Several years ago some Mennonites moved into the Cumberland Furnace community. A few of the men came to the Community Center and asked to use it for their Sunday worship service as they had no place of their own. We really knew nothing about them, but they received unanimous approval of their request. They met at a time when Sheila and I were driving to and from church. We were interested in how they set up separate classes for boys and girls in the park – it was summer, while the adults met in the Center’s building. Typically, I would wave as we went by to any men standing on the porch and would receive answering waves and smiles.

This permission to meet in the Center turned into a blessing for the Center. Not only did the Mennonites make a financial contribution to the Center each month, they left the place spotlessly clean. We were sorry when they built their own place of worship - our building being too small for their separated classes when winter required them to meet indoors.

One of the first examples of Mennonite work that was pointed out to me was a new roof on one of the churches. A different contractor had been hired to repair the roof. Unfortunately, it wasn’t repaired well. Then the Mennonites were asked to replace it. The friend, showing it to me, pointed out the expert work at the edges and corners, work which had been neglected by the first contractor hired. Slowly, the quality of any effort they undertook became well known. I was told that they knew the prevailing wages, and charged them, but the quality of the completed job would be excellent. The employer always received excellent work for his money.

More recently, the Mennonites asked permission to use the Community Center ball field on Friday evenings. Driving past, one would see young men and women happily playing together without regard to sex, although the girls wore their long skirts. I was amused by the way the girls would pull up those skirts when running full speed around the bases following a hit. Personally, I enjoyed hearing the laughter that floated up to my house from the ball field and was tempted to walk down to watch a game. I never did, but I was certain I would be permitted to sit in the stands and watch, it was simply my health that held me back.

This year the stands at the ball field were falling down, so the Community Center asked them if they would replace them if we supplied the wood. They agreed to this readily. Our president said he was tempted to ask them to supply the wood also, but was too embarrassed to do so. They did all of the work for free and, true to their reputation, the new stands are safer and better looking than the original ones ever were. 

I have had only one personal interaction with the Mennonites. A young Mennonite woman was next to me with her baby while I was standing and watching a yard sale while Sheila was shopping at the grocery. On the spur of the moment I introduced myself, explained that my wife faced some serious problems in time to come and asked if it would be possible to hire a Mennonite woman to come a day or two a week to help with housework. She replied that would not be a problem, but that if the girl who came was under twenty-one, her mother would accompany her. She said she would be happy to find someone for me when that time came and gave me her name and telephone number. 

I, having entered old age, am delighted to have in our community a group of practicing Christians: people who are peaceful, hard working, honest and completely trustworthy. But, the most important point that has occurred to me as I have observed their growth in the community goes beyond their presence. 

I have always been a Christian, at least always a member of a Christian Church. I never had any particular pride in that, but that has changed as I’ve grown older and had the leisure to read about other religions and their practices. Under the leadership of well intentioned but ill informed Christian leaders the great god Diversity has achieved prominence and acceptance in European and North American nations.  The idea of diversity is that all groups can and will live peaceably with one another.  That is simply not true. 

It may be true that a Christian can live next to a Buddhist if I am correct in that Buddhists focus on themselves and their own growth – which may be why it is such a popular religion in Hollywood, but there have been reports of Buddhist attacks on Christians in Buddhist nations. There is also evidence that Christians cannot live in peace in certain Hindu areas of India, the Hindus aren’t into diversity and are physical about it at times when they are in the majority. 

The Muslims are still worse. How can you live comfortably next to a person whose religion tells him not to associate with non-Muslims, that women are inferior to men and that killing you will send him to his heaven. If you don’t believe that is true, read the Qur′an.  I have.

But Christianity, for all of the flaws of some of its adherents and leaders, preaches honest work, peace to all and helping others. I have not seen this so completely followed as I have in the Mennonite community. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful world if everyone believed and acted as they do? War, corruption and even dishonesty would disappear.

I am certain, Mennonites being human, that there are individuals in their community who fail to meet the standards they espouse, but I have neither seen nor heard of it in the several years they have lived in the Cumberland Furnace area. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful world if everyone practiced Christianity as it is taught in the New Testament and as the Mennonites appear to do? 

So, a Merry Christmas to the Mennonite community and to all who receive this.