The Old German Baptist Brethren: Faith, Farming, and Change in the Virginia Blue Ridge

3. Raising Citizens

3 Raising Citizens Farming not merely for the sake of producing food but as a way to build a life for a family and a community is a theme Old German Baptist Brethren return to again and again. They speak of religious beliefs and lifestyle intertwined, of clothing, cars, and business ethics all as part of living by example. They cultivate values, not just corn. They build community, not just barns. And, more important than cattle , they raise children to be citizens of the godly kingdom that is not of this world. In this chapter, four people, three of them German Baptist ministers and one the daughter of German Baptists who now works at a historic farm depicting a German homestead in 1800, talk of history, theology, and farming and how they are all interconnected in the Brethren story. They tie together their farms and community with strands of family and church dedication even as they acknowledge that life is changing in Franklin County and the world at large. Loyd Jamison Our People Are Not Exempt from Losing the Virtue of Small Farming In his seventies, Loyd Jamison is an Old German Baptist Brethren minister . He also runs a small seed business beside his home. Coming from Roanoke County, Loyd bought his farm in 1956. Now retired from dairying, he helps his three sons, who remain in the dairy business in 43 02 thompson 39-100 2/27/06 8:33 AM Page 43 several locations in Franklin County. On the day of our interview, in June 2001, Loyd and many members of his extended family had planned to gather in order to slaughter and process hundreds of their own homegrown chickens. He told me, “Sometimes on Sundays when we have company from church, we might have fifteen to twenty people come in to eat with us and my wife will prepare one of the bigger roaster chickens. They’re more like a turkey, and they’re real tender. They eat good.” Working together with women, children, and men, the family had nearly all the chickens readied for freezing by the time our interview ended. I began our interview by asking about how the Old German Baptist Brethren understand their difference from the world today. Loyd explained both the basis of separation from the world and what happens if someone fails to live up to world-denying principles. We also talked about why small farming and faith are intertwined among the Brethren. Having been a farmer all his life and a German Baptist elder for decades, Loyd is articulate about both Brethren theology and small farming. In his lifetime he has witnessed the dramatic changes in agriculture that have caused the elders to veer away from offering their earlier recommendations that young Brethren families consider farming a 44 wilderness no more A young boy watches patiently during an afternoon milking at the Bowman dairy farm near Boones Mill, Virginia. Photograph by the author. 02 thompson 39-100 2/27/06 8:33 AM Page 44 primary choice of occupations. He knows that all Brethren farmers are feeling economic “pressures,” and thus he admits, “we’re not exempt from losing the virtue of small farming.” We believe we should be a separate people from the world and we believe the scriptures uphold living a low profile, in meekness. We certainly don’t condemn anyone else for their beliefs, but we appreciate the fact that they let us practice and believe the way we believe. We’re not exempt from the fast lane. At times we don’t cultivate our mind and thinking in terms of the scripture as we should, but trusting that we always come back to that when we get through the busy seasons , of course. But on Sunday afternoons, we’ll get into an intimate conversation on issues that might affect us, like the things that we see within our own group—troubled marriages, for instance, or doctor appointments. And sometimes company will stay until 9:00 or 10:00 o’clock at night until we get these things talked out. And I think it does us good to know and consider each other’s feelings. We just think it’s pretty important really to communicate. One of our church principles is the eighteenth chapter of Matthew, where it talks about if a brother would trespass against you. We read this to all applicants who come...