JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH
new philly news A QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER FROM NEW PHILADELPHIA MORAVIAN CHURCH Besides taking small steps toward regathering for inperson worship, fellowship and study, we have practiced If you have tuned into our Worship Services over the past resilience in finding new ways of keeping connected and two Sundays (December 13 and December 20) you have involved in worship and study while also trying to safely experienced the first two parts of a “Light of Christ Trilo- care for our neighbors and our congregation. (See the Regathering article for more detail.) gy.”
Light of Christ Trilogy Written by: Sam Gray
On the third Sunday in Advent, I began the trilogy with a sermon on John 1:6 – 8, where we heard a man named John bearing witness to the True Light. John told the people gathered on the other side of the Jordan River that the Light was already among them but they just didn’t realize it or recognize it. That Sunday I invited all of you to send in your “seeing the Light of Christ among us” stories. Fifteen of you responded and I shared those amazing stories on Sunday, December 20 (part two of the “Light of Christ Trilogy”).
This coming Sunday, December 27, Clyde Manning will complete the trilogy by reading from John 1:10 – 18, and sharing stories about the light of Christ shining in and through many of you! My prayer is that these reflections on (and of) the light will illuminate our path as we enter a new year. On Sunday, January 3rd, I will preach on “The Promise and Presence of the Lord” (Jeremiah 31:7- 14) and on Sunday, January 10, we will celebrate Holy Communion in observance of the Epiphany. I look forward to discerning and living into all that God has in store for us in 2021.
Elders Update Written by: Kay Windsor Updates from the Board of Elders
Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and the physical distancing we have practiced, our Board of Elders continues to look to the vision statement: New Philadelphia seeks to be an open and caring Christian congregation in the Moravian tradition, worshiping God and honoring the scripture, while encouraging one another to live, love, and serve like Jesus as we follow the lead of the Holy Spirit.
Pastor Sam Gray, Evie Blum, Clyde Manning, Steve Gray, Michael Westmoreland, Dave Blum, Sandra Gray, Carol Garber, Jane Shore, Terri Queen, Bill Donald, Frank Nifong, Jerry Tucker, and several other musicians have brought us meaningful worship each week, a few at a time, through livestreamed services. Services are streamed on the New Philadelphia Moravian Facebook page and also saved on YouTube (New Philadelphia Moravian Church Winston-Salem channel) for later viewing. A recent Sunday showed more than 1200 views of a worship service. Recordings of handbells, mission moments and middle and high school youth have been added to the livestreamed services. The prerecorded lovefeast aired at 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve with lovefeast bags available on Christmas Eve morning in the parking lot (or delivered to homebound) was full of the light of Christ, available for all to share and shine. Members who are homebound or who do not use email have been contacted during the pandemic by Elders and Acolytes to share information, to deliver communion kits, just to share a word of cheer as a continuing part of the spiritual care of our congregation. A Zoom for listeners (those without email or computers) is a sharing of the Sunday morning livestreamed worship as well as a small fellowship gathering (virtually, by phone). The recent addition of two tablets and two hotspots for lending may bring more viewing possibility to some of these members. (See the tech buddies item in this newsletter for more detail.) Committees, Teams and Gatherings. Justice and Reconciliation Team, formed in response to the call for a renewed focus on the Statement on Racism made by the Southern Province in 1998, meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. to share conversation and action toward understanding racial, cultural and ethnic reconciliation and the work in progress in the Moravian Church. More resources are available here: Mo1