Moravian Magazine, April 2018

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Special Issue: Board of World Mission Annual Report Plus: Unity Brass Festival Hats for sick children A musical journey ...and more!

Eight great ways to dig deeper into Moravian history.

When seeking to understand more about today, sometimes the best place to look is yesterday.

Learn more of the rich, 550-plus-year history of the Moravian Church with one of more than a dozen historical titles available from the Interprovincial Board of Communication.

From brief introductions to in-depth studies, these books deliver interesting and insightful looks into the unique story of faith that laid the foundation of today’s Moravian Church.

This spring, dig a little deeper into Moravian history with these and other publications, available online at store.moravian.org or by calling 1.800.732.0591, ext. 38.

MORAVIAN CHURCH IN NORTH AMERICA PO BOX 1245 • 1021 CENTER STREET BETHLEHEM, PA 18016 PHONE 800.732.0591• FAX 610.866.9223 • www.moravian.org © 2018 IBOC, Moravian Church

Cover photo by Mike Riess

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29 8 Christ and him crucified remain our confession of faith

SPECIAL FEATURE

In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, love

Moravian Music

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Board of World Mission Annual Report Winston-Salem to host Unity Brass Festival in July

In Our Congregations 8

365 day — 1,700 hats!Stu

Create In Me 28

My journey towards sharing my music

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Exploring “I Search for You, Lord”

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Using “I Search for You, Lord” in worship

And more...

Visit our website at http://www.moravian.org.

Letters to the editor, address corrections, and other correspondence may be e-mailed to the editorial staff at moravianmagazine@mcnp. org.

April 2018

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Ponderings: “The Lord is risen, indeed!”

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Official Provincial Elders’ News

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The Interprovincial Board of Communication is responsible for the content and design of the magazine, including advertisements. Ad rates and specifications are available www.moravian.org.

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PONDERINGS (ISSN 1041-0961 USPS 362600) April 2018, Vol. 49, No. 3 Publications Agreement No. 40036408 Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: OnTrac International, 121 5th Avenue NW, New Brighton, MN 55112 email: file@ontrac.com Official Journal, The Moravian Church in North America, Northern and Southern Provinces

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The Lord is Risen, Indeed!

s I continue to pen the “Ponderings” column for each issue of The Moravian Magazine, I notice that fewer and fewer of them are about my Moravian “firsts.” Early on in my editorship, it was fun to write about the new things. My first synods, my first trips to camp, my first Lovefeasts or Singstundes or Moravian conferences all made for (hopefully) interesting reflections on learning about and living beloved Moravian traditions.

This spring, I got to experience a new first, one that I’d been told is a “must see”—the Easter Sunrise service in Winston-Salem. I had heard so many wonderful things about the service, the music, the crowd, the beauty of it all, but timing and distance had conspired against my being there—until this year.

My wife, daughter and I had made the 450-mile trek to North Carolina to spend the Easter weekend with relatives in Durham. Once there, I was so close— less than 80 miles away—and decided this was the year when I was going. I rose quietly as to not wake anyone and was in the car before 4 a.m. for the hour and twenty minute drive. It’s remarkable how enjoyable a drive along Interstates 85 and 40 can be when you essentially have the road to yourself.

I arrived in Winston-Salem and parked at Salem College, just a short walk to Home Church. While walking across the parking lot, I met some other visitors for whom this would be their first service, too. Despite their drowsiness, they seemed excited to be there.

Now, I’ve spent plenty of time in the Old Salem area during my tenure with the IBOC, but I had never seen it so dark…and so crowded! As I approached Home Church, I ran into friends and colleagues, all pointing me in the right direction for the service. Knowing people has its perks; I got access to the Home Church tower for photos, met with the clergy gathered in the sanctuary (including the pastor who would lead this year’s service), received first-hand explanations of what was about to take place, and arranged for a plum spot right in front of the dais where the service would commence.

Alas, I had arrived too late to experience the roaming brass players who spread out into the city in the pre-dawn hours to rouse the sleeping faithful to the sunrise service. Perhaps next time…

The crowd in Salem Square and up Church St. continued to grow as the time to begin the service approached. Each year starts at a slightly different time to coincide with the sunrise, which shifts from year to year based on the date (later when Easter falls early, earlier when Easter falls late.) It’s also precisely timed, as

Published monthly, except bimonthly January-February and June/July issues, by the Interprovincial Board of Communication, 1021 Center St., Bethlehem, PA 18018.

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Continuing The North American Moravian, The Moravian and The Wachovia Moravian.

Michael Riess, Editor Susan Kiefner, Communications Assistant Jill Bruckart, Customer Relations/Business Assistant Interprovincial Board of Communication Ginny Tobiassen, chair Terri Bischoff, Peggy Carter, Margaret Couch, Lance Fox, Paul Knouse, Kat Lehman, Amy Linville, Dan Miller, Jill Westbrook.

Design by Michael Riess, IBOC. Address all correspondence regarding articles, subscriptions, or advertising to The Moravian, PO Box 1245, Bethlehem, PA 18016-1245 FAX: 610.866.9223 Phone: 610.867.0594 800.732.0591 e-mail: moravianmagazine@mcnp.org www.moravian.org Contents © 2018, Interprovincial Board of Communications, Moravian Church in America.

All rights reserved

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The Moravian

the service is streamed by a local radio station and online (I could have experienced the whole thing from the comfort of home, but it wouldn’t be the same.)

A bell rang from the Home Church tower, and Pastor John Jackman emerged to begin the service with the words we all know so well: “The Lord is risen,” to which the assembled faithful replied “The Lord is risen, indeed!” As the service continued, a band played favorite hymns. At the appropriate point in the service, John, along with other Moravian clergy, led the gathered crowd from the front of Home Church into God’s Acre.

I scooted ahead to find a good spot for photos, and realized that there were bands in many parts of the cemetery. I had read about the antiphonal playing these bands do—one band plays a few phrases from a hymn; the hymn is then picked up by another band hundreds of yards away, then another—but to hear it done was quite astounding. This went on for what felt like 30 minutes as thousands of worshipers quietly filled God’s Acre. People were careful to stay on the brick cemetery paths and not step on the grounds surrounding the freshly cleaned and decorated flat white headstones.

As the sky continued to brighten, pale blue fading to bright orange, then through myriad shades of

April 2018

pink and yellow, the service continued with liturgy and singing. All the bands that had been playing throughout the area combined to form one larger group with the sun preparing to rise behind them.

While my camera was never out of my hands throughout the service, I was really there to participate in this unique, beautiful service. Here was something that was completely new to me, yet a tradition that goes back hundreds of years: the words declaring our faith; the hymns punctuating those declarations; the joy of being with thousands of faithful on this, the most holy of Christian holidays; all on a beautiful (but chilly) spring morning as the sun came up.

I’m glad I finally got to experience what everyone was telling me about. Even though I was hundreds of miles from where I live, I felt very much at home and very in-tune with being part of the Moravian church.

After the service, I ran into more friends and colleagues who seemed surprised to see me there.

