Mennonites in Texas: The Quiet in the Land

144 Pages·2006·200.74 MB·English

by  Laura L. Camden

Mennonites in Texas
number twelve
Sam Rayburn Series on Rural Life
Sponsored by Texas A&M University–Commerce
James A. Grimshaw Jr., General Editor
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MENNONITES IN TEXAS
The Quiet in the Land
Text and photographs by
Laura L. Camden & Susan Gaetz Duarte
Foreword by
Ann W. Richards
With contributions by
Mark L. Louden & Dennis Carlyle Darling
texas a&m university press ⁄ college station
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Copyright © 2006
by Laura L. Camden and Susan Gaetz Duarte
Printed in China by Everbest Printing Co.
through Four Colour Imports
All rights reserved
First edition
The paper used in this book
meets the minimum requirements
of the American National Standard for Permanence
of Paper for Printed Library Materials, z39.48-1984.
Binding materials have been chosen for durability.
library of congress cataloging-in-publication data
Camden, Laura L., 1969-
Mennonites in Texas : the quiet in the land / text and photographs by
Laura L. Camden and Susan Gaetz Duarte ; foreword by Ann W. Richards ;
with contributions by Mark L. Louden and Dennis Carlyle Darling.– 1st ed.
p. cm. – (Sam Rayburn series on rural life ; no. 12)
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
isbn–13: 978–1–58544–497–7 (cloth : alk. paper)
isbn–10: 1–58544–497–9 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Mennonites—Texas—Seminole Region. 2. Seminole Region
(Tex.)—Religious life and customs. 3. Amish Mennonites—Texas—Lott.
4. Lott (Tex.)—Religious life and customs. 5. Beachy Amish Mennonite
Fellowship. I. Duarte, Susan Gaetz, 1966- II. Title. III. Series.
BX8118.S46C36 2006
289.7'764—dc22 2005028720
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I will give thee thanks in the great congregation:
I will praise thee among much people.
Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me:
neither let them wink with the eye
that hate me without a cause.
For they speak not peace:
but they devise deceitful matters against them
that are quiet in the land.
Psalm 35:18–20 (kjv).
Although “the quiet in the land” was used
to describe various religious groups throughout history,
the expression was also applied to the Mennonites
during the Protestant Reformation in Europe.
Facing persecution because of their beliefs,
they fl ed to safer areas, withdrew from society, and lived apart,
hoping to avoid attention as they continued to practice their beliefs.
The concept of living “in the world but not of the world”
is still preferred by the Mennonites today.
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We would like to dedicate this book
to the members of the
Mennonite community in Seminole, Texas,
and the families of
Faith Mennonite Fellowship in Lott, Texas,
who graciously welcomed us
into their homes and their lives.
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Contents
Series Editor’s Foreword, xi
Foreword by Ann W. Richards, xiii
Preface, xvii
Introduction, 3
A Spiritual Journey
by Mark L. Louden, 13
Building a West Texas Home
by Laura L. Camden, 25
Colonizing the Texas Prairies
by Susan Gaetz, 61
Photographers’ Afterword: In Search of Simpler Times
by Laura L. Camden and Susan Gaetz, 103
The Act of Witnessing Ordinary Dreams
by Dennis Carlyle Darling, 113
Bibliography, 117
Index, 119
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