Moravian Magazine, December 2019 (Issue 8)

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In this issue: Services for Solace Christmas Traditions Communication Resources ...and more!

Give yourself a WINTER BREAK Recharge your batteries during the winter months while we take care of your loved one.

An all-inclusive short-term stay at Moravian Hall Square with personalized attention and superior care:

Private Accommodation

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Help with Bathing, Social Events that are Dressing & Medication Fun, Entertaining and Management Engaging

Learn how you can plan a short-term stay for your loved one at Moravian Hall Square by calling 610.746.1000.

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www.MORAVIAN.com The Moravian

On the cover: A miniature Christmas tree adorned with Moravian “candles.” Photo by Mike Riess

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Our Lamb has conquered.

Let us follow Him.

Moravian Traditions

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

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Who invented the Moravian Star?

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The message of the Advent Wreath

16 Services offer solace and hope amid the darkness

Moravian Liturgy 11 The Moravian Liturgy for Christmas

Congregational Resources 19 Books to bolster your church’s communication skills

Moravian Writings 22 Park Benches invites readers to relax and ponder 25 Reflections on the Fourth Sunday of Advent

...And More 4

Ponderings: A different view of Christmas

29 Official Provincial Elders’ News 30 Obituaries Visit our website at https://www.moravian.org.

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

Issue 8 • Dec. 2019

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PONDERINGS

(ISSN 1041-0961 USPS 362600) Dec. 2019, Vol. 50, No. 8 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 Published eight times per year: Jan/ Feb, April, May, June/July, August, Sept./ Oct., November and December, by the Interprovincial Board of Communication, 1021 Center St., Bethlehem, PA 18018.

A different view of Christmas

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t this time of year, my thoughts, like most Moravians, turn to the joy of Advent and Christmas. In a few short weeks, we will be celebrating the coming of our newborn King, with all the wonderful traditions of a Moravian Christmas.

But as I prepared to make ready for the season this year, I thought back to what my Christmases were like before I joined the Moravian Church…before I assumed my role with the Interprovincial Board of Communications. And I must say, things were quite different back then.

Don’t get me wrong – Christmas has almost always been a joyous time for my family and me. Our traditions centered around planning travel to see family and friends, decorating the house and getting the shopping done, deciding when we would watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas” or “Muppet Christmas Carol,” and figuring out the Christmas dinner menu (my daughter is vegetarian…). And while we kept Christmas as a celebration of Christ’s birth, for many years, religious services weren’t part of our December.

As a child, my parents took me to a Christmas Eve mass (or when I was a bit older, Midnight Mass) at our Catholic church. But as a young adult and beyond, I rarely made church part of my Christmas celebrations. The only time I went to mass at Christmas was when I was visiting my mom and dad and they wanted to go.

But all that changed about nine Christmases ago, after I joined the IBOC. Christmas hasn’t been the same since…and in a good way! For someone like me who had been “away from the church” for a long time, the traditions and spirituality that come from celebrating this time of year among Moravian Christians is truly special.

First, working in the Moravian Church Center and preparing articles for my first Christmas edition of the Moravian put the Christian cel4

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The Moravian is sent to the families of the Moravian Church as a privilege of membership. Periodicals postage paid at Bethlehem, PA. Circulation: 16,000 Postmaster please send address changes to The Moravian, 1021 Center St., Bethlehem, PA 18018.

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, Paul Knouse, Kat Lehman, Amy Linville, Dan Miller, Valerie Bean Wagner.

Design by Michael Riess, IBOC. Address all correspondence regarding articles, subscriptions, or advertising to The Moravian, 1021 Center St., Bethlehem, PA 18018 FAX: 610.866.9223 Phone: 610.867.0594 800.732.0591 e-mail: moravianmagazine@mcnp.org www.moravian.org Contents © 2019, Interprovincial Board of Communications, Moravian Church in America.

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ebration of Advent and Christmas front and center for me. For so many years, the focus was on more secular aspects of the holiday season.

I began to notice many homes in Bethlehem (where I had been living since 1995) were decked out with many pointed stars (I thought they looked like the special craft in which the baby Superman traveled to Earth).

I soon understood the significance of the star, and today my home has a Moravian star on the porch year-round.

We attended services throughout Advent, hearing about the coming of our bright Morning Star. Each week at my local congregation, I learned something new about our preparation for Jesus’ birth.

Edgeboro is steeped in Moravian holiday traditions. I watched as the candle making team expertly molded thousands of beeswax candles. The smell of beeswax has become one of my favorites, and even if I catch a whiff in the middle of the summer, I think of Christmas.

I also learned more about a Moravian Putz. Before joining the church, I wondered why Moravians were promoting what to my New York upbringing signified a not-sobright person (it’s all in how you pronounce the “u”). After watching a group of Edgeboro folk create the miniature landscape that tells the story of Christ’s birth, I’ll never confuse the two again.

And throughout that first Advent, I heard more and more about the wonder of a Christmas Eve Lovefeast. Everyone I talked with spoke with reverence and a wistful air about what I would experience during the candle-lit service.

When Christmas Eve finally rolled around, my family and I walked the few short blocks to my new church. Joining a church packed with smiling families, with glorious Moravian music, food in the middle of the service (at Edgeboro, it was sugar cookies and chocolate milk) served by deiners (servers) in white, then joining in the singing of “Morningstar, O Cheering Sight…” while holding a lighted beeswax candle left me with such a feeling that I couldn’t wait for the next Christmas.

While these treasured traditions make celebrating Christmas a moving experience, something more important happened to me as I experienced my first Moravian Christmas: joining the church brought Christ back into Christmas for me.

In the past nine years, I’ve studied the history and experienced many of the traditions of our church and can now write about them with some expertise. While Christmas still means family, friends, decorating, shopping, and, of course, feasting, after that first Moravian Christmas season, the holiday means so much more.

In this issue of the Moravian, we’re focusing on Christmas. We looked to our past to find writings that still ring true today. We highlight different ways of reaching out at Christmas time. And we share the Christmas Liturgy from our Moravian Book of Worship as a reminder of what our faith is all about. I hope you enjoy this edition.

Merry Christmas, one and all.

