|
January 26, 2001
Conference to showcase working with Amish
and Anabaptist
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Increasing understanding of Amish and Anabaptist religions and cultures and showcasing effective approaches to serving these communities will be two goals of a March 28—30 conference in Holmes County, Ohio.
"Serving Amish and Anabaptist Communities: A Conference for Professionals" will be at the Carlisle Village Inn in Walnut Creek, Ohio. Located in the heart of Ohio's Amish country, participants will be able to observe Amish culture firsthand.
"This conference is important to Amish/Anabaptist communities," says Sharon Strouse of Ohio State University Extension and conference co-chair. "We tend to have a high percentage of professionals that move into our communities with education or experience that is needed for their job or career but that have never lived in an Anabaptist community or worked with the Amish."
The conference is cosponsored by Michigan State University Extension, The Ohio State University Extension and Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service. It is designed for professional people who work in Amish or Anabaptist communities.
Strouse says the conference is unique because it addresses professional research from a multidisciplinary approach. "Many conferences present multidisciplinary information, but they don't usually have an appeal to professionals from health care to law enforcement to agriculture," she says.
Strouse says the conference should benefit professionals that work with the Amish in making decisions regarding the care of their families or in interacting with complex systems such as government, law enforcement, or health and safety services.
"Increasing one's understanding of the Anabaptist culture when working in an Amish community improves the confidence one has in deciding policy at work – in government or as a service provider – to respect and support the Amish people and their families," Strouse says.
One of the conference highlights will be a presentation by D. Elder Stewart of the Ohio State Agricultural Technical Institute. She will discuss the importance of music in the Amish childhood experience. The presentation will be given in conjunction with an Amish sing by local residents.
Other featured speakers include Donald Kraybill of Messiah College, Gertrude Enders Huntington of the University of Michigan, Steve Nolt of Goshen College, Hank Wadsworth of Purdue and Judge Thomas White of the Holmes County Court of Common Pleas General Trial and Domestic Relations Divisions.
The conference will include sessions on understanding Amish/Anabaptist culture, family life, health and human services; relationships with government agencies; and rural economic development. Other topics will include a panel of local citizens and a discussion centering on agricultural production, public health and safety, and rural sociology and community development.
Participants also will be able to choose from tours designed to fit their professional interests and needs. The four tour topics include health, safety and human services; law enforcement, justice and government; business and industry; and agriculture and natural resources.
Full conference registration is $155 per person or $210 after Feb. 15. Interested participants also can elect to register for a single day at a cost of $60 per person or $70 after Feb. 15. To receive a conference registration form, visit or contact the Ohio State Extension office in Holmes County by calling (330) 674-3015.
To reserve a room contact the conference site hotel, The Carlisle Village Inn, at (330) 893-3636, and ask for special conference rates of $46—$85, available though Feb. 15. Rooms will be available on a first-come basis.
The Comfort Inn of Millersburg also offers special conference rates. To make reservations contact them directly at (330) 674-7400 by Feb. 15, and request conference rates of $50-$68. For a listing of other lodging facilities within minutes of the site, contact the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau's 24-hour InfoCenter at (330) 674-3975 or on the Web.
The Holmes County Tourism Bureau also will be offering pre- and post-tours of the area. Additional information concerning these tours will be included in each registrant's conference confirmation packet.
Source: Jane Houin, (330) 674-2585; houin@valkyrie.net
Writers: Beth Forbes, (765) 494-2722 and Jane Houin, (330) 674-2585; houin@valkyrie.net
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
To the Purdue News and Photos Page
|
Purdue News
