Cradle of a New Society

Looking back over the last 50 years, we have to admit that something miraculous has happened. We are filled with wonder and awe over this incredible story that has changed our individual lives, and at the same time caused a holy nation that has come forth out of the “dust” in the midst of a rapidly decaying society. To us, it proves there is a God in Heaven who does far beyond what we are even able to imagine. As it says: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Cor 2:9) There was a little seed of faith that first sprouted in Chattanooga, Tennessee in the early 1970s, and then that seed incubated in tiny Island Pond, Vermont. This seed has become a flourishing “commonwealth” in our day. It is made up of Twelve Tribes – who dwell in various parts of this earth. It is a new life, with new goals, new plans, peace and love... All starting right here in the hills of Vermont.

On June 22, 1984, that little sprout was almost destroyed by an ill-conceived plot to take 112 children away from the parents of the “Church in Island Pond.” We are eternally grateful that our Father in Heaven appointed a righteous judge that day in the Vermont Supreme Court to uphold our constitutional rights and return our precious children. That story made national news and continues to be of great interest to scholars. But there is a much deeper and more profound story behind the “Church in Island Pond,” (as we were called by many in those days). Who were those people and what brought them together to live in such a contrasting way of life? What has happened in the lives of these families and their movement in the last 50 years? This is the story we will endeavor to begin to tell in this little book. Looking back at everything that happened in all of our lives – the circumstances, the choices we made, the turning of the hearts, the miracles – all working together to bring forth something very wonderful. We now know that it was the work of the God of Heaven to begin to fulfill all things that were spoken by the prophets of old regarding the events that would unfold at the end of the age. We have the Scriptures, which reveal to us how the God works in the lives of men – through His Holy Spirit and the work of holy angels, to bring about His will on the earth. In hindsight we recognize and understand that this simple story was actually accomplishing something amazing. Such is the case with our beginnings and the events in Island Pond many years ago. All we desired was to love God with all our heart and teach our children to do the same. We had no idea that Island Pond would be the “Cradle of a New Society.” 

Join us as we consider the Miracle in Island Pond…