Looking Forward into the Wind
A BEHM Note

Years ago when the Board of Evangelism and Home Missions came into being who would have thought that there would be a South Florida dimension to our Southern Province Ministry, ethnic and diverse, strong and vital, rich in their experience of God? Who would have thought that congregations would form, such as, Prince of Peace, King of Kings, Palm Beach, New Hope and that Fellowships would develop in Miami, Sarasota and Tampa of Surinamese and Miskito peoples from South America and Nicaragua? Stunning!

Later in the "years ago" period who would have thought that Sunnyside Ministry would have been born, midwifed by Trinity Moravian, cuddled, fed and wrapped up by BEHM, by our extraordinary directors and a strong force of volunteers who day after day tend to the needs of people in emergencies? Who would have thought that Sunnyside and its entourage of bearers would have moved from location to location to a prominent, eight thousand sq. ft. building on Haled and would be building a prayer garden to the West of its location, where an ecumenical spirit can prevail in spiritual development and community solidarity? Who would have thought that God foresaw the future needs of our community and that the welfare reform act of 1996 would lay a heavy burden on Sunnyside raising the client interviews fifty percent and moving the budget from $266,378.31 in 1966 to a projected total for 2001 to $601,000.00? Who would have thought that God would provide a former grocer as our recent director, Roma Combs, to lead us though such complications brought on by growth and human plight? Stunning!

Who would have thought that by building a correctional facility in downtown Winston Salem that could house as many as 1100 inmates would stir the Moravians to hear God's call for a Moravian Chaplain in the Forsyth Jail & Prison Ministries to care for such hardened and disobedient people? Who would have thought that Robert Wolfe would have heard the summons to reach out to them, to listen and be heard, to teach and preach and give of himself to such an unwanted group of people? Who would have thought that the three-year trial period would grow to six and now nine and that congregations, individuals and businesses would generate the funding outside the normal "provincial contributions" pattern? Stunning!

Who would have thought that in the wake of Hurricane Floyd that Moravians would reach deep into their pockets to raise well over two hundred thousand dollars for restoration of homes in the hardest hit areas and that Moravian Congregations would assume the responsibility for refurbishing individual homes, some congregations taking on at least four

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

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
Luke 2:14
Our prayers are with...

Deaths

The Rev. Dr. Kurt H. Vitt of Ardrossan, Alberta, Canada died December 9. He is survived by wife, Renate, and four children. He served congregations in Canada and as Director of Theological Education in Alaska until his retirement in 1996.

Nonnie Cox Garrison, mother of Hazel Stelter (wife of the late Elmer Stelter) died December 14 in Yadkinville, NC.

Beth Fischler (mother of David Fischler, Pastor of First Moravian (NC), died December 23 in CA. We express our love and sympathy to their families & friends.

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

Illness

Tom Hensley, Moravian Minister, and Jimmie L. Newsom, Jr., Pastor of King Moravian, both continue to do well after having a kidney transplant on December 22.

Our prayers are with these.

Births

Greg Little (Pastor of Macedonia Moravian) and Beth are proud parents of a fifth child, Micah Williams, born on December 8.

Congratulations!

Laurel Ridge New Director

The Board of Christian Education and the Board of Directors of Laurel Ridge are pleased to announce that Michael R. Warren will become the new Director of Laurel Ridge Moravian Camp, Conference and Retreat Center. Mike is a graduate of NC State University where he received a degree in Parks and Recreation Administration and graduate degree in Recreation Resources and Public Administration. Mike has held several positions in recreation management and administration, and for the past few years has owned and managed his own publishing distribution firm in Cary, NC.

Mike is a life-long member of Raleigh Moravian where he and wife DeAnne have been active participants. Mike has also served on staff at Raleigh Moravian as Director of Music. He attended Laurel Ridge as a camper, worked on the M-Staff at Laurel Ridge in his college years, and has served for the past two years on the Board of Directors of Laurel Ridge. Besides his camp background and administrative experience, Mike has a particular love for the out of doors and has enjoyed spending time in the mountains of western NC.

