Gary Kauffman, The Goshen News
Few areas of the country have been hit as hard by the recession as Elkhart and LaGrange counties, and no segment of this area has felt the impact more than the Amish community.
"Everybody feels it," said Perry S. Miller, bishop of Amish church district 65-2 on the Elkhart-LaGrange county line. "Our way of living has changed a lot in the last few months."
Although exact numbers are sketchy, estimates show that in most church districts 50 to 80 percent of Amish men are full-time factory workers. Most of the remainder have home businesses or they combine factory work with a side business or part-time farming.
Still, the prevailing image of the Amish remains that of farmers living on bucolic, self-sustained farmsteads, impervious to the vagaries of the economy. But those days are gone, in many cases long gone.
Probably no more than 2 percent of the Amish in northern Indiana are full-time farmers, and in most areas of Elkhart County that number is below 1 percent. Many no longer even farm as a sideline, living instead on a small acreage with enough pasture for their buggy horses.
The change in the Amish method of earning an income began in the early 1960s when farming as a way of life became impossible for most Americans. This was especially true for the non-mechanized Amish farms. The problem became more acute as the amount of farmland dwindled through generations of division among children.
The budding RV industry needed a good supply of hard-working skilled craftsmen, and found a ready supply in the Amish community.
Today many Amish are second- or third-generation factory workers with only basic farming knowledge.
Until recently, the marriage between the RV industry and Amish work force has been blissful. But now the Amish have found they may have relied too heavily on earning their living in factories.
"The RV industry was good for our community financially, but it also hasn't been good for us," said Noah Bontrager, owner of The Country Woodshop east of Goshen. "For so long you could buy a hammer and a tape measure, go work in a factory and make a good living."
That, he believes, made people too dependent on the factories.
"In the last 10 years we didn't have to worry about having a back-up job," he said. "You see young people put up new homes and buildings that are entirely dependent on RV income."
With so much of the community's fortunes tied into the RV industry, the recent months of cutbacks and layoffs have had a far-reaching impact on the Amish.
So far layoffs haven't been rampant among the Amish workers, although almost all are affected by the Christmas shut downs. But most have worked reduced hours for months.
"That's what the news doesn't say, how many are working fewer hours," said Leroy Nisley, bishop of Amish church district 72 east of Goshen. "That has a significant impact on the economy."
There have been no confirmed reports of anyone in the Amish community losing a home, although there is concern for some of the young families who have built large new homes on income based purely on factory wages.
"Some are already struggling because of the time off they've had," said Paul Hochstetler, bishop of District 71 east of Goshen. "And with what's coming they know they'll barely be able to make ends meet."
This presents a dilemma for the Amish churches, which traditionally rely on members helping other members in times of crises.
The churches have established programs of mutual aid for catastrophes like fires or medical emergencies. But so far few, if any, have a plan for dealing with such a widespread economic crisis, especially since more than half the church members are potentially in need.
Compounding the issue is the traditional stance against drawing unemployment. The bishops feel that the community should be reliant on itself rather than government programs.
But estimates are that 50 to 75 percent of Amish factory workers have already filed for unemployment. Many bishops are softening their outlook on the idea.
"I wouldn't be in favor of (filing for unemployment benefits), but I don't know that I would tell anyone they couldn't if there was no other way," Nisley said.
Miller agreed, but added that the bishops and churches have an obligation to develop new programs to aid those in need.
"If we deny them taking unemployment then we need to put something in place to help them," he said.
Many are weathering the financial downturn with assistance from parents or other relatives. But others have found they still have enough.
"I hear people say they're not working as much but they're still making their payments," Miller said. "Now they're wondering what they used to do with all the other money they had. They're finding they can live cheaper."
The concern, though, is how long they can continue to make ends meet if the recession stretches deep into 2009, especially if there are no available jobs.
"This is something new in my lifetime," Miller said. "I can't remember that there was a time when you got laid off with the idea that you can't go anywhere else and look for a job."
Many are turning to home-based businesses to earn a little extra income, although cash for start-up costs is limited.
Several local banks met with the bishops during the fall about the impending financial crisis. The bank representatives urged the bishops to tell their members to not feel embarrassed by their financial struggles. Those banks said they will assist members of the Amish community in working out payment plans to avoid foreclosures on homes and businesses.
But the bishops expect their church members to respond to the needs as they arise.
"I'm sure our people will take care of one another," Nisley said, "so we don't go hungry."