*Cost includes course fee and bus transportation for field trip.

A sumptuous lunch in an Old Order Mennonite home, plus bus transportation to various Old Order sites will take place on one session. There will be an additional cost of $35, above the course/bus transportation fee, payable to the instructor. The time for the field trip day will be 9:00 am – 2:00 pm.

Mennonites are a nearly 500-year-old Christian group with origins in 16th-century Europe and were among the earliest white European settlers in the Shenandoah Valley. Historically, they were an agrarian society with deeply religious communal commitments and non-violent practices. Today, their descendants consist of several distinct
Mennonite groups in and around Harrisonburg, ranging from the most conservative buggy-driving “Old Orders,” to progressive Mennonites that operate a local liberal arts university and are involved in all sectors of public life. This course focuses on personal interaction with Mennonites from across this spectrum, and includes local trips to visit Mennonite institutions, churches, schools, and businesses.

Phil Kniss grew up in a Mennonite family in Florida but has spent over 40 years in the Mennonite
community in Harrisonburg, most of that time in church leadership. Now retired, he has pastored two local Mennonite congregations, including 28 years as senior pastor at Park View Mennonite Church. He holds an M.Div. from Eastern Mennonite Seminary in Harrisonburg, and a Doctor of Ministry from Northern Seminary in Lombard, IL. He is married with three adult daughters, two sons in-law, and four grandchildren. He also enjoys photography, hiking, and roasting coffee.