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A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT

The Mission Summit was everything I had hoped it would be. Twenty of us gathered to worship, fellowship, and exchange information on what the various societies are doing to further God's Kingdom in this world. Br. David Schattschneider served as our facilitator as we met in the Distance Learning Center of Moravian Seminary in Bethlehem. The list of those invited was in the last issue of Onward.  Some were not able to attend - representing North Dakota, Ohio, and Penn Mar Mission Societies as well as Sweden, Germany, Holland, and Switzerland.  However, Brs. Boytler from Denmark and Hopcroft from Great Britain ably represented our European brethren. The entire event was beautifully coordinated by Br. Sam Gray who, along with Br. Al Frank, led praise and worship

            After considering general issues involving our various visions of missions, and discussing "the things that bind us together", we reviewed our rich heritage under the leadership of Zinzendorf and the first 150 years of Moravian Missions. The question arose “what happened after that?”  How do we get back to basics in the fulfillment of The Great Commission? This lead to an in depth consideration of how we must work together as a Unity, in the power of the Holy Spirit, if we are going to survive as a denomination. (The numbers from North America and Europe dealing with church membership are not encouraging.)

We concluded our time together on Sunday with Holy Communion and a wrap-up of our small group sessions. I was blessed at the consensus of the essential agreements reached by the entire body:

q       Continue the practice of holding a Mission Summit - annually - and assuring the inclusive participation of all eligible representatives, especially in North America.

q       Develop a proposal to present to The Unity Board, which meets in 2007, that calls for the creation of a Unity World Mission Board with equitable representation from all the provinces - stressing mutual accountability and transparency in all areas of ministry and stewardship.

q       Appoint a " general administrator" to maintain communication and interprovincial coordination, particularly with regard to the UWMB. A task force consisting of Brs. Boytler, Geis, and Hopcroft was named to follow up on these last two points.

   The upcoming Synod will elect 12 new board members for the Mission Society. Six of your current board are eligible to be re-elected, and have agreed to run.  Pray that the Holy Spirit will be in charge of this election.

   This will be may last communication with you as your president.  My term of office will expire at Synod.  I have been blessed and privileged to serve you in this capacity.  Rest assured that my interest and participation in missions will continue as long as I am able. 

God bless you!
 Jack Geis

Some of the participants at the Mission Summit in Bethlehem, PA