Cultivating Fields, Family, and Faith: Mom and Dad’s Memorable Mennonite Life, is a new book written by various family members and edited by columnist Melodie Miller Davis (’70), formerly of Goshen, Indiana, and now in Singers Glen, Virginia.
Vernon U. Miller grew up near Emma, Indiana, and married Bertha Stauffer, of Wakarusa, Ind. and they lived most of their lives on farms near Middlebury and Wakarusa. Miller was a deacon at North Goshen Mennonite Church for 18 years, and Bertha grew up in the Olive Mennonite Church near Wakarusa.
In the book, the Millers recount the CROP (Christian Rural Overseas Program) farms Vernon helped to launch in the 1960s as a way of supporting those needing food in various countries around the world. They were also able to take a trip around the world after attending the Mennonite World Conference in Amsterdam in 1967, to learn more about the relief programs they had long supported through Mennonite Church agencies.
Vernon died in 2006 and Bertha in 2021. Bertha lived for almost 20 years at Greencroft Retirement Center’s Juniper Place apartments. In addition to Davis, writers for the book include Nancy Ketcham (’64) of Wakarusa, Indiana; Pert (Linda) Shetler (’68) of Calabash, North Carolina and formerly a professor in the athletic department at Goshen College; and Terry Miller of Altha, Florida.
The paperback book, published through Kindle Direct Publishing is available on Amazon and from Davis at her blog, FindingHarmonyBlog.com.