Peace,

Mike Riess, Editor Issue 8 • Dec. 2019

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MORAVIAN TRADITIONS

Who invented the Moravian Star?

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very year, thousands of Moravian stars decorate homes and churches during the Advent season. Although the star has become one of the most recognizable symbols of the Moravian Church, the name of the maker of the first star was not known until recently.

The biggest surprise, however, may be that this discovery was not made in the archives in Herrnhut, Germany, but in the Moravian Archives in Bethlehem.

Moravian stars were traditionally made in Moravian boarding schools during the Advent season. From the schools, they spread into Moravian homes and later into the churches as well. Because of the connection with the boarding schools, Moravian historians assumed that the making of stars was connected to math lessons where stu­dents learned to draw and make geometrical shapes.

“It has been known for many years that the

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earliest star we know of was used as a decoration at the fiftieth anniversary of the Moravian boarding school for boys in Niesky, Germany, in January of 1821,” says Bethlehem archivist Paul Peucker. The report of the anniversary mentions an illuminated, multi-colored star of 110 points hung outside the school building.

“What we did not know,” continues Paul, “was if this star was a new invention.”

A 2011 discovery at the Bethlehem archives brought to light new information on the origins of the Moravian star. “As one of our project staff was getting ready to organize the papers of Georg Friedrich Bahnson (18051869), I realized Bahnson was a student in Niesky at the time of the anniversary in 1821.

I checked his diary and yes indeed, Bahnson mentioned the star in the diary he kept as a fifteen-year old boy.” The diary noted on January 4, 1821: “In the courtyard the large star

The Moravian

with 110 points from the Brethren’s House was displayed.”

Initially, this looked like another reference to the earliest display of a multi-pointed star. “At first it seemed to be a confirmation of something we already knew,” says Paul. “However, a close reading of the short entry revealed new information: Bahnson did not write ‘a large star was displayed’; the use of the defined article the suggested that the star was referring to something that was already known to the author.”

So when Paul went back through the diary he found another reference to the star a week earlier. On December 27, 1820, Bahnson describes how he and his fellow students went over to the Brethren’s House: “In the afternoon we all drank and like yesterday, some of us went to see the star in the Brethren’s House of 110 points, made by Madsen.” This entry not only indicated the star was made as a Christmas decoration in the Niesky Brethren’s House (and not specifically for the anniversary of the school), it also revealed the name of its maker!

Christian Madsen was born on May 25, 1800, in Herrnhut, Germany. When he was seventeen he took a job in the hardware shop in the nearby Moravian town of Niesky. As a single man, he most likely lived in the Brethren’s House. This is where he constructed his star of 110 points in December of 1820. When the Niesky boarding school celebrated its fiftieth anniversary the week after Christmas, it was decided to include Madsen’s impressive creation in the festive decorations.

Madsen returned to Herrnhut in 1834 where he married Ernestine Henriette Schreiber the next year. After his first wife died, Madsen married Auguste Charlotte Bischoff in 1851. He was head of the tobacco factory in Herrnhut until 1879, the year of his death.

So was Madsen the inventor of the Moravian star? “For many years we have considered the 1820/21 star the earliest Moravian star we know of. Now we also know the name of its maker.”

Issue 8 • Dec. 2019

It is possible new information will be uncovered at some point. “A big surprise was that this discovery was made in Bethlehem and not in the German Moravian Archives,” said Paul. “Because Moravians in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries moved much more frequently between Europe and America than today, our archives also hold detailed information on other parts of the world.”

Georg Bahnson, the writer of the newlydiscovered diary, was called to America in 1829. He served as a minister to congregations in North Carolina (Bethania, Salem) and Pennsylvania (Bethlehem, Lancaster). For many years he was a member of the Provincial Elders’ Conference in Salem and in 1860 he was consecrated a bishop. He died in 1869 in Salem. His granddaughter, Elizabeth, donated his papers to the Bethlehem Archives in 1959.

This summer the papers were organized by Katey Fardelmann, student at Lehigh University, working on a special grant project at the Moravian Archives. n Paul Peucker is the archivists in the Northern Province Moravian Archives in Bethlehem. This article first appeared in the Archives’ “Voices From the Vault” newsletter in November, 2011.

Photos: At left: display at Herrnhuter Sterne factory in Herrnhut, Germany. Above: Niesky, Germany, is home to the largest known paper Moravian Star.

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MORAVIAN TRADITIONS

The message of the Advent Wreath Ed. Note: This article by William L. Pfeiffer first appeared 50 years ago in the December 1969 issue of the Moravian Magazine.

Its message and meaning is still relevant a half-century later.

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he Advent wreath is placed in the front of the sanctuary during the Christmas season. This is a kind of crown–a crown of love. It is properly located in the center of the chancel as it is also found at the heart of the Christmas story.

Often on the Advent wreath, there are to be found four candles which signify the four Sundays in Advent, or the four Gospel writers. But this Christmas the wreath with its four slender candles takes on a new meaning. These candles signify the four most vital aspects of the Christmas story. We see them now giving off their light to the most important elements in our personal lives.

The first candle is marked family The small light this candle gives is enough to allow us to see Mary, Joseph and Jesus in Bethlehem in the stable. We see the lovely figures as they flee to Egypt; we see them in Nazareth in a little house adjoining a carpenter’s shop; we see them twelve years later journeying to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover.

In each of these pictures of the Holy Family, we see adherence of the words of Deuteronomy, “And you shall love the Lord your God; and you shall teach these things unto your children, when you lie down, and when you rise up, and when you walk by the way.”

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In the light of this one candle we see that Christmas meets the deepest need and gets the greatest response from the family unit.

There is something important in the fact that God chose to reveal himself most perfectly in a little child–a member of a family unit dependent for survival upon the other family members.

At the heart of Christmas is family.

The second candle is marked friends The second candle gives us more light and we can see the shepherds, the wise men, the unknown messengers in the form of angels, Simeon and Anna in the temple, and all those other persons who surrounded the Holy Family with care and concern. As we read the Bible, we see in the light of this candle other friends surrounding Jesus: Peter and Andrew, James and John, Martha and Mary, Nicodemus and Zacchaeus, and even a little boy with five loaves and two fishes.

