Daily Life & Work
Our day begins at home, at the family breakfast table. Each Bruderhof community is unique, and sizes vary (some have over 300 members, others a dozen or so), but all typically have similar elements, including daycare and school facilities, a communal kitchen and laundry, and various workplaces and offices.
Bruderhof members usually work within our communities. To us, it is not enough to gather for worship on certain days or at certain hours. We are not interested in religion per se, but in the deeper community that results when people share the joys and struggles of daily life.
The saying "work is love made visible" inspires us to give our best effort in daily service of others. Whether young or old, highly capable or disabled, no person is incapable of showing love. Within the Bruderhof, no member receives a paycheck. Rather, taking our cue from the first Christians in Jerusalem, all our needs are provided for from a common purse.
Each day, we gather as a community to eat or fellowship together. Often our evenings are a time for sharing heart to heart and reading the Bible, for decision-making, singing and prayer. There are many other occasions for gathering as well: birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, funerals, and holidays such as Easter and Christmas. next >>