Cottage Industry

We work with our hands to earn all the money we live on and pay our taxes with. Depending on the community, our labor is divided up into three principal areas: service, cottage industry, and stores. We also do farming in the communities that have the ability. There we grow organic foods and herbs for our people and to sell on a small-scale level.

In some communities we have crews that go around doing odd jobs. We have more specialized crews in other communities that do finish work, framing, plumbing and electric work. In all of these areas we are in the process of apprenticing others to learn and take on these trades.

Some communities do lawn and garden work to supplement their income; shoveling snow, raking leaves, cutting grass, even full scale tree trimming and removal work. We make soaps and body care products like oils for your skin, candles, as well as furniture, natural clothing and custom hand-made shoes.

Several of our communities have cafés and retail stores. They are not open for business on the Sabbath, except for hospitality, during which we usually have tea and muffins for people who happen to come in and want to talk. We also have mobile cafés that we take to large-scale events such as concerts and fairs. In these cafés and stores we serve the fruit of the Spirit. These, as well as all of our cottage industries, are owned and operated by us."

We desire to live a quite life, working with our hands, having the ability to pass good things onto our children. In fact, this is one of the main reasons we have cottage industries, so that we can work close to home and have the ability to put good things into our children.

"Make it your ambition to lead a quite life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12