1 On NZ's South Island, through the mountain pass, round the lake and up a long road is one of the country's most isolated communities. At Gloriavale, they're waiting for the world to end. In fact, they're looking forward to it. Judgement day is coming. When? I can't tell you. I believe it's in my lifetime. But far from being depressed about the prospect, the atmosphere at Gloriavale is decidedly upbeat. And there's good reason to be. Everyone in this community is well fed and housed, they're financially sound, expanding every year, and the whole community carries no debt. Essentially it's a world without money. All their needs are met by the community. There's no unemployment and no cheque books to balance. And perhaps what's more extraordinary, these teenagers get on with the job without grumbling, they don't talk back, and they don't waste a single minute texting, gaming or Facebooking their friends. In 21st century NZ, Gloriavale is a whole other world. Copyright Able 2014 I'm Paul Valor. I'm 19 years old. Like both of my parents, I was born in the community. Dad's a pilot. Well, he's a jack of all trades, really. Mum has been a seamstress most of her life. She runs the sewing room now. I'm the oldest of 10 children. 11th one's on the way. We have nearly 500 people living here now. Most of them were born here. We actually all live together in the one place so that we can be apart from the world. And living apart, in a practical sense, means young men expect to marry within the community. Paul won't find his wife online, in a bar or at a party. She's sitting at one of these tables. He just doesn't know who she'll be yet. As a matter of fact, I have actually asked to get married, so I'll be getting married soon. I want to marry a godly wife. The only really godly women that I personally know are here. There are plenty of single girls at Gloriavale. Between leaving school and getting married, most will spend their days cleaning, doing the community's laundry and preparing meals in the massive kitchen. My name's Jordan, and I'm Paul's sister. We're pretty much best friends ` about as good as you can get in a family. My name's Dove. Paul and I are cousins, and he also works at a factory where my dad's the manager. As a marriage prospect, Paul might not seem that impressive. The car he drives is nothing to write home about, and his income is next to nothing, but girls here have other priorities. The main thing that as a single girl you would hope for in a husband is that he's really humble and he loves God and he's submitted to the church, and Paul definitely is. GIRL: Paul, your sister's nearly as tall as you. Being submitted to the church is a way bigger commitment than just going to church once a week. Submitting requires Paul to put aside his own wants and desires and always do what's best for the community. There are rules and processes to be followed here. The whole place is run by the leaders, or shepherds ` a team of senior men who make the rules and keep the community on track. It appears there's something we can come to. It could be a blessing... Today they're discussing whether to invest $1 million of the community's funds in a rig to drill for oil and gas. The day was coming when we would have to get a new rig, and I believe God is wanting us to do that now. Yep, I'm in. I believe God` this is what God wants and, um... to` to go ahead with the rig. OK, then we accept this is God's will? OK, then we accept this is God's will? MEN AGREE Through prayer and discussion, these senior men make all the crucial decisions, from big business strategies right down to where someone like Paul will live and what job he'll do. After I left school, I started a building apprenticeship, and we had to build some buildings over at the meal plant. And then once I'd done that, they talked to me, asked me if I'd be willing to be a plant operator. I think I was 18 at the time. Its quite common to be given heavy responsibilities early at Gloriavale. Kids are expected to do their bit before and after school ` practical chores, like herding cows in the dairy, helping in the kitchen or gathering sphagnum moss in the swamp. Teenagers do what they're told, and there's no excuses for simply skiving off. Individual pursuits have a very low priority. Everyone works for the greater good. We have eight or nine businesses that everybody works at. We don't get paid individually. The business gets paid, and then the money goes to the community. A job here in the meal plant isn't glamorous. It's really hard work, baking hot in summer, and it stinks. It teaches you responsibility. If anything goes wrong, it's you that gets kicked ` metaphorically. It turns big pieces of meat into little pieces of meat. Ah, Paul. (CHUCKLES) Well, I couldn't wish for a better son. He's always respected me. He's always, um,... uh, full of fun. I'm really happy for him, especially in this next part of his life. His responsibilities and his role is going to change. He's not going to be my little boy any more, even though he's taller than me. But he's going to be a Dad in his own right. He's going to start his own family. At Gloriavale, Paul can't choose a girl and settle down. First, he must first seek advice and permission from the shepherds. The first thing I did was go and talk to my father and told him I wanted to get married and asked him if he thought I was ready to get married. And he said yes. I understand you want to talk to us about something on your heart. 