Elmendorf Christian Community

The Elmendorf Christian Community, called Elmendorf Hutterite Colony by GAMEO, is an independent Anabaptist community of Hutterite tradition. Even though the majority of the members are ethnic Hutterites, there are also members from different other backgrounds in the community. They are located in rural Mountain Lake, Minnesota. As of 2016 the minister was Gary Wurtz and the manager was Leanard Wurtz.

History

The history of Elmendorf Christian Community goes back to the times of the Protestant Reformation, when Anabaptists under the leadership of Jakob Hutter established community of goods in Moravia in the 1530s. After a long and complicated history of migrations in Eastern Europe, Hutterites arrived in America in 1874, forming three communities, that practiced community of goods, of which one was Bon Homme Colony, the mother colony of all Schmiedeleut Hutterites. Because of population growth, Hutterite colonies frequently branch out to form new colonies.

Upland Hutterite Colony in Letcher, South Dakota, branched out in 1994 to form the Elmendorf Community.^[1] Upland had branched out of Spring Valley Hutterite Colony, located at Wessington Springs, South Dakota in 1988, Spring Valley had branched out of Platte, South Dakota in 1964, and Platte had branched out of Bon Homme in 1949.^[2]

In 2002 Elmendorf left the Schmiedeleut affiliation of the Huttterites and became an independent colony. It was soon followed by Altona which was always in good standing with Elmendorf.

In 2006 Elmendorf Christian Community started a new community, named Rocky Cape Christian Community, between Smithton and Wynyard on the Australian island of Tasmania. In 2013/14 they started another new community, named Grand River, near the town of Jamesport in Missouri.^[3]

Customs and belief

Belief

The doctrine of the Elmendorf Christian Community does not differ markedly from the doctrine of other Old Order or Conservative Anabaptists. Like other Hutterites, they believe in and practice community of goods and separate from the world. They "discourage speculation about end-time events, the restoration of Israel, the thousand-year reign, and the “rapture” of the children of God".^[4]

Plain dress

They reject fashions of the world in clothing and hair styles and the wearing of jewellery. Women are expected to wear long hair and to keep it covered and not to wear trousers. Men and women are expected to dress in a "simple uniform way".^[4] In practice their Plain dress is similar to the dress of other Schmiedeleut Hutterites.

Restriction on technologies

Like other Hutterites they have only few restrictions on technology, they mainly forbid public television and do not have internet in private homes, but in a common computer room at the colony. They pool their ownership of cars because they live in a community of goods.^[1] They operate their own website.^[5]

Openness to outsiders

The Elmendorf Christian Community is much more open to outsiders, so-called seekers, than all other Hutterite communities. They welcome all visitors for at least one visit but "subsequent visits of an extended or indefinite duration should be petitioned for and arranged."^[6]

Affiliation

They are affiliated with the Altona Christian Community at Henderson, Minnesota and with the Fort Pitt Farms Christian Community. Elmendorf branched out to form Rocky Cape Christian Community in Australia and Grand River Christian Community in Missouri.^[7]^[8] They do not belong to one of the four established Leut (branches) of ethnic Hutterites and therefore it is not totally clear if they should be seen as Hutterites. Sometimes Elmendorf and Altona are listed as independent Schmiedeleut colonies and Fort Pitt an independent Dariusleut colony, because this is where they originally came from.

The 2016 Hutterite Directory of the James Valley Hutterite Colony lists Elemendorf along with Altona, Fort Pitt, Grand River and Rocky Cape as "Independent" Hutterites. These same five "Independent" Hutterite colonies compose a group of Hutterites known as the Hutterite Christian Communities, which Elmendorf is associated with.

Population

In 2014 there were altogether some 150 people living in the two communities, Elmendorf and Grand River.^[3] In 2016 there were some 160 people living in Elmendorf, some 50 in Grand River and some 25 in Rocky Cape.