1970s. We wanted to share information on the persecuted church with the
Amish and conservative Mennonite
community, so we got in touch with
Borntrager who had a ministry called
Jesus to the Iron Curtain. They soon
began producing children’s literature
for Romania. Borntrager introduced
Troyer to Romanian pastor Richard
Wurmbrand, author of “Tortured For
Christ” and founder of Voice of the Martyrs. Troyer and his wife made their
first trip to Romania in 1982.
Then there’s “Hallelujah Ervin”.
Twin brother of an Amish bishop,
Ervin Miller sold his bakery in Shipshewana and moved to Berlin in the
late 1970s. Miller started to work for
CAM in the Berlin Center. With his
hard work, infectious personality, and
frequent “Hallelujahs”, Ervin endeared
himself to everyone he met.
Humble beginnings have produced
amazing growth. CAM’s first newsletter went to about 400 addresses. Today
their mailing list approaches 40,000.
Annual contributions have grown from
$120,000 in their inaugural year to
over $28 million in 2011, with only 1
to 1.2 percent of donations going to administration and fund raising. In their
2011 Annual Report (May 2012) Troyer
writes, “With your generous support,
God has graciously enabled CAM to
distribute an estimated 265,000,000
pounds of aid and Christian literature
over the years.” CAM and their network of volunteers ministered to more
than 10 million people in 110 nations
in 2011.
Opening in April of 1992, Shipshewana became the third center. Troyer
says, “After we opened the Lancaster
(PA) center in 1986, we looked for the
next largest concentration of Amish
and Mennonites.” According to Shipshewana center manager Loyal Martin, eight or nine times a month local
church groups come in to sort clothing.
CAM has sixteen Rapid Response
Trailers (RRT) scattered along the east
coast. Each trailer is equipped with
saws, tree trimmers and tools needed
in a disaster. Following Hurricane
Sandy CAM put out a request for 165
volunteers; 185 signed up.
For more information see their
website, www.christianaidministries.org, or stop by the center at
660B South Van Buren Street in
Shipshewana.
True to the words of Jesus (Matthew 6:3), these conservative Anabaptists have been meeting needs around
the world without “letting the left hand
know what the right hand is doing.”
Photography by Abby Wenger.
The Hometown Treasure · December ‘12 · pg 17