My vision has changed many times over the years, but now I’m 99 percent sure I’ve settled on my main vision: a think tank of animal rights activists building an umbrella network, with local chapters that support every person and group working for animals without competing with any of them. The heart of it is a cooperative community on land held in a land trust. People who share this vision and live together can be far more effective, because we’re together so much and can get more done. We can also model a vegan cooperative community, which is much needed. It will start with me living on the land or nearby and reaching out to people who share my vision and values, who will eventually join me in living here. As we live and grow together, the vision can evolve. These articles, written over the past thirteen years, let you get to know me and my history along the way.

I feel so inspired by the early Moravians and Count Zinzendorf, who became their leader. I want to adopt their total dedication to God and missions. The things I would change are that we would include in our missionary work the teaching of Christian Universalism and Christ-centered veganism. I especially admire Count Zinzendorf because he was innovative and practical. I believe if he were alive today, we would be working together!

The differences would be that I continue to see value and necessity of people running for office and helping our government change to reflect Christian conservative values. I also still think that although I hate the thought of people being in the armed services or defending our community with guns, these aspects of life will be acceptable.

Something that is not mentioned in this video is that the Moravians, inspired by Count Zinzendorf, treated women equally, and regarded all races as equal. Women were in the highest levels of leadership in the church. This was very unusual attitude even for Christians during his time.

I like that Zinzendorf offered his castle as a place where Christian refugees being persecuted by the Catholics could come to live. He created a community that was a the beginning of many communities. The young people in the community initiated a 24 hour prayer vigil that lasted for 100 years!

John Wesley wrote, near the end of his life, that he wished he has taken some of the Moravians rules, such as how to dress, and applied it to the Methodists. I wonder if the Methodists were getting of track all the way back then? I grew up in a Methodist Church, and it was leftist and liberal. I left at age 16, disillusioned and disappointed by the hypocrisy. I never learned what it meant to surrender my life to Christ there.

I am re-inspired by watching the above video, and the one below. I learned much from both, and I will continue to research the Moravians and Count Zinzendorf because I am gleaning so much wisdom.

There is a Moravian church now, but they are much less communal and passionate. Here is their website, which I intend to study more.