I think the real surprise was the fact that I hadn’t been there sooner…

I hope you enjoy this issue of The Moravian Magazine. In it, we continue our tradition of featuring the Board of World Mission Annual Report among the pages of the magazine. Each year I work on this, I grow more enamored of the amazing work happening around the globe by this ministry.

As always, I welcome your comments, questions and suggestions.

Peace,

Mike Riess, Editor

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MORAVIAN MUSIC

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Winston-Salem to host Unity Brass Festival in July

ny and every way we praise God is glory of God. The Festival also builds for the good, but some of us prefer to buzz future by teaching, leading, and encouraging our lips into an amplifying instrument brass musicians, arrangers, and composers. made from brass!

One of the greatest benefits of registering A massive amount of buzzing and praising for the Festival is the opportunity to join an will take place in Winston-Salem, North Caroenormous brass ensemble made up of Moralina, July 19 – 22, 2018, where Moravians in vians from around the world, including DenNorth America will host the third international mark, Germany, Labrador, the Netherlands, brass festival of the Worldwide Moravian Unity.

South Africa and Switzerland!

Unity Brass Festival (UBF) is a long The Unity Brass Festival is a unique opweekend of music and portunity to celebrate our fellowship that connects musical heritage, and Praise Him with the brass instrument players symphonize and harmosound of trumpets! through musical collabonize with our sisters and ration, builds friendships brothers from the MoraLobet Ihn mit Posaunen and community, and celvian brass band traditions ebrates oneness in Christ. of other countries…an Halleluhu b’teika The Third Moravian experience you will never shofar * Unity Brass Festival conforget! venes brass musicians to The week culminates * Posaunen (German for trombones) play and learn in Christian with a free concert/serHalleluhu b’teika shofar (Hebrew for fellowship and share brass vice by the massed brass ram’s horn or curved horn) – various music with others for the choir; all are welcome to translations of Psalm 150:3 6

The Moravian

join us on Sunday, July 22, 2018, at 4 p.m. in Wait Chapel, Wake Forest University. Audiences will experience a wide range of repertoire, from sacred chorales to works for double brass choir with organ.

In 2007, Moravian musicians in South Africa, Germany and North America organized the first Festival specifically for brass instrumentalists. It is an open festival on the model of the German Bläsertag (Brass Day), wherein all ages learn, rehearse and play together during the event, forming an enormous massed brass ensemble.

Church membership is not required, and all are invited (Moravian and non-Moravian) to come and be a part of this exciting week of musical growth, spiritual nourishment and joyfilled fellowship in Winston-Salem.

Unity Brass Festival is a ministry focused on participation rather than performance.

Replete with opportunities to learn and play music, the festival is open to brass instrumentalists of all levels of playing ability. To be more specific, if you started playing this year, come join us; if you have never played an instrument, we would encourage you to get some basic instruction prior to Festival week and be familiar with your instrument.

Most of the music is original compositions and arrangements by living Moravians. Music will be available to registrants ahead of time in PDF format. Printed music will be provided for all massed brass choir participants. Participants are requested to bring their green and blue Moravian chorale books.

April 2018

Registering for the UBF Advance registration is required. Online registration (and, a wealth of information) is available at unitybrass.moravianmusicfestival. org Festival registration packets are available by mail or printed from the website.

Housing will consist of Wake Forest campus options and blocks of rooms at area hotels. On-campus housing includes a full meal plan; other attendees may purchase individual meals on campus. There is an extra fee for registrations after June 1.

The local Festival Planning Committee is a dedicated team of tireless volunteers who have been working for over a year already, ably led by Donna Rothrock and Mary Elen Kollman.

Hosts and helpers needed Please sign up to host a musician, sponsor the festival, or volunteer for the festival at www.

336-725-0651 surveygizmo.com/s3/4161122/UnityBrass.

Churches, organizations or individuals may adopt an international band musician, housing them and providing transportation. Additional funds for scholarships or to help with tour expenses of our international travelers, while in the U.S., are appreciated. Many are making plans to visit New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Sponsorships or support in any amount is appreciated and may be made by visiting moravianmusic.org/support/ Bring your brass instruments (and ram’s horns) and join us! n Erik Salzwedel is business manager for the Moravian Music Foundation. For more information on the UBF, visit unitybrass.moravianmusicfestival.org 7

IN OUR CONGREGATIONS

365 Days – 1,700 Hats!

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year ago February, members of the Lititz Moravian Congregation were challenged to take on a new mission project: making soft, warm hats for children receiving treatment at the Hershey Medical Center-Children’s Cancer Center. This project would require our time and talent in addition to our treasure. Yarn, skill and prayers combined to provide some comfort to children during their illness and treatment.

Experienced stitchers jumped right in; novices learned the intricacies of needles, hooks and weaving. All were careful to follow the strict requirements: the hats could be knit, crocheted or made on a loom; they had to be in sizes for a child or a youth; and only 100 percent new acrylic yarn could be used.

Once completed, the hats had to be individually sealed in plastic bags. Each bag containing a hat bears the label: “Made with Love and Prayers by The Lititz Moravian Congregation.”

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About a month after work began, the first 100 hats were delivered to Hershey. Additional deliveries were made over the next few months.

However, as summer approached, Hershey requested that we reduce the number of hats we were donating to them. They had limited storage space, and not as many hats would be needed over the warm summer months. The people involved in the project didn’t want to lose their momentum, however, so the stitchers—men, women and children ranging in age from 9 to 93—just kept right on making hats and storing them until they were needed.

As the number of finished hats grew quickly, our project leader, Tom Snavely, contacted St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., and St. Joseph’s and Reading General Hospitals in Reading, Pa. All these institutions were excited and grateful to receive as many hats as we could provide. A local UPS (Continued on page 34)

The Moravian

Mission

Engagement

Mission

Outreach

Board of World Mission

2017 Annual Report

From Our Board Chair The first sound many of us hear every morning is the unwelcome chirping of an alarm clock informing us that it is time to start the day. If you are like me, your alarm is on your smart phone, and you are confronted with your calendar and email informing you of all of the daily tasks that await you that day.

I remember so vividly all the times my father told me, “time flies as you get older,” and how quickly I would simply dismiss the comment. I now have two children in my house and

I know exactly what he meant! Time is always in short supply no matter how many timesaving tips we employ. We so rarely take a step back to pause, recognize our progress toward goals, or plan for the future.

As the Board of World Mission prepared for its spring meeting in 2017, we felt it was time to take a few days away from the steady pulse of life to reflect and reenergize ourselves for the work ahead.

The meeting of the Board of World Mission centered around a time of discernment and goal setting. We took time to listen to one another, share the ministries that energize both us and our congregations, and dream a little. It was unifying and encouraging to watch as we discovered that we collectively felt called to what we have named Mission Engagement and Mission

Outreach. We are thrilled to share glimpses into the ministry of the Board of World Mission in this report. You will see pictures and read stories of Moravians stepping out in service in their communities and congregations as well as in our partner provinces and across the world.

My father was right— the past year flew by extremely quickly. I’m thankful for the opportunity to look back on the year and reflect. In reading this report, it is my hope that you will take some time to step back and reflect as well on how you are being called in this moment. I have to break it to you - this coming year is going to fly by as well. What will you be reflecting on at this time next year?