Mike will begin his service at Laurel Ridge on January 2. He will be working part time until February when he begins full time. We look forward to Mike's leadership in the ministry of Laurel Ridge. We hold Mike and DeAnne in our prayers during this time of transition and new beginnings "on the mountain."
(submitted by Rick Sides)

The Provincial Elders' Conference met October 31, November 7, and November 21. Each meeting began with a ti The Provincial Elders' Conference met on December 11 and 19 and began each meeting with a time of prayer and sharing. Call processes are in progress for Mizpah, Oak Grove, Covenant, Christ Church, Friedland (associate), Prince of Peace, Palm Beach, and Enterprise.

PEC recently learned of two situations in which a predecessor pastor was inappropriately involved in a congregation after concluding a pastorate. PEC will draw up a statement to serve as a guide for pastors with respect to congregations previously served.

Bonnie Landreth, Beth Moore, and Ann Geis are delegates from our Province to the Women's Consultation to be held in June in South Africa. In addition several members of the planning committee are from our province and will attend.One more representative will be invited to attend.

PEC approved a recommendation from the Laurel Ridge Board that a construction easement be granted to the NCDOT for improving and paving Darnell Woodie Road. Environmental damage and safety issues have been considered. The James Overton Estate, along with its executors Sarah Hunter and Nancy Overton, has donated a 1988 Ford Tempo to the Province.

Acting in response to requests from some pastors, PEC agreed that contacts should be made with clergy who previously served in the province but are no longer on the roll of active clergy. Several possibilities were mentioned to stay in closer touch with those who so desire.

The Planning Committee for Synod 2002 has been appointed and will meet for the first time on January 20. The theme will reflect an emphasis on ministry, lay and clergy.

PEC approved a contribution of some $7000 (from the Bahnson Fund) for the newly completed Videoconference Room at Salem College. In addition to the College and the Province, the facility has been funded by Moravian Theological Seminary, the United Brethren's Church on Staten Island, the Hillsdale Fund, the Lovett Foundation, Home Moravian Church, and the Ronda Ware Cobb Foundation.

Several continuing education requests were approved. Correspondence was noted from Leslie Venable (concerning Moravian/Episcopal bilateral talks) and from the Macedonia congregation (proposal to the next synod concerning contributions to world evangelism outside the Moravian Church).
(submitted by Bob Sawyer)

Congratulations and God Bless You!

Change in Dental Insurance

Effective January 1, 2001 the Southern Province's dental insurance plan is with Reliance Standard Insurance. The plan number is 136-2034. You should receive booklets and ID cards within 10 to 14 days. If you visit your dentist before receiving your ID card, call Reliance Standard at 1-800-497-7044 Option 1 to verify coverage.
(submitted by Rick Cartner)

Care for Former Leprosy Patients of Star Mountain

For hundreds of years there had always been lepers in Palestine. They gathered near the big cities, formed a community of beggars, leading a dreary life. Near Jaffa Gate in Jersalem there was such a leper colony.

A German lady, Mrs. Von Keffenbrink - Ascherade, who visited Jerusalem in the last century, decided to do more for them than just throwing some money to them. She collected funds in order to buy a plot of land outside Jaffa Gate and formed a committee that should take care of the lepers. In 1867 a leprosarium named JESUSHILFE was built which could accommodate part of the sick people. The Moravian Church Board in Herrnhut sent a missionary and his wife as a director and nurse to care for the patients.

Twenty years later the home had become too small although new rooms had been added several times. In 1887 a new house was built large enough for 50 patients, about half an hour's walk outside the old city. The Moravian Church in Herrnhut took over the responsibility for the home, the director and the nursing sisters came from Emmaus, Niesky in Germany.

After the First World War, Great Britain took over the government of Palestine. Therefore the British Mission Board of the Moravian Church was held responsible for the leprosarium. The nurses still were sent from Emmaus.

