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Two Witnesses
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Two Witnesses
I entered the gift shop at Hershey Gardens in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The words “look but don’t touch” came to mind as I strengthened my resolve not to buy anything. Standing over in the corner were two beautiful young women, wearing simple long dresses, both with some combination of purple or purple and green flowers (see picture in Photo Gallery under Pennsylvania, Hershey Garden.) They had pulled their hair back tightly in a bun with a white mesh hairnet covering it. Both wore no makeup and had on glasses. They looked like they had stepped out of another century and their beauty had a quality of stunning simplicity.
My first thought was that they were in some kind of costume but as I studied them, I realized they were wearing modern day shoes. “Are you Amish?” I questioned. OK, I admit I was fishing. Truthfully, I have no idea what Amish people wear but I suspected the young women’s dress was associated with some kind of religion.
“No, we’re from the Church of the Brethren,” said the one whom I later found out was named Beth.
“Do all women dress like this in your church?’ I asked.
“Not everyone, but we do. We follow the traditional ways,” Beth’s cousin Marie answered.
“Tell me about your church. What does the dress signify?”
“Modesty and simplicity,” Beth shyly smiled.
“Your dresses are beautiful. What does your church believe? Are they Christian?”
“Yes, we believe in the Bible, salvation by Grace, and baptism,” Beth answered timidly as if trying to get the answer right.
“What about the Trinity? Do you believe in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?’
“Oh yes,” Marie said as they both nodded.
“How do men dress? Is it equally distinctive?” I questioned, curiosity getting the better of me.
“Well, they believe in modesty. But they dress like everyone else, they just don’t wear shorts and they wear long sleeves.” Boy would they be hot on a day like today, I thought as I stood there in my shorts feeling like a heathen.
I remembered a story my mother told me. They had a preacher who didn’t believe in shorts. One day, Mama, in her shorts, was visiting her mother and the preacher came by for a visit. Mama quickly hid in my grandmother’s pantry. “It was a long hot afternoon,” Mama reported
I wanted to know more about the church. “What do you do in worship services? Do you have music?”
“We have music but we don’t use instruments,” Beth answered. “We use them in our homes, just not in church.”
“Why not in your church? What is the difference?”
“I guess it’s because we don’t want any one person to get the glory. We want all of the glory to go to God,” Marie answered. Guiltily, I remembered all the competitions I’d witnessed in church music departments. Thankfully, I’m in a church where the music department isn’t the war department of the church.
I told them a little about Pocket Full of Quarters. “Many Christians I meet don’t have a close personal relationship with God. Does your church promote that?”
“You mean alone time with God?” Beth asked.
“Yes.”
“We are encouraged to spend time alone with God in prayer and Bible Study every day,” Beth told me. “We try to do that.”
“How does your church feel about women? Are you encouraged to marry early? Do they believe in education for women?” I quizzed.
“We marry when ever we meet the right person.” Marie laughed. “I’m in college now.”
“Do you dress like this at college?” I asked.
“I do.”
“I’ll bet people like me make comments,” I joked.
“They do but it is an opportunity to talk to them about Christ.”
“Good answer,” I encouraged. They took a card and gave me permission to write about them.
“I just wish we could have told you more,” Beth said as we left. She is obviously proud of her church.
I left impressed by 2 young women so committed to their faith. I was also grateful God hadn’t called on me to give up my makeup, hairdo, and shorts as a witness to Him. Remembering the story about Abraham and Isaac, I quickly prayed, But I’m willing to if you want me to. I felt His smile.
I went home and looked up the Church of the Brethren up on the web. They are a Protestant denomination and say they are a people of the Bible, about community, about commitment, and about peace. I saw pictures of baptisms, a cross, worship services, and anti war demonstrations. I found many references to mission and hunger relief work. If I found the right denomination, I did see pictures of men in shorts so Beth is right, not everyone dresses as they do.
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