In the light of this slender candle we see Jesus, arms outstretched, saying, “You are my friends if you do what I have commanded you.”

In the light of this candle, we see that the best definition of the Christian church is “a family of friends.” The church is made up of a group of people who accept each other for who they are, in joy or in sorrow, because they are accepted by their divine friend, Jesus Christ.

At the heart of Christmas there are friends.

The third candle is marked fadeless memories With three candles glowing, we can see more clearly and more meaningfully the New Testament words: “And Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.” In Issue 8 • Dec. 2019

imagination, we see the picture of Mary, long after Jesus’ death and resurrection, treasuring the memories of the past; the first joyful realization that she was to be a mother; the journey, “even to Bethlehem”; the manger birth; then those years “when the child grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”

In the light of this candle, we realize that God’s gift to the human mind with its ability to think, to reason and to remember is the one thing that makes us different from the lower animals. The human mind makes possible joy, as well as nostalgia and grief.

At the heart of Christmas there are fadeless memories.

The fourth candle is marked faith With the full light of all four candles, we can see the faith of the Old Testament. Moses said, “The Lord your God, he it is that does go with you. He will not fail you nor forsake (Continued on next page) 9

Advent Wreath (Continued from previous page)

you.” David said, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”

In the light of this candle, we see clearly the faith of the New Testament: Simeon said, “Lord, let now your servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation.” Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

In the light of this candle, we see that facts most usually represent the fulfillment of faith; and always, knowledge at its best is

subordinate to love.

At the heart of Christmas there is faith.

This year, as you view the Christmas wreath, look at it in this new light. Four tall candles representing family, friends, fadeless memories, and faith. These candles are present to illuminate the pathway of every Christian. These candles even bring to mind the words of the prophet, “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light, and they that dwell in the land of the valley of the shadow of death, upon them has the light shined.” n

Konnoak Hills neighborhood shines with Advent Wreath sculpture A unique sculpture gracing the Luther Street lawn of Konnoak Hills Moravian Church in Winston-Salem, N.C. shares the spirit of the season through the Advent Wreath.

The sculpture, entitled Anticipation, is a re-imaging of an earlier work that sculptor Chase Key presented to the congregation in 2010. The large piece depicts the four candles of Advent, with a large candle in th middle. Through the weeks of Advent, the wreath’s four outside candles “burn down” in anticipation of the center Christ candle’s lighting at Christmas.

Key is a graduate of East Carolina University’s School of Art and Design with a concentration in sculpture.

The work is dedicated to the memory of the late Gilbert and Helen Davis, Chase’s maternal grandparents, who joined the congregation in 1953, and to Konnoak Hills Moravian Church. It is also dedicated to the memory of Chase’s paternal grandmother, Macie B. Key, who lived one block away on the corner of Anderson 10

Drive and Rhyan Avenue, and to the Konnoak Hills neighborhood. n Thanks to the Rev. John D. Rights for this article.

The Moravian

MORAVIAN LITURGY

The Moravian Liturgy for Christmas The Christmas Liturgy from the 1995 Moravian Book of Worship is a testament to the hope and salvation that Jesus brings to the world. While worshiping this liturgy is an inspiration, just reading it at home offers a Moravian view of the true meaning of Christmas. We offer it to you here in its entirety.

Joy to the world! the Lord is come; Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare him room, And heav’n and nature sing, And heav’n and nature sing, And heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns; Let all their songs employ; While fields and floods, rocks, hills,

and plains Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

(Tune: Antioch)

One: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, All: For he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.

By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn Issue 8 • Dec. 2019

from on high has broken upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given.

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Thanks be to God for this gift beyond words!

My eyes have seen your salvation, (Continued on next page) 11

Which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples.

Dear Christian friends, rejoice, With heart, and soul, and voice; Hear the news that John did cry: “God to us is drawing nigh; Turn away from fear and sin, To let the Savior enter in.”

God is drawing nigh!

God is drawing nigh!

(Tune: In Dulci Jubilo. Text ©W. Thomas Stapleton)

Saving God, we confess to you our sinfulness.

We are consumed with greed and with self, instead of loving you as we ought. Too often we are indifferent to those for whom this season is not a time of joy. You call us to the simple life, but we engage in extravagence, which directs our hearts away from you and from those in need.

Forgive us, and renew us, gracious Savior. Amen.

With Mary we exalt you, God our Redeemer: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.

Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.

From the collection of Central Moravian Church, Bethlehem, Pa.

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He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and his descendants forever.

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!

Come and behold him, born the King

of angels!

O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him,

Christ the Lord!

O sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation!

O sing, all ye citizens of heav’n above!

Glory to God, all glory in the highest!

O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him,

Christ the Lord!

(Tune: Adeste Fidelis)

Glory be to you, Lord our God; you have chosen us in Jesus Christ, our Lord, before the founding of the world.

You have given us such love, Father, that we should be called the children of God! You have blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

You have rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of your beloved Son. You have redeemed us through Jesus Christ, your Incarnate Son. Issue 8 • Dec. 2019

For the sake of the great love with which you love us, make us alive in Christ, our Lord.

Holy Child of Mary, Savior of the world, Reveal yourself to us.

(Continued on next page) 13

By your holy incarnation, By your human birth, By your pure and blameless childhood, By your obedience and diligence, By your humility, meekness, and patience, By your extreme poverty, By your griefs and sorrows, By your prayers and tears, By your having been despised and rejected, By your cross and suffering, By your death and burial, By your triumphant resurrection and ascension,

For your whole church on earth,

Help us and save us.

Christ the Lord, the Lord most glorious, Now is born; O shout aloud!

We by him are made victorious; Praise the Savior, hail our God!

Praise the Lord, God, our salvation, Praise him who retrieved our loss; Sing, with awe and love’s sensation, Hallelujah! God with us!

For the poor, the abused, and the sick, For prisoners and the homeless, For victims of natural disaster and war, For those who are in danger, misery, or distress, For those who minister to human need in your name, For all who share your good news,

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We pray for your blessing, strength, and encouragement.

God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

May we all be transformed into the image of Christ from one degree of glory to another.

