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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

            What a privilege it was to bring greetings to fellow Moravians in the Netherlands, Denmark, Estonia and Latvia. Our trip began in Holland where we spent five days in the church apartments in Zeist.  We visited many sites including the fortress town of Naarden where Jan Amos Comenius was buried in 1669 in dirt that the Czechs sent. We visited Amsterdam and the Hague. The Zeist Manor where Zinzendorf lived for a short time, and where the Synod of 1746 was held, is truly spectacular. It was his intent that this would become the center of Moravian activity in Europe. Another highlight here was viewing the painting of The First Fruits by Valentin Haidt in 1747.

            The church compound, comprised of the  Sisters’ and Brothers’ Squares is beautifully maintained. Much is occupied by business and residences that produces income for the Church, but creates the feeling among the congregation that it is not necessary to give to the Lord’s work since funds are available.  The sanctuary is magnificent and I guess may seat 500-600. About fifty were in attendance the Sunday we visited, and only  two children belonging to the pastor, Christof Huss. He and his family are called to Koenigsfeld, Germany. The good news from Holland is that the Moravian churches in the big cities are really flourishing because of the Surinamese influx.  I was told that there are 300,000 Surinamese in Holland and only 400,000 remaining in Surinam. The other good news is that the Zeist Mission Society is alive and well.

            Our stay in Christiansfeld with Jorgen and Ellen Boeytler and family was an even greater blessing.  The typically Zinzendorfian compound was begun in 1773 and is extremely well maintained today.  The sanctuary is newly refurbished and unique to this church is the sand that is scattered on the floor to clean it and keep the beauty of the Danish pine intact.  You may recall that Zinzendorf visited Copenhagen in 1731 to attend a coronation where he met the slave Anthony from St. Thomas. Thus the Moravian outreach was off and running. As in Zeist, the worship service was not full but the congregation is growing under the able leadership of Pastor Boeytler. The Danish Mission Society, also under his leadership, is very active in Tanzania, the Congo, (where 10,000 Moravians now reside), Albania, where about ten new fellowships are developing, and now Labrador where the Danes are sending two young men to work with Br. Sam Propsom for a period of six months.

One sad incident marred our trip. The “Little Mermaid”, a statue in Copenhagen Harbor was blown up on September 10^th, just four days after we had taken her picture.

      Norway was part of our tour and the fjords and the train trip from Bergen to Oslo were awesome.  There is no longer a Moravian presence but the Diaspara was started by a Danish hymnist and contemporary of Zinzendorf, Neils Holm. This has now been swallowed up by the Lutheran Church.  Although there is just one Swedish Moravian fellowship in Stockholm, the Swedish Mission Society under the leadership of Pastor Michael Hertzsch, is very active. They have been very supportive of the emerging Moravian Church in Latvia.

            Tallinn, Estonia is a city just coming out from the bonds of communism and the old city is becoming a tourist attraction. We saw the cathedral where Zinzendorf preached in 1728, the first protestant mission trip that I know of. Salme Reier, widow of the former pastor, and her friend Merika Kahar graciously hosted us. The fellowship house is well maintained, considering the limited funding which is available.  They meet on Sunday evenings, after worship at Lutheran churches in the morning. They do have guest preachers and could really use a pastor. They also have fixed up the basement for Sunday school and have a number of young people in attendance. On special occasions, there is standing room for worship and they are beginning to think of a larger facility. Their fellowship currently numbers about 150, according to Salme. We were able to attend worship with her at St. John’s Lutheran Church.

            Pastor Gundars Ceipe and Ilona Grante were most gracious in making our stay in Latvia memorable.  She and her husband Morris drove up to Tallinn and took us back to Staupe, the second oldest Moravian settlement in Latvia. Br. Gundars pastors a Lutheran Church there and oversees seven Moravian fellowships in the country. They told us about their children’s camp this summer, ministering to about 350 youth.  The church is growing under their dynamic leadership and it is quite apparent that God is doing a mighty work in Latvia. Much more to report. See you all at the Lovefeast on November 2 at Fairview. 

Jack Geis