European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 28, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes religion saturday May 28,1994 a file an Amish family plants tobacco seedlings at its farm in Eastern Lancaster county a. Although Large numbers of Amish still live in Pennsylvania communities Are taking Root in other areas of the United states. Amish settlements spread from three state heartland by Frank Fisher the associated press Ava 111. A Melvin Miller moved from Union Grove n.c., to the rolling Hills of Southern Illinois 2vi years ago carving out a life where his Amish Creed of self sufficiency and simplicity could Prosper. Since Miller arrived with his wife and daughter eight other Amish families have joined them from Wisconsin Kentucky and North Carolina and More Are interested. Experts say the growth of Millers Community in Northwestern Jackson county reflects a trend Macri cars Amish have spread rapidly Over the last 20 years. A a they re always looking for new farmlands a said Donald Kraybill the author of the Riddle of Amish culture and sociology professor at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. A a the drama is in the migration in the shifting to other areas.�?�. Between 1972 and 1992, the number of Amish settlements increased from 83 to 227, spread among 22 states and Ontario Canada Kraybill said. Statistics on the number of Amish Are hard to get the . Census Bureau says it has t compiled numbers since the 1950s. But Kraybill estimated there Are 100,000 to 140,000 Amish adults and children today about twice As Many As in 1970. Half of them Are younger than 18. Kraybill said the reasons behind the migration in elude urbanization rising land prices Large families and internal disputes within congregations which Are largely autonomous. Miller 59, who makes a living Selling homemade jams and furniture parts said he heard about Aya and its 800 inhabitants from friends who were contacted by real estate agents. Millers Community spread Over a 10-mile area around Ava and Campbell Hill shuns nonreligious entertainment television and radio. Education is limited to the eighth Grade. Unlike its More traditional counterparts the Ava settlement uses electricity in Home telephones and tractors although a drive into town still needs a horse and buggy. Members May not drive cars but May ride in them a we think we need to exercise our minds with the things that will not corrupt them so much a Miller said. The Amish Are conspicuous by their clothing wide brimmed hats and pocket less shirts for men who Wear beards without mustaches Long subdued dresses and bonnets for the women. About 70 percent of the Amish live in Ohio Pennsylvania and Indiana. But their communities can be found in Many states including Florida and Arizona. Among the states recording the biggest increase in Amish settlements is Michigan which went from five settlements in 1972 to 23 in 1992, Kraybill said. Amish settlements in new York increased from one to 15 in the same period while Kentucky Samish communities went from one to 12. A v settlements vary in size with some As Small As five or six families. The largest settlement is in Holmes county Ohio with about 23,000 Amish Kraybill said. The Amish descendants of the Swiss anabaptists of 16th-Century Europe Are primarily Farmers noted for their frugality although rising land prices and development have forced some to open shops sell crafts or form building and carpentry teams. Abraham Huston who arrived at Ava from Wisconsin about a year ago said his goals Are simple a my Foremost interest is to serve god a and  a a. Some settlements have become tourist attractions. A there Are some theories that the Amish have become stronger because of the increased attention from the outside Quot said Brad Igou a Lancaster county pa., tour employee who has studied the Amish since 1970. A it sort of makes them focus More on who they Are and what they re All  episcopal Parish converting to catholicism Arlington Texas a the Rev. Allan Hawkins and his episcopal Parish would rather switch to catholicism they say than fight recent developments in the episcopal Church. Hawkins an episcopal priest and All 100 Parish members at St. Mary the Virgin episcopal Church will convert to catholicism next month following Vatican approval. A Hawkins said Pope Quot John Paul ii approved the switch Texas first to involve an entire Parish. The English born Hawkins said disagreements Over changes in the episcopal Church and his parishes desire to be unified with the Church in Rome prompted the move. A the ordination of women or the ordination of homosexuals Are not the issues that have caused this Quot. Hawkins said a they Are Only underlying symptoms of a deeper problem with  traditionalists including Hawkins contend that the episcopal Church is straying from its roots making decisions based on societal trends rather than biblical authority and tradition. Seems to fall poll shows from wire reports new York a the number of americans who say they attend a Church or synagogue at least weekly has declined according to a Harris poll. Of the adults polled 43 percent said they attend Ondic a week or More compared with 51 percent in a 1986 Harris poll. The number who said they never go to Church 23 percent was not a significant increase from 21 percent in 1986. A it should be noted that Church attendance is notoriously Over reported As a socially desirable activity so True attendance figures Are surely lower than those reported Here a said a May 23 release by Louis Harris and associates. Its also possible that instead of a real decline m Church attendance the poll actually measured in a increase in Peoples willingness to be candid on that subject to a stranger Over the Telephone. Frank discussion of personal topics has been on the upswing in the Media and other walks of life in recent years. Archbishop drops in Racine wis. A Ted and Catherine Leuker both 90 years old Are no longer Able to make the 10-Block journey to St. Josephus Catholic Church because of their health. So Milwaukee archbishop Rembert Weakland v made the trip to visit them during a recent two Day Stop in Racine. A when i come to visit parishes i see Only those who can get out and about Quot Weakland said. A but there Are those who can to get out shut ins who have been important to the history of the Parish and who Are important parts of the Church. A a they re the other part of the Church the silent  Quot Quot. A a v /. A a Catherine Leuker said she was rather shocked by the archbishops visit and her husband said he was highly honoured. Priest draws com Garden Grove Calif. A a Many a Home May be his Castle but not necessarily his Church. City officials Are trying to Stop Buddhist services and complaints from neighbors of the Rev. Thuong Thich Nguyen Tri. The City offered to Settle a lawsuit against the priest and Bat Nha meditation Institute if he agrees to Stop celebrating some religious holidays at Home removes a Buddha statue from his front Yard und limits visitors to six at a time. Ordinances Call for a penalty of up to $500 or six months in jail for operating a House of worship without permits. A it is my House where i can have Freedom to worship and they wont let me a said Thich Nguyen. The priest said he would rather solve the matter by prayer. But be Huynh a member of the Temple Board proposed fighting Back. The City has been trying for years to get the priest and Temple to comply with ordinances regulating houses of worship it requires an acre of land and an operating permit. The suit is based on neighbors complaints of noise and traffic at the House on West Street. A a. ,. As Many As 400 people gather at the House some parking in nearby driveways neighbors have  Chapel of d Cincinnati a Cleveland a 11-year agreement to rent space to the roman Catholic Church for a Chapel at a City Airport is constitutional a Federal court says. The 6th . Circuit court of appeals recently upheld a District courts ruling that the arrangement at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport does not violate the constitutional separation of Church and state. Three Cleveland residents and an advocacy group called americans United for separation of Church and state sued after the Cleveland City Council authorized the Chapel arrangement. The defendants were the City a diocese and Cleveland Bishop Anthony m. Pilla. The lawsuit claimed that the Chapel used Public property to promote the Catholic Faith and that the lease amounted to an unconstitutional partnership Between Church and state. In rejecting those claims the court said chapels exist in at least 16 other airports in the United states. Two other Federal appeals courts have Rule that chapels within municipal airports Are constitutional