–Thomas Baucom

Thomas Baucom, Chair* Board-Appointed David Geyer, Vice-Chair* Eastern District, Northern Province Becky Turnbull, Secretary* Eastern District, Northern Province Dan Nelson Southern Province

From Our Executive Director 2017 was a year of planning, and a year of things unplanned. In 2017 the Directors of the Board of World Mission took a step back and looked at the wide-ranging projects that are a part of the mission work of this agency.

We discussed and discerned the pieces that feel energizing, and those pieces where we most strongly feel called to work. From these conversations, it became evident that we could best describe what it is we do through the terms “Mission Outreach” and “Mission Engagement.”

Mission Engagement describes the ways we work with congregations, how we build relationships, create resources, facilitate events, and initiate opportunities to empower individuals to take part in mission both locally and globally. Mission Engagement speaks to our commitment to mission education, stepping out in

service and seeking support for mission work.

Mission Outreach describes the ways we partner with other parts of the Moravian world. It is the way we accompany a growing church through stages of development from a mission area to a full Unity Province. It includes leadership development to support self-governance, which we hope will result in mission outreach by these areas themselves through the relationships they hold and into the communities they know best.

The pages of this report contain stories of these terms and words in action.

Yet, as we work to plan ahead, there are also many things accomplished or undertaken that were not planned. In some cases, this was the result of disasters like the hurricanes which have resulted in generous donations and work teams

traveling to Texas and the Virgin Islands. In other cases, it was being open to last minute opportunities, like the funding of a trip to the Amazon region by a Peruvian pastor to connect with another prospective area of outreach and mission.

We have had to cut many words to fit these stories into these pages, so please take time to read and reflect on the work of the BWM which you help support, and know there are so many more stories left untold. This is just a sampling of the way God is at work across the Moravian world!

–Justin Rabbach

2017 Board of Directors Isaac Amik Alaska Province David Guthrie * PEC President / Southern Province Donna Hurt Southern Province David Miller Unity of Brethren Lisa Pampe Western District, Northern Province

Taylor Wickert Western District, Northern Province

Joe Jarvis* Southern Province Mission Society

Donna Gordon Canadian District, Northern Province

Errol Connor EWI Province / Advisory Member

Betsy Miller * PEC President, Northern Province

Phyllis Smit-Seymour Jamaica / Advisory Member

Tommy Cole Board-Appointed

Rex Knowlton Treasurer / Advisory Member * member of Executive Committee

The Song Goes On...and On! Sam Gray

Sometimes we think of history as an unending or at least ongoing story.

Yet, the story of what God continues to do in the world (mission!) seems to be more like a song that goes on and on… and on! Not only are new verses composed as time goes on, but new voices, new harmonies and new rhythms from all around the world continue to join in the Song. And as we sing the Song together, the story moves forward (toward that great chorus that is described in the book of Revelation, with voices from every tribe and ethnicity and language), but it also moves outward, touching the lives and hearts of others, and it moves inward, touching our own hearts as we sing the song together, moving us to be more engaged in God’s mission.

In the North American Moravian Church, we know that we have a place in this worldwide choir, and that it is not up to us to sing all of the parts or compose all

of the verses. As we allow God to engage us in his mission, we find that we are moved to go out in mission and share in the Song with others. As we sing the song together, we are all touched an Church as well as out by the message of the Song, in the streets of Lima and often we discover that the song that we sing to• Joining together in worgether is reaching others! ship with the folks at the In 2017, two North Rhemanente Moravian American Moravian teams Church in Chiclayo (one from the Southern • Reaching out to families Province and the other from in the marginalized Ciuthe Western District of the dad de Dios and Wilmer Northern Province) and Fernandez Malca neighother individuals visited our borhoods of Chiclayo Moravian sisters and brothers in Peru. They were able • Sharing insights and expertise with the Morato experience some of the vians who are managing things that God is doing the sustainability projthere and they joined their ects, including: voices with those who are singing the song in Peru by: • English Academy in • Helping with the English Lima Academy run by Pastor • “Little Moravian Ana Maria and the “Rey Bubbles” Laundromat de Gloria” Moravian in Lima Church in Lima • Moravian Mariachi • Assisting local Moravians “Aguilas” in Chiclayo in Peru who have a ministry with children inside the “Somos Uno” Moravi-

• Dairy products sales in Cruz de la Esperanza

But the Song doesn’t end there, because Moravians in Peru are sharing the Song with others. Two Peruvian pastors went on an exploratory journey into the Amazon region in northeastern Peru. Members of the Lima congregations donated supplies for them to take with them (clothing, Sunday School materials, food items, etc.). They met with members of the Aguaruna tribe and shared with them the Song (the Good News of Jesus) set to a Moravian tune. Twenty-five Aguaruna leaders have sent a letter to the Board of World Mission, asking that, together with the Moravian Church in Peru, we might continue to share our Song with them and let them join in the singing!

In 2017, several teams visited Cuba to continue to build relationships, work together and accompany the church in its development as a Moravian Mission Province (designated in 2016). They found that, despite a devastating blow from Hurricane Irma, the Song goes on!

• Moravians from the Northern and Southern Provinces took part in two Youth Camps in the summer.

• The sustainability projects begun in partnership with the Armando Rusindo Mission Foundation are developing

and starting to provide resources for some of the local churches.

• Moravian congregations, house churches and fellowships have been established in seven national territories. All of these territories were represented at the Provincial Synod, where the Rev. Tania Sanchez was elected Provincial President and the Rev. Armando Rusindo was elected bishop.

power system installed by Little Church on the Lane).

They also could hear the Song going on and on: • In addition to the home congregation in Luawa Yiehun and the more recently established churches in Morfindor and Mbaoma, the church is in the process of expanding into Kailahun.

• The Braimas took part in the Unity Mission Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, where they had an opportunity to share in At Bishop Rusindo’s service the song with others and of consecration, he read establish more worldwide a poem that he had comconnections. posed that ended with these words: • A tower has been built in I will pray and I will work the village of Mbaoma, for the church, but not with the hope of estabalone! lishing a Christian Radio Station to share the song Because deep in our souls with a wider population. we have a clear vision: The Church of Christ is one as her Lord is one.

And in this unity, brothers and sisters, I urge you with fervor: Let us join our forces; let us work with ardor That Cuba may belong to Christ! That in Cuba the Lord will reign!

BWM Director Donna Hurt and Pete Hiltz (Little Church on the Lane, Charlotte) visited the Rev. Mohamed and Sister Safie Braima in Sierra Leone.

They enjoyed the luxury of lights (thanks to the solar

• The Sierra Leone government has approved the addition of a Senior Secondary School so that students completing their studies at the Junior Secondary School can continue.

• The Moravian Secondary School is in the process of adding a computer lab and a science lab.

• Twenty people were baptized while Donna and Pete were present!

Yes, the Song goes on and on… and on! l

Moravian Disaster Response Below: MDR trailer ready to head for Texas; hurricane damage in Virgin Islands and Texas.

Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria followed one after another in the fall of 2017. From the end of August through mid-September, the Board of World Mission was in constant contact with partners to offer prayers and assurances of support. During and immediately following the storms, the BWM received many generous donations to allow us to respond quickly to the large needs.

Our work took shape in Port Arthur, Texas and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Our work in Texas has been in partnership with the Unity of the Brethren (UOB), who have a representative to the BWM. The congregation in Texas acting as a staging ground for the rebuilding work of teams in the community is named the “Good Shepherd Moravian Church.� It is a UOB congregation but has a Moravian name due to the membership comprising largely of Moravians formerly from Nicaragua!

Our generous donors made it possible for us to provide funding for cleanup and materials.

In addition, several volunteers drove a trailer, filled with tools and assorted items donated by congregations in Southern Wisconsin, to Texas this

past September. In late October, several more volunteers drove an RV, donated by members in Maryland, to Texas. A second trailer of tools has also been sent, and several teams have used this set up over the past few months. Many thanks to Aaron Van Der Linden, who traveled for several weeks in November and December and returned again in January for an eight-week stay, for helping to move the construction work forward, and to manage team details and work assignments.

In the Virgin Islands, the damage from Hurricanes Irma and Maria was extensive. Moravian church buildings and members of those congregations on St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix were impacted.

The most destruction was caused to the Emmaus congregation church and parsonage on St. John, where the roof blew completely off the church, and the parsonage was completely destroyed. Other congregations have suffered wind and flooding damage as well. Cleanup teams have begun to travel to the Virgin Islands and will be needed in the years to come, as this will be a long term rebuilding and re-strengthening effort. l

Judy Ganz Meetings in Labrador last year brought forward goals for lay training workshops, and two young women in Nain, Labrador, committed to beginning a Sunday School there. The Nicaragua Province requestOur global partners ed and received BWM supprovide opportuniport to help the Moravian ties for the BWM to walk Church in Musawas address with them in both Mission threats to land entitlement.

Engagement and Mission BWM also raised significant Outreach, with the goal of funds to support partners further strengthening their attending the Unity Mission churches and promoting Conference. the spread of the gospel.

Our partners are Mission Engageexploring ways to build ment builds leadership up their churches by genwithin our partners, as erating more income for with BWM funding for ministry. The Honduras workshops in the Honduras Mission Province is starting Mission Province and the a bean project; Nicaragua is Moravian Church in Western expanding their restaurant Tanzania (MCWT), the Guyin Bilwi; and the Honduras ana church’s first synod as a Province is considering a Unity Province and election gasoline project. MCWT of their first bishop, the Rev. is exploring ways to invest Brinmore Phaul, and a muin the church and develop sic workshop in Guyana that a foundation that would will take place in 2018.

Global Partners generate needed income, while Costa Rica continues to develop its multi-cultural center.

In terms of Mission Outreach, MCWT continues to reach out to Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi. Within its province it shares the gospel with the Sukuma people and is now making efforts with the Kahama area of the Northern District. The Honduras Province has supported the Tawakha people group, in addition to their outreach in Belize and with the GarĂ­funa peoples. The Honduras Mission Province and the Nicaragua Province also have outreach in various areas of the country.

BWM is fortunate to be able to support many of these efforts. Each of us also learn from our partners as together we explore God’s call on the church today. l

Below: Moravian Church Western Tanzania Synod, Nain Moravian Church in Labrador

Antioch Antioch began in 2005 as a way for young adults, ages 18-29, to engage in serving others through the Board of World Mission of the Moravian Church. Since its initial inception, Antioch has expanded to include individuals beyond the original age group as well as teams of volunteers. Moravian entities extend invitations to the BWM for collaboration with ministry and outreach efforts in a variety of places, both nationally and globally. We prepare individuals and teams for their service

Jill Kolodziej culturally, spiritually, logistically and financially. The cross-cultural experiences offer volunteers the opportunity to live in a manner that was central to the way of Jesus, which is serving—­ the loving use of whatever power we possess for the good of another.

Currently, invitations to volunteer through the BWM are offered by Moravian partners from Alaska, Cuba, Esperanza for Bethlehem, Honduras, Jamaica, Nepal, New York City, Peru, Sierra Leone, St. John, Tanzania, Texas and the Trick-

lebee Café in Milwaukee.

Please contact Jill Kolodziej, Director of Antioch, if you or a group are interested in using the power you possess for the good of another.

Many teams from across the United States join in the efforts to aide others. Following are reflections from two young adults who visited Jamaica.

Zach Roman, of Central Moravian Church in Bethlehem, visited Jamaica with a young adult team. “To be able to help out at Camp Hope and the people in the surrounding areas was a humbling experience. At Camp Hope we built bunk beds and retiled the entire bathroom. Within the community, we painted churches and assisted with various building projects. A highlight was visiting a local elementary school to say hello to the kids. Overall, this Jamaica trip was a true blessing to be a part of and I am so proud to have been a part of it.”

Belle Endress, another team member, shares: “I love helping everyone who needs help and listening to the wonderful stories they tell. Mission trips give me a new perspective on the life I am living, teach me to recognize the blessing from what I earn and am given and to care for both.”

Antioch In June, Jessy Burcaw, Jamie Dease and Jessie Strangret traveled the 8,000 miles to help at the Moravian School in Kathmandu, Nepal, for one month. They share the following: “Along with our school work, we also met other Moravians in a predominantly Hindu and Buddhist country. Although the services were in Nepali and Newari, we felt welcomed and loved by the congregation members. We also attended Fellowship, a weekly meeting with other Moravians, where we enjoyed singing, eating and discussing scripture together.

God is working through the Moravian community in the Kathmandu Valley, and we are so grateful to have been a small part of this larger mission.”

Antioch Team Grants The stories that have been shared by a few of the people who serve through the Board of World Mission provide a glimpse of the relationships that are formed and the variety of ways that these experiences enrich and

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give meaning to people’s lives. “Blessed” is a word that is used frequently. As people entrust their resources, both physical and financial, to the outreach of the Board of World Mission, we are able to share those resources with those who seek to serve in God’s mission with others. People arrive in settings as strangers or casual acquaintances and depart as friends with a broader and deeper understanding of each other’s culture and the many facets of these personal relationships. Antioch offers funds to teams to be able to continue to foster the relationships and community that result. We are grateful to be able to support God’s church as we, whether a visitor or host, live to show the world the divine. l

The Board of World Mission...

Alaska

Labrador

Port Arthur, Texas

Honduras

Peru

Cuba

...around the Moravian world!

Sierra Leone Nepal

Tanzania

Jamaica

Internship Program During the summer of 2017, Emily Burrell from Ohio and Holland Griffin from Minnesota served as Board of World Mission interns.

These opportunities allowed them to learn and grow while gaining a greater understanding of the mission field.

Holland Griffin This past summer, Emily Burrell and I worked hard to share the Board of World Mission’s vision, favored practices and the work that they do daily to many within the Moravian world.

As a team, we were able to bounce ideas off of each other and accomplish so much more than either of us could have done alone.

In particular, we worked on reaching kids and young adults by utilizing the Board of World Mission’s existing online resources, their website and Facebook page, as well as creating an Instagram account and growing its following.