(Tune: Christ the Lord)

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Candle Glowing Candle glowing, My heart knowing, I should follow him.

Jesus leading, Guiding, pleading, “let no light be dim.”

Candle burning, My heart yearning, For a friend divine.

To be near me, Bless and cheer me, Be forever mine.

Candle gleaming, My face beaming, Let me rise and go.

While he leads me, Where he needs me, In his world below.

Candle flaming, My heart naming, Christ the Lord of all; Jesus, Savior, Mine forever: I have heard thy call.

Candle glorious– Christ victorious– Leads his people on.

Mighty army, Forward journey, Till the goal is won.

The Rt. Rev. A.W. Schattschneider–1939

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MORAVIAN TRADITIONS

Services offer solace and hope amid the darkness

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hile some anxiously await the coming of Christ, others dread the holiday season. Although light will soon be upon us, the darkness can feel as if it will never end. For that reason, some churches have embraced the idea of a Quiet Christmas for those who aren’t feeling up to all the cheer.

Whether experiencing sadness, grief or loss, these special services—often called Quiet Christmas, the Longest Night or Blue Christmas—help calm troubled hearts and bring peace, light and hope to those who are suffering.

Observing the Longest Night In their invitation to their special “Longest Night Observation,” Waconia Moravian Church in Minnesota writes, “Perhaps this is the first Christmas after a significant loss. Perhaps you are experiencing financial concerns, medical worries. Perhaps winter is just always a bit hard for you. Perhaps you are fearful for the world we live in. For these reasons, Waconia Moravian Church offers a special ‘Longest Night Observance.’ Come out and join with us 16

in sharing and hearing prayers, scripture, and music that acknowledge that God’s presence is for those who mourn, for those who struggle – and that God’s Word comes to shine light into our darkness.”

During the observation at Waconia, guests gather to remind themselves of the light in the midst of darkness and the service is open to anyone, regardless of faith background. Special music includes a performance by the Waconia High School Chamber Choir. They then light candles and offer this prayer adapted from the prayers of St. John of the Cross: “Holy God, in the quiet of this night, if only for a moment, let me stop struggling to hold onto the comfort of what I have, what I know, of what I am at ease with.

I cannot remain in control, for it will forever pull me away from peace. I must let go and let you do what only you can.

Descend on my soul like a river of peace; take away my uncertainties and my fear of the dark. Amen.”

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Serving Words of Comfort Fries Memorial Moravian Church in North Carolina holds “Words of Comfort Service.”

This time of worship includes prayers, scripture and music acknowledging God’s presence, and that his word came to shine a light into our hearts, especially in our brokenness.

During Fries’ service, they each light a candle and offer this litany: Leader: Each of us comes bearing our own hurts, sorrows, broken places. I invite each of you to offer your personal wound to the God who loves you deeply and wants to carry your pain. God waits patiently, gently calling out: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” I invite each of you during the special music to come forward and light a candle.

As you light the candle, remember that it is God who lights a candle in our darkness and holds us close until we shine. If you wish, you may kneel at the front for prayer and/or blessing, before returning to your seat.

Participatants are invited to a time of reflection during candle lighting

Leader: These lights in their brightness are only symbols, but as they burn and finally go out, we remember that suffering lessens over time, and hope remains.

A Blue Christmas Calvary Moravian Church, also in North Carolina, holds a “Blue Christmas Service,” filled with music, scripture, candles and words of encouragement. This somber service acknowledges the pain or sadness the attendees are experiencing, but also reminds Issue 8 • Dec. 2019

them that Christ will come and shine his Light upon them and bring them peace.

During the service at Calvary, as each of four candles is lit, they share the following words: (first candle is lit) Leader: We light this first candle to remember those whom we have loved and lost. We pause to remember clearly their faces, their voices, their bodies. We embrace and give thanks for the memories that bind them to us in this season of expectation, when all creation waits for the Light.

All: We remember them with love.

May God’s eternal love surround them. (a period of silent reflection) (second candle is lit) Leader: We light this second candle to remember the pain of loss: loss of relationships, loss of trust, loss of jobs, loss of health, loss of faith, the loss of joy. We acknowledge and embrace the pain of the past, O God, and we offer it to you, asking that into our wounded hearts and open hands you will place the gift of peace.

All: We remember that through you all things are possible. Refresh, restore, renew us, O God, and lead us into your future. (a period of silent reflection) (third candle is lit) Leader: We light this third candle to remember ourselves this Christmas(Continued on next page) 17

Quiet Christmas (Continued from previous page) time. We pause and remember the past weeks, months, and for some of us, years that have been heavy with our burdens.

We accept and lay before you, God, the sharpness of memory, the sadness and grief, the hurt and fear, the anger and pain. We accept and lay before you the ways we feel we have fallen short, and the times we have spent blaming ourselves and you for all that we have suffered. We accept and lay before you the time we have walked alone, in darkness; and in knowledge of our own mortality.

All: We remember that, though we have journeyed far, and that, while lost, we may have turned away from the light, the light itself has not failed. We remember that, though winter be upon us and though the night be dark, with the turning of the wheel the dawn will come, and dawn defeats the darkness. (a period of silent reflection) (fourth candle is lit) Leader: We light this fourth candle to remember faith, the gift of light and hope 18

that God offers to us in the story of Christmas, which began in abandonment, insecurity, and humbleness, and in a poor stable. We remember that the loving God who came to share this life with us promises us comfort and peace.

All: We remember the one who shares our burdens, who shows us the way to light, and who journeys with us into all our tomorrows. (a period of silent reflection) (excerpt from closing prayer) “...let the light of your Holy Spirit shine like these candles in the darkness, lighting a way for all who feel despairing, lost or forgotten, and grant that it may come to dwell so deeply in our hearts that, when we leave this place, it may shine on for us and for those we meet along the way. The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift the light of his countenance upon you and give you peace. In the name of Jesus.

Amen.�

Sue Kiefner, communications assistant, IBOC, compiled this article. Thanks to Waconia, Fries and Calvary Moravian churches for sharing their The Moravian

CONGREGATIONAL RESOURCES

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Books to bolster your church’s communication skills

ommunicating in today’s faith landscape has gone so far beyond newsletters and pulpit announcements. While those methods of sharing information are still the cornerstones of many congregation’s communication activities, there’s so much more to reaching out and engaging church members and communities.

