Darvell Bruderhof

The Darvell Bruderhof is located in the hills of East Sussex, about one hundred kilometres south of London, near the southern England coastline. The rolling hills that immediately surround Darvell include woods and hedge-lined fields, usually grazed by sheep and cows. On our property you’ll find brick apartment buildings and communal buildings including a dining hall, meeting room, kitchen, laundry, school, offices, and factory. We are part of the Bruderhof movement. Founded in 1920 in Germany, the Bruderhof (“place of brothers” in German) has its roots in the Anabaptist tradition of Europe’s Radical Reformation. We practice adult baptism. We are also pacifists and conscientious objectors. While we love our countries and countrymen, our faith transcends political and nationalistic affiliations. Our life together is founded on Jesus, the Christ and son of God. 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. 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.