'So then I went to talk to the leaders.' I'd to get married. I believe that it's God's will for me to get married. You're being responsible in the young people, and you've got the Lord in your heart, so it's the next step in life. God has got somebody specially prepared for you. The main thing I want in marriage is God's will. The main thing I want in marriage is God's will. BOTH: Amen. I don't want to have my own will; I want to have what God wants me to have. ALL SING The top men, the leaders, they have got lists of all the bloodlines, and so when you come and ask them to get married, they can give you a list of, you know, five or six girls who you can marry, that's not your cousin or second cousin without any problems and who won't cut anybody else off, and they'll all be, you know, within your age bracket. So, you know, that's what we call your shortlist. It's a slang term among the young fellas. Somewhere on that shortlist is the girl you're gonna marry. This process is the Gloriavale equivalent of an arranged marriage, and it works very efficiently. Once it's underway, a marriage will take place within six weeks. But Paul's excitement at getting the big thumbs-up is short-lived. It's almost concert season here, and normal life at this community just went out the window. Yeah, well, we build up to this for two years basically, and, uh, yeah, this is the culmination of a lot of practice and a lot of thought come together. It's our way of saying thanks to the people of this area. We really are grateful. With rehearsals every night, costumes to sew and music to practise, Paul's hopes of finding a wife just took one giant step back. 2 It's show time at Gloriavale, and the place is humming. LIVELY MUSIC PLAYS Hello, folks. How are we tonight? Ready to go? This won't make you handsome or even good-looking, but it might tidy up the rough edges a bit. From preschoolers to expectant mums, almost everyone's in something. Those not on stage are preparing a four-course meal. Through this month of concerts, they feed more than 2000 guests ` all of it free. Dancing routines are always part of the mix. But because physical contact's likely, it's not something single guys, like Paul, will get to enjoy. Whenever there is dancing, it's always a husband and wife team. They're married couples. We wouldn't have a... a man ` a single man or a married man ` with a girl or somebody else's wife. It's always married couples. The young people get a real benefit from doing the concert. There's a discipline ` a real discipline. They've got to spend a lot of time practising, training. It's not that we're exceptional people; it's just that we've pooled our resources, we're united, we can accomplish things that no individual could ever accomplish. The concert also gives the young people of Gloriavale a brief contact with the outside world. While it contributes to the workload in the kitchen, Dove still makes time to chat with any visitors who want to peek backstage. There's curiosity from both sides. I know that without the concert, I would never have met these people. In a way, it's a real blessing to talk to them, and in another way it's often quite sad, because you get a bit of a little bit of an insight into their lives. I was talking to a little girl this morning that stayed here overnight, and she was just saying about how her mum and dad have split and how... it's` she feels like her life's all topsy-turvy. But I'm just grateful that I'm not out there, that I don't have to face those things, that so many of those difficult things in life are just already solved for me. If and when Dove marries, she knows it'll be for life. In this community, the divorce rate is zero. Couples have to learn to get along once they get married. And now concert season's wrapping up, Paul's thoughts are back to finding himself a wife. And in that quest, he's sought divine guidance. We prayed, and we believed that the Lord's will was for me to marry Pearl. It wasn't actually something that came from me. I didn't have in my own mind who I wanted to marry. Because I had decided that I was not going to decide who to marry, that I was going to depend on God, then when... when the thought came that I should marry Pearl, I could be fairly confident that was from God. And when I went back to talk to the leaders and they all said the same thing ` they all said, 'We believe you should marry Pearl' ` well, that was just proof that it was actually from God, that he'd put all the thought into all of our minds. So, yeah, that was good. And then... I had to propose, which was the hard bit. (LAUGHS) TENSE, QUIRKY MUSIC Virtue, I'd like to get some flowers. I'm gonna propose. Oh, that's nice. That's special. Oh, that's nice. That's special. BOTH CHUCKLE Oh, that's nice. That's special. BOTH CHUCKLE Yeah, it is. Proposing is a big event for any guy, but for Paul, this is huge. Remember, he's never spoken to Pearl alone before, and what happens in the next 10 minutes will change both their lives forever. Hope she says yes. Hope she says yes. I'm sure she will. 