ONWARD Mission Society of the Moravian Church Newsletter
Volume XLI—Issue 3
May/June 2021
Who Is My Neighbor? About 3 years ago, I went to Alaska where I spent 3 months with a phenomenal group of 21 international young adults who were participating in a Discipleship Training event called Acts 29. Now, in case you are scratching your head and wondering if you have been wrong about the number of chapters in the book of The Acts of the Apostles, well, maybe so! You see, the 29th chapter is still being written. It is the story about what you and I do with our assigned task to spread the good news of the Gospel and the love of Jesus. I think I learned more about “mission” in those 3 months than I had in all the time before then. An integral part of the training consisted of working along side a local church in the area and some of the outlying Native villages. During my time there, I was able to worship at a church where I got to know the pastor, staff and some of the members. Since then, I have been able to return for a short visit each summer. There is an international mission organization called Praying Pelican Missions whose Alaskan headquarters is located at this church. Last summer, I was invited to come up for a week to meet the National Leaders of the organization and get an overview of how they “do mission”. My friend, Susan Ledford, who is a life time member and current member of the Board at the Little Church on the Lane in Charlotte, NC and I went to Alaska and joined a group of leaders from various church backgrounds from different areas of the United States. With Covid-19 being in full swing, the time together was different from any other gathering we had experienced before. There was the dreaded face masks, frequent hand-washing, the ever present hand sanitizer, always having your food served and handed to you and of course, no hugs or hand shaking but the spirit of the group was undeniable. The presence of the Love of Jesus was always evident. We took a good look at the question “Who Is My Neighbor?” God’s love does not separate us (believers) from others (that we are trying to reach and serve in Jesus’ name). God’s Love defines UNITY . Jesus left instructions for us to feed those who are hungry or thirsty, physically or spiritually. He continues to bless us so that we can bless those in need.These are our neighbors and the local church is the gateway of this mission. Continued on pg. 3
In This Issue
P. 2 Missionary Updates
P. 4 Honduras Update
P. 5 Missionary Prayer Requests
P. 6 Pray Every Day
MISSIONARY UPDATE Michael Brent Update Sven was right! With 20 years of student ministry under my belt, I knew I could not tell Sven what I really thought when he said he could recruit 35 students to an online Bible study of Romans. I am familiar with that kind of enthusiasm, year after year. It becomes hard to recruit workers to a rocky soil that requires a lot of labor with little return. Youthful believers set high goals and then struggle with disappointment. God is always at work, but often not with the same emphasis on numbers that we have. And this time, we were not offering fellowship or fun interaction. We were requiring homework, registration in an online Google Classroom course and online instruction. How many students do you think we had signed in to Google Classroom the evening our Bible study started? Yes, that's right. 35. I am convinced God enjoys keeping us old guys on our toes through the “unrealistic” faith of the young guys. Sven did not sit back passively. He identified a real desire in young believers to take God's Word seriously. And he invested effort to reach the goal, going out into the highways and byways. He invited a fair number of college students in Split and Zagreb. But to reach 35, he also recruited 5 youth workers, 2 ladies from the drug rehabilitation center in Split, 1 grad student in Slovenia, and 2 Brent girls. We've met 5 times, Tuesday nights from 7:00-8:30. Regular attendance has been between 20 and 30 with 12 to 15 students submitting assignments online. Google classroom makes it easy for students to enter private comments, giving me more opportunity to interact. That personal interaction reminds me that each student is at a different place in their walk with God, some struggling more than others with broken families, inability to keep up in school, poor self identity. It is a great opportunity to exhort and encourage young men and women to persevere in their walk with Jesus. Thanks Sven Steve and Ann Marx Update In a forlorn, wintery shrub island of our front yard, overnight a singular brilliant yellow daffodil flower burst forth, with the promise of more radiant flowers as the temperature warms. As we put our hope in Jesus, He brings moments of comfort and joy into our often dreary lives, as we trust and live for Him. Thank you, Lord. A week long visit to Ahuas, Honduras, is being planned next month by several missions in conjunction with the Moravian medical work there. There is a great need for the return of aviation support for the medical work and air ambulance for the many isolated communities in La Mosquitia and the “old” Cessna 206 parked in one of the Ahuas hangars is still in good shape. The hope is that a consortium of missions can come together with leadership, funds and organization to provide regular air service throughout the region, responding to medical emergencies, mission work and community service needs. Phil and Ashley Sineath As we celebrate God's work in Thailand, we know the gospel doesn't stop there. Each student who comes to Christ carries that good news to the campus and beyond as they enter the workforce, start families, and make an impact where God has placed them. We often say in Campus Outreach that you only know if ministry work today has been effective if you wait to see the impact twenty years from now. So does God appear to be at work in the lives of Arm, Ger, Mangkorn, and Job-Jeab? From everything we can observe, yes, we think so. But in twenty years, who will these faithful men in Khon Kaen be reaching and impacting? That is the fruit we labor for today, to see on that day. While God does the work, we faithfully seek to partner with you as we serve Him together. Your generous partnership causes this work to expand and impact more lives. Continued on page 5 2
WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR? There are as many avenues to reach these children of God as there are of those willing to do so. During the time we spent with Praying Pelican Missions, we visited a faith based non-denominational after school program called “The YAK”. It provides a free and welcoming, safe and really fun hang-out place for 6th to 12th grade youth. We spent a morning working at a food bank, visited a re -sale store that is staffed and supplied by volunteers and were introduced to a Youth-in-the-park program run by a local pastor and a group of caring volunteer helpers. This is a fun filled time where youth are fed physically and spiritually in a local park. There were other programs, pastors and organizations that Praying Pelican Missions partners with that helped us to realize what it means for us to be Christ to people in need. God is calling each of us to follow The Lamb once slain into the word in which we live. Listen to Him. Let us love one another.
