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Unity Board
Office of the President
To: The Provinces and the Unity Undertakings
"To this day (we) have had help from God, and so (we) stand here, testifying to both small and great." (Acts. 26:22) As we have gathered as a Unity Board in the Czech Republic, a place so full of meaning for our church, we can indeed be witnesses of God's goodness to us over the course of our meetings. We have shared each others' joys and sorrows; heard each others' hopes and fears and lifted each other up in prayer and thanksgiving. It cannot be denied that, at times, our mutual bonds have been tested and we have questioned the nature of our Unity -- are we simply a federation of autonomous Provinces, or are we bound together by some stronger ties? We have come to the moment when we must all answer this question with clarity. As within a marriage, so within our Unity - the parties have the freedom to grow and develop as individuals within the bonds of commitment and fidelity each owes to the other within its covenant relationship. What is true of marriage vows is also true of the discipline of remaining true to the Order of the Moravian Church. In our consideration of the situation in the Provinces of the Unity, much of our time was spent dealing with the situation in the Czech Republic, which, we have agreed, must be treated for the time being as work in two distinct areas. We also discussed the situation in Honduras, where a process for reconciling the two Moravian groups has been proposed. We pray that differences can be resolved with love and understanding. The Unity Board rejoices in the many signs of growth that we have heard of over the past days and would encourage you to keep the Moravian torch of commitment to mission burning. In 2007 we shall have seen 550 years of existence as the Unitas Fratrum and we hope that you will now be starting to plan your celebrations. Perhaps you might consider sharing events across your regions. Let us, indeed, make a joyful noise to the Lord as we give thanks for our rich and wonderful heritage. We know that life for many of you is not easy and yet you still persevere in building up the body of Christ. When you are feeling discouraged, hold before you the words of the prophet Micah. "…what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?" We want to assure you of our prayers and pray that God will continue to bless you richly as you strive to do His will and be assured. Angetile Musomba
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