Unity Offering 2001
March 4, 2001

The hospitals in the four Tanzanian provinces fulfill a very important task and serve thousands of people. The two oldest hospitals are Isoko (Southern Province) and Mbozi (South-Western Province), followed by Sikonge (Western Province) and Mumba (Rukwa Province, a health clinic). The hospitals are open for the total population and treat all kinds of diseases. Malaria is still the most frequent reason that patients come to the hospitals, but also AIDS plays an increasing role. AIDS prevention and information has become an important responsibility for the hospitals, including caring for AIDS orphans (more than 500 in the Isoko area, for example). Also, gynecology and surgery are important sections of the medical work. All staff come from Tanzania.

The financial position of the hospitals is not so strong. At Mbozi, the Government has decided to withdraw its financial support to a great extent as of July 1, 2001, so that the hospital staff already had to be downsized, and employees had to be dismissed. In Isoko, the Government pays the running costs, while Sikonge and Mumba depend completely on church contributions and patients' fees.

All four hospitals are witnessing the good news of Jesus Christ and the love of God by helping the needy ones. Pastoral care is offered at all institutions. The Unity Offering in 2001 shall help to bear the costs of this important, charitable work of our four provinces in Tanzania.

Unity Offering envelopes are available from the Mission Society office in Winston-Salem 336-773-1732.

Herrnhut Draws Text for Southern Province for 2001

At the close of 2000, members of the European Continental Provincial Board in Herrnhut drew watchwords for all the provinces of the Unity and each Unity Undertaking. The 2001 Watchword drawn for the Southern Province is February 20-Isaiah 50:6: "I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting". The Northern Province text is Psalm 46:10a: "Be still, and know that I am God!".

Provincial Potpourri
Published monthly by:
Provincial Elders’ Conference, Southern Prov.
336-725-5811 336-723-1029 FAX
http://www.geocities.com/mcsp.geo
Staff:
Robert E. Sawyer, President
Robert E. Hunter, Asst. To the President
Lynn Kale, Executive Asst.
Becky Honeycutt, Secretary

"BE OF ONE MIND, LIVE IN PEACE. AND THE GOD OF LOVE AND PEACE WILL BE WITH YOU." 2 CORINTHIANS 13:11
Our prayers are with...

Deaths

Bobby Allen, father of Matthew Allen (Pastor of Pine Chapel) died on January 16.

We express our love and sympathy to his family and friends.

Illness

Dave Wickmann, President of the Eastern District Board, is at home recuperating after heart by pass surgery.

Carl Martin, father of Judy Knopf (BEHM/BCE) suffered a stroke and remains seriously ill.

Helen Iobst, wife of Robert Iobst (retired Moravian Minister), is recuperating at Salemtowne, Room 233, after having hip replacement surgery.

Pauline N. Combs, mother of Roma Combs (Sunnyside Ministry), is recuperating at Salemtowne after having a stroke. Our prayers are with these.

Installations

Carol Foltz has accepted the call to become Associate Pastor at Friedland Moravian Church in Winston-Salem, NC. She has been on leave of absence from the active ministry since 1996 and has recently completed a two-year residency in Clinical Pastoral Education from NC Baptist Hospital and also served as interim associate pastor at Trinity Moravian. She will be installed on February 18, 2001.

Jon Peterson has accepted the call to become Pastor at Covenant Moravian Church in Wilmington, NC. He has served as Associate Pastor at Clemmons Moravian Church for the past 6 years. He will be installed on March 25, 2001.

James E. Henry has accepted the appointment to become Pastor of Palm Beach Moravian Church in W. Palm Beach, Florida. He grew up in the Moravian Church and has served many years as an ordained Baptist minister.

May God Bless you as you serve!

Consecrations

Greg Little was consecrated a presbyter on January 28, 2001 at Macedonia Moravian Church in Advance, NC, where he is pastor. Bishop Graham Rights officiated.

God Bless You!

Congratulations and God Bless You!

Because of scheduling conflicts the PEC met only once in January. Everyone was present and prepared for lots of work. The meeting began with a time of intercessory prayer. Prayer and discussion centered on call processes at Enterprise, Palm Beach, Prince of Peace, Christ, Covenant, Oak Grove, and Mizpah. At the request of the Board of Little Church on the Lane, Mr. Phil Schweers was appointed a congregational acolyte.

Logan Jones, David Merritt, and Will Sibert who are three of those serving under call to specialized ministry have submitted their annual reports. Each of them was commended for their work during the past year and their calls re-affirmed for the coming year. Norma Smith from the Prince of Peace Congregation has agreed to be the fourth delegate from the Southern Province to the Women's Consultation in South Africa this summer.