But if you have a limited budget, limited resources or limited know-how, how does a congregation take advantage of the many tools and opportunities for shaing the good news – and the Good News – with their constituents?

I could write a book on church communication – on strategy, on tactics, on implementation, on resources – but fortunately, there are a broad range of books already

Issue 8 • Dec. 2019

written on the topic that do a much better job than I ever could. I want to share three of those books with you, each of which I highly recommend to any congregation or ministry team looking to up their communication game.

First is the smallest and simplest, yet a great place to start: Dangerous, A Go-To Guide for Church Communication, edited by Kevin D. Hendricks, Cleve Persinger and Chuck Scoggins. This little book – it’s only 80 pages long – provides an essential jumping off point for those who want to get serious about improving their communication.

Dangerous collects short articles from church communicators across the country, with topics ranging from “5-Minute Church (Continued on next page)

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Communication books Dangerous: A Go-To Guide for Church Communication Edited by Kevin D. Hendricks, Cleve Persinger and Chuck Scoggins Paperback, 88 pages $6.99 Published by Center for Church Communications, Los Angeles, Calif.

Less Chaos. Less Noise.

Effective Communication for an Effective Church

by Kem Meyer Paperback, 372 pages $15.99 Published by Kem Meyer

Rethink Communication: A Playbook to Clarify and Communicate Everything in Your Church

by Phil Bowdle Paperback, 265 pages $13.99 Published by Center for Church Communications, Los Angeles, Calif.

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(Continued from previous page)

Communication Strategy” and “How to Do a Communications Self-Audit” to “5 Ways to do Church Communication on the Cheap,” “The Forgotten Few Minutes Before Church,” “Top 5 Elements for a Church Site” and “7 Things Every Church Facebook Expert Should Know.”

The brief, easily digestible yet highly informative articles collected in Dangerous help readers think through church communication activities and how to get involved without getting in over your head. What I found most beneficial from this book is how it provides the sense that with time and effort, anyone can get started improving church communication.

The next of my favorite church communication books is Kem Meyer’s Less Chaos. Less Noise: Effective Communications for an Effective Church. This book goes deeper than Dangerous, providing a broader range of strategies, solutions and best practices that can help you reach your audience more effectively.

Meyer’s background was in corporate communications before leading communications at a large community church in Indiana. There, she applied her corporate skills to helping the congregation vastly improve their outreach and connections. In her first book from 2011, Less Clutter. Less Noise., Meyer brought a new view to communicating church; her new book builds on this work.

In Less Chaos… Meyer tackles several “myths” of communication and offers ways to overcome communication barriers that can make getting your message across a bewildering challenge. She provides useful strategic frameworks, tips on choosing the The Moravian

right media for your messages and ideas on small-budget methods for improving church communication.

Less Chaos is a higher-level book and may seem written for churches with their own communication staffs. One of the things I like best about Meyer’s style is that it is approachable, understandable and, most importantly in our Moravian context, applicable to churches of all sizes.

The newest book in my collection is Rethink Communication: A Playbook to Clarify and Communicate Everything in Your Church, by Phil Bowdle. Published this year, Rethink looks at some of the new realities of reaching audiences with your messages. “The old communication playbook no longer works,” reads the description for Rethink. “What worked before isn’t working anymore. It’s time to rethink communication and leverage the greatest opporunities we’ve ever had to communicate in the church.”

In this fun-to-read, insightful book, Bowdle lays out his views on the recent climate that affects member attention, engagement and attendance. He then guides readers through reviewing current communication efforts, clarifying messages, building a solid strategic communication plan (something I heartily recommend) and ways to implement

those plans to the best affect. The final section of the book provides ways to rethink and rework how church communication happens in your setting.

These three books offer approachable guidance (and fun reading) about church communication. When I counsel congregations on communication methods, I constantly cite these works and recommend they be added to church office libraries. All three are available from Amazon; at list price, this little library will cost less than $40, yet provide a valuable start to improving communication within your church.

One more resource I recommend: The Center for Church Communication (who actually published Dangerous and Rethink Communication, among other great books). Their embarrassingly named yet fantastic website, “Church Marketing Sucks” (www.churchmarketingsucks.com) is a treasure trove of ideas, resources and activities. If you are involved with communication at your church, visit there today. n Mike Riess is executive director of the Interprovincial Board of Communication and editor of The Moravian Magazine. For additional resources and communications counsel, reach Mike at mike@mcnp.org.

Go beyond the Daily Texts with books, music and Moravian gifts from the IBOC! The Interprovincial Board of Communication (IBOC) offers an ever-growing variety books and products, each with a special connection to The Moravian Church.

From this outstanding collection, you can understand more about the history and practices of our Church, be inspired, teach your family and grow in

your connection to God. The IBOC also offers CDs that celebrate the rich tradition of Moravian music, along with a selection of gifts ideal for both Moravians and nonMoravians alike!

And, of course, the IBOC is your source for the 2020 Moravian Daily Texts.

For a complete listing of Moravian resources from the IBOC, visit store.moravian.org or call 1.800.732.0591, ext. 38.

Issue 8 • Dec. 2019

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MORAVIAN WRITERS

Park Benches invites readers to relax and ponder At 118 pages long, Park Benches, Bishop Kay Ward’s latest book in a series of four, is an engaging and quick read. Comprised of many short stories, some only a page long, it is the perfect choice for someone who only has a few minutes each day to spend reading.

Each story begins with a verse from the Psalms. In her first story/chapter “Psalms,” Kay says: “I have enjoyed studying and using the Psalms, both for personal devotional reading and also in worship. The Psalms have stood the test of time.” These statements paired with her list of things she likes about the Psalms shed light on why she chose psalm verses for epigraphs. I believe she wanted her readers to more fully experience Bishop and author Kay Ward

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the emotions and thoughts running through her mind as she carefully chose the stories for Park Benches as well as give the reader an opportunity to ponder the Psalms through more relatable and relevant stories for the 21st century human.

