next chapter than any of them expected . . .

What would you do if you learned someone has been impersonating you? Sara Murray has to find out when she first meets her Amish grandparents in Lancaster County.

What are the most significant points at issue between the Reformed and Mennonite communions? Baptism, peace and church-state relations. Is there a way forward? In the hope that there may be, the contributors to this book attempt to clear the way to closer relations between Reformed and Mennonites by careful scholarly discussion of the traditionally disputed questions.The papers gathered here were presented at the second phase of the international dialogue between the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (Presbyterian and Congregational) and the Mennonite World Conference. There are Reformed and Mennonite studies of the three topics, together with the responses of a philosopher of religion, a sociologist, a systematic theologian and a church historian. In the Introduction the dialogue is set in its historical and contemporary ecumenical context, and the Conclusion, drafted by the dialogue participants, has been forwarded to the two world bodies for their consideration and action. This important work will be relevant to all future scholarly research into the growing debate between Reformed and Mennonite communions.

Impelled by a call to share their gifts through service, Russian Mennonite women immigrating to Canada organized their own church societies (Vereine) as avenues of mission and spiritual strengthening. For women who were restricted from leadership positions within the church, these societies became the primary avenue of church involvement. Through them they contributed vast amounts of energy, time and financial resources to the mission activity of the church. The societies thus became a context in which women could speak, pray and creatively give expression to their own understanding of the biblical message. Using primary sources such as reports, letters, minutes, etc., as well as society histories, interviews and survey data, Redekop charts the development of these societies, from the establishment of the earliest ones in the 1870s to their flowering in the fifties and sixties and their decline in the eighties and nineties. The Work of Their Hands elucidates the context in which Mennonite women lived their identity as Christian women, one considered appropriate by themselves and the institutional church. It also shows how changes to the societies, including declining membership and a shift in their primary focus from sewing and baking to one of spiritual fellowship, reflect the changing roles of women within the church, the home and the wider society. The Work of Their Hands is an important book in the history of Mennonite women's spirituality and will be a valuable resource for religious studies, women's studies and Canadian history.

How do our social, political and religious commitments influence our interpretation of biblical texts? Are obedience and suspicion necessarily opposite ways to respond to the authority of the Bible? Can one criticize and be transformed at the same time? Lydia Neufeld Harder explores these questions from the vantage point of a scholar, a feminist and a member of a faith community. A hermeneutics of obedience, rising out of the Mennonite theological tradition, and a hermeneutics of suspicion, advocated by many feminist theologians, seem to represent opposite approaches to the Bible's authority. The resulting polarization could easily have led to static definitions of authority and the subtle domination of those who differ from the majority. However, by focusing on the common theological concept of discipleship, Harder has constructed a critical dialogue, beginning a process of creative change in her own view of authority. This new view opens the way for an interpretation of the Gospel of Mark. A new appreciation of both the power and the vulnerability of the biblical text leads to a view of authority that embraces both suspicion and obedience in a dynamic interpretative process.

The editor provides an important new scholarly tool for locating and understanding the enormous expansion of scholarly research dealing with the sociology of Canadian Mennonites, Hutterites and Amish. Although the book includes research from American scholars, the editor devotes special attention to Canadian works concerning these important and interesting minorities. Using the tripartite division of Mennonites, Hutterites and Amish, the bibliography includes 800 entries each with a concise summary and evaluation. The entries are listed under the subheadings: books, theses, articles and unpublished manuscripts. Preceding the bibliography itself is an essay by the editor originally presented to the Canadian Sociology and Anthropology Association. The essay outlines the differing conceptual assumptions of the researchers included in the book, the major methodologies employed and the main conclusions to be drawn from their work.

A Shared Understanding of Ministerial Leadership, a revision of an earlier book, A Mennonite Polity for MinisterialLeadership, provides a common understanding of how the church approaches leadership. It is an effort to build lastingrelationships of respect and integrity between congregations, area conferences, and their credentialed leaders.For use by pastors and congregational leaders, this book can also be used for leadership training, churchwide discussion, and study in seminary courses.