The Synod Planning Committee met for the first time on January 20 and submitted its initial thoughts to PEC. PEC approved a motion that the Assistant to the President be added to the list of advisory delegates attending synod if he/she is not a minister. A youth will be asked to serve on the planning committee. During the coming year, PEC will give attention to ideas on visioning for Synod 2002. Judy Knopf has developed a course of action for this and will be asked to coordinate the process. PEC also noted that appointments it makes after synod and during the intersynodal period are a matter of much importance.

Bob Hunter reported the Compensation and Benefits Committee will begin explaining the new Section 125 Plan to full-time employees

over the next three weeks. The benefit which will be effective on April 1 will allow employees to put aside money (pre-taxed) for covered health care expenses.

Roxann Miller has resigned as editor of The Moravian. PEC acknowledged its appreciation for her outstanding work. A report was received from BEHM and Chris Thore on the work at Huntersville. PEC appreciates the strong partnership BEHM has shown in key concerns around the province. Br. Angetile Musomba of the Tanzania, Southern Province was elected chair of the Unity Board. Election of a vice-chair and the other two members of the Advisory Board will take place at the Unity Board meeting in February.

Phillips Health Care Center

The new Health Care Center at Salemtowne was dedicated on January 18 and named in honor of Salemtowne President, Kay McGee Phillips. Sr. Phillips has worked with Salemtowne since 1984. In 1996 she accepted the position of Executive Director and soon afterwards President. Frank Driscoll commented during the dedication, "We are talking about Kay and love. It is without contest that this building for which we lay the cornerstone would not be here without the love and dedication of Kay to its realization." (submitted by Susan Sechter, Salemtowne)

CORRECTION: Book of Order

Please note in your Book of Order that Paragraph #870, page 32, last sentence of that section should read, "Coverage for spouses and widows/widowers who have reached the age of 65 is paid at 100% of the rate paid for the retiree." (submitted by Lynn Kale)

Getting to Know Our Agencies: The Board of Christian Education

The Board of Christian Education is the policy-making and program-building body in the Southern Province in matters pertaining to Christian Education. The purpose of the board is to design and initiate programs and experiences and to provide leadership, service and materials to both individuals and congregations so that they may find faith in Jesus Christ, grow in that faith, and develop ways to express that faith actively.

The board itself is composed of sixteen members, one half elected by provincial synod and one half appointed. Those appointed include youth and college age representatives, the Chairperson of the Laurel Ridge Board, the Executive Director, and a representative from the Florida District.

The board accomplishes its ministry through the combination of a program staff and various working groups which give particular attention to the areas of ministry under the board's concern. The current program staff is:

The Rev. Rick Sides-Executive Director
Beth Hayes, Director - Resource Center
The Rev. Brad Bennett, Director - Youth & College Ministries
(Open) Director-Children & Family Ministries
Mike Warren, Director-Laurel Ridge
Judy Knopf-Gemeinschaft Coordinator (part time)
Jonetta Conrad, Manager - Moravian Book & Gift Shop
Brenda Dean-Office Coordinator

Over one hundred volunteers in the province give of their time, energy and expertise to serve on the commissions, boards and committees under the Board of Christian Education. Currently those groups include:

• The Board of Directors of Laurel RidgeCamp, Conference & Retreat Center
• The Board of Directors of the Moravian Book & Gift Shop
• The Curriculum Commission
• The Church & Society Commission
• The Family Life Commission

• The Stewardship Commission
• The Youth Commission
• The Spiritual Growth Commission
• The Gemeinschaft Committee
• The Church Educators Committee
• The Lay Seminary Committee

The board also works jointly with the Northern Province in mutual matters of youth programming, curriculum sales and training, ecumenical church education events, and the service of the Interprovincial Board of Communication which publishes the Moravian Daily Texts and the Moravian Magazine.

The board's primary emphasis is to serve the educational needs and mission of our congregations in the province. Along with the staff and programming groups involved in that service, the board operates three distinct "businesses": The Moravian Book & Gift Shop, Laurel Ridge Camp, Conference and Retreat Center, and the curriculum sales operation provided through the Christian Education "Resource Center". The Book & Gift Shop has over $950,000 in sales annually and has given away $600,000 in shop profits over the years to support outreach projects in the church and the community. Laurel Ridge continues to provide a growing schedule of camps and conferences, plus the setting for many congregational retreats and programs which are so vital to the spiritual life and health of our churches. The Resource Center provides a free lending library of Christian education materials of all kinds for teachers, pastors, DCE's, and church leaders. It has also sold over $2,500,000 in church school curriculum and resources in the last 20 years to Moravian churches and beyond. Profits from these sales go to support the Board of Christian Education budget and making the Resource Center and staff possible as a service to our churches and others in the community. Because we do not operate a denominational publishing house, the Board of Christian Education participates (on behalf of the denomination) in ecumenical publishing partnerships that produce church school materials for us. The current primary curriculum being sold is Bible Quest which has ten denominations working together on its creation and production.

