Update on Camp Hope
Camp Hope has not been immune to the struggles that all of our churches have been facing for the past 17 months. When the Board had to make the decision to not hold summer camp for 2020 or 2021, we struggled greatly with making that decision. When I had to call for the vote to approve the cancelling of summer camp, there were tears shed and very quiet “I’s” spoken by all the members. The last thing we wanted to do was to disappoint hundreds of children and staff by not having our Camps and Conferences, but we knew that we had to cancel in order to prevent any potential spreading of Covid-19. We did offer Family Cabin rentals and everyone who rented a cabin had a great time.
Not having groups in Camp has not made us immune to expenses. Thankfully our staff salaries and some other expenses were covered by two PPP loans. In addition to the every day expenses, we have had significant work done on the pool. The liner, the steps that were broken and draining water from the pool, and the off-season cover have all been replaced and 130,000 gallons of water was pumped into the pool.
In the fall/winter of 2019-2020, the Lower Lodge was winterized and can be used as a year-round facility as soon as it is safe to do that. Which brings us to our latest struggle. Two months ago, as our Summer Long Staff was cleaning out some of the “old stuff” from the basement, a mold problem was found. Upon inspection, mold was also discovered in some of the rooms on the main floor. We received an estimate for cleaning the ENTIRE building and that work will cost us $68,000. And after news of this expense got out, we received a very generous gift of $60,000 from someone to cover most of the cost. A congregation stepped up and donated an additional $4,000 to help as well. While most of the mold remediation costs have been covered, we will have a lot of refurbishment work to do as the weekly staff lounge has been gutted and the basement has significant repairs that will need to be done to prevent this from happening again.
Camp Hope’s property was purchased in 1946, but the first summer of campers was 1947 and we are looking forward to having the biggest and best weeks of summer camp that we have ever had in 2022 as we celebrate our 75th Anniversary! We hope that you will be a part of that celebration! We are doing everything that we can to make Camp Hope better than it has ever been before, but we need your help both prayerfully and financially.. Any and all donations are greatly appreciated. If you are able to donate, you can mail a check to Camp Hope at 15 Ridgeway Avenue, Blairstown, NJ 07825. There is a link set up through the Moravian Ministries Foundation for us as well as a link on our webpage www.camphop.org If you are so inclined, we also have a Venmo account that you can donate through @CampHope.
Your support has been appreciated for the past 74 years and we look forward to it continuing into the next 75 years.
Rev. Jodie Harney, Chair, Camp Hope Board of Management
Moravian Mission Coffee makes it possible for you to support Moravians around the world… just by drinking your morning cup of joe! 12 oz. bags of Moravian Mission Coffee are now available for preorder, with shipping beginning in mid-September. Our first roast is a medium roast sourced out of Uganda.
Order now at: MoravianMissionCoffee.org
About the mission: Each bag purchased will enable the Board of World Mission to provide more Mission Grant funding to address specific needs and ministries as they are identified by our partners.
About the coffee: To make this project possible, we are partnering with Lutheran World Relief’s Farmers Market Coffee. They are committed to paying their farmers a living wage so that they can lift themselves out of poverty and become self-sufficient and better able to support their family.
MMFA hosts virtual conference October 4 – 8
Free. Online. Register now.
By Laura Watson
Your Moravian Ministries Foundation invites you to this year’s Celebrate Stewardship conference to be held virtually from October 4-8.
Join us to explore how our identity as God’s stewards impacts every aspect of our lives, from our relationship with money to how we spend our time, use our gifts, and care for others.
Celebrate Stewardship 2021 will offer:
- two guest speakers and keynote sessions:
- Tim Schuster, creator of Six Weeks on Money
- Grace Pomroy, director of the Stewardship Leaders program at Luther Seminary
- two bible studies
- a variety of useful workshops
Click here for a full printable schedule.
Together, we’ll look at how to both be and form faithful and generous stewards in a time of continued challenge and change.
