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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Where do you draw the line? I was reminded of the “line in the sand” which Jesus drew, while visiting our children at the beach this past weekend. I am referring to the demarcation some people associate with missions. Does it have to involve going overseas to unreached people groups? Is a cross-cultural element essential? I thought of all the people sitting on the sand on Sunday morning and wondered how many have committed their lives to Christ.

Br. David Guthrie, the new Director of the Board of Evangelism and Home Missions, and I talked about how much in common our two organizations have and how we could better coordinate our efforts for outreach. For example, the Mission Society helps to support Celeste Handy, with Intervarsity Fellowship, who works with Native Americans at the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in New Mexico. The stories she tells of leading students to Christ are inspirational. Didn’t Moravians originally come to this country to witness to the Indians? If we were to reach out to the Native Americans living here in North Carolina, who should be the initiator of this effort? A good question.

Another illustration is the relationship we and the Board of World Mission have with Hispanics, primarily outside the U.S. But a wonderful work is about to begin in this area with the hiring of Pastor Enrique Alcantara, from Peru, by the BEHM to coordinate the outreach to Hispanics in Forsyth County.  What an opportunity and what a blessing!

Anne and I are about to embark on a vacation-goodwill tour of the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Estonia and Latvia. We will be traveling with the Pettits from Home Church. We plan to visit, and worship where possible, with congregations in Zeist, Christiansfeld, Stockholm, Tallinn (Estonia) and Riga (Latvia). I look forward to the possibility of bringing a work of encouragement from the Southern Province to the newly emerging churches in the Baltics. I’ll share our impressions and the highlights of our trip in the next newsletter.  God bless you!

Jack Geis – President

A DREAM REALIZED

      Following a busy year of planning and seeking funding, five brethren from the Brass Band of South Africa arrived on June 2 in Bethlehem. The brethren Christo Appel, Albert Engel. Ulrich Jansen, Ronald Johannes and Tyrone Hitzeroth began a two-week visit that included Moravian places and establishing a wide network on behalf of the brass music interests of the world wide Moravian Unity.

      Their participation in the 21^st Moravian Music Festival was a rich addition to our time together. All five brethren are players and participated in the bands. Their delightful friendliness warmed many hearts and personal contacts happened throughout the week and their enthusiasm for brass band programs in congregations was infectious. A “to-do list” has emerged from their visit, which we share with our friends now –

1. Pray for the BBSA and its work, as well as brass work throughout the Unity.

2. In response to a great need, we ask anyone having unused brass instruments lurking at attics or basements to send them to Moravian Music Foundatiop (either office!) and we will coordinate shipping them to South Africa. Financial contributions for this are also needed, to cover shipping costs and possibly additional instruments; gifts can be sent to MMF and identified for the South African Brass.

3. Any who can do so is asked to help meet a shortfall in funding for the visit of the BBSA members. While a number of generous individuals and organizations contributed towards their visit, projections were unrealized because of the current economy, and any help we can provide will  be most welcome.

Now they are back in South Africa and they are working on plans for a Unity Brass Festival in Cape Town in 2007.  The dream is to have brass players from Europe and the American Provinces to join in a musical experience that will further strengthen the ties of the Unity and the brass programs of the provinces.  The BBSA executive committee, along with Ben van den Bosch of Zeist and Albert Frank representing MMF, will function as a planning group largely through e-mail (although a 2005 meeting in South Africa is envisioned).

Albert H. Frank                                   (edited for brevity JHG)