Bellvale, located in Chester, New York, was founded in 2001 and is home to about 175 people. We are situated right along the Appalachian Trail.
Bellvale Bruderhof is a living, working intentional community, not a retreat center or spiritual getaway. During your visit you’ll be hosted by one of our families and participate in our daily life, from joining the workforce to taking part in meals and worship.
We are convinced that a life in church community is the greatest service we can offer humanity and the best way we can proclaim Christ. To be part of the Bruderhof movement is not a lifestyle choice. It is an answer to Jesus’ insistent call to humankind as expressed in the Gospels, especially the Sermon on the Mount. While we follow the communal traditions of the early church, we believe our way of life is a compelling answer to the problems of contemporary society, with its emphasis on wealth and self and its resulting isolation, conflict, and inequality.
Through community, we have experienced Christ’s transforming love. He makes the impossible possible: for ordinary and flawed men and women to live together in forgiveness and mutual trust, as brothers and sisters. It is his Spirit that calls Bruderhof members to a life of love where work, worship, mission, education, and family life are brought together into a single whole.
Love your neighbor. Share everything. We believe that another way of life is possible.
A few people (not elected by the broader community) make the major decisions.
Everyone must agree before moving forward.
Power and responsibility are shared relatively equally among members.
All member income goes into common pool for community use.
Labor: Yes
Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.
Communal living with shared resources, property, and often income or work responsibilities
Residential communities focused on providing space for meditation, spiritual practice, and personal growth retreats.
A residential project: people live here as their primary home.
An institution, business, network, or project that isn’t a residence (e.g. a learning center, farm, or network with no one living there full-time).
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