Community in Action
We witnessed an amazing example of community this past weekend. A mud sale was held to raise funds for the local fire department. It was held about a half mile from the parsonage, a nice walk through a couple of farmer’s fields. We walked because as we watched the cars start to fill the parking lot, we realized that our spot would only be halfway closer to the event and would probably take longer to get there than the walk itself. Plus, it was a beautiful sunny day, with enough warmth to keep us comfortable.
A mud sale is a set of live auctions that sell items on commission, with the fire department getting a percentage of the earnings. The crowd arriving was significant, with cars from as far away as Georgia, and many states from the east coast represented. It was crowded, but not in a way that prevented us from walking around and witnessing the multiple auctions (about 8) ongoing at the same time.
Ahhh, community you ask. There is a large population of Amish in this county. The Amish people are a derivative of the Anabaptists. Serious abuse by both the Catholics and Protestants in the early 1700’s drove a migration to the new continent. They established communities that try to remain separate from those that are not of the same belief. The local families also minimize the use of modern conveniences such as electricity and advanced mechanical devices. The Amish are exempt from certain taxes and therefore don’t receive all the contributions of government provided services. They are keen on carrying their weight, however and look for ways to give back to those that support them, like the local fire department. One way they accomplish this is to support the Mud Sale. They contribute a significant number of goods for sale in the auctions. They man the auction booths (and they are good at pulling the bids from the crowd). They also provide most of the staff that control the records of purchase and transfer of purchased articles. But the most obvious contribution is in the quilts. This year they supplied close to 200 quilts. I noted that some quilts arrived from relatives as far away as Minnesota.
It was inspiring watching the locals and the Amish work together to conduct a successful Sale. To see the kids running around the crowd of locals, conversations of locals and Amish at the auction spots and randomly throughout the field gave me a sense of warmth. So with that said, I guess I can stop differentiating between the locals and the Amish, and just refer to all of us as locals. As a fellow Christian, I will strive to incorporate their strength in humility, simplicity and community in my daily life.