In doing so, I learned what it means to—as the BMW often says—respond to God’s call to mission by bringing people “IN” to encourage and equip them to go “OUT.” We saw that bringing people “IN” can be done through sharing stories and making the work that Moravians do around the world real, vivid and meaningful for the young and old alike.

I believe that this internship creates an ambassador for the BMW, allowing both the BWM and the intern(s) to benefit and grow from the projects completed and the connections made over the summer.

Emily Burrell My internship with the Board of World Mission has granted me invaluable experiences as I move forward with my future career choices. Not only did I get to enhance skills like public speaking and project management that I learned at school, I also gained new skills including professional communication and collaboration. Additionally, throughout the internship, I was given the opportunity to think creatively and pitch ideas.

One aspect of the internship I really enjoyed was the various connections I made while traveling to different places over the summer. It was such a pleasure to meet and work with so many other Moravians while learning about the different culture in each place we visited. I also really enjoyed working with my co-intern and becoming good friends with her outside of the internship.

I think this program is very important to continue because it offers a different perspective on how an individual can pursue a career and stay active within their church/faith. This internship position strengthens the relationship between the BWM and the youth of the church.

Emily Burrell and Holland Griffin served as BWM interns during the summer of 2017.

Behind the Scenes

Financial Outreach – Rex Knowlton Our offices have the pleasure of following through on "nets" that were cast by our front line, including financial commitments made to our national and international partners. This takes the form of issuing payments via check or wire as well as collecting support via credit card, check or electronic means. Though often challenged when sending funds through wires to other countries, the ultimate reward for us is the successful receipt of needed support to enhance the mission of the Moravian Church as well as being able to match up donated support to the projects or areas where the support is most needed. Responding to disasters creates a heightened workload and anxiety.

Assuring the BWM meets those essential needs in a timely manner is our ultimate reward.

Southern Province Office – Sheila Beaman People of all ages contact the Mission Office for information on opportunities to serve in Moravian mission efforts. Providing information or scheduling meetings with Bishop Sam helps them discern areas for service. Publishing the Mission Society ONWARD and distributing news from the BWM helps keep our congregations informed on worldwide Moravian mission endeavors.

Organizing provincial events allows people to hear speakers who share their recent mission experiences.

Hosting BWM Directors and Staff meetings and international provincial meetings allows planning for the future direction of Moravian missions.

We process hundreds ofapplications each year to help provide funds for SP Moravians’ mission trips.

Sharing Christ’s love with the world requires accurate financial reporting and maintaining database records.

Northern Province Main Office – Deb Swanson The Northern Province office receives all donations for the Board of World Mission and the various missions we support. In 2017, we were overwhelmed by, but most appreciative of, the support we received for the hurricane victims in Texas and the Caribbean Islands. All communications, the BWM Newsletter, the BWM Annual report and brochures originate in this office, as well as planning efforts for the annual fall Board meeting and provincial and district Synods.

Our goal in 2018 is to find new ways to enable us to Bring the Word and the Light of Jesus to others, while Welcoming our partners and congregations to help us Mentor new mission areas to thrive and become self-sufficient. l

Partner Reflections The Rev. Tania Sanchez (president of the Moravian Church in Cuba): For me, the relationship of our churches in Cuba with the Board of World Mission has been very important for us because of the significant accompaniment that we have always received both spiritually and materially in each step of achievement of the Moravian Cubans. The BWM has played a very important role for the support, development and expansion of the work of our church in Cuba, providing financial resources for our conferences and synods and making it possible

Deb Fischer and Jeff Mallach ( from Watertown Moravian Church, members of the Peru 2017 Team.)

for some of our ministers to be able to travel and participate in important events in other countries of the world.

The Board of World Mis-

Jeff: The Moravian community in Peru is small, but they are active, Christ-centered and committed to spreading the word.

Moravian leaders in Peru are building the church one Deb: Traveling to a foreign country, witnessing another person at a time. Their doors are open—literally—to their culture and its people and neighbors and the commuseeing God’s spirit alive in nity at large, and everyone is other parts of the world is truly welcome to participate an experience that everyin their services, concerts, one should witness. My experiences in Peru not only celebrations, meals and other social activities. opened my eyes to God’s work but also to the necessity The business enterprises of the BWM to provide hope created by our Moravian sisand support to fellow Chris- ters and brothers are in the early stages of development, tians around the world. but they have great potential.

Our pastors have accepted

sion also supports our budget that provides the stipend for the ministers, lay pastors and other expenses within the province. They have accompanied us in the process of development toward being a Mission Province. Praise God! We thank God for the Board of World Mission—our brothers and sisters who are part of this blessed work and have accompanied us handin-hand on our long journey to fulfill God’s purpose for Cuba and their personal lives.

Brothers and sisters— friends—I ask God for the greatest blessings in your ministries and the work you do.

dual roles as ministers and entrepreneurs—a sign of their commitment to lifting up their communities and the church.

The people we met in Peru were kind and generous and open to sharing their lives and faith with us. Their connection to the worldwide Moravian community is also important to them.

Given the challenges facing so many of the people in Lima and Chiclayo, there is daily pressure to survive and support their families. Their faith keeps them focused, energized and, in my experience, happy.

Partner Reflections The Rev. Christopher Valencia Alcántara (president of the Moravian Church in Peru) As President of the National Board of the Moravian Church in Peru, I know that our relationship with the Board of World Mission is of much importance. We have brothers and sisters (and a bishop!) who speak our language—by this I mean not just the Spanish language, but also the language of our heart. They have helped us develop relationships with

other Latin American and Caribbean Provinces and people, and have provided an important connection to the worldwide Moravian Unity.

We appreciate the financial support that is offered, as well as the grants that have helped us set up some projects for sustainability.

But we also appreciate the relationships that have been built with teams from North America that have helped us in many ways. We have learned from them and they have learned from us. We have learned together what

it means to be part of the worldwide Moravian Church.

Excerpts from the Rev. Mohamed Braima (Missionary in the Sierra Leone Moravian Mission Area)

ing qualified teachers with government salary to teach in our school. Then, in late 2017, we were granted accreditation as a Senior Secondary School. So, the students who have completed It has been blessings upon Form III (grade 9) will be able blessings throughout each to continue on to Form IV year, and Safie and I give (grade 10), and then we will God the glory all the way. add Form V the next year.

We cannot stop giving God Besides the financial the glory. Our God is a good God, mighty and abounding support that we receive from Moravians in the U.S., we in steadfast love. He has to be a God of LOVE to come in appreciate the relationships human being as Jesus Christ that have been developed to die on the cross for me. To with the BWM and with Moravians all around the God almighty be the glory! world; sister Judy Ganz and At present, we have Brother Sam Gray visited about 245 students in the our congregations and did Secondary School. In late the first baptisms – 68 of 2016, the Sierra Leone govthem – in Mbaoma. We are ernment has, in writing, connected in a special way granted us the OK to operwith Moravians in the Czech ate as a Secondary School, Province who pray for us and and has even started send-

support our ministry financially. Sister Donna Hurt has been to Ngiehun many times.

