The evening of Thursday, Feb. 7 the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies hosted its first event since the reopening of the center following the remodeling and expansion.

The event was a lecture from distinguished college professor and Senior Fellow Emeritus Donald Kraybill and was titled “’I Just Want a Red Convertible’: Surprising Stories from 30 Years of Research and Publishing Amish Life.”

The lecture was held in the Bucher Meetinghouse and had an excellent turnout. Nearly every seat in the meetinghouse was filled, primarily by community members and those familiar with the college or Kraybill, though there were several students in attendance.

According to Kraybill, in an interview after the lecture, this was not the typical type of lecture he gives. He has given more than 25 lectures, but this lecture was different than any other because it was not an academic presentation.

“I just wanted to have some fun with interesting stories,” Kraybill said.

“People feel like you’re taking them into the private space of things you’ve done or thought about.”

The stories Kraybill shared were ones that have not been included in his books, and he said that if not for lectures like this one would not be known.

Kraybill intentionally finished his lecture on a more serious note with three stories that show the grace and good character of the Amish people with whom Kraybill interacts. The majority of the lecture, however, was made up of humorous anecdotes about his work with the Amish communities across the United States.

The crowd was ready to laugh, filling the meetinghouse with a humorous, cheerful energy.

Kraybill said it would be difficult to ever replicate the conditions of the evening, because it was like coming home. The crowd was filed with people he knew—friends, neighbors and former students.

Professor of history and Anabaptist studies Dr. Steven Nolt was mentioned in several of Kraybill’s stories, specifically in reference to the book they wrote with Messiah College professor of American religious history David L. Weaver-Zercher.

Nolt said he did not expect to be mentioned as much as he was but he agreed with what Kraybill said.

“It was a better book because of the three of us,” Nolt said. “It’s more difficult to collaborate, but the end product is better.”

Both Nolt and Kraybill highlighted the importance of trust in a relationship, whether between three co-authors on a book or between an author and the subjects of the book he is writing.

One attendee of the event was community member and Elizabethtown College alumna Marty Hollinger, ’61. Hollinger is a neighbor of Kraybill and enjoyed the lecture.

Hollinger recounted her own connection to the Amish, recalling playing with a family of Amish girls when she was young.

“I couldn’t speak their language, but you don’t have to as kids—you just play.”

This open, trusting interaction reflects Kraybill’s final message of the good character of the Amish and the good that can come of mutual respect.

Kraybill said in an interview that his wish for the students of Elizabethtown College is that they can “find a career that is enjoyable and satisfying so when they’re retired they have happy stories to tell about the satisfying moments in their career.”

For more information and further event listings, visit the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies page on the College website.