'I was definitely nervous.' And then I talked to her parents ` talked her father, actually ` and he didn't have a problem with me marrying Pearl, so I asked him to talk to her mother. And so then that night, they brought Pearl over to the room, and I came in with my flowers, and I asked her to marry me. She had to go away and think about it and pray about it and if she believed that it was God's will for her to marry me now, that she should say yes. And the next day at lunchtime, she gave me a note that said yes. (LAUGHS) So then, stage two, I had to announce that I was getting married. The communal dining room's where most meals are shared, so it's also the perfect place to break the happy news. I was just talking this morning about joining together instead of dividing, so I've decided to join myself together to one of our lovely, wonderful young ladies, Pearl. CHEERING, APPLAUSE Oh, and you can all join us in the wedding. CHEERING, WHISTLING My name's Pearl, and, um, my dad's name is Marcus, and my Mum's name is Anne, and we've got 10 children in our family. I love having a big family. Like Paul, 21-year-old Pearl was born in the community, and she's also totally committed to the church. I surrendered my will when I was baptised and gave my life to God. I believe that Jesus is the son of God and he died to take away my sin and when I go under these waters, I'm gonna come up a new creature. Amen. In the name of Jesus Christ, we bury you. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Praise God. Praise God. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! COMMUNITY SINGS And I prayed that if someone came and asked me to marry them, that would be what he wanted and I would obey and, yeah, that's what happened. At Gloriavale, a wife lives in total subjection to her husband. Whatever he decides, she must do. It's a big commitment when you hardly know the man you're marrying. I didn't know very much about her before I asked her to marry me. I mean, I've lived with her my whole life, she's always been here, but... I'm at work, and she's in the kitchen, and the young fellas very rarely ever see the single girls. Like, normally we try to not for the single men and women to build relationships. When you start talking to somebody, you start to like them, and then things get messy. So once I'd announced that I was marrying her, then we were officially courting. So that meant that nobody would have a problem with us talking to each other. This courting period's typically five weeks and includes some special meals where they get to know each other's families. We don't go anywhere alone. We always have a chaperone with us, basically because I don't trust myself. I like her far too much. So we don't go anywhere dark, anywhere like that. We're not getting up to anything we shouldn't do. The worst thing about barbecuing food is waiting for it to cook, cos it looks so good and it smells so good and you get hungry. To Pearl's parents, Paul's an ideal match for their very shy youngest daughter. We've actually seen Paul grow up right from a baby. He's an outgoing, happy chap, so it's not like he's a closed book. I think he's a really fine young Christian man. I'm really happy. I'm looking forward to marrying Paul, because he's very caring and understanding and I know that he'll take the lead in our home and I can trust him. At the start, like, it hits you and, yeah, you are nervous and you feel unprepared, but you have to take one day at a time. And now it's fine and getting exciting. But far from being depressed about the prospect, the atmosphere at 1 Paul and Pearl's engagement is only part of the happy news this week. The Ben Canaan family have just announced the arrival of a new baby, and it's their number 11. MAN: How old is she? MAN: How old is she? She's a day old today. I started labour about 20 past 8, and... we had... been aware that she was breech. And, um,... we'd decided to have her at home anyway, and she was born at about 20 past 10 without any real difficulty. The older children came and watched the birth. Hope's husband, James, spent the morning with Mum and baby then headed back to supervise the afternoon's milking. We knew the Lord was with us, and we were confident that he was going to see us through, and it went really well. (CRIES) It's one of the slightly downsides of having a top-up is that she's more vigorous when she's awake. Local midwives and the community's own women manage the home births. With no contraception practised by couples here, midwives are kept busy. With a combination of good medical care and nutrition, they expect between 30 and 40 births a year and claim to have one of the highest birth rates in the world. Well, we believe that children are a blessing of the Lord and the more we have, the more blessings he gives