Whether its providing training experiences for Sunday School teachers, advocating for the needs of our growing number of professional Directors of Christian Education in

(continued on page 5)

Agencies: (Continued from page 4)

congregations, making plans for an expanded Higgins Lodge at Laurel Ridge, forming new Gemeinschaft groups or meeting with local church stewardship committees, the Board of Christian Education is an active, "hands-on" group. It believes deeply that our Moravian commitment to Christian Education is the key to our strength, growth, and identity as a part of the Body of Christ. The challenges we face include finding new and better ways to strengthen education in local congregations, better serving the needs of congregations at a distance from our offices in Winston-Salem, utilizing emerging technology for improving communication and resourcing, and dealing positively and realistically with the financial resources needed to carry out our designated mission within the church. We are excited and thankful to be sharing in this portion of our Lord's work!
(submitted by Rick Sides)

South African Visitors

The Rev. Chris and Nabs Wessels from CTown, S. Africa will be visiting in NY from March-May, 2001. Chris was pastor of the Elsies River Moravian Church and also taught at Mor. Theo. Sem. in Mbeya, Tanzania. Because of his anti-apartheid activities, he spent a year in prison without trial, followed by a year in solitary confinement and finally expulsion from his native province. Nabs has worked with a program empowering women for their role in the new South Africa. She was raised as a Muslim and their extended families continue to follow the two religions. They have many interesting stories to tell. Nabs will be in NY for job training. Chris would like to find opportunities for lectures, preaching, etc. or even a temporary position. Any invitation to him should include travel expenses and an honorarium. Please contact David Schattschneider for more details.
(submitted by Bob Sawyer)

Moravian Ministry Association

The March 1 meeting will be at 10:30 a.m. at Salem Academy and College Fine Arts Center. If the parking lot is full, you may park along the drive through God's Acre. Coffee will be served before the meeting. Craig Atwood will lead devotions. At 11:00 a.m. we will go to the Distance Learning Center, jointly operated by Salem College, Moravian Theological Seminary, and the Southern Province. Riddick Weber will demonstrate video-conferencing possibilities. A representative from Salem Academy will answer questions about clergy children attending the Academy. At noon we will have a buffet lunch in the Club Dining Room beneath the Refrectory with greetings from Dr. Julianne Still Thrift. Cost for the meal is $5.00 payable at lunch. Please make a reservation by Feb.23 through Bill Campbell.
(submitted by Craig Atwood)

April -Salemtowne-10:30 am

Florida District Program

Ginny Ward Holderness, a national leader and teacher of church youth leaders, presented a workshop in FL on December 9. The 28 people attending in Miami constituted an average of seven people from each of the four congregations represented. They included some current youth leaders and also people who are interested in becoming leaders. The Provincial Youth and College Ministries and the FL Districts Youth and Christian Education program sponsored the worship, which was similar to the one presented last year in Winston-Salem.

Marissa Leith of the Prince of Peace congregation participated in the FL Council of Churches workshop on Global Warming and the Churches, part of the Council's program of "Cherishing the Creation." She presented a message on Christians' caring concern for the earth at the December 31 morning worship at Prince of Peace. The message and materials were made available to other FL congregations.
(submitted by Ted Wilde)

Director of Communication Resigns

The Interprovincial Board of Communication (IBOC) announced the resignation of Roxann Miller as director of communication, effective February 28, 2001. Her vision contributed to a new look for The Moravian and an expansion of publication products, especially in relation to the Moravian Daily Texts. We wish Roxann well!

Germany Pastors Visit

Brother Hans Beat-Motel, former chair of the PEC of the European Continental Province has arranged a visit of 10-12 pastors from their provinces to visit the two provinces here in North America next spring. The purpose is to become more fully aware of the congregational life, church structure and worship, as well as financial issues relating to our provinces. It is anticipated that the group will be in the US from April 20-30, 2001 with visits in Bethlehem, New York City, Washington, DC and Winston-Salem, NC. (The group plans to be in Winston-Salem from April 26-30. ) Would you be willing to host one of these pastors (male or female)? Would you be willing to help drive a van to and from Bethlehem, PA, April 25-26? If so, contact Bob Hunter, PEC office, 336-725-5811. More information will follow as we look forward to hosting this event.

