What Do You Regret Is Gone From MD?

[gcdonner]

If we opened Menno up to paper copies we'd be flooded with conservatives

I have a feeling we are flooded with conservatives.... they just read and never post.

Do y'all remember the "Update" from Cookeville Community?

[RZehr]

If we opened Menno up to paper copies we'd be flooded with conservatives

I have a feeling we are flooded with conservatives.... they just read and never post.

Do y'all remember the "Update" from Cookeville Community?

No. What are you referring to?

[gcdonner]

I have a feeling we are flooded with conservatives.... they just read and never post.

Do y'all remember the "Update" from Cookeville Community?

No. What are you referring to?

It must be before your time.
It was a semi-monthly booklet produced by the Christian Community at Cookeville, Tn, founded by Elmo Stoll, who had been an Amish bishop in Canada. He drew folks from many different walks of life to live in community, back to basic living, and wrestle through their theological applications together. I was strongly for it and even had some brief communication with Elmo before he died an untimely death of a heart attack.
Anyway, they would produce this booklet, giving updates on the progress of their community. Now that I live in Tennessee, I hope to go there for a visit.

[HondurasKeiser]

Do y'all remember the "Update" from Cookeville Community?

No. What are you referring to?

It must be before your time.
It was a semi-monthly booklet produced by the Christian Community at Cookeville, Tn, founded by Elmo Stoll, who had been an Amish bishop in Canada. He drew folks from many different walks of life to live in community, back to basic living, and wrestle through their theological applications together. I was strongly for it and even had some brief communication with Elmo before he died an untimely death of a heart attack.
Anyway, they would produce this booklet, giving updates on the progress of their community. Now that I live in Tennessee, I hope to go there for a visit.

I remember a thread about Elmo and his community but it was after his death.

[Josh]

It must be before your time.
It was a semi-monthly booklet produced by the Christian Community at Cookeville, Tn, founded by Elmo Stoll, who had been an Amish bishop in Canada. He drew folks from many different walks of life to live in community, back to basic living, and wrestle through their theological applications together. I was strongly for it and even had some brief communication with Elmo before he died an untimely death of a heart attack.
Anyway, they would produce this booklet, giving updates on the progress of their community. Now that I live in Tennessee, I hope to go there for a visit.

You won't find much in Cookeville other than strip malls, hamburger establishments, and parking lots; but you could look a little farther south to Caneyville or west to Delano and find many of the original Cookevilleites.

[gcdonner]

It must be before your time.
It was a semi-monthly booklet produced by the Christian Community at Cookeville, Tn, founded by Elmo Stoll, who had been an Amish bishop in Canada. He drew folks from many different walks of life to live in community, back to basic living, and wrestle through their theological applications together. I was strongly for it and even had some brief communication with Elmo before he died an untimely death of a heart attack.
Anyway, they would produce this booklet, giving updates on the progress of their community. Now that I live in Tennessee, I hope to go there for a visit.

You won't find much in Cookeville other than strip malls, hamburger establishments, and parking lots; but you could look a little farther south to Caneyville or west to Delano and find many of the original Cookevilleites.

I thought I had read, a few years ago, that there still was a small community there. NO?

[Josh]

I thought I had read, a few years ago, that there still was a small community there. NO?

As far as I know, the land has been parcelled off and sold. There are around 5 or 7 families (not sure the exact count) in Caneyville. Many people are in Delano.

Muddy Pond has a number of Holdemans and some Charity-type people. Generally speaking the original constituents of Cookeville either disbursed to another group like Caneyville or Delano, a few went to (evanglical) Hutterite circles, some went to Charity circles, and some drifted into the world.

[temporal1]

Back in the day before smart phones many engaged with the forum on a limited basis, for me basically once a day.

i wasn’t among the originals, but arrived in the last months before (facebook) and other outlets, plus, work and marriage, family, took early young members away. i’m grateful for the timing.

i learned the term, “lurkers” as it applied to MD and the internet. it seemed there were many “read only” members! sometimes called out by those who knew. i recall CountryBoy calling them out once in a comical way. always more “read only” than active posters.

Family computers.
Many members used central family computers, which made it easy for family oversight, as well as general lurking.
Some shenanigans.

To begin, general advice was to keep computers located centrally in homes, for family oversight. It was commonly agreed.

Occasionally, a member would fail to log off, a family member might step in, post something (often obviously) not from that member, it was fun to follow along.

There was a family aspect. Many were family, extended family, friends, or familiar from conference associations, etc. There were genuinely welcomed “others” but the core was family/extended family. It was never a closed shop.

i always felt the thread that holds the forum together is the common interest in following Jesus, actually reading scriptures, esp the NT, no matter age, denom, socio-economic background, titles or not; the nature of the internet, combined with special forum oversight, provides a unique opportunity for discussion - probably unlike anything before the internet!

we take so much for granted.
but i don’t think anything like this was possible before the internet. it’s so democratic.
the mix of souls found here is a remarkable experience, i can’t imagine it outside the internet.

[gcdonner]

I thought I had read, a few years ago, that there still was a small community there. NO?

As far as I know, the land has been parcelled off and sold. There are around 5 or 7 families (not sure the exact count) in Caneyville. Many people are in Delano.

Muddy Pond has a number of Holdemans and some Charity-type people. Generally speaking the original constituents of Cookeville either disbursed to another group like Caneyville or Delano, a few went to (evanglical) Hutterite circles, some went to Charity circles, and some drifted into the world.

I know some also relocated to the community up in Maine/Canada. I was sad to see it begin to deteriorate after Elmo's passing. "Without a vision, the people perish."

[temporal1]

How to engage new members?

Some people, just like on social media, are here to stalk. Which is fine. I'll give you something to spy on

Sadly, a number of valuable posters have left and have been asked to leave the forum due to fellowship restrictions on the internet.
Hats Off was a recent one. he didn’t want to leave. his fellowship requested it.

So, this forum, by the very nature of many conservative fellowships, is restricted in membership. As Soloist suggests above. ^^^
i believe it’s wise to presume we never hear “the whole story” on forum; just because folks are silent, whether by choice or restriction, it does not mean they have no insights or opinions! Far from it.

We do not see (anything) in full.

i have mixed feelings about it. personally, i’d LIKE more presence of conservative Anabaptists, i believe the majority of new members arrive with that hope. (reading initial posts.)

however, i respect their choices, rules, ways of life.
i “know enough” that “everything changes everything” so, the most innocuous disturbance of other peoples’ choices, no matter how well intended, can lead to harm or even destruction. it’s wise to proceed with caution in our interactions. we are all more fragile than we care to believe.