AMHC to offer a rare 3-hour tour of Behalt

When Gilligan and the Skipper went on a three-hour tour, it turned into a lengthy three-year stay on Gilligan’s Island, but an upcoming three-hour tour at Behalt in Berlin will provide an evening of information on the Anabaptist faith that can last a lifetime.

On Saturday, March 22, the Amish-Mennonite Heritage Center will offer a three-hour tour of artist Heinz Gaugel’s painting “Behalt.” The tour will begin at 7 a.m. and go until 10 a.m.

The reason for this show, according to Marcus Yoder, Behalt executive director, is a simple one.

“People were asking for a longer experience in the mural hall,” Yoder said. “Many people have wanted to take a deeper dive into a lot of the story and really delve into the stories more closely.”

“This unique tour will be open to the public and allow people to gain a broader understanding of Amish and Mennonite history. By learning about Anabaptist origins and the reasons for their development, we can better navigate our future.”

According to Yoder, the basic tour through the mural takes about 40 minutes as he and other storytellers take patrons through the Anabaptist story from start to finish.

By going three hours, visitors will be treated to a greater vision of the story, and it won’t be simply one storyteller providing the information.

“We decided to have multiple tour guides offering the presentation,” Yoder said. “We each take our strengths and work within those strengths to provide the best, most informative tour through the history of the Anabaptist faith, which will give a really high-quality tour.”

Even for those who have taken the tour of Behalt previously, this event will offer a truly inspiring look into the mural and the Anabaptist faith.

Yoder said since because are celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Anabaptist faith throughout 2025, it seemed appropriate to create a venue that truly covered all the bases of the story in-depth.

“We believe it is of great importance to understand our people, and to do that we need to go back to the beginning and really explore each step in a new way that brings greater insight,” Yoder said.

Yoder has been offering a six-week session on the Anabaptist history at Berlin Mennonite the past six Wednesdays, and he said it has been inspiring to watch each session grow in numbers.

In addition, he has done several other evenings with the community, and including this event, he said he will have spoken 22 times through March.

That list of speeches and discussions includes a trip to a church in Virginia where he shared the story.

“This is the year to really focus on our history and experience what our history truly means to us,” Yoder said.

The three-hour tour will cost $30 for the public to attend and $20 for members of Behalt.

Anyone wishing to attend should RSVP via email to director@amheritagecenter.com or call Behalt 330-893-3192. The tour will be limited in size to give an optimal experience to the participants.