2008 Bishops’ Conference

Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

August 13th has been a significant day for our Moravian Church since 1727. In 2008, August 13th marked the beginning of the 14th Interprovincial Bishops’ Conference as bishops of the Northern and Southern Provinces gathered at the Palmer Township Moravian Church in Easton, Pennsylvania.

At this meeting we heard reports from the Unity Women’s Consultation in Herrnhut, Unity Bishops’ Conference in St. Thomas, Unity Youth Conference in Jamaica, and about the upcoming Unity Synod in England. We gave thanks to God for the many ways our Unity has gathered in the last two years to mark our 550th anniversary. In celebrating this occasion throughout our Provinces, we prayed, worshipped, enjoyed the fellowship, and recommitted ourselves to the mission Christ has given us.

While it was good to celebrate our past accomplishments, even more important was the energy and the enthusiasm and the hopefulness those celebrations and gatherings provided as a springboard for our ministry in this our 551st year of being the Unitas Fratrum. God continues to call us to look beyond ourselves – to look around and look ahead – and see the world through God’s eyes of compassion. What do we see? People are still hungry – physically and spiritually. People are still suffering and dying with HIV/AIDS and other illnesses. People are still living under repressive regimes in many parts of the world. Women, men, and children everywhere are victims of abuse. People in Darfur, the Middle East, and other areas of our world are terrorized by violence and war. People need the love of Christ.

We call upon the church to take up the ministry of reconciliation with renewed energy and passion. We confess that we live in a society which is often characterized by division and partisanship based upon race, political persuasion, religion, and culture. We deplore the demeaning and depersonalizing effects of polarization. We believe that the church is called by Jesus Christ to offer an alternative to such division, an alternative based upon the call of Christ to His followers to be one, even as He and God the Father are one, so that the world may believe. (John 17:21) Recognizing the tragedy of war and conflict in our world as well as the violence that often surfaces in our communities and even in our homes, we call the church to prayer for peace and justice and for that peace to begin in those circles of influence closest to ourselves. We affirm that, “In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself,” and that God has entrusted to us this ministry of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:18) For the church the ministry of reconciliation is not an option but an imperative, for the sake of the unity of the Body of Christ.

The modern-day church faces challenges that we cannot ignore and realities that call for renewed commitment, innovative thinking, risk-taking, and seasons of earnest prayer. And yet, hope abounds! The Risen Christ loves us and desires to lead us forward in serving the world he died to save. As we joyfully continue our 551st year of ministry, we offer these words of encouragement from the Apostle Paul:

Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. — 1 Corinthians 15:58

Grace and Peace,
D Wayne Burkette
C. Hopeton Clennon
M. Blair Couch
Paul A. Graf
Samuel J. Gray
Douglas H. Kleintop
Graham H. Rights
Lane A Sapp
Stanley Thomas
Kay Ward
John F. Wilson