By Fred Tarpley
Fairlie, TX –
On Highway 11 in Fairlie five miles north of Commerce, storage buildings, carports, tea houses, greenhouses, playhouses, barns, and metal structures fill a lot surrounding an abandoned gin. Owners, managers, and workmen for Lone Star Sheds are members of a small Mennonite community that has built a reputation for quality craftsmanship and customer trust since their arrival in December 2009.
Inside the sales office, Steve Williams, delivery chief, and Julian Garner, office manager, speak enthusiastically about experiences in their new home and growth of the company. A dozen Mennonite families have relocated from their former home near Crossville northeast of Knoxville, Tennessee, and while the fertile gumbo soil has required some adjustment, residents in the area impress them as extremely friendly and helpful. Note has been taken of the unusually large number of farm families. Other sales lots beyond Fairlie display their buildings in Greenville, Van, Paris, Van Alstyne, and Sulphur Springs. The cost of their smallest storage building, 8 feet by 12 feet, begins at $1,540. The best-selling structures are those made of pressure-treated lumber. Delivery is free within thirty-five miles of the lot where the purchase is made.
Most people living in the Lone Star Shed sales area are unaware that there are thirty-one different denominations of Mennonites. The Fairlie community is associated with the Maranatha conservative group, but their Texas neighbors unfamiliar with them may assume they have ties to the "plain people" Mennonites of Pennsylvania, who claim most of the media attention. The "plain people" dress in early nineteenth century modest styles, ride in black buggies, and avoid modern conveniences. Members of the Fairlie community cannot be identified by their dress, speech, or special diets.
They use electricity and drive automobiles, but they shun tobacco, alcohol, radio, and television, wishing to avoid what might be pitfalls to their values. However, they read newspapers and other media. Computers, except for internet, are part of their family and business lives. The children are educated within their community and limit their competitive sports to their school.
The Mennonite families tend to be large, often exceeding six or seven children. "We are family-oriented, and large families result from our church doctrine," Steve Williams said. When a community reaches ten or fifteen families, leaders begin to explore the possibility of establishing another one in another area.
The children grow up helping with home chores, and in their teens they begin developing skills in the woodworking shops. "At the same time we are working for a living, we are working for the Lord," Steve Williams said in explaining their strong work ethic that focuses on reliable products and respect from customers. "Our community takes pride in pure speech and behavior. We avoid temptation and distractions that interfere with our goals," he added.
He admits that the Fairlie Mennonite homes may be a bit plainer than those expected in the area. Instead of hanging several pictures on the walls, the Mennonites prefer framed mottoes, such as "Walk in the footsteps of Jesus," or scriptures.
Half the members of the community speak Spanish as their first language, and the other half speak Spanish as a second language. The bilingualism is attributed to members born in Spanish-speaking countries as well as to native-born Americans who have served as missionaries in Spanish-speaking countries. Until recently the Fairlie Mennonites had been worshipping in a building at the western entrance to FM 1568 (Maloy Road) south of Commerce. They now meet in a garage in Fairlie, and they are making plans to purchase a church site and eventually to construct a building. "We take things one step at a time, careful not to overstep our resources,' Steve Williams said.
Marion Garber is pastor of the church, and Jimmy Williams is his assistant. Services are held at 10 a.m. each Sunday, and at 7 p.m. on the first and third Sunday. Their Bible is the King James translation. The hymns are sung acapella with no musical instruments. Songs cover a full range of traditional Christian music, stopping short of rock and roll. The community has not attracted new church members since its arrival in Fairlie, "but we are still hoping. Everyone is welcome," Steve Williams said.