Strong families. Caring communities. The nearly nine in ten youth who join the church. How do the Amish do it?In Amish Voices, Amish writers share news and advice from their communities and reflect on their daily lives, work, and faith. Brad Igou, publisher of Amish Country News, gives readers a behind-the-scenes tour of Amish life by compiling writing from Family Life, a popular monthly magazine that thousands of Amish people read. Learn about how the Amish began and what they value. Hear what they think about technology, happiness, community, obedience, success, and change. Listen in as they discuss shunning and rumspringa and forgiveness. Find out what sustains them in difficult seasons, and how they try to trust God in all things.Why learn about the Amish from outsiders when you can learn from the Amish themselves? And why just learn about them when you can learn from them?

Edited by Daniel Kauffman, with contributions by twenty-one others, this book on church doctrines includes discussions on the Trinity, man, his redeemed state, death, angels, Satan, anointing with oil, marriage, and dozens of other subjects with numerous Scripture references.

Set in a close-knit Amish community in 1900s Ohio, award-winning author Molly Jebber's historical romance brims with authentic detail and an emotionally complex storylinea treat both for historical fans and those who enjoy wholesome romance by writers like Charlotte Hubbard, Rachel J. Good, Amy Lillard, and Jennifer Beckstrand.In 1915 Ohio, anyone entering the Amish Charm Bakery is greeted by the sweet warmth and delicious fragrance of cinnamon and vanilla wafting from freshly baked cookies and pies. And newcomers to this Amish community will find friendship on the menu, tooand perhaps for a lucky few, even lasting love . . . Rachael Schlabach's first chance for a husband ended in a tragic accident that left her with a limp. Though happy to work in the beloved Amish Charm Bakery, she hasn't abandoned her romantic dreams, but she has focused on a widower with two adorable kinner she would love to raise as her own. Then handsome, single Caleb Yutzy arrives on the scene . . . Caleb is eager to court pretty, warm-hearted Rachael, and tells her so. But their frank conversations reveal a truth that dashes her hopesCaleb very much wants kinner, the one thing Rachael can't give him. Even when Caleb assures her it's no matter, she can't bring herself to be so selfish. Yet love is beyond all planning, and with faith Rachael and Caleb may discover the lifetime of love they were meant to share . . .

Welcome to an Amish Home. It's rare for outsiders to see inside the homes of Old Order Amish people, who live their Christian faith in community, simplicity, and humility. An Amish family in the Midwest gives us a glimpse into the intimate spaces where their family life unfolds. Patterns of work, play, fellowship, and worship become visible, and the warmth and light of the rooms bear witness to their love for God and for each other. Come in!

During the Great Depression, fifteen-year-old Amish girl Hannah and her family move from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to a homestead in North Dakota, hoping to make a fresh start, but face harsh realities and nearly starve until Hannah takes matters into her own hands, going into town to look for a job, leaving her little time to contemplate her feelings for her neighbor.

LaDonna survived trauma no child should have to endure. When feeling too small to cope, she prayed, "God, make me big." He did.WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING"It's hard to imagine the childhood LaDonna endured. Her life is an amazing testimony to the redemptive power of our loving and faithful God. She has lived her life serving Him and others with joy! Her purpose in writing this book is to help others find the same peace and healing that she has received." -Pam Wellinton, friend and pre-editor"As I edited this heartwarming book, I was drawn to the author's inner strength and steadfast trust in God to turn her horrific childhood into a thing of beauty, purpose, and victory." - Rebecca Wilson, editor "LaDonna's story is one of transformation from a painful and dysfunctional childhood to a victorious woman used by God. Her life as a bold witness of God's power and blessings has impacted my own life." Lonna Albrecht, friend and editor