Mission to Amish People
P.O. Box 128, 575 US 250
•
Savannah OH 44874
•
(419) 962-1515
•
MapMinistry.org
•
September 2012
Dear
Friend
:
I have been contemplating for several weeks
what our
Ministry Update
should look like
this time around. In the past, my ultimate
goal has always been to give donors and
prayer warriors a detailed description on
everything the Lord is doing through MAP.
This time, however, I would like to begin by
sharing two pressing needs. The first one on
the list is the overwhelming need to…
Train and Equip Former
Amish for Ministry
Here are some reasons why:
The Amish population is exploding
throughout North America—doubling in
size every 20 years.
As of July 2012, the popula-
tion exceeds 270,000. By
2050,
the population will
have grown to 1,000,000.
Amish settlements are scat-
tered throughout 31 states
and Canada.
On average, every 3-1/2
weeks a new settlement
starts up in North America.
As the Amish population
increases, a greater number
are leaving the culture—
some because of spiritual
reasons, others because of
broken marriages and/or dissatisfaction
and frustration over rules.
Some are turning to open atheism and
have web sites to prove it; others are
falling in the trap of Mormonism, Jeho-
vah Witness and other forms of legalism
and doctrinal error.
Many who leave and come to our minis-
try for help, do so with little more than
the clothes on their back. Far too many
are frustrated with the religious system
and every type of organized or structured
church. Only a few actually settle down
in one church, become members and get
involved in a local ministry.
Many struggle from various types of
abuse, rejection, rebellion, living double
lives, alcohol, anger and bitterness. The
emotional needs are often huge and diffi-
cult for trained counselors to understand.
Because of the desperate need for ac-
ceptance and love, many young people
give into peer pressure, such as living
together before marriage and attending
wild parties.
By sharing these things, I don't mean to
sound negative. My goal is to help you bet-
ter understand why we need to train and
equip men and women for this type of min-
istry. There are not enough Joe and Esther
Keims to go around, and if we don’t start
training and equipping others for full time
ministry to Amish and former Amish, we
will loose the battle even more.
Most days, our ministry receives an average
of 40-50 emails, phone calls and letters
from people all over the United States and
Canada. Some come from Amish and for-
mer Amish people who need help or advice.
Others come from individual donors, sup-
porting churches and people who want to
know how they can reach out to Amish
communities in their area.
About five years ago, I started thinking
about the need of starting a Bible school
that provides students with a solid under-
standing of the Old and New Testament,
Bible doctrines, evangelism, discipleship
and a practical hands on training ministry.
As time went by, my burden became heavi-
er and heavier to bear. In fact,
there are times that the burden
becomes so heavy that if I’d
continue to hold my peace, the
stones would cry out.
Having shared my burden, let
me also tell you about the four
needs we have, before we can
even start with this ministry:
1.
We need students, called
of God to step out in faith and
make a commitment in letting
us train and equip them for a
life of ministry.
2.
We need a teacher/
director, called of God to run
the school.
Note:
Concerning curriculum, I am not
looking to reinvent any wheels, but ra-
ther use what is already available
through other God ordained ministries.
3.
We need donors—small and great,
called of God to come along side us and
make a one year commitment. After
one year, we’ll stop and evaluate where
we are at in the process.