Submitted by Helen Gulledge Member of the Little Church on the Lane
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HONDURAS UPDATE Rick Nelson traveled to Ahaus, Honduras, in early April and has shared many updates of the activities happening in and around the Clinic. There have been many meetings between the Honduran Moravian Medical Work, Alas de Socorro, local churches and a consortium of Christian flight organizations (AGAPE, United Indian Mission, Wings of Blessing, Wings of Hope, Missionary Air Group) to discuss revival of the light ministry and support for the 75 year-old medical work. The participants who were meeting voted to welcome the consortium to breathe new life into Alas de Socorro. It took a lot of work and many prayers to bring the group of North Americans, Guatemalans, and Hondurans together after more than one and a half years of discussion. Pray without ceasing that the Lord’s will be done and that He might revive Alas de Socorro.
The new visitor’s quarters are in the middle of the construction process. The cost of the new construction was donated by Christ Memorial. The work of building the new quarters is being supervised by Dr. Reverend Ted, and carried out by the very skilled carpenter Selin Mejia.
Lastly, after almost daily postponements at the end of April, the Clinic finally received the donation of over $280,000 of relief supplies from Lutheran World Relief. The shipment of school, infant and personal hygiene kits was covered by the company that a Moravian from North Carolina works for. While they had to arrange for unloading and shipping between Progreso and La Ceiba, the World Food Program will cover the final leg of the journey to Puerto Lempira in about two weeks. The churches will then help to distribute the relief supplies to victims of last November's twin hurricanes. Many individuals and organizations have been involved in making this possible. Christ’s love is reflected in the generosity of many as we seek to share blessings with a very needs population. Please pray fro both the donors and the eventual recipients.
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MISSIONARY UPDATE Magi Land Update Happy Easter from Magi-land! We pray that you have been able to focus on the atoning sacrifice of Jesus’ death and his glorious and unmatched resurrection. In our house church (HC), we have been discussing how God intends to put Easter on display in our own lives, as we die to ourselves and experience resurrection power. The month of March is always fun, as it is full of celebrations and holidays. Some of these have been muted, however, by the rising COVID numbers and new restrictions and regulations. Between K’s birthday on the 17th, the Magi New Year on the 21st, and G’s birthday on the 31st, we had much to celebrate. The big news for March is the arrival of seven new Cru staff! This is the same Studentled ministry (SLM) team that has been targeting students in our city through online ministry and came for a visit in January. God opened the doors for them to move from Cairo and they arrived on March 13th. For the first week, the four girls stayed with us while the guys stayed at the empty Luke house. After looking all over town for apartments, God graciously provided two affordable, furnished apartments right next to each other. We were able to get their rental contracts and security police permission finished in time for the New Year holiday, and they already have the residence permits too. They have begun following up with more of the students they met online, and most excitedly, they have seen three local ladies indicate decisions for Christ online. Wow! Please continue to pray for them as they follow up in person and also as we take them onto local university campuses to see what doors God might open for them. They are planning to be here until July 1st. Some friends from HC also invited us to their annual Passover seder meal, including a Passover drama. K showed off his thespian skills as Moses, and it was fun to laugh and learn together with expats and locals! God bless you!