Just as every story begins with a psalm verse, every story ends with a reflective prayer. The prayers tie the stories and verses together, giving each chapter unity, and also serve to end the chapter on a note of contemplation. By ending with prayer, Kay calls out to the reader to take all that they have just read, mull it over, internalize it and consider how it might apply to their own life.

In this way, as a reader you feel yourself compelled to compare your own life with Kay’s, to make your own connections and to reflect on the psalms and prayers written for each little episode. There are many reasons someone might read Park Benches. What keeps you reading it—keeps you engrossed in the book—is the way in which Kay wraps you into her life. Her stories are honest, true and relatable. When you come across a story outlining an event you have never experienced, you wonder, briefly, “How does this pertain to me?” Then Kay slides from pure narrative to reflective storytelling, and as you start to read her reflections you find yourself sympathizing and agreeing with her statements, thinking along the lines of, “Wow, that is so true. What an apt statement. That’s an interesting take on a situation and I wonder why I’ve never thought of it that way before?”

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Park Benches

Another reason you might keep reading Park Benches once you’ve started: it is a well-written and entertaining book. Some autobiographical books can be boring and dry, some books written by pastors are too much like a lecture or a bad sermon, but Park Benches differs from other books.

When you“T read it, it does not feel so much as though you are reading a book with psalms and prayers to contemplate. Rather, it feels as though you are sitting next to Kay, drinking tea or lounging on a sofa, listening to her tell you stories about her life. She invites you to respond, to smile, to nod, to think in her prose and in her prayers.

As a 21-year-old, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Park Benches for all of the above reasons. Despite the age gap, I felt as though I could relate to most of Kay’s stories. When I couldn’t, I found myself challenging the way I perceived the world. For example, in Kay’s two “Fire in the Woods” stories, I found myself considering: “What do I hold dear? What do I have that I cannot live without?”

In “Garbage Men,” I was faced with Kay’s own conclusion, “They were finding joy at the back of a garbage truck. Surely, I should be able to find joy in my clean, organized life,” but found myself applying it in different ways. That application manifested itself as such: “Others have lives so much harder than mine. I have a happy life. Others struggle to survive each day. I don’t have to. What is my hardship compared to theirs? What is my daily frustration compared to theirs?”

Similarly, I found myself sympathizing with Kay in “Retirement Goals.” No, I am not retiring; I am only 21! However, many goals that we set out to accomplish in our lives frequently don’t happen the way we envision.

Many things that we want to do don’t happen because we put them off time and time again.

Park

Benches

here is a kind of magic in a park bench. A park bench is a place to read or watch people. It’s a place for a time-out for grown-ups—a place where we can think and dream and remember. Finding a place on a park bench with a long-time friend, or a loved family member or even someone you don’t know very well can be life-giving…”

We invite you to find your own park bench, a comfortable spot to do your thinking and dreaming and contemplating… and reading this collection! And for the answer to your question, ”What are the Wards doing standing next to that huge Easter egg?” find the story on page 43.

ISBN 978-1-933571-79-9

Interprovincial Board of Communication Moravian Church in North America www.moravian.org

B I S H O P K AY WA R D

Join Bishop Kay Ward on her park bench with this collection of remembrances and reflections. In Park Benches, Kay shares her abundant love of life through thoughtful, poignant and often funny stories, essays and poems. Each piece opens with a Psalm and closes with a prayer; Kay’s words in between will make you think, laugh, cry and see the world around you in new ways.

B I S H O P K AY WA R D

9 781933 571799

parkbenchescover2.indd 1

Issue 8 • Dec. 2019

3/29/18 5:09 PM

On the whole, Park Benches made me contemplate my life and where I stood in regard to others and myself. It made me question what I could achieve if I only took that first step, what would happen if I took a little time each day to calm my mind and say, “You aren’t in any rush. Nothing is more important than living in the present.” What happiness I might receive if I took a little more time to stop and take in the world around me.

Kay discusses frustration, impatience, grief, laughter and more in Park Benches. It truly is a book that encompasses the season of summer, because like how summer has its crazy weather with its ups and downs, Park Benches has its myriad stories and emotions.

Park Benches, along with Kay’s other books Of Seasons and Sparrows, Heading Home and Hoping for Spring are available from the IBOC at store.moravian.org. n Review by Anna French, former IBOC intern and East Hills Moravian Church member.

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PARK BENCHES

Hope

H

A selection from Kay Ward’s Park Benches I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! Psalm 27:13-14

ope is all about waiting. We trust in something that hasn’t happened yet.

Without hope, we are unbuoyed, at sea. Hope makes it possible for us to live in the between times—between the Already and the Not Yet. As children, we despair of the waiting.

I remember my mother did everything she could to help me make it to Christmas. That’s why someone invented the Advent Calendar.

That’s why we cross off the days in December.

We wait in hopeful anticipation. If we had the luxury of growing up as normal, happy children, we could trust that Christmas morning would come and the Easy Bake Oven would be under the tree.

It’s no different now that we are grown.

We wait in hopeful anticipation for Christ to be born again. We are not disappointed.

There is hope each year, that Christ will find room in our hearts and to be present in a new way.

Sometimes, we feel hopeless and wonder where we can get hope. Just as Advent Calendars filled with pieces of chocolate helped us as children to live in hope—so now does worship, hymns and devotional reading bring us hope.

God is a trustworthy God and each time we live again through the days of waiting, the days of Advent, we learn to trust in good outcomes for our lives. Hope does not mean we will always get the Easy Bake Oven, but gifts of grace will come. “Everything will turn out right in the end and if it doesn’t turn out right, it isn’t the end.” (From the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel movie.)

Holy God, you are a god of hope. You promise not that we will never know pain or sorrow but that you will be with us in that pain. Amen.

There is hope each year, that Christ will find room in our hearts and to be present in a new way.

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The Moravian

Reflections on the Fourth Sunday of Advent

Each week, Moravians across the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean share a common message through their Sunday bulletins.

This month, we share insights written for the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Thanks to writers past and present for their contributions to the Moravian bulletin series.

