Page 9 - C.A.L.L. #32 - Summer 2010

All over the world, urban intentional communities of young people involved in affecting positive
change in their surrounding neighbourhood are blossoming. We are pleased to feature an
exclusive article from a member of a Bruderhof urban community in New York:

I am a member of the Church Communities International group (formally known as the
Bruderhof) and I have been living in Kingston, New York for the past two years. Living in
a small city as this is very new for me as I grew up in a rural Bruderhof community in
Pennsylvania. There are twelve of us living in two adjacent houses. The main reason for
being right here in town is simply to live out what we believe: unity of faith, brotherly
love, and sharing all things in common. And we hope to be a witness through that to true
brotherhood for all mankind.

We have gotten to know many of our neighbors and often invite people for food and
fellowship and to encourage each other. It is always amazing how happy and thankful our
friends, new and old, are after spending an evening with us. It sure is not because we
are special people, but something given by God.

One very exciting thing we do is run a group-family daycare in the smaller of our two
houses. A young sister, a member of our community, along with her husband, is the
director of the daycare. Their two and a half year old daughter is enrolled along with
nine other children, the oldest just turned three. These children are from Kingston and
other near-by villages (not from community members.) We have gotten to know the
children and their families very well. All of the women that live at the Rondout
(Bruderhof) House have their turn working in the daycare. Caring for these children,
teaching them about nature, singing, sharing, and simply bringing joy to their little lives
is the best part of my day.

Our brothers run a renovations business where they get hired all over Ulster County to
do home improvements, and many other carpentry, painting and landscaping jobs.

Any chance I can get, I enjoy walking around the neighborhood to visit people. There
are a lot of older folk, widows, and lonely souls who love someone to sit and chat with for
awhile. Some of us girls also get involved in neighborhood events and help with children’s
activities.

I spent six months at Kibbutz Revivim, twenty years ago. I talked to many of the older
members there about why they started the kibbutz movement. Their original longing to
live and work together in brotherhood is very much the same as our longing here in
Kingston.

If any of you who read this are in the area, you are very welcome to come visit us at: 88
West Chester St., Kingston, NY 12401

Iva Jane Shirky

My father Wayne, and mother Loretta, were among the first group of Bruderhofers to ever visit Israel.
They were a party of 6 hosted by the Kibbutz movement and attended the ICSA Conference in Yad
Tabenkin in 1985. Wayne passed away in 2002 and his widow Loretta, at 80 years of age, is still very
interested in any news about our contact with the Kibbutz movement.

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