Monday, November 16, 2015

Oh No's in Church

Amish church services are very predictable. The same twenty-six chapters from the New Testament are used at their proper time every year. The same songs are sung on their required Sundays. The same prayers are read every Sunday. Church services are solemn events, but every once in a while something happens so out of the ordinary that people still talk about it years after it happened.

When I was a teenager there was a community in Wisconsin whose church service made news that spread all over Amish land. I didn't know it at the time, but one of my future sis-in-laws was living there when it happened.

Sunday morning church services had started off in much the same way as usual. This time services were being held in the loft of a barn that they had swept and cleaned in preparation. The song service was over and the first minister had wrapped up his sermon and the congregation was kneeling for their first prayer when some loud creaking and snapping was heard.

Some people lifted their heads nervously, but no one moved because one simply didn't get up in the middle of a prayer. The minister kept reading the prayers and the creaks and snaps became louder and suddenly the beams gave way and the entire congregation slid and fell into the barn below.

Everything was utter chaos, church was over for the day as people picked themselves up. Surprisingly most weren't hurt, one man however became paralyzed because of injuries he sustained.

~~~~~

While the church has their song service the ministers leave the room and find a place to pray, talk, and what ever it is they do in their Sunday morning meetings. Usually they find a bedroom upstairs to do this.

One Sunday morning as the last song was being sung and the ministers were making their way back to the room where services were being held something different happened.

The bishop led the way, followed by the two ministers as they made their way down the stairs the last ministers accidently slipped at the top of the stairs. His feet shot into the back of the minister in front of him knocking him down, which in turn knocked the bishop down. All three tumbled down the stairs landing in a heap at the bottom.

The singing almost faltered but kept going as they picked themselves up and went to sit in the chairs reserved for them in front of the church.

How they ever managed to preach with a straight face after that is beyond me, but there has been a lot of laughter about this incident since then.

18 comments:

  1. I believe, every now and again, God allows something to happen that's so out of the ordinary, it almost becomes extraordinary. My hat is off to those who didn't laugh. How on earth did they contain themselves?!

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    1. I have no idea how anyone was able to refrain from laughing at the last incident!

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  2. The first account is so alarming and I feel for the man who became paralyzed from the accident. But the second, my goodness! How everyone kept singing is beyond me. I'm afraid I would have been unable to keep from laughing,
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  3. My oh My! It is so very sad the man in the first account was paralyzed by his injuries. If I had been present at the second I'm sure I would have quit singing and gasped aloud ... thus, making the entire situation even more out of the ordinary.

    Blessings,
    Mrs.B

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    1. I feel sorry for the man in the first incident too.

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  4. It's so hard to keep composed in places where laughter shouldn't be. The struggle to not laugh just makes it even funnier! Haha. Sorry to say, that I've gotten tickled so many times during church services...haha.

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    1. Isn't that the truth?!! I have the same problem.

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  5. I was reminded of a similar thing which happened when I was a young girl and we had the christmas gathering with our church. We weren't big and didn't have a building of our own by then, so we hired a school with a large space which was ca. 1 yard lower, meant to sit in (we call this a sitting ditch or sitting pit). We children sat there waiting for our story and the sister who would tell the story came to step in this pit, but she stumbled over a flute which lay at the edge of the pit and she made a very nice dive into the pit (I can still see it before my inner eye). She just stood up, sat on a chair and told us the story, but later her foot turned out to be broken...

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    1. That's hilarious! Too bad about her broken foot though,

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  6. I can picture that, LOL. I"m surprised the congregation were able to sit there without doubling over in laughter.

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    1. I'm surprised too. Years of practice of not smiling in church helped I'm sure.

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  7. I remember hearing about the first one. The second incident gives me the giggle fits tonight.

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    1. I'm still amused when ever I think of the last incident.

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  8. The first one happened at my brothers place when they lived in Wisconsin.It was very hard on them.

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  9. The first one happened at my brothers place when they lived in Wisconsin.It was very hard on them.

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  10. The first Sunday our new rector was at our church she had to borrow robes that had belong to the rector before her. (Clerical vestments are expensive and many churches own a set, which every one wears.) Fr. Al was over six feet tall, and Dr J was about five-five. She held the robes up in front of her on the way down the aisle, but managed to step on the hem and do a summersault off the altar steps.

    When she stood up, she was laughing so hard she had to hold onto the back of a pew, and the rest of us laughed along with her. When she caught her breath, she shrugged and said, "Well, I hope you have fallen for me as hard as I have fallen for you."

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  11. Thank you for this post :) It was really neat to read. I live in Wisconsin and in the middle of an Amish community - one of our neighbors had chuch at their house this past week. I was expecting it with how much yard work was being done during this time of year. It was nice in the evening to listen to the youth children singing. It sure makes me want to join in! I think it is wonderful that the same songs are sung each weak and the same traditions are held. I enjoying singing (even though its out of tune!), sadly our church does not do much signing :(

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Thank you so much for taking time to comment. I love hearing your thoughts.