Up close with the Bruderhof community

by Sarah Mundell

A perspective on the Bruderhof written by Sarah Mundell and recently published in Living City Magazine. Living City Magazine is a publication of the Focolare, a Catholic ecclesial movement founded in Italy during World War II.

The Bruderhof, a Christian community founded in the 1920s in the Anabaptist tradition, focuses on living the life of the early Christians and engages in many concrete initiatives that aim to infuse the Christian message into today’s society. One of their main forms of outreach involves bringing a message of forgiveness and reconciliation to thousands of youth in the U.S. each year and collaborating with various international organizations who share their passion for peace.

More than words

“It all began in Berlin in the 1920s in the house of my grandparents Eberhard and Emmy Arnold, where people of every type often met. They consisted of laborers, artists, students, Jews, Evangelicals and anarchists. They discussed and reflected on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5-7). The one question which gnawed at them was: ‘What can we do?’ They had to react; they were tired of only words.”

This is how Johann Christoph Arnold, speaker, author and pastor of the Woodcrest Bruderhof in Rifton, New York, described the desire of his grandparents to concretely live out their Christian life, and the reason behind their leaving bourgeois Berlin with a group of followers and moving to a small German village called Sannerz to found the first Bruderhof community (Bruderhof means “place of brothers” in German).

“The first Christians were of one mind and heart and they held everything in common,” said Arnold. “For us to do the wash at the community laundry, to teach at the school, to weigh the baby at the clinic, to fix the water pipe … each job in the community is the concrete expression of our mutual love.”

Even today, their daily life generally takes place on rural village-like campuses and in urban house communities called “Bruderhofs,” a name that refers both to the places where they live and the movement as a whole, now spread to the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Australia and Paraguay.

Even though they are not numerous – 3,500 members in all, living in 24 communities – their message of purity, simplicity and forgiveness finds an ear even at high levels in the world. They have an excellent publishing house, though most of their outreach is now by Internet at plough.com, with articles and books in eight languages.

Forgiveness lived

One of their principal tenets is that of forgiveness. “The great need for daily forgiveness, especially in our communal life, has been a central belief since our founding,” says Martin Johnson of the Maple Ridge Bruderhof in Ulster County, New York. “The Gospel is insistent on forgiving our brother and sister ‘seventy times seven times,’ so if we want to follow Jesus, we should find the way and spirit to do this daily. Grudges and unforgiveness will block the spirit of love that we want to rule our communities and the world.”

Coming from the Bruderhof, these are not empty words. Their history is marked by trials as well. Not long after their founding, they were persecuted and eventually driven out of Germany by the Nazis. Joined by some Englishmen, they relocated to Paraguay and finally the United States. Despite this experience, and perhaps because of it, they are a very peaceful people.

“We have met a few times with then- Cardinal Ratzinger and had deep fraternal exchanges with him, especially relating to the persecution of the Anabaptists of the Reformation times,” said Johnson. “As Pope, he has written responses to our messages to him, and we hope for a longer exchange with him one day … We feel that our friendship with him and with the Catholic Church as a whole is a response to the great change in attitude in the Vatican, especially toward those that were persecuted by the Catholic Church in former centuries.”

They had also previously met with Blessed John Paul II in 2004 and during his visit to New York in 1997. At that time, Arnold was able to share their experience with him, acknowledging the hatred of the past and affirming that “it was this which made us begin our journey of dialogue between churches, because hatred between Christians is inconceivable.”

Forgiveness shared

The Bruderhof reach thousands of people each year through their ministry in prisons and in urban renewal, as well as through their work with youth assemblies across the U.S. They also collaborate with International organizations such as: Oxfam, Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders, Mennonite Central Committee, World Vision and Maryknoll Lay Missionaries, helping victims of poverty, disease and natural disaster.

“Our reaching out to encounter others, and to be concerned with others outside of our Bruderhof communities is vital,” said Arnold. “Our principal objective is not to make new members, but to build true relationships with other people and groups, to listen to the heartbeat of our times and bear witness to the possibility of living in unity without distinction of color and culture: we do not feel separated, but part of the larger, vaster community.”

