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Romance is bound strike a chord when the young people of Bird-in-Hand join together to bring their community the gift of song.
Hymn of Praise
Sharon Lambert and Jay Smoker have been friends for a long time, but lately Jay has seen Sharon in a new light. They begin spending time together, and Sharon invites Jay to her family’s home to serve dinner and sing traditional hymns for their English guests. When Jay decides that this tramples upon his doctrinal beliefs, can these two dear friends compromise and find love? Or will Jay’s strict views keep them apart?
Amazing Grace
Dave Esh is broken with guilt after a recent tragedy. When Alice Blank, an acquaintance from school and youth group, invites him to join an informal singing group that performs for community members in need, Dave doubts he will enjoy himself—let alone find peace. Will Alice’s friendship help Dave learn how to forgive himself the way God already has?
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Darlene Bender’s mother has been battling cancer, and Darlene can’t understand why God would allow someone so wonderful to go through such a terrible time. She finds strength in her singing group and friends, and when Andrew Detweiler senses that Darlene needs a confidant, he approaches and befriends her. As love blossoms between them, Darlene might soon realize that God was with her all along.
O Holy Night
Elaine Lantz and her parents have just moved to town from New Wilmington. After leaving behind some painful events and a group of deceitful friends, Elaine worries she’ll never be able to trust again. But the young people of Bird-in-Hand don’t give up, and Calvin King takes it upon himself to make Elaine feel welcome. Perhaps friendship and love await Elaine in her new hometown.
“Well-written, well-developed, and beautifully romantic, Amy’s books are at the top of the Amish genre.” —New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray
- Sweet, inspirational Amish reads
- Collection includes four stories (23K words each) that can be read together or as standalones
- Includes discussion questions for book clubs
From the Publisher
Q&A with Amy Clipston, author of An Amish Singing
What should a reader expect from An Amish Singing (inspiration? Strength to get through tough and uncertain times? etc.)
A reader should expect to read a sweet love story full of inspiration and hope. The main characters all struggle with their own crisis of faith as they try to understand God’s plan for them. Throughout the story, they see that no matter what, God is with them through the storm and that second chances are possible when they lean into their faith.
What are Amish singings and how do they work? What is their significance in the Amish culture?
Amish singings are an important part of their culture, and they begin participating in the singings when they are teenagers. The youth begin attending youth group events when they are sixteen, and normally fifty to one hundred youth attend on Sunday nights. They meet around 3 p.m., and they rotate hosting the events. They play volleyball and then eat supper in a buffet style, and the girls take turns bringing desserts. After supper, they play volleyball again until 7:30 p.m. and then sing until 9:30 p.m. The members of the group sing hymns from a German hymnal while sitting around the table with the children from the host family and their friends at the table. This tradition is an important part of their culture since it is how young men and women meet and socialize. When they are interested in dating, a young man will ask a young woman’s father for permission to date her.
There are also singings that happen during the week, which are the type of singings I featured in An Amish Singing. The groups included both single and married couples, and they sing for members of their community who are sick or facing hard times. They will sing hymns in English from Heartland Hymns, a German and English hymnal. These singings are both social events as well as a ministry.
How did you pick each song to focus on?
When I researched this book, I was excited to find the Amish enjoy many of the same hymns other Christians do. I purchased a copy of Heartland Hymns, a German and English songbook, and found many of my favorite songs included in it. I incorporated songs in the collection I thought would give peace, comfort, and joy to my readers as well as to my characters. I chose “Das Loblied,” which is the Amish hymn of praise, as my main hymn in the first story as a way to share some of the Amish worship experience with my readers since the Amish sing this hymn during every service. In the second story, “Amazing Grace” is the hymn that speaks to a character who is dealing with a suffocating amount of grief and guilt. I believe all Christians not only know the words but also feel Christ’s love and forgiveness in the hymn. “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” tells the story of God’s love and faithfulness to us, which is a wonderful reminder of how God is always there for us, especially when we’re struggling through a difficult season in our lives. “Oh Holy Night” is one of my favorite Christmas Hymns, and I felt it was a beautiful song to include at the end of my collection.
How are readers going to connect to the characters?
I always make sure that my characters have layers instead of being one dimensional, and like the rest of us, they aren’t perfect. They have problems, they make mistakes, and they struggle with universal issues, such as being estranged from family members, feeling as if they don’t fit in, suffering with grief after losing a loved one, or feeling disconnected from God. In An Amish Singing, there is a character dealing with guilt and grief after loss while another character struggles with her faith while watching her mother suffer with cancer. In the fourth story, a character who has been hurt by her former friends tries to find her way in a new community while learning how to trust again. I believe these are issues most of us can relate to since we’ve all experienced loss, suffering, and hurt. I often draw on my own experiences and I recall how I felt when I struggled through these difficult seasons in my own life. I hope that readers can see themselves in my characters and that my books give them hope and possibly even a deeper faith in God.
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