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A MESSAGE  FROM OUR PRESIDENT

   I have to confess coveting missions at Calvary Baptist Church here in Winston-Salem. Anne and I went to a Sunday night worship service two weeks ago, along with 1100-1200 of their members to hear a report on their recent efforts in the Middle East. Last fall the church invited 537 missionaries and 352 of their children to a week of R&R in Antalya, Turkey on the coast of the Mediterranean. The guests came from every county in this area – Israel, North Africa, Jordan, Sudan and a host of others. The time was spent in prayer and praise services (which many of them can’t do where they live), Sunday school for the children, fun, fellowship, counseling – a general time of renewal.

   A team of 147 volunteers, each of whom had ten prayer partners at home, went; taking gifts of Bibles, snacks, cosmetics, other personal items – and 27 lap top computers.  The team provided hair cuts, massages and had a computer repair lab for anyone who had a need. Wow! Not only was the team involved, but a transportation team of 30 and every adult Sunday school class was a partner. Calvary has membership of about 6100, let by mission minded pastoral staff.

   This caused me to remember how the Moravian Church sent out 221 missionaries from Herrnhut, with a congregation of about 600 at Berthelsdorf during the period from 1732 to 1760. That is truly awesome – a sign of total commitment to Jesus Christ. What happened to our vision of discipleship? Have we become a maintenance church rather than a mission church? These concepts are explained in a book entitled “Reclaiming the Great Commission” by Bishop Claude Payne and Hamilton Beazley. They deal with the recent renewal in the Texas Diocese of the Episcopal Church, and how a new focus on mission, led by the clergy and lay leaders, brought about a complete change in an exciting way.  Membership went up, giving increased, people are coming to Christ in droves, and miracles are expected as a normal part of church life.

   It seems evident that when the shepherd leads, the sheep will follow. Sheep are not notorious for being self directed. I ask you to pray for our pastors and church leaders, that they will seek the in-filling of The Holy Spirit, such that they might have the desire, and most importantly the power, to being about this transformational church in our denomination.

CHEROKEE HISTORY CLASS

   The Cherokee-Moravian Historical Association and Old Salem, Inc. are offering this highly acclaimed Cherokee Nation History Course. It is held two weekends from Feb. 25-27 and Mar. 11-13, 2005. It covers significant aspects of Cherokee social, cultural, and legal history from pre-contact to the present. It employs videos, case studies and role playing, as well as lectures and discussion. All participants receive 1,200 pages of pertinent essays written by Cherokees and other scholars along with treaty texts and court decisions. The classes will be held in the wonderful Single Brothers Workshop in Salem.

   The times for the classes are Fridays, Feb. 25 and Mar. 11 from 4:30 to 10:00pm; Saturdays, Feb. 26 and Mar. 12, from 8:30am to 6pm; and Sundays, Feb. 27 and Mar.13 from 1:00 to 5pm. The cost for the course is $35 each. Meals will be provided for the Friday sessions; on Saturdays participants may bring their own lunch or order a box lunch for $6.00 each.

   This is a unique opportunity for Moravians and others to learn about this highly developed culture in early America. Share this with your friends.

UNITY OFFERING – March 6, ’05

   Designated for the Jamaica Province for their Mission work in Cuba. There are five Moravian Churches and two ordained pastors. Unity Offering Envelopes have been sent to all congregations, and are in the provincial office. Let’s give generously to these brave Christians in this poor country.

TRAIL OF TEARS TOUR – 2005

Join us for this very inspiring annual tour, from Winston-Salem to Tahlequah, OK and back: from September 15-25: 11 days with most meals and all tour expenses included, for the d/o cost of $900 each. John and Barbara Giesler will be leading this non-profit tour under the sponsorship of the Cherokee-Moravian Historical Association. We stop at the most important

Trail sites and museums, in Cherokee, NC, New Echota, and Springplace, GA, Red Clay, TN, Cape Girardeau, MO, and New Springplace at Tahlequah, OK. To give us some enjoyment we will stop at several popular tourist sites on the way, such as Grand Ol’ Opry, Little House on the Prairie, and Branson, MO. We will meet with members of the CMHA at our annual meeting at New Springplace, OK on Sept. 21. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet with people who have never forgotten the Moravian Missionaries who worked with them. For a free brochure call 336.922.5858 or e-mail to Bethsalem@triad.rr.com.