She interacts with everyone, especially with the children who run right up to her. She speaks to them in English but also tries to use some Mende words. They are delighted! l

Medical Mission in Honduras

The Clínica Evangélica Morava, one of only two hospitals in the easternmost Honduran political department of Gracias A Dios, was founded by North American missionaries in 1946. During its almost 72year history, this vital medical center has depended on prayer, financial support, material donations, and personal visits from North American Moravians and others to sustain its indispensable ministry.

In 2017, the hospital received countless material and financial donations while welcoming four work crews and many individual visitors. North Dakotans donated money to start an agricultural program for mothers of malnourished children. Men and women from throughout the Unity have kept us in their prayers. Donations from across the Moravian world allowed us to continue and expand an infant feeding

program which provided meals to as many as 100 malnourished children at three feeding sites every day. Wisconsin Moravians assisted with the construction of a new concrete patient house, while others funded a multifaceted project that will soon provide clean drinking water and has already replaced badly deteriorated ceilings and constructed a much needed perimeter fence. North Carolina supporters donated a new generator. North Americans raised over $80,000 to cancel unpaid debts.

This North American outreach to Hondurans, coupled with the active engagement of groups and individuals, is built on more than seven decades of mission involvement. This allowed us, in 2017, to treat 3,741 outpatients, admit 869 inpatients, assist with 219 births (including 45 cesareans) and perform 263 surgeries.

A young woman in Krau Sirpi who traveled three days by river for an emergency C-section in Ahuas is alive today because: we have a generator donated by North Carolinians to run our electrical equipment; a woman in Central Wisconsin is praying daily for the work in Ahuas; Moravians from across North America send their offerings to the Board of World Mission; an ultrasound was donated from Washington State; couples in Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina all cared enough to donate funds to buy medical supplies; and volunteers in Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina and many other places brought medical supplies, constructed buildings, painted, cleaned, organized files and were Christ's hands in visiting the “least of these” in Ahuas, Honduras. l

–Rick Nelson

Adopt-a-Village Central Moravian Church sent two representatives to Sikonge, Tanzania, in both June and December 2017. Their trips were primarily in support of Adopt-a-Village, which is sponsored jointly by Central and the Board of World Mission. Funding from the program provides more than 3,000 orphans with food, clothing, medical care, school supplies and uniforms, along with scholarships for education beyond secondary school.

Most of these children are located in rural villages in the Sikonge district, but 360 are living in the city of Tabora. Forty percent of the Tabora students are in higher education; the number is only 10 percent in the villages. Starting in 2017,

the country’s president abolished all fees associated with education; new “costs” for school lunch are now being promulgated.

During the year, Mama Kimwaga led rounds through a total of 26 villages, while Kefas Kabata guided visitations in all four parishes on each visit. Children in both city and villages are doing well. Due to budgetary constraints, the “Moravian Mamas” discontinued routine food distributions, and reduced the size of scholarships.

Over the last year, new Moravian Churches at Kabanga, Mkolye, Iyombakuzova and Msuva were completed. Five other congregations requested assistance with church construction.

Six wells required revi-

sion to ensure they remain functional. A well near the Udongo Primary School that had run dry was successfully relocated.

Seven students are attending Lusangi Junior Seminary on full “Parker Scholarships,” named for their donor in the Southern Province.

The Sikonge Special Needs School, dedicated to children who are deaf, blind, or “slow learners,” expanded into its new dormitory. Vocational classes in sewing are offered with the intent of helping children become more independent.

Evangelism of the Sukuma continues, although the effort is now understaffed due to medical problems and logistics.

–Drs. Bill & Peg Hoffman

Treasurer's Report The Board of World Mission (BWM) is grateful for the continued support provided for the ministries and mission work of the North American Moravian Church. The accompanying graphic outlines generally where the contributions for our efforts are gathered and then where this support is used to cultivate the missions.

Much of the support of the BWM comes from the Northern, Southern and Alaska Provinces. This represents in part each congre-

gations weekly giving. Collectively, this accounts for 37 percent of the income entrusted to us for 2017.

The Society for Promoting the Gospel provides 15 percent of our support, followed by various general unrestricted gifts and contributions we receive which account for another 13 percent of our 2017 support.

Investment returns were strong this year contributing 10 percent of our operating revenue. Exchanges, or support for a specific outreach for which the

BWM acts as a conduit for passage, are excluded from the statement but represent another significant part of our mission work. Thanks to many past supporters, we have established several restricted funds which were used to support 19 percent of our ministry this year.

Eighty percent of our 2017 expenditures were applied directly to our ministry. This includes funds providing assistance to many of our brothers and sisters in need as well as extensive on-site ministry

Utilization of Restricted Funds General Unrestricted Contributions

Northern, Southern, Alaska Provinces

Investment Returns

2017 Support and Revenue Total: $1,327,166

Society for Promoting the Gospel

Other Provincial Support

Southern Mission Society

Larger Life Foundation

Assistance Grants

Ministry Administration/ Management

2017 Expenditures Total: $1,294,721

General Admin.

Publications, Communications

Travel, Meetings

Supplies, Materials, Occupancy

2017 Operating Results provided by our missionary staff or volunteer teams.

The assistance takes many forms, as described more fully throughout this report, often including medical management, technology assistance, orphan support, training and a host of other crucial activities, mostly in distant lands. The general administrative effort which accounts for 9 percent of the expenditures is run through both the Northern and Southern Province with the consistent goal to minimize this effort in order to maximize the work in the field. Travel and supplies account for 5 percent each.

We are able to add $32,000 to our programing efforts for future years thanks to the modest surplus accumulated in 2017.

Additional details can be obtained once the annual audited financial statements for 2017 are complete.

For additional information, or a copy of the audited financial statements, please contact Sister Deb or myself at the Bethlehem office of the BWM. Thank you for your support of this important outreach.

–Rex Knowlton, Treasurer

Support and Revenue

For the year ended December 31, 2017 Board of World Mission of the Moravian Church Northern, Southern, Alaska Provinces

$488,999

Larger Life Foundation

$25,324

Society for Promoting the Gospel

$202,085

Mission Society, Southern Province

$25,000

Other Provincial Support

$19,589

General Unrestricted Contributions

$176,862

Investment Returns

$132,837

Other

$1,283

Utilization of Restricted Funds Total Support and Revenue

$255,187 $1,327,166

Expenditures

For the year ended December 31, 2017 Board of World Mission of the Moravian Church Direct Program Costs Assistance Grants

$662,804

Ministry Administration/Management

$377,149

Supplies, Materials, Occupancy

$64,454

Travel, Meetings

$66,624

Publications, Communications General Administration

$9,849 $113,841

Total Expenditures $1,294,721

The board and staff of the Board of World Mission thank the contributors who provided articles, information, photographs and other material for this year’s Annual Report.

Originally published as a special section of The Moravian Magazine, this Annual Report is also available in digital format from the BWM. Design by Mike Riess, IBOC ©2018, Board of World Mission.

Visit us at www.moravianmission.org.

BOARD OF

WORLD MISSION of the Moravian Church • North America Board of World Mission staff and directors Engage you to take part in the common mission of the BWM: Mission Outreach—using our gifts to support ministries with our partners around the world.

