The Unity Board Standing Committee on Theology Meets In Bethlehem

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania – The Unity Board Standing Committee on Theology met at Moravian Theological Seminary in Bethlehem from January 10-14, 2005. The committee is comprised of eight members, two members from each of the four regions of The Unitas Fratrum (International Moravian Church). The committee is chaired by the Right Reverend John Kent of Suriname.

Pictured back row, left to right: Worth Green, Jaroslav Pleva, Benjamin Wright III, Kingsley Lewis, Tuntufye Mwenisongole. Picture front row left to right: John Kent and Benigna Carstens.

The committee meets twice during the intersynodal period and works in an advisory role to the Unity Board. They receive items to discuss referred by the Unity Synod and the current Unity Board, and may add additional items to their agenda as necessary.

The last Unity Synod was also held in Bethlehem in August of 2002 where the committee reported their work on issues of Gospel and culture, homosexuality, baptism, the charismatic movement, the role of the Moravian Theological institutions in forming theology, and admission of children to Holy Communion.

For the next Unity Synod to be held in 2009, the following issues were on the agenda for the committee during their January 2005 meeting, “The Essentials” – a discussion of papers written at the request of the Unity Board by Bishop Nicodemo of Western Tanzania and Bishop Temmers of South Africa, the meaning and role of the Unity, Theological issues related to Moravians in the Czech Republic, and homosexuality.

Members of the committee include: the Rt. Rev. John Kent of Suriname, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Kingsley Lewis of the West Indies, the Rev. Lennox Mcubusi of South Africa, the Rev. Tuntufye Mwenisongole of Tanzania, the Rev. Dr. Worth Green of the Southern Province of North America, Dr. Benjamin G. Wright III of the Northern Province of North America, the Rev. Benigna Carstens of Germany, and the Rev. Jaroslav Pleva of the Czech Republic.