Mennonite is not a misunderstood word in the town of Scipio.

For many residents, Mennonites - who are often confused with Amish by other people - live next door, repair their roofs, build fences and make the bread served on dinner tables each night.

They blend in with the rest of the town, driving dark-colored automobiles, talking on cell phones and conducting business with the rest of the county. They shop in local stores and women wearing prayer coverings buy meat from the Aldi grocery store in Auburn on Thursdays, something their closely related Amish kin would never do.

Mennonites stand out because of their simple dress, yet their lifestyle is difficult to understand for those not part of the Mennonite community. They live their own private lives but embrace the public interested in their church. They conduct business in the modern world, unlike the Amish. But all Mennonites believe in living a simple life where the readily available technology in today's world is used sparingly and only for business.

For them, being a Mennonite is not only a religion, but a way of life.

The group began trickling into the Scipio and Fleming area about 10 years ago. In the town of Conquest, the first Mennonite families settled in the 1970s, according to a town official. But in the past five years, according to town historians, an increased number of Mennonites are moving to the county each year in search of cheaper land and a more rural lifestyle.

Their simple dress and female prayer coverings differentiate Mennonites from others. But the community is not all the same. Throughout history the Mennonite community has split into separate groups, some remaining more conservative in their beliefs than others.

Horning Mennonites and Eastern Mennonites drive only black automobiles, many with painted black bumpers, John Becker, minister of Church of God in Christ, Mennonite, explained.

“Outwardly I don't know the difference (between the two),” Becker said.

Horning Mennonites sell produce at the Auburn Farmer's Market. The men don't have beards and usually wear hats.

The Horning split from the Wenger Mennonites in 1927 when the issue of automobile use split the Mennonite church. Wengers, who have communities in Seneca County, still don't use automobiles.

A group of Holdeman Mennonites belong to Becker's church in Scipio. They drive conservative-colored cars, but it's not required to be black. Men wear beards but don't wear hats.

Unlike the Mennonites, Amish, a group that broke off the Mennonites, are opposed to using anything modern. Their homes don't have electricity and they are not allowed to drive automobiles.

Sandie Gilliland, Town of Scipio historian, explained that the trend in Scipio is for people of retirement age to sell their land and move closer to the city of Auburn. They end up selling their farms to Mennonite families who are moving to the area for both cheaper land and a smaller community of Mennonites.

In Conquest, Town Supervisor Charlie Knapp said that owners either don't want to keep up their farms anymore or their children don't want to take on the farming business, so they sell their farms to Mennonites. They buy the land for much cheaper than it sells for in Pennsylvania, where a large portion of Mennonites in Conquest move from, Knapp said.

Gilliland, who was raised in Scipio and now resides in the house she grew up in, watched the first Mennonites families move to Scipio 10 years ago.

“They are doing things that add to the town and make it more attractive,” Gilliland said. “There is no tension at all. They're new so people look at how they keep up their home. But they are adding to Scipio rather than detracting from it.”

The first of two families bought her aunt and uncle's property on Wycoff Road and another family bought property on Skillet Road. In the past five years Gilliland has noticed that two to three new families are moving to the Scipio area each year.

“Now that their infrastructures are in place, they have what they need to live here,” Gilliland said.

In Conquest, the estimated 20 Horning Mennonite families own one church and school and recently opened a second school in Cato because the increasing numbers of students outgrew the small school, Knapp said.

“They are the biggest taxpayers in the town,” Knapp said. “They like to keep to themselves, but they're friendly.”

Unlike Amish, who shy away from any interaction with the modern world, Gilliland said the two communities of Mennonites in the area are outwardly friendly to the rest of the community.

“They do have their own way of life and believe in separation of sexes,” Gilliland said. “They have large families, good ethics and all work toward one common goal.”

Scipio residents who sell their farms prefer to sell to Mennonite families because of the extreme care they take of their land. The town has very healthy soil, attracting people who want to farm, Gilliland said.

“They know how to farm without making it a dirty operation,” Gilliland said.

Many Mennonites who don't farm, start their own bakery or construction businesses including, roofing, shed and fence-making.

“They do good quality work. It's not cheap, but not over-expensive and is very industrious,” Gilliland said. “What else can you ask for from someone?”

Mennonites don't ask for much from local town governments and rarely complain; their faith is instead based upon giving.

“We believe in service and are law-abiding,” Becker said.

Becker explained that Mennonites have a non-resistant faith and are taught to love their enemies.

“It's a harm-resistant way of life. We are taught to turn the other cheek,” Becker said.

After an ice storm occurred in Conquest about five years ago, Thomas Kincaid, a Conquest town board member, said the next day about 60 Mennonites gathered without a help request to aid the highway department as they cleared roads and removed fallen shrubs. Kincaid said that some went on private property to help remove anything that was damaged.

“They do a lot in our community. They come through for us big time,” Kincaid said.

Staff writer Kristina Martino can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or kristina.martino@lee.net