How our Bruderhof community welcomes babies

At the Danthonia Bruderhof, where we live, several families have recently welcomed babies. As a community, we share in celebrating the joy each new life brings. In this video, we describe how we welcome babies into the wider family of community, and join the parents in working to nurture and protect each child.
About us: We're the parents of three sons and live at Danthonia Bruderhof, a Christian community in northern New South Wales, Australia, and enjoy discussing our faith, family, food (Norann's an awesome cook!), and the day-to-day adventures of life in "the bush".
Follow Norann on Twitter at / norannv
More about the Bruderhof community where we live: www.bruderhof.com/en/where-we...
Norann is a regular contributor to the Bruderhof website's "Voices" blog: www.bruderhof.com/en/voices-b...
Norann & Chris are both contributing authors for the Bruderhof's publishing house, Plough, and its magazine, Plough Quarterly. www.plough.com/en/authors/v/n...
0:00 intro
1:12 why it's important to welcome babies
1:53 community sings to a new arrival
2:45 dedication service
4:01 our church's commitment to caring for children
5:12 prioritizing children
6:41 our family's experience
6:59 ways we all can nurture children
8:08 join the conversation!
#bruderhof #babies

[@greetje5756]

I miss having small children around. As you say, they keep us focused on the now, looking forward, not backward. My children are now between 17 and 29, and we are going through a rough time, unfortunately. Thank you for your warm and wise words.

[@sue1263]

I teach 3rd graders, I build them up, let them know they are loved and safe, I let them know that mistakes help us learn, teach them skills to navigate emotions, not just ignore them as well as how to be kind while voicing their thoughts. We work on classroom community and helping instead of hurting. We laugh and learn on purpose.

[@DuoDownUnder]

Thank you so much for the love and energy you gift your students every day. May we all "laugh and learn on purpose", always! Blessings.

[@andrewdewitt7234]

What a privilege to see this video! I'm afraid my upbringing was one in which children were meant to be seen and not heard. And preferably not seen. These days, I think generally speaking, us grown-ups relate more positively and appropriately to children. Thank you for this lovely insight into your care for your young people!

[@DuoDownUnder]

Thank you, Andrew. Really appreciate your input. And agree it's good to see a greater emphasis in society on care of and respect for children. The best is when, as communities, we can learn from each other, intergenerationally (if that's a word), and support families and children in navigating life.

[@marcia542]

I pray that one day soon every baby that is born will be blessed with such a welcome!

[@DuoDownUnder]

Amen! Thank you.

[@laineyga]

Though my partner and I have no children, we have been blessed with many children and their parents in our lives, and they are gifts to us. I pray that we have blessed them one-tenth as much as they have brought joy and love to us, and we look forward to witnessing the maturation of those children into the adults God created them to be. Though we will never be parents, we also try to advocate for actions that will create a world of peace and justice for them to inherit from us. I so appreciate the way that your community cares for persons across the life cycle-precious babies, precious elders, and all those in between. 😊

[@DuoDownUnder]

Thank you for sharing this, and for all you do to make other people (and especially little people) feel special. That is certainly a blessing to them, equal to that which you receive from them. Wishing you a great week!

[@lynnebunning7273]

So glad I came across your channel I’m subscribed to “Laura from the Bruderhof” which is excellent so I’m happy to learn more about the Australian community. Only wish I could visit & see for myself your love of God & respect you have for your community cheers Lynne 🇦🇺🐨❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🙏🏻

[@DuoDownUnder]

Welcome aboard, Lynne! We'll resist the ol' "slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you" cliché - but will say that our (Australian) doors are always open, if you ever venture this direction. (Heading into winter here now, though, so not the cheeriest time of the year Down Under). 🙂

[@lynnebunning7273]

@@DuoDownUnder will 🙏🏻 I can come one day

[@swampophelia2098]

There is nothing so lovely as a new baby, one of my daughters is due in the next very few weeks, so as a family we are all excited and love her and her partner and soon to be born child. I love being a grandma,this one is number five so please keep her in your prayers. I love the way you both laugh together so easily.

[@DuoDownUnder]

Wonderful news! Prayers for your family, and esp this new little one. Each life is so precious.

[@swampophelia2098]

Thank you she is now a little girl of nearly six months old and her name is mila dove

[@juliepizzino6852]

Thanks for sharing what your faith community does to welcome children. It's very beautiful. When our church was not meeting during the first weeks of Covid, I missed so much hearing the sounds of babies in worship. How precious these little image bearers of God are to him.

[@DuoDownUnder]

Thanks, Julie. We've heard the same (about missing kids at church due to the pandemic) from many people. Maybe churches could consider a 'special welcome' service for all the little ones who've joined us during COVID... Regardless, we can all help make children and their parents feel 'seen' and wanted/loved, by making sure we don't overlook the smallest people in our lives. 🙂

[@OurFamilyJourney]

Oh how wonderful to see all the new babies, I look forward to visiting again with Elodie and meeting them in person! I also appreciate the thought of children being a sign of hope in our troubled world. On welcoming the children born to my friends, I usually give a gift to the baby and my whole hearted support to the parents (cook meals, babysit, clean or just be on call for someone to talk to when things are tough.) - Michelle

[@DuoDownUnder]

Thanks, Michelle - wishing you and Elodie every good thing for the week ahead.

[@johngormley8520]

Wonderful sharing!! Thanks so much.

[@DuoDownUnder]

Glad you enjoyed it - our joy to be able to share these glimpses of life together in community.

