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[b]The Old Order Church Collective/"Amish Country"/The Amish Collective[/b]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/3q4iHuM.png?1[/img][/centre]

The orange in South-East Pennsylvania, with some counties and towns in New Jersey also being associated and the remains of Philadelphia also associated in some form. Assuming my American geography is right, no one has any kind of claim on Philadelphia...?

[centre][b]History:[/b][/centre]

The Amish way of life was challenged but not destroyed by the Yellowstone eruption event. Like many times before in history, they were slow to adapt to the rapid changes occurring on the East Coast and with child mortality rates rapidly climbing, many began to wonder if the Old Order Amish communities would make it out of the 21st century. Were it not for Alvin Levi, a respected religious leader in the Lancaster community, they may not of. Alvin Levi extended a hand to neighbouring Amish, proposing a loose "alliance" of communities and churches in Pennsylvania to deal with the many problems that had arisen from the eruption event - refugees from the mid-west, rising crime from the local "English" who were said to be taking advantage of the pacifist colonies, a potential famine and a growing epidemic of untreated diseases. Many churches and communities agreed to a weak confederation and survived. Others refused and were slowly swallowed by the changing world.

To deal with the many problems facing the Old Order churches in Pennsylvania, a council was established by Levi and other respected religious leaders. The councils main aim was to allow for the continued survival of the Amish by adapting to the modern world without forsaking their core beliefs. Although never having any official power, the word of the ever-changing council of religious elders was respected across Amish country. Alvin Levi and his council brought in many reforms yet also many protections for the old way of life. Tentative alliances were established with nearby non-Amish towns, the "English towns", who provided protection to the pacifist Amish against criminals and bandits in exchange for help in using older farming techniques and survival.

Restrictions on outsiders joining communities were relaxed and new colonies were established across south-eastern Pennsylvania. Parents were encouraged to teach their children English alongside their native German dialects in order to open relations with refugees and new members of the church. The use of technology was still restricted, pacifism was still encouraged and a sense of community   Some disliked these reforms, declaring them radical and broke away from the Old Order Church Collective. Most Amish believed, however, the choking gases spewed from the Yellowstone was a test from God and stayed within the traditional Amish Country. The Amish birthrate increased, as did the child mortality rate, with two or three children dying young becoming the norm. The population of Amish in Pennsylvania swelled from approximately 100,00 in 2023 to approximately 200,000 in 2050 and 275,000 in 2070. Non-Amish townships have also joined the Collective as "associate Communities", whose militias provide protection.

Alvin Levi died in 2053 at the age of 81 but the institution he left behind has largely remained the same since. Religious leaders from Amish communities are chosen to represent their area for a year in a council of equals, who deal with diplomacy with neighbouring nations and towns, release "Proclamations to the Anabaptists of Pennsylvania" and bolster cooperation between the growing Amish communities. Problems simmer below the surface, however. As the number of associated, non-Amish townships and militias pledge to protect the Amish, it's feared that some of these fiercely independent towns will attempt to control the pacifistic sect or even involve the Old Order in wars with the looming powers that grow to the north and south of Pennsylvania. As they do not directly answer to the Collective, they are free to do as they please. How the Amish will survive in the coming years is to be seen but right now, it seems the exploding population of German Anabaptists in Pennsylvania will face many challenges.