The Plough, Bruderhof’s publishing house, offers their free books in eight languages. Suffering is often a principal theme. Arnold, author of eleven books, explains the aim of these publications: “I try to give a message of hope and forgiveness. I have related sad experiences of illness, of violence, many of which were lived out in the difficult social reality of America and elsewhere. In all these stories one sees the personal response of those involved in the face of suffering (one book, She Said Yes, by the mother of a girl slain at Columbine, Colorado, was published in Italian by Citta’ Nuova). These books show how in the midst of suffering, in order to find inner peace, forgiveness is necessary. This is an art which has been lost today.”

-With Caterina Ruggiu

Copied with permission from Living City (February 2012), the Focolare Movement’s monthly magazine of religion, dialogue and culture (www.livingcitymagazine.com) – www.focolare.us

Forgiveness

Three Minute Reflections on Redeeming Life’s Most Difficult Moments

By Joan Mueller, Ph.D.

New City Press, 2012

Most human beings appreciate that forgiveness is essential to living a healthy and productive life, yet it’s not always easy to take the first step. Dr. Joan Mueller has succeeded in creating a resource for those who are searching for ways to heal wounds from unresolved anger, devastating trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and lack of self confidence and self esteem.

Mueller cites that there are wounds that permanently disfigure us, leaving us with a constant reminder of an injury. For instance, a drunk driver disables one for life; someone hurts our child, and our anger becomes all encompassing; things happen in a board room behind closed doors, and we don’t even know who has hurt us; one is left with devastating circumstances while the rest of the world goes on as though nothing has happened.

Forgiveness offers an antidote to the challenges one faces in life through a series of daily readings, short reflections and spiritual exercises to lead one through the healing process.

Joan Mueller is a professor of Theology and Christian spirituality at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. She is a Franciscan scholar who has written many books and articles, including Francis, the Saint of Assisi.

- Emilie Christy

Talk Marriage: A Panel Discussion on Family and Marriage

01/11/12

Talk Marriage, a panel discussion on family and marriage, will take place on the 7th of February 2012 in London. Talk Marriage is a sequel to the Ring Makes the Difference panel discussion held in September 2011 in the US.

Talk Marriage is a symposium to encourage all people to protect marriage as the union between one man and one woman, and to discuss how churches can be more active in supporting marriage. Today more than ever people of faith and common sense need to work together to strengthen and preserve the unique meaning of marriage as the solid foundation on which the fundamental family unit is built.

Talk Marriage is an affirmation of marriage, the union of one man and one woman, as a vital institution that must be promoted and protected for its own sake and for the common good. In a climate where belief in the value of traditional marriage is pilloried as bigotry, where “equality” reigns at the expense of religious liberty, Talk Marriage is an opportunity to celebrate the continued relevance of marriage in contemporary culture.

The discussion will be chaired by Steve Clifford, the General Director of the Evangelical Alliance. Steve will be joined on stage by his wife Ann Clifford, who will speak on the role of the church in supporting healthy marriages.

Bruderhof pastors and Breaking the Cycle speakers John and Regula Fransham will share from their experiences of counseling young people, married couples, and families. The importance of forgiveness in marriages and the book Sex, God. and Marriage by Johann Christoph Arnold will also be featured.

Reverend Les Isaac, CEO of the Ascension Trust and founder of Street Pastors, will offer his first-hand insight on the irreversible damage that is done when children are raised in fatherless homes. Reverend Isaac is convinced that churches must be engaged to solve the problem of broken families which is a root cause of so many problems in society.

Other speakers include:

• Harry Benson of the Bristol Community Family Trust, author of “Let’s Stick Together”.
• Edmund Adamus – Marriage and Family Life Coordinator Diocese of Westminster, who will present: “Building a Civilisation of Love. Family; Teacher of Human and Christian Values”.

The event is free. To attend please RSVP in advance to reserve seating by visiting www.talkmarriage.co.uk or by phoning 0845 600 9121.

This past September Ryan and Linda Burke moved to Shandakan, NY to standby the residents as they recover and restore their lives and homes in the wake of Hurricane Irene. In a recent reflection Ryan and Linda write that one lesson learned is to follow the example of the residents of Shandaken and “throw whatever rocks of hope we can into the craters of need we meet, even if it is only one rock at a time.” To read the full article follow this link: http://www.plough.com/articles/stories/onerockatatime.html

Tyler Hofer

Picture the happy marriage of two young schoolteachers, Alfred Hugo Brinkmann and his wife Elfriede, in a small town in Germany. Their wedding day is in April, 1914, just four months before the outbreak of the First World War. Jump to August, and Elfriede – now expecting her first child – is waving goodbye to Alfred as he heads off to war in a peasant wagon.

