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A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT

   What Br. Al Gambill had to say in his trip report about the worship and work of our first Moravian disaster team to go to Mississippi was “moving”, to say the least.  I persuaded Br. Giesler to use the space normally devoted to my message so that you might read the full text of Br.Al's diary.

   Nothing , in my judgment, reflects the mission of the church more vividly than what happened during that week.  Mission is a combination of evangelism and discipleship.  I suspect that most of those ministered to by Al's team had heard of Jesus - thus the discipling component kicked in.  Read it and rejoice.  I plan to go in the near future.  If you are able, consider joining me.

   Hope to see you at the Provincial Mission Lovefeast at Macedonia on Nov. 6th.

The Passing of Two Bishops

     The Rt. Rev. Oliver Maynard died on September 11, 2005. His memorial service was held on Monday, 19 September, with Bishop Stanley Thomas officiating. The service was held at New Dawn Moravian Church in Toronto, Canada, where Bishop Maynard had been living. Bishop Maynard was consecrated in 17 July, 1969 in Spring Gardens, Antigua, by bishops E.W Kortz, P.M. Gubi and S.U. Hastings.  He was the 275^th bishop of the Unity and the 213^th bishop of the Renewed Moravian Church. We give thanks for this service in several provinces of our Unity.

He spoke at the World Mission Conference 20 years ago in Winston-Salem. In his fourth message, “The Changing Moravian Unity and our World Mission” (Romans 15:7-9,13) here is how his stirring message concluded:

     The advice, therefore, to “accept one another”, has severe limitations when based on human self-will, human self-interest and prejudices.

     However, “to accept one another as Christ has accepted us” is a very different matter.  Because, it is through Jesus Christ that we receive new direction for our lives;  because,  it is only through Jesus Christ that we are enabled to break through our self-centered limitations and prejudices so that we will do what normally we would shrink from doing…

     Because, the world in its state of alienation and estrangement will pay no attention to us if we do not concretely show in our church that we have indeed found the center of reconciliation and unconditional acceptance of one another through Jesus Christ, a center that transcends and overcomes all the limitations which we impose upon one another in our normal, unredeemed human relations with one another. 

     So our Christian fellowship will become a liberating fellowship for us, because it no longer means that I can only sit down with those who are like me, but I can resolutely remain in fellowship even with those who differ from me.

     It will mean, that because of Jesus Christ, no one of the us will ever be left alone with his or her peculiar problems; no one of us will have to conceal his or her limitations and handicaps for the sake of presenting a good image to our fellows; no one of us will feel that he or she should direct and control while the other should have little or no say. Because of Jesus Christ, our unity and our congregations at the local level will become fellowships of caring and of sharing in which our brothers and sisters will find healing for the wounds which our world community is inflicting upon us.  Because of Jesus Christ, our Unity will become a fellowship in which former mission fields and former sending Provinces will find scope for new initiative in joint, mutual mission. The Unitas Fratrum survived two world wars, and made the necessary adjustments.  I am not afraid of the future; I firmly believe that, through Jesus Christ, we will make the necessary readjustments.  We belong to each.