[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 61 (Monday, April 28, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E590]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE BRUDERHOF COMMUNITIES IN NEW YORK, PENNSYLVANIA, WEST 
                         VIRGINIA, AND FLORIDA

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER P. GIBSON

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 28, 2014

  Mr. GIBSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Bruderhof 
communities in New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Florida. This 
year marks the sixtieth anniversary of the founding of Woodcrest, the 
first Bruderhof community in the United States.
  Founded in 1920 in Germany, the Bruderhof is a Christian church 
community known for its exemplary contributions in education, care for 
the needy, excellence in business, and interfaith cooperation. Expelled 
from Germany by the Nazi regime in 1937, Bruderhof members initially 
found refuge in England and South America before settling in 1954 in 
Rifton, New York.
  In celebration of this anniversary, it's my honor to quote from 
Foundations of Our Faith and Calling, the Bruderhof community's 
constitution:

       Our life together is founded on Jesus, the Christ and son 
     of God. We desire to love him, to follow him, to obey his 
     commandments, and to testify in word and deed to the coming 
     of his kingdom here on earth.
       Our faith is grounded in the Bible, the authoritative 
     witness to the living Word of God. Through the Holy Spirit, 
     we seek to be guided in all things by the New and Old 
     Testaments.
       We hold to the teaching and example of the early Christians 
     and affirm the apostolic rule of faith in the triune God as 
     stated in the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds.
       We stem from the Anabaptist tradition, but feel akin to all 
     who are pledged to full discipleship of Jesus. We recognize 
     his power to work in all people, regardless of their creed or 
     walk of life.
       Our calling is to Jesus, who calls all people to himself. 
     Jesus sums up the nature of his kingdom in two great 
     commandments: ``Love the Lord your God with all your heart, 
     and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all 
     your strength,'' and ``Love your neighbor as yourself.''
       Jesus asks us to live as citizens of his coming kingdom. We 
     must prove our love to him in deeds, putting into practice 
     his words in the Gospels, especially the Sermon on the Mount. 
     His commands are practical: to forgive unconditionally; to 
     renounce all violence; to stay faithful in lifelong marriage; 
     to live free from wealth; to serve as the least and lowest; 
     and to give up all power over others.
       To live for the kingdom of God leads to church community. 
     God wants to gather a people on earth who belong to his new 
     creation. Such a people came into being in Jerusalem at the 
     first Pentecost. As described in Acts 2 and 4, the Holy 
     Spirit descended on the believers who had gathered after 
     Jesus' resurrection, and the first communal church was born.
       We are a fellowship of brothers and sisters, both single 
     and married, who are called by Christ to follow him together 
     in a common life in the spirit of the first church in 
     Jerusalem. Our vocation is a life of service to God and 
     humankind, freely giving our whole working strength and all 
     that we have and are.
       If asked whether we are the one true church, we reply, 
     ``No''--we are merely objects of God's mercy like everybody 
     else. But if asked whether we experience the church as a 
     reality in our daily lives, then we must affirm that we do, 
     through the grace of God.
       We give all honor to God, knowing that our life together is 
     nothing unless it is filled with his love and continually 
     renewed by his mercy.

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