11-02-2025
Amish community helps with flood relief in the Tri-Cities
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Two different groups of Amish are calling the Tri-Cities home while lending a hand with flood relief in the area.
The groups are staying at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church in Johnson City. Director of Discipleship at the church Missy Wright said each group will stay a month. The church provides the use of the in-house kitchen, a place to sleep and showers for the groups.
Jerry D. Miller with the New Order of Amish Churches said he and his wife act as 'house parents' during the trip, and they chaperone a group of eleven young men ages 11 to 25. The young men head out each day to help with flood relief.
On Monday, one group split its time between Erwin and Washington County.
One of the projects is helping to build one of the homes being constructed by Appalachia Service Project on Dave Fender Road in Jonesborough.
'We've done a little bit of everything,' said Miller. 'We've put in some footers. We've laid block. We've framed house with help. One fellow down here that had had a mechanic shop and was flooded and he still had not had no one in to clean up. So we spent a day cleaning up for him.'
The visit is part of an Amish program called C.A.S.P. It stands for Conservative Anabaptist Service Programs, which is simply a way to teach the next generation to serve others in God's name, Miller said.
'Because we're pacifists and we do not serve in the military. We try to get our boys to serve in alternative service programs. And that's what this is, to get our boys out. To have them serve the community, serve other people. We firmly believe in the scriptures that say bear one another's burdens and fulfill the law of Christ.'
It's also helping them learn skills for their futures.
'There's a very small percentage of Amish that farm anymore. We still own a lot of land, but economics has simply forced us to diversify. So we have a lot of Amish folks that are into carpentry, furniture building, trades,' Miller told News Channel 11.
While the church provides the housing for free, other expenses are provided through an organization called Christian Aid Ministries. The young men visiting to volunteer are from Ohio, Indiana and New York.
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