This last fall our Eastern District regions benefitted from the good and faithful work of the Eastern District Director of Christian Education, Marie Couts, and the Spiritual Formation Ministry Team through a workshop entitled, “Equipping the Saints.” I can’t tell you how many people reached out to me to let me know how helpful and inspiring that workshop was for them as their congregation focused on developing new leaders in their midst. It was a tremendous success and the Eastern District Executive Board wishes to express its appreciation to both those who led the workshops and those who made it a priority to attend.
As we now leap into a new year, the Spiritual Formation Ministry Team also presents our district with a new set of 2019 workshops, as also directed by the 2016 Eastern District Synod. Encouraging our congregations “not to just go to church….but BE THE CHURCH” in mission and service, the synod sought to establish a resource which would train our congregations to gear up for tangible mission service to the local community. Delivering on that directive, the Spiritual Formation Ministry Team, under the leadership of Marie Couts, is providing new regional workshops to do just that for key congregational leadership.
Designed for Pastors, Elders, Trustees, and Mission Committees, this workshop offers participants the opportunity to reflect on the Moravian Church’s passion for mission. The workshop will explore the biblical basis for mission service within local communities, including testimony from current church leaders who have already coordinated successful “Be the Church” days in their own community. The synod also encouraged networking and collaboration, so this workshop will connect participants with key district leaders and interprovincial agencies who can offer support and partnership as congregations contemplate and form their own mission effort. One important piece of the workshop will be information and training connected with MissionInSite, a program which explores the demographics of local neighborhoods, identifying specific opportunities for mission service. Finally, the workshop will provide the opportunity to discuss potential programs with others in your region, perhaps exploring how efforts can be coordinated between congregations themselves.
These workshops, a product of the prayerful discernment of our own synod, are valuable resources for both lay and pastoral leadership. The EDEB strongly encourages Pastors, Elders, Trustees, and Mission Committees to avail themselves of these resources by attending one of the workshops provided at the end of this article.
Additional details:
> Fee for each workshop is $10/per person which includes materials and lunch.
> Each workshop begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends with lunch at 1:00 p.m.
> Participants must register for the event at least one week prior to the scheduled date.
> Participants may attend in any region if your area date is not convenient.
Questions? Call or email: Marie Couts – [email protected] cell: 330.401.1212
Be The Church Workshop Schedule & Sites:
Washington, DC – Trinity Moravian Church – March 9, 201
Lehigh Valley North – Advent Moravian Church – March 16, 2019
Lehigh Valley South – Mountainview Moravian – March 23, 2019
Penn-Mar – Lancaster Moravian Church – March 30, 2019
Delaware Valley – Riverside Moravian Church – April 27, 2019
Ohio/Toronto – Sharon Moravian Church – May 18, 2019
Metro NYC – John Hus Moravian Church – September 14, 2019
Staten Island – Castleton Hill – October 12, 2019
Board of World Mission of the Moravian Church North America
Did you know that the BWM each year receives applications to fund a wide variety of projects around the world? In 2018, thanks to contributions from congregations and generous donors the BWM has distributed more than $40,000 in Mission Grants that fund projects in the areas of Leadership Development and Sustainable Ministries. These have included funding for scholarships for theological education in Costa Rica, construction of a science lab in a high school in Tanzania, development of a Moravian Radio Station in Honduras, and support of mission outreach efforts in Alaska and Peru. If you want to support projects developed by global partners that match the priorities of the mission work of the Moravian Church in North America, a gift to the BWM designated for “Mission Grants” is a great way to help grow our impact in this area! www.moravianmission.org/give
Moravian Music Foundation
Unitas Chorale SINGERS WANTED!
All voices welcome! No Audition Required
First Rehearsal Sunday, January 6, 2019 3:00 – 5:00 pm College Hill Moravian Church 72 West Laurel Street, Bethlehem, PA. Rehearsals are held, January through April, at College Hill on the first and third Sundays of the month.
Concert – Sunday, May 19, 2019, 4:00pm
Attend first rehearsal or call Gwyn Michel at 610-866-3340.
Schedule of Events:
Jan 8 ~ Bach at Noon – A Cantata Series; The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, 12:10 p.m. – 1 p.m. Central Moravian Church, 73 West Church Street, Bethlehem, PA; 610-866-5661; Free. www.centralmoravianchurch.org www.bach.org
Jan 13 ~ Hymn Sing in the Kleiner Saal; Learn more about American Hymnody as Becky Lepore talks about favorite American hymns, composers, and hymn histories. Sunday, January 13, 2019 at 2 p.m. Central Moravian Church, 73 West Church Street, Bethlehem, PA; 610-866-5661; Free. www.centralmoravianchurch.org
Hope Conference and Renewal Upcoming Events:
January 11 – 13, 2019 – Winter Retreat Grades 9 to age 21.- $110 ($50 deposit). Leader: Rev. Cynthia Rader Geyer, Eastern District Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries. Registrations accepted until January 4, 2019.
January 25th 7:00 pm- Sunday January 27th 1:00 pm – Girls Retreat. Girls in 3rd through 8th grades are invited for a weekend to focus on who we are in God’s eyes, what helps us to grow deeper in our faith, what we can do to help others and why it’s important to be a good friend. Registration Forms and health forms are available by contacting Rev. Jodie Harney at Mountainview Moravian Church [email protected] 610-838-9344.
Saturday, February 9 – Camp Hope Season Kick-Off Dinner. East Hills Moravian Church. For ticket information see: http://camphope.org/
May 3-5, 2019, Confirmation Retreat at Camp Hope.
To find out more about these events please visit: http://camphope.org/
Moravian Ministries Foundation of America -Thy Will be done
We pray with assurance that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. But making sure your own wishes are honored requires planning and documentation. Your Foundation can help.
Do you have a Last Will & Testament? Is it up to date? Does it remember your family, church, and the Moravian ministries you love? If you could not answer all three questions in
the affirmative, let 2019 be the year you make a plan with the Moravian Ministries Foundation in America and your attorney.
From IBOC
The IBOC has a newly designed 2019 Directory and Statistics available for sale at the store. Also, available are the Moravian Image Notecards to share personal notes with others.
Receive a $2.00 discount when you purchase the Moravian Notecards by using the code NOTESHIP. Buy it now at: https://store.moravian.org/or connect with Jill Bruckart at 610-867-0593 ext. 38 to get yours today.
