| Oak Hill is a little hamlet in eastern New York State nestled in the northern foothills of the Catskill Mountains. This picturesque cluster of dwellings was once a hub for several surrounding "hill towns" and attracted people as a source of supplies and entertainment. Today, it is little more than a small rural hamlet.
In the fall of 1997 a couple of families moved here with the vision of raising their children in a normal, healthy environment. We wanted our children to be able to work hard and be connected to the land like human beings were intended to from the beginning. An organic garden and a small collection of cows, goats, and chickens provide the catalyst for teaching our children respect for every living thing our Creator made. We have grown quickly, now numbering more than 80, inhabiting three houses on the farm property and spilling over into others in the village. Our community is called Journey's End Farm after the 100+ acre farm that is the home of our households.
Our small community's life is full and is centered in three enterprises. Some of us work together on our farm. Here our children are fully involved, planting and harvesting, caring for the animals, making cheese and yogurt. The “Wood Shop” is a cottage industry where we make custom doors, windows, molding, and furnishings. From this shop we also operate a construction industry. The most recent addition to our busy community is the newly renovated Oak Hill Kitchen, a Common Ground Café in the center of town, where we present a wholesome bakery, café, and storefront for goods manufactured by our friends in some of our other communities.
The center of our life is our four households where we live together, eat together, praise together, and labor together. We maintain an environment where we can show hospitality to each other, care for and educate our children, and welcome visitors and guests. This is something we do from the gratitude we have for the care that is continually shown us from our master, Yahshua, through each other. We have every expectation that our life together will expand and grow as we continue to faithfully love each other in the same way He loved us.
Our future vision includes an expanded use of our farm to produce much more of the organic food we eat. We hope to develop alternative sources of energy, learning to make use of environmentally responsible and renewable sources as well as recycling waste products as an energy source. In the future we also plan to build a lodge for year-round festivals and celebrations, all part of the rich life we receive when we forsake our self-centered existence to live for others like our master, Yahshua, did.
We love to have visitors and seekers spend time with us and we invite you to come and experience the rich life that we are experiencing every day. Won't you come and share your life with us as well? Please do. | |