During the Jewish - Arab war 1948 the part of Jerusalem southeast of the Old city became Israeli territory. The Arab patients and the staff from abroad had to leave the hospital. The lepers found a place in the very old Turkish leprosarium in Silwan, where care and treatment of sick people were insufficient. Some of the nurses remained in East Jerusalem and continued to take care of their patients in Silwan.

In the meantime leprosy had lost part of its threat and gloomy outlook. Due to new treatment it was possible not only to stop the disease but also to heal it. Nobody had to fear contact with lepers any more.

Sister Johanna Larsen who had worked in Jerusalem for 20 years traveled through Europe and told the sad story of the lepers in Jerusalem. She succeeded in raising funds in order to build a new home for the Arab patients. In 1958 the Moravian Church could buy a big plot of land outside Ramallah in Jordan, a flat hill top of about 20 acres, with enough space for building a hospital, for fields, woods, for gardens and husbandry. After building the hospital, digging cisterns, planting firs, olive and fruit trees and preparing fields, vineyards and gardens, three small houses were built for leper couples. The home was opened in 1960. Many of the patients could work in the fields and stables and so contribute to their livelihood.

In 1967 the West Bank including Ramallah became Israel occupied territory. Patients from Jordan could no longer come to Star Mountain; due to the new medication there were few new cases of leprosy, so that the number of patients decreased steadily. That is why in the seventies the Moravian Church decided to find a new location for Star Mountain as soon as the former inhabitants, some ten people, had found a new place to live.

Today Star Mountain has a school for mentally handicapped children with boarding facilities for ten girls who live too far away to come daily. A Community Based Rehabilitation Program deals with handicapped children at their home and strengthens local committees in their activities for mentally, physically and socially handicapped people in their village. Six mentally retarded boys between 16 and 20 years are trained in fieldwork and small animal husbandry.

Besides its main responsibility for handicapped children, Star Mountain cares for four former leprosy patients who live outside the center.

Those who live on their own and have no children to look after get a small monthly aid. There is no social welfare system to care for old people. Regular visits to the Hansen Hospital, the former home Jesushilfe in Jerusalem, are necessary in order to treat hands and feet that are mutilated and have lost sensitivity through leprosy. Old age problems occur more and more often. What will happen, when these people will be unable to look after themselves?

One of these is Ghazale. She is always busy in her garden. She grows tomatoes, cucumbers, mint and parsley. She bakes her own bread. Her husband is over 80 years old. Last year he fell in front of his house and broke his leg, but fortunately he recovered fairly well. Their small house is cold in winter, and kerosene for the stove is expensive. Three years ago electricity was installed in their house as well as two neighbors houses with money from Europe. The next improvement will be a telephone for emergency situations.

Ali, their neighbor, is much younger, but his hands are so badly mutilated, that he can hardly work, which makes him feel unhappy, although he is married and has healthy children.

Chadra lives in Beit Hanina, near Jerusalem in an unfinished house all by herself. Her sister lives in the same village, but she is so poor that she cannot support Chadra. Star Mountain pays her house rent, and neighbors help as much as they can. She suffers from old age problems and has difficulties climbing the stairs to her flat. Luckily she did not hurt herself seriously when she fell recently.

The care for these former patients will be a big challenge in the near future. Those four people are still living independently with just a small support, but without generous financial help from abroad hospital care, an expensive medical treatment, intensive care at home or accommodations in a nursing home would not be possible. (submitted by Bob Sawyer)

"A Gathering of Stewards" March 2–3, 2001

The provincial Stewardship Commission is excited to announce an important event that will be held on Friday and Saturday, March 2-3, 2001 in the Family Life Center at Friedberg Moravian Church for people from all of the congregations in our province. "A Gathering of Stewards" will be a time of education, fellowship, worship, inspiration, and shared information around our role and identity as financial stewards for God in today's world. The keynote speaker and leader for the the event will be The Rev. Mark Moller-Gunderson, Executive Director of the Division for Congregational Ministries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Mark works with hundreds of congregations in the area of stewardship life and development, and we are excited to have him with us for these two days in March. The event will begin with dinner on Friday evening and conclude at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. More specific information along with a registration brochure will be sent to congregations in January 2001. For more information contact the Board of Christian Education office 336-722-8126.
(submitted by Rick Sides)

The IRS reimbursement rate for mileage in 2001 is $ .345. This is an increase from $ .325 due to the jump in gasoline prices.

