The Moravian Day of Service helps raise awareness of the importance of mission work to the Moravian faith, encourage congregations to think of new ways to make a difference in their communities, and demonstrate our ability to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world.
This year’s Moravian Day of Service is scheduled for September 19, 2021. We realize that because of Covid-19, whatever you do will need to be adapted to adjust to our new reality. Even in these difficult days, it does not take long to see the need for us to be serving one another and in our communities. You can schedule your actual service day whenever it is most convenient to you and the service site with whom you are working. But we do ask that you focus on mission and serving others in your worship services on this day.
The idea for the Moravian Day of Service sprang from the 2018 Synods of the Northern and Southern Provinces. The Synods recognized that coordinated efforts of Moravians can help engage others in service and ministry and raise awareness of the Gospel message; that Moravians have always celebrated their faith through service and mission work locally, regionally, and globally; and that Moravians derive a sense of common unity and identity from serving together and with others.
Synods resolved to set aside a day, every year, for individuals and congregations to get involved in mission work in their communities, and share their work across the Moravian Church in North America. Working in consultation with the Board of World Mission, the PECs of the Northern and Southern Provinces designated September 15, 2019, as the date for the inaugural Moravian Day of Service; the 2021 Day of Service will occur on Sunday, Sept. 19.
The Day of Service isn’t a one-time thing but an annual event; it is not to replace the great local mission work already going on in our congregations. The Day of Service offers a chance to rethink how your congregation interacts with your community, and encourage you to make local missions an enduring part of your congregation’s identity.
Resources for Moravian Day of Service, including ideas on where to serve, worship resources and ways to share Day of Service activities, are available in the articles below. And to see how congregations and agencies participated in the 2019 Day of Service, click here.
To see how some of our individual congregations serve, click here:
Planning anything during this pandemic is a challenging thing to do, so keeping things simple might be the best approach. We would encourage you to consider having individuals or family units do things at home or in the community that would help others. These might include:
- Collect food for your local food bank. They all need help and contributions, especially those in communities hardest hit by COVID-19.
- Give blood. According to the American Red Cross, there is an urgent need for blood due to the coronavirus outbreak.
- Check on seniors, the disabled, or other at-risk neighbors in your area. Call ahead and set up a front porch visit where you bring a lawn chair and have them come out on their front porch for a brief visit and prayer time.
- Check in on anyone you know who might have depression or anxiety, both of which can be exacerbated during a crisis like this.
- Have children draw pictures and write letters to local seniors in nursing homes who don’t have family to visit them.
- Shop or do errands for folks who do not have easy access to transportation.
- Send thank-you notes and cards of appreciation to front-line workers at hospitals, public safety workers (police, fire-fighters, rescue squad workers), those working in the service industries (grocery store workers, restaurant staff, etc.). Simply be kind to them when they are assisting/serving you!