Only months later, Alfred failed to return from an assault on the French lines. And so it was that Heinz Hugo Brinkmann – my grandfather – was born a war orphan on January 12^th, 1915. His father never returned, and Hugo grew up the only son of a single mother.

Dearly loved but lonely, he spent much of childhood at home. His mother did her best, taking him on long walks outdoors, to the seaside for vacation, and to the opera house for Wagner – but the void remained.

It is no wonder, then, that the few instances of joy and community Hugo experienced appear like bright points of light in an otherwise gray childhood. Take, for example, his description of Christmas at cousin Helmi’s house:

The two of us would eagerly wait in the living room for the sound of the bell which told us that the Christmas room was ready. Helmi and I would race in as fast as we could, but the Christ Child had always slipped away so quickly that we never managed to catch a glimpse of him. But the door of the Christmas room would be standing wide open, and the Christmas tree ablaze with burning candles. Later there would be the singing of many Christmas carols…

By all accounts his high school years were also lonely. Uninterested in the revelry and drinking bouts of the other boys his age, he earned the nickname “Pius.” Books filled the void, and Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina had a strong influence:

What captivated me most – much more than the central heroine’s tragic fate – were the ideals of social justice and of the brotherly working together propounded by that other central character in the novel, the young land-owner Levin. I copied out the relevant passages, and for a time I actually dreamt of doing rural settlement work of some kind.

Casting about for something to do after high school, he enrolled at the University of Munich. But there, too, loneliness became unbearable, and so he looked a student group to join. Soon he had moved into the fraternity house of the Untersberg, an offshoot of the German Youth Movement, where he and his fellow “guild brothers” spent evenings talking and singing, and weekends hiking in the mountains.

Then, as other young men his age were being called up to serve in Hitler’s developing army, Hugo received a scholarship to study geography in America. Two years at the University of Chicago opened his eyes to Hitler’s schemes, and he returned to Germany in 1939 – his student visa expired – with trepidation. Luckily, he secured another scholarship, this time to conduct research in Scotland. World War II broke out a week later.

Now an enemy alien in England, he was interned, and then transferred to a camp in Ontario, Canada. There he met Manfried Kaiser, another “enemy” German. Manfried was from a Christian community, the Cotswold Bruderhof, in England where everyone shared everything; he had been arrested for straying outside a restricted area. As Hugo learned more about him, it dawned on him that the community Manfried spoke of was a realization of all the ideals that he had groped for over many years. Here was community between people of different nationalities. Here the ideals of the Youth Movement and of Tolstoy were being lived out!

The war ended in 1945, and all the internees were shipped back to England. Now Hugo was free, and he went right away to Manfried’s community. About the last leg of this journey, he writes:

I made a beeline for the desired goal beckoning in the distance. I walked through fields and meadows until I arrived at a little point of high ground. There I halted to gather my thoughts and listen to the noises and voices coming from the community below. I told myself, “This is it! Here is the end of your wanderings. This is to be your life from now on!”

Hugo was welcomed warmly and he joined right in with the community. He had reached the fulfillment of all his ideals. But now he had to battle with his own heart. Was he ready to give his life in total surrender to Jesus, and to his coming Kingdom? Eventually, coming to know himself a sinner before God, he felt certainty in the call to live the brotherly life he had found, and could testify to an inner peace and joy he had never felt before. Months later he was baptized for the forgiveness of his sins and became a full member of the Bruderhof.

Hugo met his wife Margery soon after. They were married and raised a family of six children. Hugo lived a life of commitment to his family, his church, and ultimately to God. His love and thankfulness to Jesus was lived out vigorously in everything he did. The greatest challenge for those caring for him was to try and slow him down as he got older and less capable. Even at 96, he felt an urgency to contribute, and continued translation work with an assistant to replace his failing eyesight.

On December 15, after a morning of work, Hugo went home feeling unwell. A day later, he passed away. He was almost 97 years old.

