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A MESSAGE FROM

OUR PRESIDENT

   Last month's Onward hit a new high - over 2700 copies were mailed out. The Board of Directors had decided last year to send a copy to every member of the Society in addition to those who paid separately for a subscription. To keep costs in line, we tried to eliminate duplicate mailings to the same address.  Still, the volume was overwhelming and Br. George Chiddie and his "Faithful Folders" have been stretched. (the previous mailing was about 1200)  Fortunately,  a number of new volunteers showed up and the job was done in less than two hours.  Our hope is to prune the list to those whose dues or subscriptions are paid up to date, but this will take time to sort out. Our goal is to spread the Good News to an even wider audience and with the help of contributing editors like Br. Sam Gray I am confident this will happen.

   A recent trip to the Caribbean for a short R&R provided my wife and me, along with another Moravian couple, a rich opportunity to hear our Moravian heritage played back to us by a cab driver on the way to the airport in St. Thomas.  He pointed out the Nisky Moravian Church and school as we passed by and then began to tell us in great detail about how Dober and Nitschmann had helped the natives in 1732.  When I asked if he were a Moravian, he said  “no, I am a non-practicing Catholic.”  If the ride had only lasted longer, I would liked to have prayed with him and invited him to attend one of the three Moravian congregations.

    Coming up the first weekend in March is the "Mission Societies Summit" in Bethlehem.  We are expecting representatives from the several societies in the Northern Province, Alaska. Canada, Great Britain, Denmark, and Europe.  It will be a time of intercession, planning and fellowship as we seek to carry out "The Great Commission" of the Unity.

   As you read this, Anne and I will be part of a team from New Philadelphia in Biloxi, Mississippi, working with Samaritan's Purse in the Katrina disaster relief program.  Br. Mark Ebert and his Regional Volunteer Coordinators have done a super job of keeping a steady flow of Moravians to the Ocean Springs area to help out. If you can go, contact your local RVC or Mark. If you can't go, maybe you would like to contribute a tool - the list of needs is elsewhere in this issue of Onward.

   In the meantime, God Bless You!

SECOND MILE PROJECTS
The following “second-mile” requests have been received from three of our Partner Provinces:

Costa Rica

$5,000 to finish work begun by Raleigh                  Moravian (Buenos Aires church in Limon)

·                    $2,000 for Youth Leaders’ workshop and materials

·                    $2,500 for Youth Retreat

Honduras

            $2,000 for 5 acre mahogany reforestation project (seed, land, labor, transport, etc.)

·                    $1,500 for “Nuevo Amanecer” (New Dawn) project to help patients, retired pastors and needy families at the hospital in Puerto Lempira

·                    $2,000 for Bishop’s residence

·                    $1,000 for shipping of donated musical instruments and sound equipment

Nicaragua

$1,500 for 10 bicycles (@ $150) for pastors in outlying areas

·                    $4,950 for 60 hp outboard motor for visitation in the Central District

·                    $3,000 for 40 hp outboard motor for Musawas District and Rio Coco

·                    4 ham radios for Provincial Office, Musawas, Karawala and Waspam

·                    $1,000 for 2 computers ($500 each) for Provincial and Christian Education Office $800 for 2 Olympia typewriters ($400 each)

·                    $5,000 for Miskitu Moravian Hymnal project

·                    Computer, printer, Allegro ’98 software, scanner and office supplies for Miskitu Hymnal project.

(cont.from p.2)

Kernersville                 Feb 12 morning service

New Philadelphia         Feb 12 evening presentation

Macedonia                    Feb 26 morning service

Hopewell                      Apr 2 morning service

Please come hear us. Caroline and Michael Woo are members of Ardmore Moravian Church and are serving in South East Asia.