God with Us

Judith Justice, retired pastor, Winston-Salem, North Carolina • Dec. 22, 2019

As we come together on this fourth Sunday of Advent, many have already moved mentally and emotionally into full Christmas mode. After all, Christmas Eve is only two days away. Still there is time to have a last look at God’s people in the time of Isaiah and experience our connection to them. The armies of Aram and Ephraim are knocking at the gates of Jerusalem. King Ahaz, fearing for his very life, is desperate for a word of hope. Isaiah, speaking as God’s prophet, assures Ahaz that Jerusalem is not about to be destroyed; but Ahaz is not convinced.

So God speaks directly to Ahaz, telling him to ask for whatever sign he desires. Amazingly, foolish Ahaz declines; but God is not deterred and speaks the words of promise that bring us to this season: “Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel [God with us].”

Issue 8 • Dec. 2019

The people waited many years for the fulfillment of those precious words; and in the psalms written long before that, we hear the yearning for a shepherd to lead God’s people.

That kind of waiting for something long desired and expected is central to Advent. While we daily live the promise fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we await his coming again.

The Lord has done marvelous things!

Maggie Wellert, retired pastor, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania • Dec 25, 2016

Once upon a time, a few years ago, I read a story in a Bible study. A boy of about six years of age was sleeping in his bed, when suddenly there was a fierce thunderstorm. He awoke and called out to his dad because he was so afraid!

Dad came into his son’s room, offered some comfort, and said, “Don’t forget, God is (Continued on next page) 25

Fourth Sunday of Advent (Continued from previous page)

with you. It will be okay.” The child replied, “Yeah, Dad, I know God is here . . . but right now I need someone with skin on!”

And the Word became flesh and lived among us. I’m partial to Eugene Peterson’s rendering of this verse in The Message: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.” God is indeed doing a new and marvelous thing. God’s home is among mortals.

Earlier in John 1, Peterson paraphrases: What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by.

The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out.

This is what we celebrate on Christmas Eve and again on Christmas Day: the birth of the Messiah, the incarnation of our God, a new beginning and a new creation. This is now our life, living with the “true light, which enlightens everyone.”

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Shine, sisters and brothers! God is doing a new thing, this time through you!

God is with us

Beth Rohn-Habhegger, pastor, Canaan Moravian Church, Davenport, N.D. • Dec. 22, 2013

Shakespeare once asked, “What’s in a name?

That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” For God, a name was extremely important. So important, in fact, that God sent an angel to the man who would raise Messiah as his son, to reveal to Joseph the name chosen by God. God chose the name Jesus, “for he will save his people from their sins.”

The child conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit would grow to be the man who offered us salvation through his death and resurrection. The prophet referred to him as Emmanuel, “God is with us.”

How right that prophet was! In Jesus, God dwelt with us; through Jesus, God reached into our world to bring us into God’s. We find we

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are a part of God’s world. We are wanted; we are fought for. God isn’t just WITH us; God is with US. God wants us enough to become one of us and to die for us. God wants US; God is with US. As Advent transitions into Christmas, we celebrate the gift of Jesus who came to save us from our sins and remind us that God is with us—then, now, and forever.

Receive

Chris Sobania Johnson, pastor and freelance writer, Gnadenhutten, Ohio • Dec. 19, 2010

We call it a receiving blanket, that soft square of flannel used to bundle a newborn, providing the child instantly with warmth and security. Parents have instinctively tucked their infants inside cloth cocoons for centuries, and contemporary studies indicate that swaddled babies maintain steadier heart and breathing rates, sleep more soundly, and show less irritability than babies whose limbs are left to flail.

Even Jesus was enfolded in an ancient version of a receiving blanket.

But long before Jesus’ parents ever thought to pack receiving blankets for their road trip to Bethlehem, Joseph had to receive some hardto-swallow news. He had to find out that his young girlfriend was pregnant, that he was not the father, and that he was supposed to marry her anyway because it was part of God’s plan.

What a shock! Talk about increased heart rate, sleepless nights, and the sensation of flailing. Of course, as the story goes, Joseph married the girl, raised the child, and kept in motion God’s plan for humanity’s salvation.

By being receptive to the revised course of his life, Joseph demonstrated his devotion to Mary as well as his obedience to God. But he also showed resiliency, a quality that must certainly be rooted in trust—trust that God always provides the comfort and the strength needed to Issue 8 • Dec. 2019

make it, regardless of how idyllic or how burdensome the circumstances.

How receptive are we to the situations we find ourselves in? Do we identify God’s presence with us, even when times are challenging?

Do we resist, or do we allow events to unfold, confident that God will not only see us through, but keep us close?

An obvious blessing or a real hot potato?

Either way, it’s time to receive.

A God Who Acts

Author unknown • Dec. 20, 1992

According to the Matthean tradition, the announcement of the birth of Jesus Christ was a supernatural event: Mary was found with child by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18). The ultimate purpose of this divine act was to demonstrate

(Continued on next page) 27

Fourth Sunday of Advent (Continued from previous page) to the world that God has taken the initiative to redeem lost humanity. God has not forgotten his creation. He has sent his very best into the world to bring about the divine/human reconciliation.

The coming of the Messiah, the Anointed of God, is the commencement of a new era for all human beings. The world was sending an SOS, announcing desperately a tragedy of great proportions. It was the precise moment for God to act and he acted.

When Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant, he decided to dismiss her quietly, not realizing that God was behind his courtship and relationship. So when Joseph resolved to abandon Mary, God sent his angel to tell him in a dream, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:20).

This divine declaration was a clear indication that God was in control of the situation.

And when we permit God to take control of our sitatuon in the midst of the ordeals of life, when everything seems so gloomy and dark, the spark of hope will always appear, as Joseph experienced in his despairing moment.

The same God that Joesph served, we are serving today. God is always at our disposal, always available. He just wants us to trust him.

To Us a Child Is Born This Night

circualated among early Christians! But many readers must have had questions, such as “But when, and where, and under what circumstances was Jesus born?”

To answer these and other questions, Matthew and Luke wrote the gospels that bear their names. Today’s gospel lesson is a part of Matthew’s story. He tells us of a young woman named Mary, and of Joesph to whom she is engaged. He records the divine announcement of the effect that the child she is about to bear is “of the Holy Spirit,” and is to be named Jesus.