Offices:

Staff:

Board of World Mission 1021 Center St. PO Box 1245 Bethlehem, PA 18016 610.868.1732

Sheila Beaman, Administrative Asst., Winston-Salem sbeaman@mcsp.org or sheila@moravianmission.org Sam Gray, Director of Mission Outreach sam@moravianmission.org Jill Kolodziej, Director of Antioch jill@moravianmission.org Rex Knowlton, Accountant/Treasurer rex@moravianmission.org Justin Rabbach, Executive Director justin@moravianmission.org Deb Swanson, Administrative Asst., Bethlehem deb@mcnp.org or deb@moravianmission.org

Board of World Mission 500 South Church St. Winston-Salem, NC 27101 336.773.1732

Web: www.moravianmission.org

The Board of World Mission is grateful for the dedicated service of the Rev. Judy Ganz, who retired at the end of 2017, after serving seven years as our Executive Director.

Yes! I wish to make a financial contribution to the work of the Board of World Mission, Moravian Church in North America.

I would like to donate $

to the Board of World Mission for the purposes of:

q Helping where it is needed. q Helping a specific program:

100% of your donation will go directly to mission programming.

Name: ____________________________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________ City/Town: __________________ State: _____ ZIP Code: _________

q I would like to be a Friend of BWM and receive your newsletter and periodic information about mission opportunities.

q The BWM may contact me by email. My email address: _____________________ Checks must be made payable to "Board of World Mission."

Please mail your tax-deductible donation to: The Board of World Mission, 1021 Center St., PO Box 1245, Bethlehem, PA 18016 or visit us at www.moravianmission.org to donate online.

CREATE IN ME

My journey toward sharing my music Our “Create in Me” series offers space for conversation about the ways people are shaping worship through writing songs and liturgies, using poetry and visual arts, and simply creating experiences in worship that encourage deepening faith.

Through articles, hymns and their backstories, and ideas for using worship resources in new ways, we are exploring, celebrating and sharing that diversity and including a variety of perspectives on worship, meaning and what inspires.

This month, the Rev. Bruce Nelson, president of the Western District, Northern Province, shares how he came to share his musical gifts with the church.

I felt my call to ordained ministry during a very influential week of church camp at Chetek. I can’t remember the exact year but I believe it was sometime between 1980 and 1982. I did

not immediately act on this call to ministry. I had not finished college yet, and I wanted to finish my undergraduate degree in Instrumental Music Education. I also felt I ought to teach for a bit first to make sure that that was not what the Lord was calling me to do forever.

In the summer of 1987, after having been a music teacher for two and a half years, I was once again feeling a strong call to become an ordained pastor. I talked with my former astor, the Rev. R. Burke Johnson. I had changed my membership to a United Church of Christ because there was not a Moravian Church near where I was living at the time.

I talked with Burke about wanting to use my music in my ministry. He had said that that often happens, and that I should be able to use the musical gifts that I was given to bless the congregations that I would serve as an ordained pastor. I found varying degrees of op(Continued on next page)

Bruce Nelson, third from left, plays bass with a pick-up band including Doug Rights, Kurt Liebenow and Mike Riess during the 2016 FIT First event at Mt. Morris.

April 2018

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Journey

(Continued from pervious page)

portunities to use those musical gifts. I started, or joined, pre-existing church bands in the churches that I served. I wrote “A Christmas Chorale” while I was still in college and church choirs in several Moravian Congregations have sung that piece. I have written some praise band music as well as a couple of anthems, which have been done in a few congregations.

It felt good to be able to share those songs in some places.

But I also found that sometimes I just felt too busy to get around to doing much writing.

In retrospect, I think I told myself I didn’t have enough time. Or, it could have been that when I had small children at home, my priorities were to spend time with my wife and children. When I showed up for an Easter band rehearsal at one of the churches I served, I was told, “You have no business being in this group. You need to be up front. We have enough people to cover the parts. We don’t need you.” I could have chosen to fight this, but I did not. The result was being disappointed at not being able to play, but also understanding that I was called as an ordained pastor not as a musician.

When I began seminary, I had a secret (not shared with others) goal to write a new hymn, song or anthem for every week of worship. I quickly realized that that was not going to happen. I then re-evaluated and thought about maybe shooting for one new song per month. I also realized that this was not going to happen!

In many ways, I thought that maybe my days of using my musical gifts were gone.

About 10 years into my ordained ministry, while I was serving the John Heckewelder Memorial Moravian Church in Ohio, I was asked to play bass guitar for a praise band made up of Moravians from Tuscarawas County. Most of the members of the band were half my age, and 30

I had sold my bass guitar when I was in seminary because I needed the money. A member of the band let me play his bass until I could get my own and an anonymous person paid for half of the cost of a new bass guitar and amplifier for me. I was overwhelmed by this generosity. I began to start writing music again.

I wrote several songs for the band “Lost No More.” I was humbled that they were willing to sing the songs I had written. It was also during my time in Ohio that the local choir director and organist, Brother Mike Swaldo, took my sloppily written manuscript for “A Christmas Chorale” and put it into a much more readable format. I am grateful to this day for Mike’s willingness to do that.

When I left Ohio to take the call to serve as the pastoral leader at Ebenezer Moravian in Wisconsin, I also left behind Lost No More. It would be several years before I would have an The Moravian

opportunity to play again with a praise band.

I no longer had an outlet for my songs to be shared, so my writing went mostly dormant.

I also have not ever wanted to get in the way of younger musicians sharing their talent.

Whenever I have found myself at church camp where there are campers who play bass guitar, I have almost always deferred to them to encourage them to play; I had my chance when I was younger, and I want to encourage them to use their gifts.

About five and a half years ago, I had an opportunity to start playing with a praise band once again at Lake Mills Moravian. It also rekindled some of my writing. I have been blessed beyond measure that the Lake Mills Praise Band has been willing to sing the songs I have written.

When I write songs, the chorus usually comes to me first. Sometimes the words come first, sometimes the melody. Usually, the verses are one of the last things to come in terms of the words. Often, the harmony is the very last thing I add to the music.

The last two parishes that I served heard one of my songs on my last Sunday with them. I left Ebenezer in December of 2006, and wrote, “Keep Your Candle Glowing” to encourage

April 2018

them to continue to do ministry in the interim between the times that they would have an ordained pastoral leader. My last weekend at Lake Mills Moravian in May 2016, the praise band sang a song I wrote entitled, “Blessed to Be a Blessing.” I wrote this song to thank the congregation for being a blessing to me. I also wrote it in honor of my brother, Rick Nelson, who has been a blessing to many through his mission work in Honduras.

One of the challenges I have faced with the music I have written is that most of it is not in manuscript form. I usually just teach the music by rote and write down chords for the musicians. Recently Brother Tyler Pimm, the current organist, bell choir director, and praise band leader at Lake Mills Moravian, has turned a few of my songs into manuscript pieces. I am grateful to Tyler for his willingness to do this.

Now, as a district president, my travel severely hampers my ability to be in a group, choir or band full time. I deeply miss that outlet, but have recently started playing bass guitar once again for the Lake Mills Praise Band.