MISSIONARY PRAYER REQUESTS
Please pray for Michael Brent’s Croatian staff. Currently, five families have at least one person with Covid. Several others have had contact in the last 2 days. Please ask for protection and recovery. Pray for the students participating in the Romans Bible study in Croatia. Pray for perseverance as the initial enthusiasm naturally wains. Pray for solid grounding in the theology and practice of grace for these next generation Christian leaders. Pray for the Sineath’s Leadership Training Projects kicking off all over Thailand in the next few weeks. Pray for Magi brothers and sister who continue to meet in Bible study and grow in their walk with Christ.
“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.” Jeremiah 29:12 5
PRAY EVERY DAY—MAY 1. The Lord will not forget the needy. Pray for our country and leaders. 2. Sunday-Abide in me as I abide in you. Pray for all suffering with Covid-19 virus and that all will use good judgment. 3. He brought me out into a broad place. Pray for the Teshes in Kenya. 4. The same Lord is Lord of all who call on Him. Pray for the Sutton’s with WEC. 5. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Pray for Moravian outreach in Nepal. 6. You open your hand, satisfying the need of every living thing. Pray for those still suffering loss due to disasters. 7. We know that He hears us. Pray for those struggling to provide for their families. 8. The kingdom of God is among you. Pray for Dr. Benno and Teresa Marx. 9. Sunday-The eternal God is your refuge. Pray for Moravian ministers and for churches needing them to bring God’s word.
10.Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Pray for the Raifords in Mexico. 11.Worship Him who made heaven and earth, the seas and springs of water. Pray that our government leaders will lead the country back to God 12.If we ask anything in His will, He hears us. Pray for Brian and Heather Marx with MAF. 13.Ascension Day-When I am lifted up, I will draw all people to me. Pray for Annie B Missions (Star Mountain). 14.Rejoice and give Him all the glory. Pray for Justin Rabbach (BWM).
15.It is good to wait quietly for your salvation. Pray for Moravians in Peru. 16.Assension Sunday-Sanctify us in the Truth. Pray for Jenna and Andrew Craver in Alaska. 17.I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. Pray for the Hoffmans in HIV/AIDS Ministry. 18.The Lord is gracious and merciful. Pray for Unity Women’s Desk. 19.Sing to God with a grateful heart. Pray for the Harrisons with Greek University.
20.Sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves. Pray for the Sineaths in Campus Outreach. 21.The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. Pray for Allan and DeeDee Iobst in France. 22.You are God and your words are true. Pray for Steve and Ann Marx with MAF. 23.Sunday-O Lord, how manifold are your works. Pray for Kevin and Charity in the Middle East. 6
24.God has called us to peace. Pray for Charlie and Vickie Brent in Texas. 25.Lord, teach us to pray. Pray for Alas de Socorro in Honduras. 26.Whatever God does endures forever. Pray for the food programs taking care of children without good nutrition. 27.Follow the Lord your God, wholeheartedly. Pray for Armando Rusindo Foundation in Cuba. 28.He will bring me out to the light. Pray for Adopt A Village in Tanzania
29.In Christ you are built together spiritually. Pray for the Theissens in Mexico. 30.Trinity Sunday-You,O Lord have made me glad at the works of your hand.Pray for Safiatu Braima and the church in Sierra Leone. 31.Maintain justice and do what is right. Pray for the emergency responders in our country.
helengulledge1090@gmail.com
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DID YOU KNOW In the last years of the nineteenth century, the Southern Province had taken efforts to increase its mission giving. The Rev. James E. Hall noted in an article in the May 1898 issue of the Wachovia Moravian that one church had increased its mission giving in the five previous years and had just given $6.00 for the year. It amounted to five cents per member. It showed what little money was available to the people and the churches at that time. It reflects the beginning of mission giving in the province. The General Synod of 1899 found that the structure of Moravian Mission had to be revamped and budget processes instituted. There were annual deficits as high as $50,000, which continued for some years. Due to the mission crisis, church efforts in Greenland, Canada, Kansas, and Australia had to be surrendered between 1900 and 1908. Eleven requests for Moravian Missions in new areas had to be denied. Mission funds remained unstable until World War I. Because the funds were held in Germany, most of the investments were lost in the inflation following the war. A result was there was no money for mission pensions or stipends for children of missionaries. Synod determined that these needs, which it called a “Debt of Honor”, had to be met. For a number of years, up until World War II, the Southern Province contributed $5,000 annually to this account. The Wachovia Moravian gave a roll call each month, and the Society greatly supported the effort.
Online Giving: https://mmfa.info/mission-society-of-the-moravian-church-southern-province-donationform/
ONWARD 2178 Friedberg Church Road Winston-Salem, NC 27127 336-773-1732
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