BMH Sponsors Brethren Heritage Tour
Posted by Terry White on July 30, 2009
The Brethren Missionary Herald Co. sponsored an Ohio valley Brethren Heritage Tour on the final full day of Equip09, the national conference of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches. Led by Dr. Todd Scoles and Dr. David Plaster, noted Grace Brethren historians, the tour left the Columbus, Ohio, Grace Brethren Church shortly after 1 p.m. and nearly 40 participants traveled by coach bus to historical sites in the Dayton/Brookville area that are significant in the history of the Fellowship. 
First stop was Carriage Hill Farm in Montgomery County. Originally part of a 900-acre property settled by an Old Order Brethren family from Virginia, the farm has been recreated to depict typical farm life in the 1800s.
The park historian gave a full history of the social and religious culture of the Arnolt family, which settled the land and raised several generations in a home and community setting characterized by the spartan lifestyle of the German Old Order Baptist Brethren group.
The next stop was the Bear Creek Meeting House, which has been in continuous use since it was built in the 1850s.
Elder Michael Miller of the German Baptist Brethren congregation and his wife, Sondra, met tour participants at the meeting house and gave a thorough and touching portrayal of their lives and beliefs. The time ended with hymnsinging, prayer, and scripture.
Special guest participants for the tour were Jeff and Sherry Martin (left) of the Powell, Ohio, Grace Brethren Church staff. The Martins are historical researchers and re-enactors, and all their clothing was made to precise historical specifications by Sherry. At right are elder Michael Miller and his wife, Sondra, from the Bear Creek congregation.
The final stop, before a delicious buffet dinner at Rob’s Restaurant in Brookville, was the Brethren Heritage Center in Brookville. This treasure-trove of Brethren historical material contains vast archives of publications from all six Brethren groups descended from Alexander Mack. Here Heritage Center volunteers conduct an historical tour of the murals which are reproductions of those in the Quinter-Miller auditorium at Camp Alexander Mack in northern Indiana.
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