Through it all God has been worshiped and blessed and hopefully my music has been a blessing to others. n

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CREATE IN ME

Exploring “I Search for You, Lord” As part of our Create in Me series, we share a hymn from Sing to the Lord a New Song A New Moravian Songbook written by the Revs. Rick Sides and Jim Newsome, Jr. Rick and Jim share the story behind the song, while the Rev. Rebecca Craver of Edmonton Moravian Church offers ideas on how to use it in worship.

In the writers’ words: “This song was written as part of a course taken on the Psalms when we were students at Moravian Theological Seminary in 1974. The class was taught

by Dr. Howard Cox, and he encouraged the students in the class to write contemporary

psalms of their own. Growing out of our love for the outdoors, our experiences in inner-city ministry at the time and a sense that psalms often convey an author’s deep desire for God’s presence and assurance in the midst of life’s journey of faith, this song/psalm emerged over several weeks of playing guitars and sharing personal stories together. It was performed for the first time in the seminary class and has become a special part of campfire singing at Laurel Ridge and other camps throughout the Northern and Southern Provinces of the Moravian Church.”

I Search for You, Lord

by Rick Sides and Jim Newsome, Jr. Hymn 90 from Sing to the Lord a New Song, a new Moravian Songbook

I search for you, Lord, in the washing and churning of ocean’s tide.

I look for your presence in all of the brightness of morning’s sky.

I wander in fields of clover and flowers that smell so sweet.

I feel the brown earth and soft grass under my feet.

Lord, I know you’re not far away. God, I reach for you each day.

You are my life, you are my way.

I stand in the city and notice the people who live and die.

I look in their faces and see the nothing of years gone by.

I weep for the heartache and all of the dreams that are shattered here.

I feel the dark shadows, the loneliness and the fear.

Lord, I know you’re not far away. God, I reach for you each day.

You are my life, you are my way.

Lord, I wonder in all that is, and all of time, will power of love and peace be known to humankind?

Will oceans and skies and fields and flowers ever know that we are here because you love us so?

Lord, I know you’re not far away. God, I reach for you each day.

You are my life, you are my way.

You are my life, you are my way.

You are my life, you are my way.

You are my life, my way, my life, my way.

Text and tune: Rick Sides and Jim Newsome, Jr (1974) ©2013 Interprovincial Board of Communication and Moravian Music Foundation

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The Moravian

T

Using “I Search for You, Lord” in worship

here are songs that embody periods of time, particular relationships, particular hopes and dreams. It is through those songs that we are transported back to where we first came into contact with them. I first heard this song as a camper at Laurel Ridge.

I am sure I am not the only person who can still sing this hymn by heart. I am sure that I am not alone in finding comfort in the words and tune. I am sure that others are also reminded of who we were when, at campfire on the mountain top or at the lake, we sang this song, becoming followers of Christ in the darkness of a summer night.

As I reflect on the ways that summer camp served an integral role in my faith formation, I wonder what we can learn for our congregational practices of worship? Camping ministry is a collaboration of worship services, bible study, small group discussions and teachings.

Camp is not the sum of all its parts; it is more than that. It is the connections between and among all the pieces that I believe encourage and enable commitment to the way of Jesus in the world.

I have two ideas for congregational worship inspired by how this hymn has been used to shape young Christians in camping ministries.

Let’s take a page from camp and consider a congregational collaboration: a congregation wide study of meaningful hymns and similarly focused worship series. Perhaps using the new adult curriculum, “Living Branches,” which explores Moravian History through our hymnody. Imagine what we might experience in worship as we sing the songs that we have just explored in group discussion and study.

Plan a hymn sing. Invite people to bring their favorite hymn and the story behind it to share with the congregation. And sing the hymns for one another!

• Why is this hymn meaningful?

• What is the story behind the hymn’s author and it’s composition?

• What is the story behind the hymn in your own life?

There are many stories behind the songs we sing; they are the stories of God’s activity in our lives and in the world. How we practice sharing our stories with one another in worship and study will impact how we are able to share the story of God’s love for the world with others.

Worship is an act of discipleship.

–Rebecca Craver

Help us continue to create “Create in Me” We are looking for submissions and ideas from you!

• Have you written a hymn, prayer, liturgy, poem, etc. that you would like to share?

• Is there a practice of worship in your congregational setting that you think others might enjoy learning about?

• Do you have questions about worship, or ideas that you would like to explore?

• What hymns or songs would you like to know that backstory of?

Email us at moraviancreateinme@gmail.com with ideas, hymns, suggestions and thoughts on worship! Let’s continue the conversation and share with one another.

April 2018

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OFFICIAL PROVINCIAL ELDERS’ NEWS Moravian Music Sunday, April 29, 2018 The fifth Sunday of Easter, April 29, 2018, has been designated as Moravian Music Sunday.

The purpose of this observance is to help all congregations become more familiar with our rich heritage of Moravian music. Music is an expression of faith, and thus continuing creativity is to be encouraged.

NORTHERN PROVINCE Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Sister Melissa Johnson, who has been serving as pastor for Palmer Township Moravian Church, Easton, Pennsylvania, has accepted the call to serve as pastor for Advent Moravian Church, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Sister John-

son will be installed into her new work June 17, 2018.

Retirement Sister Mary Louise Plummer requested and was granted permission to retire from the active call of the Moravian Church effective May 20, 2018.

Sister Plummer was ordained a deacon of the Moravian Church November 21, 2004 and has served the church in pastorates in Wisconsin (Glenwood and Wisconsin Rapids).

The church is grateful for her 13 years of faithful service.

Elizabeth D. Miller Provincial Elders’ Conference

Hats

(Continued from page 8)

store also became involved, offering free boxes and providing a discount on the cost to ship hats to St. Jude’s.

Just 365 days after that first challenge was issued, when the latest delivery was made to St. Jude’s and Hershey, our tally for donated hats so far hit 1,700! A really impressive feat considering all those hats have been made with less than a dozen stitchers and donors.

We thank God for providing the idea for this mission project. Our operating motto is taken from the third line of a favorite Moravian Hymn –“to us, to us, this task is given.” And so the project will continue.

Anna “Doodie” Charles is a member of Lititz Moravian Church in Lititz, Pa. 34

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The Moravian

I come with joy Our earthly blessings last only for a time. But we believe in the life everlasting.

Our obedience to God, service, and joyful communion with Him do not end.

The Moravian Ministries Foundation in America provides creative ways for you to support the Moravian ministries, causes, and institutions you love into perpetuity. So the fruit of your labor during life, the joy of giving, your insights, discernment, and support of God’s work can continue until He comes. Let us show you how Perpetual Funds, Charitable Remainder Trusts, Donor Advised Funds and other tools of philanthropy can continue your response to Christ’s love -- even as you enter into His presence.

Call Chris at 888-722-7923 or email him at cspaugh@mmfa.info today.

“Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.”

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www.mmfa.info 119 Brookstown Avenue, Suite 305 Winston-Salem, NC 27101 888-722-7923

Postmaster please send address changes to: The Moravian, P.O. Box 1245, Bethlehem, PA 18016-1245

April 2018

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