Thoughts on Forming a Self Sufficient Orthodox Community

As I was going through some old correspondence I found this short
mission statement I wrote as an exploration of Orthodox Community.
The date I have for this places it in 1999, ten years ago! I think
there is a good point or two in there, but there are a few areas where
I could have been more clear or have now updated my opinion. Keep in
mind this is from the pen (keyboard) of a 21 year-old fresh convert to
Orthodoxy.

Thoughts on forming a Self Sufficient Orthodox Community

I hope to help establish a group of Eastern Orthodox families and
individuals who want to have more participation in the daily life of
the Church as well as living in harmony with the abundance of creation
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have given to mankind. To
this purpose, more concrete goals include having a cycle of daily
services, producing as many of our own resources as possible (while
also replenishing said sources) in the areas of food, construction
materials, etc., and to establish a system of economy where both
people who have outside means of income (writers, independently
affluent, telecommuter, etc) and people who want to their work to be
on the community in farming or cottage industries can be accomodated.

The inspiration for such a group comes from many diverse sources;
monastic communities in the Orthodox tradition, small rural villages
that were a norm for most people until the rise of the 20th century,
and Intentional (artificially created) Communities such as Co-housing
or the oft-easily dismissed communes. The focus of the group will be
to live in a community of Orthodox people who share their lives in a
way that is not seen very often in Western society outside of
relatively few villages and monasteries. In this, each participant
will be able to minimize or maximize their involvement as they see
fit, from a retired businessman who just wants a house in the country
near a parish and fellow Orthodox to occasionally communicate with, to
a young husband and wife that want to raise their children in a small
village where worship and morals are the norm, to high school
graduates who want to experience life on their own where they are in a
community of caring people to help develop talents and interests while
earning their keep on the farm or cottage industry.

This would not be a commune in its most popular definition, a group of
income sharing people who live in multi-family dwellings and are
encouraged to follow their own personal beliefs or "gods" as long as
they do not intefere with the good of the commune. Rather, except for
potentially a dormitory style residence for single young adults or
others who would prefer such a living space, the group would mostly
consist of houses spaced as close or as far apart as desired in order
to give each family or person their own private space with community
shared buildings(chapel, library, garage, etc). Make no mistake about
it, this is a type of lifestyle that can be most intrusive sometimes,
where being in such close proximity can sew as much division as
cooperation. But, any type of lifestyle whether urban, suburban,
rural, etc., has its own limitations and virtues.

Initially, such a group would start the bare essentials: a chapel,
dwellings, outbuildings, necessary plumbing, etc. Later, depending on
the size and intentions of the group, a part of the land could be
given to a group of monastics who would receive free land, their share
in the farm, and able hands in return for their spiritual guidance and
prayer, a school could be established for the children being raised on
the premises, a retreat center for families and individuals, or any
number of other ministries and activities could be accomplished.

In many attempts to form such groups in the secular community,
emphasis is put on living in a Utopian community patterned of such
ideas as in the B.F. Skinner novel Walden Two. While each of the
group's plans has merit, their goals are such that they must be self-
fulfilling, that is, paradise will be achieved by humans who
consciously group together knowledge, labor, finances, etc. to
collectively build a "heaven on Earth." Such a mentality is foreign to
the Orthodox mindset, and is to be avoided. We must realize that
everything we are and everything that is exists for the purpose of
glorifying God and being in communion with Him. There will be many
falls, not only physical or material problems, but also those
instances where pride can plant its lethal seeds, i.e., "Look at the
accomplishments that *I* have made, etc." One must be on guard for
such at all times, for the success of the group, yes, but more
importantly for the salvation of our souls.

source: http://groups.google.com/group/orthodoxcommune/browse_thread/thread/4c627a5acab51802/49cc7b0501257cab#49cc7b0501257cab