The Unity Offering for 2001 is determined for the hospitals of the four Tanzanian provinces. More information will be forthcoming in the February Provincial Ties.

Dedication at Salemtowne

The dedication of the new health care center at Salemtowne will be held Thursday, January 18, 2000 at 2:00 pm. There will be a reception following the brief service, and tours of the building will be available.

The building is a licensed 84 bed skilled nursing facility with 18 of the beds designated for the Special Care Unit, specifically for the care of residents with dementia. Also with the building, 4 beds are certified for Medicare and 20 beds for Medicaid. Seventy-four of the 84 beds are in private rooms. The remaining 10 beds are in dual occupied suites.

Please join the Salemtowne Board, residents, and staff in the dedication of this building, which adds greatly to the quality of care available for Salemtowne residents.
(submitted by Kay Phillips)

Board of World Mission
Asia Ministry

Dr. Anne F. Schenz, Chair of the Board of World Mission, announces the commissioning service for Julie Prentice for ministry with the Board of World Mission's Asia ministry. Her commissioning service will be on Sunday, January 14, 2001 at the Church of the Redeemer, Dublin, Ohio.

Continuing Education

James A. Gray Lecture Series
WSSU-Anderson Center 9:45 am
February 1, 2001 "Being Socially Spiritual and Spiritually Social" by Dr. Frederick D. Haynes

Dr. Haynes is pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, TX. Under his leadership, the church has grown from 100 to more than 5,000 members.

The Moravian Book & Gift Shop
The Store with a Mission

The Moravian Book & Gift Shop would like to thank you for your supporting us throughout the year. Please let us know if we can serve you in any way. We had a wonderful Christmas season and we look forward to the new year.

Do you know that all our profits go to world wide outreach and when you buy from the store, you are helping the outreach mission of the store?

Looking to 2001

Lent and Easter: We hope you will drop by your store during the Lenten and Easter season and look for those special items for your home and family. We sell Readings for Holy Week, New Testaments, Bibles, jewelry and other special items for baptism and confirmation. We will be featuring merchandise for the Lenten and Easter season beginning in February. We will also have an after Easter Sale.

Christmas in July Sale: The next scheduled event is our Christmas in July Sale on July 15th through the 21st. We will sell all of our old stock from the previous year at a great discount and we will have some new items on sale also. Plan to do your Christmas shopping early for the year 2001 and get a great bargain!
(submitted by Jonetta Conrad)

continued from page 1

homes, sending down workforces and meeting up with the Baptist Men, the Methodist, Lutherans and Presbyterians to work hand in hand? Who would have thought that after a year of major effort, the work continues and congregations are still involved? Stunning!

Who would have thought that on behalf of our congregations in the Southern Province, financial help through BEHM is given to Prodigals Community, Yokefellow Prison Ministry, Forsyth Jail and Prison Ministries, the Food Bank of North Carolina, Meals on Wheels, Society of St. Andrews, Cooperative Christian Ministry in Eden, Eastern Catawba Christian Ministry in Newton, Inter-Faith Food Shuttle in Raleigh, Bread for the World and Samaritan Ministries, and that God uses congregational dollars far beyond community, county and state? Stunning!

Who would have thought that Raleigh Moravian, growing restless in the Spirit, would invite BEHM to partner with them in the development of a new congregation at Holly Springs, a small community just Southeast of Raleigh? - and that a family named Atkins would take the call and begin the long journey of formation, some will come from the home congregation, others from the community of Holly Springs? (Report: Twenty-eight couples from Raleigh Moravian are interested in moving to the new location. Small groups are being formed both in Raleigh and Holly Springs. Special worship services are planned and held to move the development along. Land has been selected as a possible site for the new church.) Stunning!

