Church

Amish generally have church services every other Sunday. They rotate between member's homes and the family hosting church provides a meal for the crowd as well. If the church district is large, then the service is held in a barn or a large room. It usually lasts at least 3 hours and is in German. Amish in the New Wilmington area are Old Order Amish, in other words, very conservative and strict compared to many other areas. None have electricity, a lot still have out houses and no running water, but I've heard that is starting to change. Telephones are rare. There are several pay phones dotting the countryside. A few have cell phones if the Bishop approves it for business use. A lot of the young people who are trying out the English (anyone who isn't Amish) ways have "secret" cell phones. When they join the church they are supposed to give them up. Contrary to what you see on the TV "reality" shows, most young people remain Amish. Most are still farmers and have many children. Their family bonds are very strong and the Amish in New Wilmington area are very close knit.
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