Through engaging conversations and sharing practical tools, best practices, and resources, Celebrate Stewardship 2021 is sure to energize you as a steward and enrich the stewardship ministry in your community of faith.
Click here to continue reading and register.
Resources for Moravian Churches
Don’t forget the IBOC offers free resources to help churches in worship. Log onto our website and click on COVID-19 Resources (https://www.moravian.org/covid19resources/). Here you will find Liturgies and hymns in Word format as well as slide backgrounds. Can’t find a hymn or liturgy you are looking for? Contact Sue Kiefner by email and she will send you what you need, [email protected]. Churches will need a CCLI or One License for copyrighted hymns.
Free 2021 Daily Texts available
As we prepare for the arrival of the 2022 Moravian Daily Texts in late October/early November, we would like to offer our remaining 2021 editions to congregations and agencies for use in their ministries free of charge. Daily Texts are perfect for outreach, new member introductions, study classes and community events. All we ask is that you either pick up at the Church Center in Bethlehem or pay for shipping to your location. To obtain these free editions, please contact Jill Bruckart at [email protected], or call 1.800.732.0591, ext. 38.
And if you haven’t already, be sure to pre-order your 2022 Moravian Daily Texts! Visit https://store.moravian.org or contact Jill for details.
Pre-order your 2022 Moravian Church Desk Calendar & Plan Book
The annual Moravian Church Desk Calendar & Plan Book provides a convenient, useful planning tool for Moravians. Each edition features a large-block format, 19-month calendar with plenty of space to write meetings, appointments, services and other planning information. It also includes upcoming events, holidays, prayer days and lectionary Sunday readings specific to the Moravian Church in North America, along with Provincial and Interprovincial directory information and space for important contacts. The new edition covers October 2021-April 2022. Spiral-bound, 8.5×11. Calendars are expected in stock by end of September. To place your order, call the store at 1-800-732-0591, ext. 38 or visit our online store at https://store.moravian.org.
Crossroads is pleased to offer the following courses this Fall. All courses are offered in person at Moravian Theological Seminary and online, real time through Zoom. Registration and more information is available at www.moravianseminary.edu/crossroads. Contact Dr. Jill Peters at [email protected] with any questions.
Traditions, a look at world religions and other Protestant denominations, with the Rev. Dr. Bill Falla on Mondays from 6-9 pm, Sept 13-Nov 1, 2021.
Creative Worship with Rev. Maggie Wellert explores what is worship and how we can bring new life to our worship experiences. Thursday 6-9 pm, Sept 9 – Oct 28, 2021.
Unpacking the Scriptures – Discipleship with Pam Weiss who leads the discipleship program at First Pres Allentown gives us practical and creative ways to bring people together to explore their faith. This is our Late Fall Course which meets twice a week (Mon and Thur) from 11/4 until 12/2/2021.
Looking ahead:
Missional Leadership, Mondays 1/3 – 2/21/2022 Dr. Jill Peters
Road Hazards (Congregational Ethics), Thurs 1/6 – 2/24/2022 Rev. Derek French & Dr. Jill Peters
Story of Christianity, Mondays 3/7 – 5/2/2022 (Except Holy Week 4/11) Rev. Dr. Bill Falla
My Journey (Formative Spirituality) Thursdays 3/10 – 5/5/2022 (Except Holy Week 4/14) Rev. Maggie Wellert
Pastoral Update
The Provincial Elders’ Conference is pleased to announce that Br. Daniel Miller, pastor of the Edgeboro Moravian Church in Bethlehem, PA, will be consecrated a Presbyter in the Moravian Church on Sunday, September 26 at 3:00 pm ET at the Edgeboro Church (645 Hamilton Ave. Bethlehem), with Bishop Kay Ward as the consecrating bishop. Br. Dan was ordained a Deacon on June 4, 2016. Consecration as Presbyter is the second order of ministry. As of this writing, the service will be held in the sanctuary, with masks required. The YouTube stream and bulletin will be accessible at edgeboromoravian.org.
