A young woman who left her leafy Sussex convent for the concrete jungle of Peckham was shocked by the ’emptiness in people’s lives’, as she experienced life outside her strict Christian sect for the first time.
Hannah, 18, and her family have lived in the ‘Bruderhof’ for three generations, and came to England from America when she was 9.
The British Bruderhof, German for ‘place of brothers’, is a community of 300 people who live life according to the Bible’s New Testament, near the village of Robertsbridge in Sussex.
None of the members have any money, instead they share homes and meals together, with everyone assigned an unpaid job in the launderette, nursery, or the Robertsbridge factory, which supports their modest lifestyle with its £17 million annual turnover.
They have no material possessions, no access to the internet, smartphones, or videogames, no say over their life choices, and follow a strict modest dress code, with restrictions on same sex relationships.
When they reach adulthood, they must decide whether to make a life-long commitment to the Bruderhof, or to leave the commune for life in the outside world.
Hannah, 18, leaves her strict Christian convent in Sussex for Peckham and is shocked by the ’emptiness in people’s lives’, as she experiences life outside her commune for the first time. Pictured in Peckham, South London
Having hit 18, Hannah is now facing that choice, and is sent to a small Bruderhof residence in Peckham, where she will live for a year, taking a job as a youth worker.
But Hannah was shocked when she arrived in South London, having never been allowed items such as a smartphone, iPad, computer, video games or make-up.
‘It’s too people-ey out there,’ she exclaimed on arrival. ‘It’s another world!’.
Explaining that she is looking for a ‘message from god’ to tell her what path to follow, she said: ‘I wouldn’t just join the Bruderhof, it has to be something that’s more than just tradition.
The British Bruderhof, German for ‘place of brothers’, is a community of 300 people who live life according to the Bible’s New Testament, near the village of Robertsbridge in Sussex, seen
Hannah stayed with ‘Haus parents’ in Peckham, who host young people looking for their calling .
Exploring the city alone, Hannah admitted she felt like she was from a different era and foreign to today’s society.
‘I’ve never had money to buy anything before, so it feels weird buying stuff I could never buy before. But it’s also a responsibility’, she admitted.
Hannah was seen taking a job as a youth worker, and admitted it was eye-opening to see how other children have grown up.
For the first time she played a Playstation, painted her nails with children from an inner city estate, admitting that their aspirations made her question her own.
‘Committing the Bruderhof would limit my future’, she admitted.
Domestic duties are predominantly undertaken by the female members, with Hannah admitting: ‘If I was back at home now I’d probably be cleaning.’
None of the members have any money, instead they share homes and meals together, with everyone assigned an unpaid job in the launderette, nursery, or factory which supports their modest lifestyle
They have no material possessions, no access to the internet, smartphones, or videogames, no say over their life choices, and follow a strict modest dress code, with restrictions on same sex relationships. Pictured: Outreach director Bernard Hibbs, 38, and his wife
Exploring a clothes market, Hannah said: ‘I’ve learned how empty life can be and how people just want to fill it with stuff, which seems pointless to me.
‘Why would you use your hard-earned money to buy excess amounts of stuff?’, she asks, pointing at shoes and dresses which she brands ‘ridiculous’.
‘My clothes are functional and don’t define me’, she states.
As Hannnah sat down with the other young women in the London home later that evening, they discussed mainstream society, and one said: ‘Women don’t realise how enslaved they are by consumerism – and how binding the fixation on lifestyle and appearance it is’.
Hannah replied: ‘I think people outside our community think we’re oppressed and don’t have a say, but that’s just not how it is’.
The community follow strict rules, including what they are allowed to wear, restrictions on same sex relationships, and have no say over which commune they are moved to – including international ones.
The community follow strict rules, including what they are allowed to wear, restrictions on same sex relationships, and have no say over which commune they are moved to – including international ones
Members are not allowed to follow any fashions, with women wearing skirts and a shirt, and men wearing trousers and a shirt
Members are not allowed to follow any fashions, with women wearing skirts and a shirt, and men wearing trousers and a shirt.
Twenty to thirty per cent of young people leave the Bruderhof to follow a life outside of the community.
Disputing that their community is like a cult, one senior member said: ‘A cult forces its members to stay. Our community literally boots young people out when they turn 18 and encourages them to find something else.’
Back in Peckham, Hannah was lonely and struggling to fill her time doing ‘meaningful’ things – and admitted she felt guilty if she spends a morning doing things that ‘only benefit her’.
‘At the Bruderhof you’re committed to something that makes you get out of bed in the morning and gives you a sense of belonging’, she said.
The community follow strict rules, including what they are allowed to wear, restrictions on same sex relationships, and have no say over which commune they are moved to – including international ones
Domestic duties are predominantly undertaken by the female members
‘Here in London I feel lonely, but among a large group of people. If it wasn’t for my faith I wouldn’t see the point in life.
‘Everyone in the city just seems to be wanting to improve life for themselves and their families’.
Explaining that you’re given everything at the Bruderhof, with the exception of materialistic things, one member claimed that it leaves you not wanting for everything.
‘Seeing the emptiness in people’s lives and how messed up society is, I have realised the value in the community. The joy in committing your life to something bigger than yourself, to god, makes you so happy!’.
She concluded: ‘My heart is telling me to finish this year off and get my butt back to normal’.
An unpaid woman is pictured in the Robertsbridge factory, which produces wooden children’s furniture, supporting the community’s modest lifestyle with its £17 million annual turnover