Who would have thought that Huntersville would cry out for the Moravians to come? And

who would have thought that a family named Thore would hear the longings of the Huntersville people for the Gospel and for them to come and live among them? (Worship is held every Sunday Morning at 10:30 at the Cavin-Cook Funeral Home. Still early in the development process between 40 and 50 persons gather each week to study and worship. Sunday School began on December 3rd. And God has blessed them all.)

Some time ago in the "years ago" epoch, a small band of Moravians in Welcome, North Carolina, decided to continue to worship together, even with no more than seven people present. Who would have thought that two more couples with their children would come and begin worshipping with them, and that a retired Pastor named Jack Nance would help them through a long struggle to gain new hope for things to come? Membership is now in the mid seventies. Who would have thought that Community Fellowship would bounce back like that? Some things are meant to live. Stunning!

Who would have thought that the Synod of '98 would see the need for a revitalization process for our Moravian congregations and would institute "Challenge 21" and that the PEC would trust a congregation like Providence to the process, and call Arkon Stewart to lead them in a new direction? Today there is a new spirit at Providence. Attendance has more than doubled and a Sunday School and Youth Fellowship have new vitality. Covenant in Wilmington and Morning Star in Asheville have entered the process too. Stunning!

Where do we go from here? The prospects are endless. Let's lean a little more into the wind. Stir up our determination and keep going. (submitted by Bob Rierson, BEHM)

Moravian Heritage Week

The Moravian Celebration of the Creative Arts The Moravian Book & Gift will hold Moravian Heritage Week September 8-15, 2001. The kick off day will be called "The Moravian Celebration of the Creative Arts." The celebration was a huge success last May and we hope it will be even larger this September. Many Moravian items will be on sale in the store and artisans will be demonstrating and selling their crafts on the square. MB&G organizes the Celebration and provides the space, but artisans will keep all their profits. We want to help the Moravians share their talents and their faith with the community. If you know of anyone who is a Moravian and is interested in sharing their talents with the community and sell their art on the square in Old Salem, please have them call the store (336-723-6262) and talk with Jonetta Conrad. We are also interested in providing music for the day as well, and musicians are not required to perform Moravian music.

We are also interested in any church who is selling cookbooks to come and sell them during this Celebration. They should bring some tastings from the recipes in their cookbook to serve the public. (This was recently done for Home Church's new cookbook and it was a tremendous success.) Please call if you are interested.

Throughout the year, we will have many book signings of local authors and artists displaying their art medium. Our book room features local authors, historical novels and history books, books on Moravian history and Moravian literature, books on colonial times, classics, Christian literature, bibles, and a wonderful selection of children's books.

We are interested in providing a space for your Book Clubs, organizational meetings, Sunday School classes, Bible Study groups, Youth Meetings and Women's Fellowships after the store closes. We have a place for you to meet, someone to help you set up your meeting, and we can provide a beverage. We will keep a register open if you want to buy anything. If you are interested in any of these, please call. Our calendar changes throughout the year. We will keep in touch with you through this newsletter as the year progresses. Thanks for your support!
(submitted by Jonetta Conrad)

News from Florida
New Year's Worship & Prayer

The observances of the New Year by South Florida Moravian Churches reflect the heritage of many members in Central America and the Caribbean. Watchnight services at the New Hope, Prince of Peace, King of Kings and Palm Beach congregations are similar to those in most North American congregations: scripture texts for the new year are distributed; the sermon is interrupted at mid-night. However, the attendance at these services is more distinctive. Each service will have many more people present than the total membership of the respective congregation. Thus, with many visitors and infrequent participants present, these services offer a significant opportunity for outreach and evangelism.

The New Hope Watchnight service will kick off a mission emphasis year of reaching outside the congregation, internationally and in the neighborhood.

The conclusion of the Prince of Peace service at midnight will mark the start of that congregation's 12-hour prayer assignment in the Moravian Unity Prayer watch. A further prayer service until 1:00 am will continue in the Sanctuary, after which individual members will carry through for the remaining assigned time.