He says that this Jesus will be a son of Abraham and David, thus linking him to the people of Israel; he tells us of the visit of the wise men from the East, thus linking him to the Gentile world. He speaks of Herod the King, thus placing him in history. He tells how God intervenes to save him from the sword of that jealous king, because he is “Emmanuel, God with us.”

And now, once more, Christ is being born into our world and for all people, for in his kingdom there is “neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female.” Just as he came long ago into the outwardly mighty, inwardly troubled world, so he comes today into our outwardly rich, inwardly poor world. He comes to you, and to me, to make us his people, so that he may save us from our sins.

All glory, worship, thanks, and praise, That thou art come in these our days!

Thou heavenly Guest, expected long, We hail thee with a joyful song.

(Paul Gerhardt, Hymn 55)

Author unknown Christmas/fourth Sunday in advent December 24, 1989

Most bible students believe that Mark was the first of the gospels to be written. How eagerly his manuscripts must have been copied and 28

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OFFICIAL PROVINCIAL ELDERS’ NEWS Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, January 18-25, 2020 The Moravian Church is privileged to join with Christians throughout the world in prayers for the unity of the Church during the week of January 18-25. The theme for this year is, “They Showed Us Unusual Kindness” (cf. Acts 28:2).

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Sister Christine Johnson, who has been serving as appointed pastor for West Side Moravian Church, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has accepted the call to serve as pastor for College Hill Moravian Church, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Sister Johnson was installed into her new work December 1, 2019.

Ecumenical Sunday, January 26, 2020 The Provincial Elders’ Conferences request that congregations observe our ecumenical witness in the worship services on Sunday, January 26, 2020. In addition to prayers and themes for preaching, our ecumenical witness is expressed in our participation in local and regional ecumenical service ministries and in councils of churches. Our church supports financially this ecumenical witness with congregational pledges for local and state councils of churches and with support for the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA and the World Council of Churches.

New York, New York Sister Desna Henry Goulbourne, who has been serving under Eastern District service as part-time appointed pastor for United Moravian Church, New York, New York, has accepted the call to serve as their full-time pastor. Sister Henry Goulbourne was installed November 17, 2019.

Prayer Day for Retired Ministers, January 26, 2020 The last Sunday in January has been designated as a day of prayer for retired ministers.

This is an opportunity to recognize with gratitude the service our retired ministers and their spouses have rendered to the Church over the years.

Issue 8 • Dec. 2019

Retirement Sister Patricia Honszer requested and was granted permission to retire from the active call of the Moravian Church effective April 30, 2020.

Sister Honszer was ordained a deacon of the Moravian Church November 21, 2004, and has served the church in pastorates in Ohio (Fry’s Valley) and Pennsylvania (Easton First).

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

Elizabeth D. Miller Provincial Elders’ Conference

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OBITUARIES

The Rev. Abzal Sahadath

Barbara Brautigam Caldwell

Brother Abzal K. Sahadath died November 25, 2019 at Staten Island, New York, at age 81.

Born March 4, 1938, in Trinidad, he was the son of Soobratti and Isha (Mahabir) Sahadath. Brother Sahadath graduated from Caribbean Wesleyan in 1962 with a Diploma in Theology and Advanced Teacher’s Certificate. He received a Master of Divinity from New York Theological Seminary in 1988.

He was united in marriage to Junie Sealey December 23, 1980, in Barbados.

Br. Sahadath was ordained into the Wesleyan Church in 1975 and served as pastor in that tradition prior to his being received into the Moravian Church in 1996. He served Grace Moravian Church in Queens, New York, before being placed on long term disability. He retired from the ministry September 1, 2004.

Brother Sahadath is survived by his wife, Junie; sons, Dave and Joel; and one grandchild.

A memorial service was held at John Hus Moravian Church, Brooklyn, New York, on December 1, 2019, with the Rev. Dr. Michael Johnson officiating. n

Sister Barbara (Brautigam) Caldwell died at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, November 22, 2019, at age 76. She was born August 8, 1943, at Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, a daughter of Neil and Marie (Hodgson) Brautigam.

Sister Caldwell was united in marriage to Brother Douglas W. Caldwell on June 4, 1966, at the Old Chapel, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and served alongside her husband in pastorates in Pennsylvania (Reading, College Hill, Central).

Son, Douglas, Jr.; daughter, Ashley; and two grandchildren survive Sister Caldwell.

She was predeceased by her husband, Douglas, on July 17, 2014.

A memorial service was held November 30, 2019, at Central Moravian Church, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, with the Rt. Rev. C. Hopeton Clennon officiating. Burial was in Nisky Hill Cemetery, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Memorials were gratefully received for Rev. Dr. Douglas and Barbara Caldwell Center for Memory Care, c/o Moravian Village, 526 Wood Street, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. n

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Ad Policy for The Moravian — The Moravian accepts paid advertising that is consistent with the magazine’s objectives and editorial convictions as they are stated in the purpose and mission of the Interprovincial Board of Communication. Advertisements for activities, services and products of specific interest to members of the Moravian Church have priority. The Moravian does not accept purely editorial advertisements that advocate specific ideas or issues. Articles, columns and letters to the editor are the appropriate vehicles for the presentation of ideas and issues. 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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Want to help your church or favorite ministry?

Need a deduction?

A Donor Advised Fund (DAF) at your Moravian Ministries Foundation in America can help you end the year well. ‘Batching’ in the year you open your DAF means you may qualify to itemize your deductions and take advantage of the full amount of your donation. Then, you can make grant recommendations in the following years while you take the standard deduction. Leverage your money and gifts to work for you while helping to move ministries forward.

Call Chris at 888-722-7923 cspaugh@mmfa.info

www.mmfa.info Issue 8 • Dec.119 2019Brookstown Avenue, Suite 305 Winston-Salem, NC 27101 888-722-7923 31

Periodicals Postmaster please send address changes to: The Moravian, 1021 Center St., Bethlehem, PA 18018

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Salemtowne is a non-profit Continuing Care Retirement Community reflecting the Moravian values of respect for the individual, hospitality, life-long learning and love of the arts.

Issue 8 • Dec. 2019