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Archiver > BRETHREN > 2011-01 > 1294977617


From: Iris Wilde <>
Subject: Re: [BRE] appropriate behavior and dress for visitors to an OldGerman Baptist Church
Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2011 22:00:17 -0600
References: <mailman.97.1294865581.16748.brethren@rootsweb.com><8CD80CA8B610F2F-1858-303B@webmail-d048.sysops.aol.com>
In-Reply-To: <8CD80CA8B610F2F-1858-303B@webmail-d048.sysops.aol.com>


It will be spring or summer before I can attend. However, I will post about
this experience. It looks like you and I have a lot of the same relatives. I
sure appreciate all you have posted. This really helps me. My Best, Iris
Daughter of Ira D. Cripe

On Wed, Jan 12, 2011 at 5:49 PM, NCripe <> wrote:

>
>
>
>
>
> Iris,
>
> Now that it is clear to me that it is an Old German Baptist Church you're
> wanting to visit, I'll give you my input, based on having grown up German
> Baptist. Some of what respondants so far have said is valid, but as a
> visitor and a non-member of the church (a "worldly" person as they see it),
> you have far more leeway in how you dress than what some people think. Head
> coverings are not expected of outsiders--they are considered part of the
> "uniform" of the church and as such, a symbol of belonging to it. Unless
> you belong to another congregation that wears head coverings and this is
> what you usually wear in church, it seem artificial for you to wear one.
>
> The main guideline: simply dress conservatively. A modest dress or skirt.
> Below the knees isn't necessary, but near the knees would be good. Don't
> wear sleeveless or a low neckline.
>
> Seating is pretty strictly gender-segregated. The only exception to this
> is if you are with a male visitor(s). Then it is okay for males and females
> to sit together towards the back of the men's section.
>
> If you go alone or with another female, you should enter the left side of
> the church to sit with the women (as far as I have ever known, females
> ALWAYS sit on the left ). Sit up a few rows (say five or six) from the
> back, in the middle section of the pews. If you sit all the way at the
> back, you'll find yourself in the "young folks" section (14-20 or so year
> olds), where plenty of adolescent, restless behavior goes on. If you sit to
> the far lefthand side, you'll likely be surrounded by young mothers with
> babies and toddlers who may need to get up to visit the baby room.
>
> The best thing to do, actually, is to arrive a half hour or more early and
> introduce yourself to a friendly female face as a visitor. Ask them where
> it would be best for you to sit and if there is an extra hymn book you
> could use during the service. (They don't typically stow them in/on the
> pews (benches) like they do in mainstream churches, though they are likely
> to have extras stashed somewhere that they'll be delighted to lend you).
> Bible readings will be from the King James version, so bring along a KJ
> Bible.
>
> Visitors are always very welcome at regular Sunday services, and as long as
> you aren't dressed in sexually revealing clothing, how you are dressed isn't
> that important. Modest and unshowy is the name of the game.
>
> There will be kneel-on-the-floor prayers that go on a long time. A long
> individualized prayer first, followed by the Lord's Prayer--both early in
> the service and towards the end. As a visitor/non-member you are absolutely
> not obligated to get down on the floor. Simply bowing your head is
> perfectly appropriate.
>
> Hymns are "lined." Even though everyone has the words written in the hymn
> book in front of them, they still adhere to the tradition of times when
> illiteracy was more common and/or people didn't have access to a hymn book.
> Each stanza is recited aloud by a deacon, then one of the deacons will
> begin the singing (often there are multiple melodies possible for any given
> hymn, and the hymn book has no musical notation, so deacons get to decide
> which tune to use) and then the congregation joins in. That stanza ends,
> the next is recited, and then the singing resumes. All the way through,
> every hymn that way (part of the reason these services go on for two
> hours!).
>
> The typical Sunday morning service goes like this: a reading from the Old
> Testament, followed by singing, followed by 20-30 minutes of "opening"
> remarks preaching by one minister, followed by a 1st set of prayers, then
> another hymn, then a New Testament reading (named by the preacher who will
> take the main sermon duties that day), then another hymn, then nearly an
> hour of preaching based on that reading, then more prayers, then a hymn (I
> think), then 15 minutes or so of closing remarks made by a third preacher.
> Then a final hymn before dismissal. It's been about 30 years since I've
> sat through a GB service, so I may not be remembering exactly the order of
> when the hymns come in, but I think I've got it about right.
>
> Hope this is helpful!
>
> By the way, the beard is encouraged but not obligatory for GB men. The
> tendancy is for more conservative men to wear them and more liberal ones to
> not. This often correlates with younger men being unbearded and older
> bearded, but not necessarily. Beard-wearing is unrelated to marriage
> status, at least in my lifetime. I've known single men GB men with beards
> and plenty of married ones without. Sometimes men go years without one and
> then grow one, but never vice versa. The only men who are definitely, as
> far as I know without exception expected to wear a beard are preachers. If
> you get elected to the ministry and you are unbearded, you grow one!
>
> There is some correlation between perceived piety and beard-wearing, a bit
> like the perception of greater piety in a woman if she wears smaller-print,
> dark-color fabrics, dark stockings, dress length far below the knees, flat,
> black shoes, and doesn't poof her hair up in front.
>
> Hope this is helpful!
>
> Nancy Cripe [descendant of Daniel Cripe, John Perry Cripe, Henry Cripe,
> Jacob Cripe, Daniel Cripe, Jr.; Daniel Gripe, Sr., Jacob Greib (my
> gr-gr-gr-gr-gr-grandfather)]
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: brethren-request <>
> To: brethren <>
> Sent: Wed, Jan 12, 2011 3:54 pm
> Subject: BRETHREN Digest, Vol 6, Issue 9
>
>
>
> essage: 1
> ate: Wed, 12 Jan 2011 13:01:26 -0600
> rom: Iris Wilde <>
> ubject: Re: [BRE] Gospel Messenger Offering - 1889
> o: Bob Harter <>,
> essage-ID:
> <AANLkTimnNK-tAd+MKaRzpQujjc98-R+<AANLkTimnNK-tAd%2BMKaRzpQujjc98-R%>
> >
> ontent-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
> This really helped me! I will wear a regular over the knees dress for the
> ervice. The men at this church wear black hats and wear beards to show they
> re married, I understand. I don't remember, however, my cousin ever having
> beard. My Uncle had a wonderful white beard. The women wore little caps on
> heir head and dresses. They set on opposite sides of the church. It will be
> nteresting to see what the service is like now if it's ok that I attend. :)
> 'll give it a try. Thanks so much for the information, Iris, Daughter of
> ra D. Cripe
>
>
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