Plain Answers About the Amish Life by Mindy Starns Clark Page B
Authors: Mindy Starns Clark
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the deacon pours water into those hands from a pitcher. After all are baptized, the bishop welcomes each male in turn with a holy kiss while his wife does the same to the females.
Once baptized, members are bound to the Amish faith for the rest of their lives.
What if they later change their mind? Can they leave the church?
Those who chose to leave the church after baptism are usually excommunicated and shunned. See chapter 10, âShunning,â for more information.
26
COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE
How do engagements work in the Amish community?
For an engagement to be made official, the groom must go to his bishop, declare his intentions, and acquire a Zeugnis , which is a letter of good standing from his church. If the bishop is aware of any sinful behavior or need for correction, he deals with it at that time.
Once the groom acquires the Zeugnis , he delivers it to the brideâs minister or deacon. That church leader will visit the bride, confirm she desires to marry the groom, and discuss any sin or other concerns in her life. After this meeting, if all is satisfactory, the leader will wait until the appropriate time and then âpublishâ or announce the engagement to the church.
Is it true that the Amish are extremely secretive about their dating lives?
Somewhat. Courtship among the Amish is done with discretion, and engagements are not usually made public until one to six weeks before the wedding. Prior to that, a bride and groomâs closest friends and family members may be told, but otherwise only the church leaders are informed and not the congregation at large.
When do the Amish get married?
In some settlements, weddings are limited to certain times of the year and even specific days of the week. Lancaster County weddings, for example, are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays in October, November, and December. Weddings in Geauga County, Ohio, are held in the summer.
Can an Amish person marry outside of the faith?
Not if they intend to remain in the Amish church, as rules require both bride and groom to have been baptized within the Amish faith.
What is an Amish wedding like?
Amish weddings can be quite large, often with 300 to 500 guests. The Amish donât use caterers, so the food preparation alone can be a tremendous undertaking. Fortunately, plenty of volunteers are always available to help out, and the communities have been through so many weddings before that everyone is familiar with the various duties required.
Weddings are usually held in the brideâs parentsâ home, barn, or shop. The regular Sunday benches are used, though if the wedding is large, benches from other nearby communities may be needed as well. In a carefully orchestrated event, family and friends work to prepare the wedding feast and ready the home for the celebration.
How about the wedding ceremony itself?
Amish wedding ceremonies are similar in many ways to their regular Sunday worship services. As the congregation sings the opening hymns, the couple is brought into a separate room with the bishop and ministers for a time of âadmonition and encouragementâ called the Abroth . This lasts about 20 or 30 minutes, and then all rejoin the congregation for the rest of the service. As on Sundays, an opening sermon, a prayer, a Bible reading, and a main sermon are included. The bride and groom each have two attendants.
How long is the wedding ceremony?
About three hours.
What do the bride and groom wear?
In most districts, the couple wear brand-new versions of their usual Sunday attire, with one exception: The groom sports his first ârealâ Amish hat, one with a broader brim to indicate he is married.
Once the ceremony is over, the bride will switch from the black head covering of a single girl to the white kapp of a married woman.
Do they exchange wedding rings?
No.
Do they take vows?
During the main sermon, the bishop asks the couple a series of questions, the affirmation of which will
Once baptized, members are bound to the Amish faith for the rest of their lives.
What if they later change their mind? Can they leave the church?
Those who chose to leave the church after baptism are usually excommunicated and shunned. See chapter 10, âShunning,â for more information.
26
COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE
How do engagements work in the Amish community?
For an engagement to be made official, the groom must go to his bishop, declare his intentions, and acquire a Zeugnis , which is a letter of good standing from his church. If the bishop is aware of any sinful behavior or need for correction, he deals with it at that time.
Once the groom acquires the Zeugnis , he delivers it to the brideâs minister or deacon. That church leader will visit the bride, confirm she desires to marry the groom, and discuss any sin or other concerns in her life. After this meeting, if all is satisfactory, the leader will wait until the appropriate time and then âpublishâ or announce the engagement to the church.
Is it true that the Amish are extremely secretive about their dating lives?
Somewhat. Courtship among the Amish is done with discretion, and engagements are not usually made public until one to six weeks before the wedding. Prior to that, a bride and groomâs closest friends and family members may be told, but otherwise only the church leaders are informed and not the congregation at large.
When do the Amish get married?
In some settlements, weddings are limited to certain times of the year and even specific days of the week. Lancaster County weddings, for example, are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays in October, November, and December. Weddings in Geauga County, Ohio, are held in the summer.
Can an Amish person marry outside of the faith?
Not if they intend to remain in the Amish church, as rules require both bride and groom to have been baptized within the Amish faith.
What is an Amish wedding like?
Amish weddings can be quite large, often with 300 to 500 guests. The Amish donât use caterers, so the food preparation alone can be a tremendous undertaking. Fortunately, plenty of volunteers are always available to help out, and the communities have been through so many weddings before that everyone is familiar with the various duties required.
Weddings are usually held in the brideâs parentsâ home, barn, or shop. The regular Sunday benches are used, though if the wedding is large, benches from other nearby communities may be needed as well. In a carefully orchestrated event, family and friends work to prepare the wedding feast and ready the home for the celebration.
How about the wedding ceremony itself?
Amish wedding ceremonies are similar in many ways to their regular Sunday worship services. As the congregation sings the opening hymns, the couple is brought into a separate room with the bishop and ministers for a time of âadmonition and encouragementâ called the Abroth . This lasts about 20 or 30 minutes, and then all rejoin the congregation for the rest of the service. As on Sundays, an opening sermon, a prayer, a Bible reading, and a main sermon are included. The bride and groom each have two attendants.
How long is the wedding ceremony?
About three hours.
What do the bride and groom wear?
In most districts, the couple wear brand-new versions of their usual Sunday attire, with one exception: The groom sports his first ârealâ Amish hat, one with a broader brim to indicate he is married.
Once the ceremony is over, the bride will switch from the black head covering of a single girl to the white kapp of a married woman.
Do they exchange wedding rings?
No.
Do they take vows?
During the main sermon, the bishop asks the couple a series of questions, the affirmation of which will
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