[@bmwood0827]

Thank you so much for another meaningful and joyful video. I’m so glad that I am seeing it today as it is my youngest child’s 30th birthday. He was born during the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles and the night that We stayed in the hospital, there was a thunderstorm that knocked out the power. And yet, Joe’s tender and sweet presence filled us with such calm and love. Still does! He has overcome some monumental obstacles in his life and I pray daily that he will be led and protected by God. There are many things I wish we had done differently and that he had the kind of community support that you have, but he has come through with resilience and grace. Bless you both and prayers for all the new babies there!

[@DuoDownUnder]

We never stop praying for our kids, do we? Thank you for these thoughts, and a window into your family. Blessings to you all.

[@lailja21]

As an adult big sister, I got to play more freely. Alone I'd look rather odd rolling down a grassy hill, but certainly not with a two and three year old. And the amazing bubble baths we managed to fit into! Just two of many joy-filled memories 😊

[@DuoDownUnder]

What a gift, to have a child/sibling to roll down a grassy hill with! Who knows, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing for people in suits to leave their offices at lunchtime in search of the perfect incline. That funny sensation of the world spinning by - might be worth recapturing. So glad you have those great memories.

[@lailja21]

@@DuoDownUnder exactly... what a beautiful new world...adults get a recess and learn from children how to en/in joy it!!😊

[@aussiesuburbanprepper1921]

I am Baptist and we have a similar celebration. It's a beautiful time. The church family commit to praying for this little person and to helping his or her parents to raise this child in Christ. We commit the baby to Christ and thank Him for His precious gift

[@DuoDownUnder]

Beautiful, thank you for sharing.

[@cityhomestead4490]

I always love the peek inside your community, thank you.

[@DuoDownUnder]

Glad you enjoy it! Have a great weekend.

[@JordynRGraham]

Thank you for posting videos. It’s always uplifting. I really appreciate it.

[@DuoDownUnder]

You are so welcome!

[@northernkarma9296]

Beautiful! Thank you, you made my day brighter! 🙂

[@DuoDownUnder]

That makes us happy 😊

[@matildaswaltz]

Thankyou about the thought to keep all children born in these times in my prayers. When I learned about a baby born in Ukraine, in a basement, during the a bomb explosion at the hospital, I remember a Quaker lady here in Brisbane, named Marghead, who got born during the bombing of London in an underground train station. Marghead is a life long peace activist.

[@vickijones3660]

Thank you for your conversations with us.

[@DuoDownUnder]

Our pleasure!

[@walterosbourniii1174]

Blessings!

[@DuoDownUnder]

Thank you!

[@geoffreykirton2578]

Great to see so many familiar faces and the joy of new life. Please pass on my best wishes to Nigel and Nora, did they have a son or daughter?

[@DuoDownUnder]

Thanks, Geoff. Will pass on your greetings. Some of the pics in the video are a little 'archival'...

[@megangaukroger4195]

Those are what I would call my small Monday morning sized coffee cups for me guys ;) Ever since my nephew was born almost three years ago, I feel my heart break for what the future holds for our beloved little ones. But then when I gaze into Oliver's big blue eyes, see his cheeky smile and hear him call Auntie Meg *which started a few weeks ago), I feel my soul rejoice at the future and the joy Oliver brings into my heart, mind, and world

[@megangaukroger4195]

Chris...children aren't perfect?? You've never met my nephew Oliver!! ;) Curly blonde hair...big blue eyes and butter wouldn't melt in his mouth :D

[@DuoDownUnder]

To paraphrase Tagore, ""Every child that is born is proof that God has not yet given up on us." So glad that Oliver brings joy into your life, Megan, and be assured that you do the same for him. It's a marvel, to be loved unconditionally by a child. And yeah, there's no such thing as too big a coffee mug! (Licorice tea, on the other hand, is best in small doses.)

[@DuoDownUnder]

🤗 Give him a few years, Megan. Lol!

[@megangaukroger4195]

@@DuoDownUnder even then, he’ll be perfect

[@taraburke826]

Thank you for providing such a beautiful portrait of welcome to the newborns. Your reverence for our Great God and Savior and HIS creation (HIS children) is a grand example to us all. Oh how wonderful it would be if the whole world loved children the way the Bruderhof do. So thankful for this share and message of inspiration and pure love. The newest addition to our family is six month old twins born to my nephew and his wife. We are overjoyed! Blessings to all at the Bruderhof!

[@DuoDownUnder]

Tara - sorry for the late reply (had written one, which somehow failed to post), but thank you so much for your response to this video AND for sharing your joy in your double-dose of great-aunt-hood! How good is that?! "Finally...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things." Children, especially babies, possess those traits, for sure. So we think those words, from Philippians, should inspire us all in how we welcome and care for them. Sending our love and greetings to your whole family, big and little!

[@gillianhatters6613]

What a lovely video! The photos of you as a young family were beautiful. What a wonderful way to welcome little ones to your community….. Your videos always put questions in my head so can I ask if the Bruderhof have any mother and baby accommodations? I’ll ask more about this in my next letter! …. You are quite right about children needing security. My little grand daughter just lives with her mommy so we try to be the best grand parents we can be and are very hands on. We feel very blessed to be able to help and support our little one and her mommy, we give them security and love them both very much….I’ll write later Norann. Lots of love to you both 💖

[@DuoDownUnder]

Hi Gillian. You'll probably never really know in this lifetime just how much you and your husband mean to your granddaughter (and her mum), but rest assured - you are leaving her a legacy of love and security, which she'll be able to draw on in the years to come. And that is the greatest gift any of us can give to a child. Norann looks forward to your next letter, and thank you so much for sharing with us. Have a beautiful weekend! N&C