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Mission Societies To Hold Summit

Representatives from Moravian Mission Societies in The United States, Canada and Europe will gather in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, March 3-5, 2006 for a Moravian Mission Summit.  It will be a time of sharing information concerning present mission endeavors, as well as planning and discerning God’s vision for the Moravian Church in the world.

In the 21^st century our understanding of God’s mission has moved from the old concept of our mission to the world to the new reality of our world in mission. Latin American theologian Samuel Escobar refers to this as people everywhere reaching people everywhere.

It can be easy for Christians (even Moravian Christians!) to forget that while we are indeed commissioned to go into all the world, we are not alone in this task. Certainly we have Christ’s presence with us (lo, I am with you always…) but we also have each other. There are many Moravian Mission Societies throughout the world who are involved in carrying out the mandate that has been given to us.  It is exciting to think of all that could be done by working together!

The idea for the Summit came from the Southern Province Mission Society.  It was presented to the BWM and met with wholehearted approval and affirmation. A letter of invitation was sent out to Mission Societies around the world. The response has been very encouraging.

At the Summit, each Society will give a brief report of the work that God is doing in and through them. The participants will explore ways of using the many and varied gifts that God has bestowed upon the church throughout the world in order to respond to God’s call to mission. The goal is to find the best way to truly function as the Body of Christ in the world.

 Dr. David Schattschneider has agreed to be the facilitator for this historic event. Bethlehem area Mission Board members Al Frank and Jan Schank are coordinating the local arrangements. The event itself is being planned with input from members of Mission Societies in Europe, Canada and the United States.

Please begin praying for this momentous occasion, that God might rekindle a worldwide desire to win souls for the Lamb!                                                              
Sam Gray

A Letter to Peter Vogt

Dear Peter: A number of friends and I have been researching the rich history of the Moravians and Count Zinzendorf and recently I stumbled upon one of your articles on the internet that commented on your restoration of Zinzendorf's estate at Berthelsdorf - this is absolutely fantastic! A year ago, some friends and I traveled to Herrnhut and Berthelsdorf as part of our own pilgrimage and research. We do feel deeply connected to this wonderful work of God, especially as it resonates so strongly with a movement that we are a part of which feels like a parallel adventure to many aspects of Zinzendorf's journey, particularly 24 hour prayer and missions. We are part of the 24-7prayer movement (www.24-7prayer.com <http://www.24-7prayer.com>) that is now in over 58 countries globally, which in 5 years is quite incredible - with God nothing is impossible!