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Dr. Sam and Sr. Grace Marx recently retired from ONWARD and received honors and a plaque from the Mission Society at the Mission Awareness Dinner from Sr. Glenna Tasedan.

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UNITY OF BRETHREN MISSIONS

Recently the Missions Board launched a Where In the World prayer campaign. Our hope is that this movement will provide clarity in where the Lord is leading us in our next missions endeavor. We rejoice in the success of our missionary friends, Tony and Dora Bragg. They, along with their three children, are back in NC for a brief “recharge   session” after a year of befriending and ministering to Muslim youths in Africa. Our mission board is working on a possible Saturday missions event at the Hus Camp with the Braggs in which you would be able to get to know them better and hear firsthand of their ministry in Sudan.

We praise God that the Unity successfully funded the first year of its pledged support for the Honduras Project. We are encouraged that many congregations and individuals continue to realize the importance of their various roles as team members in this missions effort. Above all, we are amazed at the many opportunities God is providing the Griggs family to share the live-changing reality of Jesus Christ. May God bless year two of the Honduras Project. Another aspect of mission work that the board needs to investigate is the importance of our missionaries’ physical, emotional and spiritual health. Most missions sending agencies encourage and support this philosophy through mid-term sabbaticals. We are studying what a mid-term sabbatical (possibly mid 2004) would look like for the Griggs family. Any help, insight, or expertise on this topic would be welcomed by the board.        (From the Brethren Journal – Mar. 2003)

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While we were in Nicaragua the newspapers were full of news about the drug problem on the  East Coast. A light plane from Colombia with over a ton of cocain crashed near Bilwaskarma. The Nicaragua army tried very hard to get the drugs, but before they could get to the crash site, some Miskitu Indians had torn apart the plane for aluminum scraps and carried off the drugs to resell it. The army appealed to the Moravian pastors to preach about getting it. But as one pastor is quoted, It is not theirs, it is a gift from God(???)                        JHG

A WORD FROM OUR PRESIDENT

It is with a heavy heart of sadness that I say farewell and godspeed to our colleagues from the staff of the Board of World Mission. I will very much miss the frequent contact, support, and spiritual guidance of Br. Hampton Morgan and Sr. Gail Walker.  We have high hopes that our relationships with Srs. Sonna Schombach and Linda Faber will begin anew as they join the newly formed NGO (non governmental organ- ization) Compassionate Heart International. The rest of the group formerly known as the Asian Ministry will be a part of that, as I understand.

   The Mission Society will continue its support of those previously associated with BWM: the Braggs, the Thiessens, and the Woos, all are now under the covering of Ardmore Moravian Church.  It was good to see these people at the recent Mission Retreat, How Shall They Hear, at Ardmore. These are exciting, dedicated families, totally committed to spreading the Gospel and planting churches with unreached people groups. Tom Telford, an internationally renowned missionary and author, spoke at Ardmore about the astonishingly large number of congregations of Christians in Asia, particularly in Indonesia, which is the largest Muslim nation at present. We need to pray for the people of Islam, as our Litany [General # 1] suggests, that they will come to know Jesus as their Savior, He is the only way!

Since last month's issue, I've learned that youth and adult members of Kernersville Moravian are going on mission/work trips to Appalachia this summer, some direct and others through the Mission Program at Laurel Ridge. Another group from Friedberg is going to Jamaica to work on Bethel Arbor Church. We are expecting to hear from a number of other congregations who will be sending out teams in response to the Great Commission.

Also, pray for our troops, in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the civilians caught up in the war. And don't forget to pray for our enemies there, that they might know the Truth. And finally, pray for all those who come to Christ as a result of this experience, that they might not fall way when the conflict is over.

ONWARD ON WORLD WIDE WEB

We are planning to put ONWARD on the WWW for two reasons: 1. To make it available to overseas provinces and churches, some stateside, that use it in monthly newsletters, and need it sooner than by mail 2. To make it available overseas so we can cut down on the rising mail costs. We encourage individuals or churches that have computers and copiers to duplicate for folks in their area so we can cut the number of copies to be mailed. We also encourage US churches to reproduce all or at least parts of ONWARD for those who would read it but because of cost do not subscribe.           <www.bethabara.org/ONWARD.htm>