The New Year also marks the start of the "Week of Prayer" to begin the new year, a part of a broader heritage still carefully observed in Nicaragua and in most Florida Moravian Congregations. The King of Kings congregation will hold prayer services every evening of the first five days of the new year.

The Surinam Fellowship and its families have a different tradition of coming to a worship service early in the evening on New Year's Eve and then returning home before midnight to share the change of year in their separate households.

The New Hope congregation plans to precede its Church Council on Sunday, January 14 with a visioning day on Saturday. Working groups in the four areas of worship, education, resources, and nurture and outreach will prepare proposals to present to the Church Council, in a pattern intended to be similar to the working of a provincial synod.

The Moravian FL District also includes the Rolling Hills congregation north of Orlando, and fellowships in Sarasota and Tampa. Moravians vacationing in Florida who find a Moravian congregation for worship will encourage their fellow Moravians to experience some fresh worship opportunities.
(submitted by Ted Wilde)

The Moravian Church has received a certificate from the Baptist State Convention of NC thanking Moravians for their participation in the Hurricane Floyd C.A.R.E. Program. "Thank you for partnering with a family to help rebuild their home and their lives. Your generosity has been greatly appreciated."
(submitted by Bob Rierson)

Legislative Seminar

A registration brochure is included in this newsletter concerning the Legislative Seminar to be sponsored by the NC Council of Churches at Raleigh Moravian Church on February 20, 2001. The council will be promoting some important legislation in the NC Assembly when it meets for its "Long" session in 2001.

Please duplicate the registration form in this brochure and promote it among your congregation. Please encourage groups from your church to attend together. I would be glad to have some ride along with me.
(submitted by Bill McElveen 336-994-2349)

Salem College Continuing Studies

IT'S NOT TOO LATE to take courses at Salem College to earn a degree, get teacher certification, or study your favorite subject! Spring classes begin February 5. Call the Office of Continuing Studies at 336-721-2669 to ask for more information or set up an appointment. We'd love to meet you!
(submitted by Brett Pesce)

Huntersville Reaching Out

Through the Campus Ministry at UNC-Charlotte, the Huntersville congregation brought a Christmas Lovefeast to the students on the UNCC campus. The church also was invited to minister at Lake Norman Medical Center. It's exciting to see they have already started a great tradition of reaching out.

The new church start at Huntersville, NC which meets at the chapel of the Cavin-Cook Funeral Home on NC State Road #115 in Huntersville is using the name New Beginnings Moravian Community as they get organized and grow. Their official name is yet to be determined. They are now offering Sunday School at 9:45am and worship at 10:30am.
(submitted by Lynn Kale)

New Testament Themes For Today

Br. Tom Haupert reports that he is working on a study of the Greek text of the New Testament with a view to hearing anew its major themes in connection with listening for the same in congregation settings.

One of the results of this work was a paper presented in the symposium commemorating the 300th birthday of N. L. von Zinzendorf, in Bethlehem and Winston-Salem distance learning centers serving Moravian Theological Seminary, on November 3rd.

He continues working with the texts of Mark and Hebrews and some overarching concerns with ties to the whole canon, centered in the interrelated array of understandings concerning atonement, and how these are appropriated in congregation life today.
(submitted by Bob Sawyer)

For Your Calendar: January

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

Address Correction Requested

Address Book

Tracy Pryor (home)
7142 W. Cherry Hills Drive
Peoria, AZ 85345
623-878-7159
E-mail: tap71@go.com

Unity Board

Br. Hans-Beat Motel ended his term as chair of the Unity Board on December 31, 2000. Br. Motel has served as chair for four years and during this time the Unity has faced several crises. Br. Motel has given a great deal of time and attention to the matters, as well as the many ongoing administrative responsibilities of the office. We are grateful for his hard work and for the commitment he has to our Moravian Unity. The Rev. Angetile Musomba has been elected chair of the Unity Board beginning January, 2001. (submitted by Bob Sawyer)

Deadline for the February issue of Provincial Ties is January 25.