us. Um, I can... Quite` Uh, it's quite possible we could end up with 14. My wife's only 35, so, yeah, we'll see. But, yeah, there's always got to be a developing income to provide for the children as they grow up and the families as they grow. We don't expect the government to carry us or anyone else to carry us. And so personally, for myself, I've got 11 children, so I see it as a huge responsibility to do my part in the community to provide the income for my own family and for all the families. Hope also has a job she'll be back at soon. She'll stay with me for the next few weeks. I'll have a bit of time off just to get to know her and, um, establish routines with her, um, before I start back at school ` working at the school. Childcare and schooling all happen on site at Gloriavale. Hope's baby will go first to the creche before progressing to her preschool education. ...squashy in a fish for that long, wouldn't it? Start at the dot. Yep, good man. Put your pencil over. Those are really nice and neat. Good job. CHILDREN: Seven eights are 56. They're big on the basics here and follow the NZ curriculum for the most part. However, when it comes to history, they have their own approach ` teaching creationism over evolution. OK, so where did dinosaurs first appear in the Bible, then, guys? OK, so where did dinosaurs first appear in the Bible, then, guys? At time of creation. At creation, right. They were made along with everything else right back then in the Garden of Eden. Dinosaurs, they're pretty big things. How could they have fitted in the ark? Jordan? If you take two of the younger ones, then they're smaller to fit in the ark. Right. OK, so Noah didn't have to pick the biggest dinosaurs; he could've picked some baby ones. Wherever possible, children are given practical example of what they're learning, which can include a trip to the aircraft hangar or the workshop. We like to do things here that will be useful to us. What we teach the children is the things that they will actually face in community life so we can prepare them for what they'll be. Make sure you got this on before you go. Like, the boys will learn agriculture, engineering, building, cos some of them will be tradesmen, some of them will be working on the farm. So, you carry on setting this up. Before you start it, come check with me, and I'll make sure everything's all OK. The girls learn all about food safety. They learn about what kinds of pots to use for what things. That's what their science is about ` you know, heat transfer for cooking. What are the four conditions we need for microbe management? Grace? Time, temperature, acid conditions and... And they also learn how to make clothes, um, you know, how to look after children ` all things that are gonna be useful to them as they live in the community. After completing NCEA at school, the older girls will work together on a roster to manage all the community's cooking, cleaning and laundry. It takes the load off the married women with big families. We have four main teams. They'll do four separate days. Each day will be a different job. One day we'll do the cleaning of the main areas ` our big dining room and some other places, like the centres where the children are. Then the next day we'll be up at the washing, and we might hang out the washing if it's a sunny day. We'll iron the families' ironing, have it all clean, take it home to the homes. Then the next day will be on preparation, which often it's processing fruit. I think that the joy we get from serving is a real pleasure. You don't get so much pleasure from just doing what you want to do, I mean, yeah. 1 The wedding is only a fortnight away, and it's time to try on the dress. There's no visit to a bridal boutique for Pearl. she knows exactly what she's going to be wearing on the big day. Every girl that gets married gets a pink or a pale blue dress, and that's up to the husband to decide` the new husband to decide which colour they would like their wife to have. Most of them choose pink, and Pearl's having a pink dress. PEARL: Its not really an issue. It's just a dress. (CHUCKLES) It's beautiful. I mean, its pink, and I like pink, but other than that, it's just a dress. She looks really good. Oh. (LAUGHS) Women tend to be vain and want to do all their crazy styles, but we just make it simple and stick to it and be modest, because it says to be modest in God's word. Who have we got first? Men and women are raised to be what the Bible says that they should be here. Up we get. Argh! The man should have short hair. The women should have long hair. They should all be modestly dressed. Other than that, there's other stands that we make as well. The head covering for the women shows that the woman isn't in subjection to the man and every time a woman puts on that head covering, it reminds her what she's here for, what her place is. We wear the clothes because it's us. It shows that we're different to everybody else. And it's actually a good witness, because then people come to ask us, 'Why do you wear what you wear?' And then we can tell them about ourselves. It's actually a