Monthly Archives: April 2012

The View From Inside

Written by: Paul Wipf on Thursday, April 26th, 2012

Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity (Psalm 133). On Hutterite colonies the overarching aim, beyond earning an honest living, is to create an atmosphere that is conducive to a Christian life as King David mentioned above.

There are approximately 31,000 Hutterites in Canada, living on 340 colonies. Each colony has approximately 18 families working together to farm an average of 8,800 acres, or about 490 acres per family. A five hundred acre family farm would not be sustainable with today’s hig....

Why did Jesus have to Die

Written by: Louie Vetter on Sunday, April 22nd, 2012

The simplest answer to this question is also the best one. To pay for our sins.

But, why do our sins need to be paid for? Do they carry such far-reaching consequences?

In society there are laws. There have to be, to protect the innocent and to ensure that everything runs smoothly, orderly, and efficiently. And if those laws are broken then there are consequences and a price has to be paid. Sometimes monetarily, sometimes with community work, sometimes with jail time and sometimes with life itself -- as in the death penalty.

In God's fa....

Warmth, Comfort, Smiles = Lap Quilts

Written by: Linda Maendel on Tuesday, April 17th, 2012

After sewing for more than two months last winter, it was extremely gratifying to see a stack of 250 simple, yet beautifully pieced lap quilts, which the Alzheimer Society distributed to local senior’s homes. Just recently we received thank you notes from Lion’s Prairie Manor and The Douglas Campbell Lodge, both in Portage and Third Crossing Manor in Gladstone, expressing their heartfelt gratitude: “Thank you for participating in this project. You have enhanced the quality of life and brought sm....

Historical Reflection

Written by: Linda Maendel on Friday, April 6th, 2012

While reading the tragic, blood-curdling accounts of Canada’s Residential Schools, I was struck once again by how torturous it must have been for parents during that period -- where a dreadful decision by powerful government and church leaders forcibly separated children from families, effectively destroying a people’s future, in the name of assimilating them into an enemy culture.

My mind wandered to Europe and some dismal chapters of my own Hutterite history involving a similar decision, but with a drastically different outcome. What i....

The Launch of Hutterites.org

Written by: Mark Waldner on Wednesday, April 4th, 2012

Finally, after two years of on-again off-again work, after lots of planning, changes, updates, calls and emails, we are finally launching hutterites.org!
The purpose of Hutterites.org is to share our lifestyle with an interested audience. We realize that during our history and even today, Hutterites have often been misunderstood.  And often people who don’t understand or who have no contact with Hutterites, form misconceptions and allow false impressions to shape their views.  We hope to alleviate some of these misconceptions by presenting....