Meeting Those Historical Figures Who Paved the Way — John Hus

Seeing the Story of the Moravian Church in South Africa First-Hand The Moravian Church in South Africa (MCSA) is a story of faith, hope, and contrasts. As invited guests of Sister Angelene Swart and the MCSA Provincial Elders’ Conference, Sam Gray, Will Sibert, and I were blessed to experience the richness of the church in South Africa. Our purpose there was to share with pastors and leaders about leadership in the missional church and to learn ways that the Board of World Mission might partner with the church to support the Masangane work with HIV/AIDS and other ministries. Our visit was timed to coincide with the festival celebrations marking the 550th anniversary of the Unitas Fratrum. It is also the 270th anniversary of the Moravian Church in South Africa. Their slogan is “550/270: Mustard Seeds for the Lord.”

We stayed one week in the Cape Town area and a second week in the Port Elizabeth area. We visited with pastors, toured various mission stations in the regions, and held three workshops on leadership and the missional church. We were encouraged by the spirit of partnership and desire to share common ideas about the work of God in the church. The MCSA faces many of the same issues that our churches face: how to involve more young people, and how to reach out into the community to share the good news in word and deed. While areas of the cities are as cosmopolitan as any major city in North America, there are “informal settlements” that are shockingly poor and depressing.

Despite the struggles to overcome apartheid and economic disparity, the faith of the people is inspiring and courageous. The Moravian work in South Africa began in 1737 when Georg Schmidt founded the community of Gnadendal, which means Valley of Grace. Before Schmidt left Gnadendal he planted a Pear Tree and gave his Bible to Magdalena, a young convert. Magdalena kept the faith and read her Bible until the next missionaries arrived from Germany nearly 40 years later. They found Magdalena, by then an old woman, with her Bible. Magdalena had kept the faith and trusted that the seeds God had planted would once again bear fruit. The church grew over the next centuries in many regions of this beautiful country.

Apartheid became a huge challenge for the Moravians in South Africa. While Moravians were being forcibly relocated from their homes and churches, people like Sister Moorman prayed for “the sinking ship.” She kept the faith alive until, as an old woman, she could return to worship in her beloved Moravian Hill church. Sister Moorman and her people trusted in God’s promise and faithfulness, and their faith has blossomed.

Now the church faces new challenges as they minister to people with HIV/AIDS. Once again, the faith of the people has blossomed as they trust in God to provide opportunities for ministry. We visited the iThemba Labantu Center, a hospice and care facility run jointly by the Moravians and Lutherans. This center, which just opened in February, is located in the midst of a huge informal settlement of thousands of people living in desperately poor and unsanitary conditions. The center’s mission is to care for people who are dying of AIDS, but even more, to educate people and administer medication to treat people so that they may return to their homes. The name of the center means Hope for the People — they certainly live out their name! In the Eastern Cape region, we were saddened to visit an area of the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS in the country. The cemetery, filled with fresh graves, bears silent testimony to the nearly 100 victims per week.

Despite these grim statistics, Moravians today continue to trust in God’s providence and faithfulness. They pray that, like mustard seeds, they might be planted to participate in God’s mission to the world for the next 550 years. They live out these seeds of faith through beautiful music, in English, Afrikaans, and Xhosa. Their congregational brass bands rival metropolitan ensembles! They live out their faith through ministries of service throughout their communities.

Throughout our trip, we have been blessed to visit with pastors and lay people, as we share our common faith, visit churches and mission stations, and discover the good news — that our faith transcends geography, culture, race, and economics. Throughout the worldwide Unity, there is one language —based on our love for one another and our common faith in Jesus Christ.

Now it is our turn to join our sisters and brothers in South Africa, to pray for the church, to ask God to plant us all as mustard seeds, so that faith might blossom throughout the world and lives might be filled with hope and joy in Jesus Christ.

The Rev. Betsy Miller serves as the Director of Congregational Leadership and Resources for the Western District of the Northern Province.