The Rev. Samuel Gray Elected Bishop of the Moravian Unity
at the Synod of the Southern Province, Moravian Church in North America

The Southern Province of the Moravian Church in North America has elected the Rev. Samuel Gray, Clemmons, North Carolina, to the office of Bishop. The election took place during the Provincial Synod held at the Blue Ridge Assembly Center in Black Mountain, North Carolina from April 19-23, 2006.

The Synod is a gathering of clergy and laypersons representing about 20,000 members of the Moravian Church, Southern Province, in North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and Florida. Being culturally diverse the congregations and fellowships in Florida District of the Southern Province consist of Moravians from Nicaragua, Honduras, Surinam, Jamaica, and other islands of the Eastern West Indies and the Virgin Islands.

In the Moravian Church, bishops are not administrators or executives, nor do they have specific regions they serve. Instead, the office of bishop is primarily that of being a pastor to pastors and having the authority and the privilege of ordaining persons – men and women – into the first order of Moravian ministry, which is deacon, and then consecrating that person to the order of presbyter. Once consecrated a Bishop, these persons serve the worldwide Moravian church through the Unitas Fratrum. Gray will be officially consecrated a bishop within the next few months.

The Rev. Gray, born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, began his intercultural experiences and ministry at a young age when his parents, the Rev. and Mrs. Joe Gray, took him to Nicaragua when he was 5 weeks old. He lived in Nicaragua for 11 years where he was home schooled through the elementary years as his parents served as missionaries. During the junior high years his family returned to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he gave his life to Christ at an old fashioned Revival Service at Grace Moravian Church in 1968, where his father served as pastor. Gray attended high school at The Stony Brook School, Long Island, New York, on a Dewitt Wallace Reader’s Digest Scholarship and graduated in 1972. He attended Moravian College, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, from 1972-1976, with a major in Religion.

After college Gray took part in a Youth Exchange Program in the Dominican Republic with Moravian, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches. He also worked for one year with the Moravian Church in Honduras where he organized a student group in Tegucigalpa.

In 1978 Gray returned to Moravian College for further study in Elementary Education. He then attended Fuller Seminary, California, in the summer of 1979. He graduated from Moravian College in 1980.

In January 1980, Gray began full time service for the Board of World Mission, Moravian Church, in Honduras as a high school teacher, Director of the Bible Institute, Christian Education Director, Student Group organizer, and founding pastor of Israel Moravian Church in Tegucigalpa where he served for over 13 years.

Gray returned to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1993 to attend Moravian Theological Seminary. He graduated in 1996 with a Master’s of Divinity degree. Gray was ordained a Deacon of the Moravian Church in May 1996. The Rev. Gray was consecrated a Presbyter in June 2004. Since becoming ordained he has served as Assistant Pastor of Emmaus Moravian Church, Emmaus, Pennsylvania; Director of Youth Ministries for the Eastern District of the Northern Province, Moravian Church in North America; as pastor of New Hope Moravian Church, Miami, Florida; and currently serves as the Director of Intercultural Ministries and Communication for the Board of World Mission of the Moravian Church in North America.

The Rev. Gray and his wife, Lorena, are the parents of three sons, Luke, Tim, and Christian David. They also have one granddaughter, Rachel.

The Rev. Gray speaks fluently in three languages, Spanish, Miskito, and English and has served in three Provinces of the Moravian Church. Upon accepting this election, the Rev. Gray responded, “In humble admiration of those who have gone before, trusting in Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, I will accept this position that is before me.” The delegates celebrated his election by singing the hymn, “How Great The Bliss to Be A Sheep Of Jesus.”

The Rev. Gray joins six other bishops in the Southern Province. They are the Rt. Rev. Robert Iobst, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Graham Rights, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Jay Hughes, the Rt. Rev. John Wilson, the Rt. Rev. Lane Sapp, and the Rt. Rev. Dr. Wayne Burkette.

The Moravian Church is one of the oldest Protestant denominations dating back to 1457 in Europe and first coming to America in 1735. Moravians have a strong tradition of ecumenical work and are best known for their missionary work and rich musical heritage. The Moravian Church in North America is comprised of the Northern and Southern Provinces. The Northern Province has around 28,000 members in 102 congregations in 13 states in the U.S. and two Canadian provinces. The Southern Province includes nearly 20,000 members in 58 congregations, which are located primarily throughout the Southeast. The worldwide Moravian Church consists of 19 provinces with nearly 789,000 members, half of which live in Africa.