good thing. Today Paul and his sister Jordan have joined an excursion to Greymouth. There are errands to run, and Paul needs to sort the official paperwork for his marriage to Pearl. WOMAN: Hi. How are you? I'm good. Um, I intend on getting married, so I probably need to sign a notice of intent. The ceremony will be run by the community, but it all needs to be legal. All contact with the outside world is managed by the leaders. So while the community does embrace some computer use for running their businesses, access to the internet is restricted. They also censor all newspapers, books and films. It's to protect us from ourselves, really, especially for the younger ones ` me, for instance ` don't get any silly ideas that we shouldn't have. We don't, you know, read things we shouldn't read. I actually like that they do that ` that they care enough about us and want to make us more like Christ. And so they'll tell us what the best things to read are and what things won't actually help us to be more like Christ. That's a good thing. I can't believe I'm gonna ride that thing. Paul and Pearl are being thrown a pre-wedding party. It's a Gloriavale equivalent of a stag do. It's a kind of initiation. They'll face a set of whacky challenges dreamt up by the young men to mark their transition to married life. Oh! WHOOPING, LAUGHTER This important ritual in their five-week courtship helps them learn a bit more about each other. Pearl, do you wanna shoot? Hey, I get to shoot too. There's two. I decided I was going to love her, but then as the more I knew about her, the more I realised that she really was the perfect one for me. < She'll probably shoot me. That's the problem. We have the same interests. We have the same likes, the same dislikes ` mostly. I mean, I like sugar, and she doesn't. That's one. (LAUGHS) Our personalities really match. Where I'm really outgoing, she's more reserved. Stuff like that. You know, it's like we've been made for each other, but because I didn't know her, I didn't realise it until after I asked her to marry me. At Gloriavale, no one gets their own house. Accommodation for the 500 residents is split between four big hostels, with each family assigned a room or two, depending on their need. After the wedding in a couple of days, Paul will move to a new room with Pearl near her parents. I've been living in here with my nine brothers and sisters for a long time now. I guess there a little bit of a sense of loss there ` that I won't spend so much time with my family ` because I really love my family. The other big shift for Paul is a psychological one. He'll go from being an obedient son to head of his own small family and the responsibilities that come with that. As a husband, I have to lead my wife, and as a father, I have to raise my family the way that God wants us to. I've some great role models round this place ` lots of them; people who can show me... who I can look at and I see that's what I want to be as a father; I want to be just like that. < CHILD GIGGLES David Stedfast's a typical young dad. He and his wife, Rachel, were both born inside the community and have a family of little girls. Rachel's now 38 weeks pregnant. She's due in about a week and a half to two weeks. And the kids have already come up with about four or five different names, but... (CHUCKLES) Names are basically chosen by the attribute that either the person had of that name or, you know, the virtue itself. This is our eldest one. This is Discretion. She's 4 years old. Say hello. Say hello. Hello. Say hello. Hello. This is Wisdom. She's 3 years old. Say hello. Say hello. Hello. Say hello. Hello. And this one's Cheerful. Don't know if she'll say hello. She's a bit scared. (CHUCKLES) I want to break free. That's life today. Gods wants us to have a commitment that will keep. The Bible speaks about a man who keeps his word. While men have the ultimate say in all aspects of their marriage, they're also expected to take full responsibility if things go pear-shaped. If the wife goes wrong, it's his fault; he didn't show her the right way to go. < He was crucified on the cross. If the children rebel, it's probably to do with something the way he's taught them. It's a huge responsibility here, so we need to be responsible when we come to get married. He rose from the dead to destroy the power of sin. # And verily thou shalt be fed at the hand of the Lord. Even if Mummy and Daddy can't see you, God can see you, so we've got to be obedient, not telling lies. If you're doing something naughty and no one's watching, God's watching. That's right. That's right. And you'll go to Hell. That's right. And you'll go to Hell. We don't want to go there, do we? No. # The righteous forsaken I see begging bread. # Verily thou shall be fed. # Verily thou shall be fed. # The day before the wedding. (LAUGHS) I've just been thinking about what's it's going to be like. We don't touch, we don't kiss; we don't do anything before the wedding day. The wedding day is a lot of firsts. (CHUCKLES) For a nervous groom, its pretty much an average day at work, but check behind the scenes, and it's a