Sarah Hine (December 11, 2011)

We were there to proclaim the Saviour’s birth and sing praises to God the King –

As our 110-strong youth choir from Kent, Sussex and East London converged on Westfield shopping centre we joined thousands of Christmas shoppers hurrying to and fro. The dazzle of flashing Christmas lights, massive digital screens advertising the latest fashions coupled with the sound of music and delicious odours emanating from the host of restaurants provided a quick reminder of our mission…

With 300 shops and 70 eateries, an ice rink, not to mention Britain’s largest casino and a 17 screen cinema, Westfield Stratford City is Europe’s largest urban shopping centre. That is why we chose this place, a newly-opened consumer monolith, to sing Christmas carols and share our Christmas joy by proclaiming the true message of Christmas.

‘Joy to the World! the Saviour reigns,

Let men their songs employ.’

As we began to sing a crowd quickly gathered. Shoppers on all three floors lined the balcony railings to watch and listen to us. Some faces were intent, others smiling, a few people even sang along. A young man held his baby daughter up for a better view, while another conducted vigorously. After several carols we launched into the Hallelujah chorus from Handel’s Messiah accompanied by organ and trumpets. The music reverberated through shopping centre’s multi-levelled atrium as we sang with heart and soul.

‘For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth!’

We paused to rest our voices while our brass band continued playing carols. During the interlude many of us talked with the people who had come to listen. ‘Thank you for bringing some of the true Christmas into this place.’ One lady remarked. We regrouped and continued singing to the enjoyment of our onlookers. As we sang the Hallelujah chorus for a third and final time I noticed one old lady with tears in her eyes. Despite the chaotic hassle of Christmas shopping this triumphant music could touch the heart of every person.

As we departed the public address system resumed blaring its music and everyone went back to their shopping. It might seem like our efforts had not made a difference. It is very hard to imagine a manger in the midst of all that sparkling wealth.

But then, even kings came to worship the baby…

‘The kingdom of this world is become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever!’

In Tribute: Teresa Hsu (1898-2011)

Most people, as they approach the age of sixty, start thinking about retirement. Not Teresa Hsu. At the age of fifty five she finished training as a nurse and dedicated the remainder of her life to serving the poor and sick. Last week she passed away at the age of 113. Her positive outlook on life and selfless work for the needy had won her the name “Mother Teresa of Singapore.”

Teresa was born in 1898 in Swatow, Guangdong Province, China. Her early life was marked by extreme poverty.  Those experiences led her to feel that “no one should ever go through what I went through” and awakened in her a calling to serve. When the Sino-Japanese war broke out in 1937, bringing terrible suffering to the people of China, Teresa joined the Friends’ Ambulance Unit caring for wounded soldiers, despite having no medical training. It was during that time that she first heard of the Bruderhof through several of her co-workers who would later join the community. Following the war, Teresa moved to England where she had been accepted for nursing training. Having completed her training, she joined the Bruderhof community in Paraguay, working in the hospital for the indigenous that the community had founded. She was baptized and became a full member of the Bruderhof in 1955.

When the Bruderhof left Paraguay in 1961, Teresa traveled to Singapore to care for her mother. This led her to start the “Home for the Aged Sick.” This became her life’s calling. Later she expanded her work to caring for terminally ill cancer patients and, in the late 1980s, Vietnamese refugees. In correspondence with Bruderhof members, Teresa expressed the joy she had found in giving her life for others.

“I feel very blessed and joyful too as I go about my daily tasks, caring for the sick, the aged and the destitute. It matters little where we are and what we do as long as we live only to love and serve him, dedicating our every thought, word and deed to him.”

“I wish I could put across the message of Christ’s love to all. All men should be at peace; all men should be happy, because our Father loves us all. But the world mostly holds up an umbrella so that God cannot shower his love and his grace on them. They toil and they struggle but they do not find what they want – happiness. If only they would shut their umbrella lift their face to God and receive the full outpouring of his love which is meant for all.”

Although Teresa never lived on a Bruderhof again, she continued to feel a close connection with her brothers and sisters there.

“We who believe in Christ and love and serve him with all our hearts are one big spiritual family in the whole universe. The fact that we are geographically thousands of miles apart does not separate us. We love the one Lord and Father and he is everywhere. Above all, he is in our heart. He is within each of us. This I firmly believe and for this I feel no separation.”

As we celebrate her life, lived in obedience to Jesus’ commands, we can remember the invitation that he gives to each one of us and that Teresa accepted.

‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

Matthew 25:34-36