“We were thinking of doing a church tour, because we did a barn tour and a school tour.  When I realized that our Sunday School houses were unique, that that’s not common, I [thought], Oh, that’s something special that Kalona has that others don’t,” Tonia Poole, Director of the Kalona Area Chamber of Commerce, says.  

The Kalona Anabaptist Church Tour is the Kalona Chamber’s latest specialty tour, offered only on Tuesdays and Saturdays during the month of June.

The Byways tour bus leaves the Kalona Chamber, 514 B Avenue, at 1 p.m. and takes passengers through the rural countryside to three local church settings: an Amish home, the South Sunday School House, and Sharon Bethel Church.  

Through the course of the tour, participants learn about how the Anabaptist church began in our community, how the Amish and Mennonite churches are connected, and what Amish church services are like.

In addition to realizing the uniqueness of having Sunday School houses in Kalona, Poole was also motivated to put together a church tour because through interacting with visitors at the chamber office, she found that most don’t know how non-Amish, Amish, and Mennonites differ.  They are also curious and want to learn more.  She found support for her idea in Evan Gingerich, Robert Yoder, and Ray Yutzy, who agreed to host parts of the tour and share their insight with those who are interested.

At the first stop, an Amish home, the homeowners explain how they set up for church services on a Sunday morning and what the service is like.  If they don’t have room for everyone in their homes, they might set up for a service in an outbuilding, such as a machine shed.  Men and women have designated places to sit, and a specific hymnal is used.

“On opposite Sundays, they go to a Sunday School house, which is not normal,” Poole explains.  “Most Amish communities do not have a Sunday School house. It’s kind of unique to Kalona, and they’ve got three of them.  On the off week, they go there, and it’s more of a discussion.”  

The tour stops at the South Sunday School house, which Poole says is at least 150 years old.  There, a gentleman explains what morning worship is like there on alternate Sundays.

The final church on the tour is Sharon Bethel Church, which is a more conservative church that Amish might attend should they leave the Amish community.  

“They kind of explain what is permitted there because their structure is different,” Poole says.  “They talk about how they’re very involved in outreach,” which includes ministering to college students and making quilts to send to those in need overseas.  

Overall, the tour “is kind of touching those three: the in-home [service], the Sunday School service, and then the conservative Mennonite Church.” 

Four opportunities remain to take the Kalona Anabaptist Church Tour on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 1-3 p.m. through the end of June.  Registration is $30 adults, $15 youth; RSVP with the Kalona Area Chamber of Commerce, 319-656-2660.