whole different story. Frenetic preparations are underway, and everyone does their bit to help. Some of the single girls have been up since 4.30am baking the bread. There'll be 500 seated for the meal, and all the cooking jobs are sorted on the kitchen roster. Schoolkids have the day off to help put out the lollies and the treats. I've been mainly doing the painting. I've done some other duties in the kitchen. We've made some flowers and painted a hanging for the wall with the text on it. We've known Paul and Pearl their whole lives, and cos we're like a big family, it's just a real joy to be able to be able to do something for them on this special day. MUSIC PLAYS 5 TENSE, QUIRKY MUSIC It's the wedding day today. I had to write out my own vows. They're very personalised for... the kind of thing that I want to say to my wife. We've been courting for five weeks, and I've been spending time with his family, and he's been spending time with my family and just getting to know each other. And now it's getting exciting. The parents of both couples will get together a bit, and we will set up a place for them for their honeymoon. And they get a special gown for when they first come together after they've made their vows. Then we make them some bedding that they're going to need. For Paul's sister Jordan, the wedding brings mixed emotions. We'll still be really good friends when he's married. Just might have to share him a bit. It's kind of more like gaining a sister than losing a brother, sort of, yeah. For the deeply shy Pearl, all the attention is stressful. We'll wait here. Christopher is turning the mics off upstairs so we can turn them on down here. MUSIC SWELLS APPLAUSE The Lord will bless you if you keep his commandments and walk in his ways, and I'm so happy for you today, and... I love you lots. # She will do you good and not evil # all the days of her life. # So is the price of her love # as far above rubies. # This is God's way for you, Paul and Pearl, to be one flesh. Sure, marriage is the joining together of people who have committed themselves, but it's confirmed and sealed in that relationship when a man makes love to his wife that first time. Paul's written his own vows, laying out his priorities. My darling, I promise that I will always put God first in my life. I promise I will always obey the leaders and I will lead you in the right ways. I promise I will raise our children to love the Lord and to serve him and I will always love you. I'm here today because of God's love, and I'm saved because of God's love, and I love you because of God's love, and I'm yours. APPLAUSE, WHISTLING PEOPLE SING HYMN Please join hands together, praying God's blessing upon them. We believe that the day of marriage is offering herself in subjection to her husband and to follow his leading throughout their lives, and say, 'I will be there to support you. I will bear your children. I will make our home a happy place.' MUSIC SWELLS (LAUGHS) You're the man of the family now, all right? # ...we can see it afar. HORN BLARES # Father waits over the way. They get prayed for. Everyone prays for them. And they go off and consummate that marriage, come back and have a meal. # In the sweet # by and by. So that's a different format from most weddings, but I think people would recognise it. # In the sweet # by and by, # we shall meet on that beautiful shore. # We shall sing on that beautiful shore # the melodious songs of the blessed. # And our spirits shall sorrow no more, # not a sigh for the blessing of rest. # In the sweet... # What ensures the success of Paul's marriage ` in fact, the survival of the whole community ` is the complete absence of doubt in the existence of God, the promise of Heaven and the fear of Hell. To survive and flourish here requires complete obedience to God and to the direction of the leaders. There must be a willingness to put others first. It's only absolute faith and commitment that makes it work. I'm 18 weeks pregnant, and I'm due... the 29th of September. And it's really exciting. Yeah, it's really exciting. Yeah, it's really exciting. (CHUCKLES) She's four months pregnant. Means she got pregnant not long after we got married. So, yeah, we're busy. Paul and Pearl's baby will be the third generation of their families born inside the community. So where do they see themselves in a year's time? Hopefully in a year, the Lord will have come back and we'll be in Heaven. That would be` That would be great. But if he hasn't, well, I'd like to have... have a child, still be happily married and be working for the Lord down here on Earth. 10 years' time? The Lord should definitely have come back in 10 years' time ` undoubtedly,... hopefully. But if not, well, I'd like to have at least five or six kids and... still be happily married. Very happily married. Chances are good. Chances are good. (LAUGHS) Chances are good. (LAUGHS) I love my wife. She's a wonderful woman. She's a wonderful woman. Thanks. She's a wonderful woman. Thanks. (CHUCKLES) 'IN THE SWEET BY AND BY' CONTINUES Captions by Desney Shaw. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2014