A Joyful Pilgrimage: My Life in CommunityIn the tumultuous aftermath of the First World War, thousands of young Germans defied the social mores of their parents - and the constricting influence of the established churches - in search of freedom, social equality, nature, and community. Hiking clubs were formed and work camps organized, and hundreds of rural folk schools and communes sprang up across the country. In the 1930s, Nazism swallowed this so-called Youth Movement virtually whole. A Joyful Pilgrimage is the engaging story of a remnant that survived: the Bruderhof, a 75-year-old community that began when the author and her husband, a well-known writer and lecturer, abandoned their affluent Berlin suburb to start a new life and "venture of faith." At first glance a memoir, A Joyful Pilgrimage is a radical call to faith and commitment against great odds. It is also a remarkable testimony to the leading of the Spirit, which, as Emmy Arnold writes, can hold together those who believe in the "daily miracle" of community "through thick and thin." |
Contents
Origins | 1 |
Seeking | 22 |
The Wind Blows | 36 |
Beginning at Sannerz | 57 |
Crisis | 90 |
A New Start | 109 |
The Rhön Bruderhof | 126 |
American Journey | 152 |
Between Time and Eternity | 175 |
Before the Storm | 189 |
Conflict with Hitlers State | 196 |
Eberhards Last Struggle
| 219 |
The Fight Goes On | 232 |
Postscript | 257 |
Common terms and phrases
able Alm Bruderhof Anabaptists asked Bad Boll began Bilthoven Blumhardt brothers and sisters brought building called Christ Christian Christmas Christoph Blumhardt church circle conflict death difficult Eberhard Arnold Emmy Emy-Margret England especially Essertine eternity everything faith felt fight finally find fire first flame Free German Youth friends Fulda gathered Germany God’s guests Halle happened Hardy hearts Heinrich Hermann Kutter Hitler Hutterian Hutterites influence Jesus joined Kees Boeke kingdom later Leonhard Ragaz Lethbridge Liechtenstein live looked meetings Michael Waldner Monika Neuwerk never o’clock office Otto ourselves parents pietism publishing house returned Rh0n Rhon Bruderhof Salvation Army sang Sannerz Schliichtern singing songs soon stay struggle summer Switzerland talk things told took traveled unity village wanted wedding Whitsun whole words young youth movement