Communauté à Boston

"Why Dorchester?"

"Why Dorchester?" one might ask… Well, it's quite a story. Years ago, we sent a small group of our people to Europe in hopes of finding people like us who loved God with all their hearts and wanted to give Him everything. They traveled for many months, camping on beaches, weathering storms, working wherever they could to make enough money to get by, trying to find an “open door” in this new land. One day, they met a sweet woman in the South of Spain who owned a small hotel and offered them work for a time. After making friends with her, she told them about her old rundown château. “I have no one to care for it,” she said. “It needs a lot of work,” she apologized, “but if you like, you can live there until you find something better.” Several people made the trip to Southern France with her son to see the property. There, nestled at the base of the Pyrenees Mountains, stood what is called, “Château Laroque” — the place that was to be a home for the beginnings of the tribe of Reuben. What a miracle… just what we had prayed for!

Time passed and our dear friend had some financial problems, which required her to sell her property. She hoped this peculiar group would be able to buy it, because she knew they really needed it and would properly care for it. Well, they certainly did not have the funds, so they asked for help...

Back at home in the US, our ever increasing Community in Vermont had a hard time finding places to buy large quantities of food, so we started sending people to Boston where the produce markets were bigger and the people were more generous. After a while, we found that as the food was plentiful, so was the possibility of work, which we needed to support ourselves. So after taking counsel, we decided to send a delegation to the big city in hopes of starting a new community. We were also very excited about the possibilities of meeting more people who loved the God of heaven with all their hearts. Farewells were said, and our dear brothers and sisters left the security of home in Vermont to break new ground. Soon we were provided with an old Victorian house in disrepair. Just the job for us!

Then came the news from our brothers across the sea, “We need help! We cannot pay for this property on our own…” Quickly, we came to the rescue. Our reputation having gone before us, it was not difficult to find work. We sent more crews to the city to help. Tirelessly, our brothers worked to meet the deadline and finally, the last payment was made!

By this time, the Community in Boston had doubled… We increased to 4 households and had thriving construction, plumbing, and electrical businesses. We were able to support ourselves as well as many of the smaller beginnings that were springing up in other places.

The Common Ground café and Bakery

Living smack in the middle of the city, it was not hard to notice the many needy people around us. How we wanted them to understand the purpose of life on this planet, to know God's heart, and experience a life of love and forgiveness. This inspired us to look for a place to open a restaurant where we could serve good, healthy food in a wholesome atmosphere, reaching out to others, expressing our spirit in a practical way. Eventually, we found just the place on the edge of Lower Mills. Fathers and sons banded together to turn an old rundown storefront into the Common Ground café and Bakery, which we ran for many years. We are now searching for a new location where we can open a Yellow Deli.

So that's our story. We are now only one household of several small families and a number of single people, as many of the larger families were sent to less urban places to better raise their children. After 20 years, we still live in the original house we first had on Melville Avenue, still operating our businesses in the construction industry across the greater Boston Metro area. We are not many, but we can accomplish a lot! We love working together in the household or on the job site.

Call us... Come celebrate the Sabbath...

If you find yourself in the Boston area feel free to call us and come over some evening for some friendly discussion. Since we gather every Friday night to celebrate the Sabbath with music, folk dancing and a special meal, why don't you come join us? You would be welcome!