TO: Moravian Church in America, Southern Province

FROM: Chris Miller, Greene Co. Health Dept., Snow Hill, NC

Dear Board Members, As we are looking forward to another year since the flood, I wanted to take time to say how very much your support meant over the last year. The money you sent helped eight families rebuild or repair their homes and lives. Some of the money helped pay some medical bills or buy medicines for some children. One family that was helped was literally living in a house but was exposed to outside conditions; there are five children less than age seven in this home. I am hoping that most of the families hurt by the flood have been helped by now. I am finally able to go to Greenville and not pass mountains of debris. Thank you again for allowing me to be the instrument of your aid. Some day I hope you'll know what a difference you made.
(submitted by Bob Rierson, BEHM)

Unity Seminar 2000 Gospel and Culture in Suriname, South Africa

How can I begin to sum up in a few paragraphs an experience that continues to have so much impact upon my ministry and the way I view our Moravian Unity. Although the entire experience was not without its frustrations and sleepless nights, I am so thankful for the opportunity to share in the fellowship of Moravian brothers and sisters from around the world.

My best memories come from our times of worship, our late night conversations while waiting in line to email loved ones back home, our shared experiences of differences in culture and theology, and the spontaneous outbursts of song and laughter during our trips around Suriname and Guyana.

Sharing our experiences of ministry and mission broadened our horizons and enabled us to explore the relationship between gospel and culture. We became acutely aware that if we are unable or unwilling to understand and interpret (or re-interpret) our culture, then we have no hope of being effective witnesses for Christ. Sometimes the hardest thing to do was to truly listen to one another and seek to understand the life and therefore the interpretation of the gospel from another person's cultural perspective.

During the time we were in Suriname armed conflict threatened an all out war between Israel and Palestine. It was a blessing to experience the peace and mutual respect with which all religions co-exist in Suriname. We spent time learning about the Afro-Surinamese religion, Winti, as we explored the pluralism of beliefs expressed throughout all churches in the Caribbean. Although the Moravian church in Suriname is made up of a wide range of cultures and worship experiences, from Dutch and Creole to Javanese and Chinese, they are still struggling with the existence of painful cultural boundaries rooted in the old hierarchy of slavery. We were impressed with the ministry the Surinamese Moravian church has found through the development of Christian schools for children and young adults despite its less than adequate funding. Our weekend trip

into Guyana was uplifting and we found ourselves challenged by the renewal of the Moravian church in Guyana. There are not enough ordained pastors to serve all of the churches but that doesn't slow down this group of Christians. Lay pastors are experiencing growth and outreach in their congregations through the revitalization of leadership and involvement arising from the youth.

We walked away from small group discussions with an awareness of the urgent need to encourage our congregations and provinces to continually be about the process of discerning the difference between our culture and the essentials of our faith. Realizing that there is as much fear and uncertainty in this process, the giving over to God those traditions and interpretations that we hold most dear can lead to a closer relationship with God and a clearer sense of mission. It is the only way for us to grow in our faith, in our relationship with God, and become effective witness of the good news. As the hymn we opened and closed our seminar says, we must "bind ourselves together with love" and wholeheartedly commit to placing the future of our ministries, our traditions and our worldwide Moravian Unity into the hands of God.

Thanks to the technological gifts of Rev. Hal Atkins, I will soon have a video presentation of the highlights from my experiences at Unity Seminar 2000. If you are interested (your congregation, women's fellowship, missions committee, etc) in hearing more about the Moravian Church around the world, I will be in NC for a presentation to the Moravian Ministry Asso. soon. Please contact me via email: tap71@go.com or through Morning Star Church office in Arizona 623-979-0488. (submitted by Tracy Pryor)

For Your Calendar: February

Moravian Church in America, South
Provincial Elders’ Conference
Drawer O, Salem Station
Winston-Salem, NC 27108

Address Correction Requested

Address Book

Graham & Sybil Rights
553 Steeple View Ct.
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
(336) 725-5084 (Phone # published in Daily Text and Directory is incorrect)

John G. Rights
1224 Pinebluff Rd
Winston-Salem, NC 27103
336-765-7771

Margaret Higgins
4202 Salemtowne Dr
Winston-Salem, NC 27106

Deadline for the March issue of Provincial Ties is February 22.