Stewardship Services to Help Churches and Agencies Grow and Sustain the Ministries that are Central to our Moravian Faith.
When the district board met with pastors and board leaders from our congregations last November, we were interested to hear that congregational finances were included in both categories, “signs of hope” and “greatest challenges.” For many congregations who feared that COVID-19 would cause great financial struggle, the surprise and blessing was that members truly stepped up with consistent giving and extra generosity. That being said, we realize that many congregations were experiencing financial challenges that began long before COVID. If you are looking for creative ways to address financial realities, along with a more holistic approach to year-round stewardship, our partners at the Moravian Ministries Foundation in America are ready to share their expertise. We urge you to consider exploring the possibilities . . .
Thank you to Laura Watson of MMFA for sharing the following article:
2022 is underway. With a new year come new budgets, new boards, new activities, and new opportunities to participate in God’s work in the world. It can be easy to relegate stewardship to a once-a-year financial focus, most oftentimes in the fall. But as faithful and generous disciples, we know God wants much for us as we steward all God has entrusted to us. This means our communities of faith must teach, preach, and celebrate stewardship all year-long. And the beginning of a new year is the perfect time to get started.
Not sure what direction to take with stewardship this year? Great news! You do not have to travel the stewardship road alone. The Moravian Ministries Foundation in America (MMFA) offers stewardship services free-of-charge. From in-person or Zoom offerings such as multi- or single session biblestudies, Sunday school classes, board conversations, or bringing a stewardship message during worship, to helping people have a better relationship with money through our relationship with Freed Up Financial Living, to resources such as best practices, planning guides, narrative budgeting, assessments, small group study ideas and guides, and financial stewardship tools, and more. MMFA can help your community of faith to discover, develop, strengthen, and renew its stewardship ministry.
Curious to know more? MMFA focuses on shaping leaders, educating believers, and developing holisticand sustainable practices. Our model includes benchmarks in the areas of theology, mission and vision, leadership, and year-round action. It is also grounded in the knowledge that stewardship is about much more than money, and it’s more than what we do through our church; stewardship is both a way of life and an identity. MMFA’s stewardship services work to help people to see themselves as stewards, to claim and celebrate that God-given identity, and to use their lives to reflect God’s love and generosity in who they are and all they do.
If you’d like to learn more about how MMFA can partner with you on stewardship in 2022 and beyond, please contact Laura Watson, Director of Stewardship Services, at 336.725.2589 or [email protected].You can also visit MMFA’s website at www.mmfa.infoboth the stewardship services page and resources page contain a host of helpful information.
We look forward to hearing from you and to forming faithful and generous stewards together.
In the spring of 2022, the Board of World Mission will be hosting a conference in Panama City for our Spanish-speaking partners called Conferencia de Recursos Moravos (Moravian Resources Conference). The goal of the event is to provide participants with resources in their own language as well as to network with one another, share experiences, and strengthen our Christian relationships. The Board of World Mission is collaborating with the Unity in bringing key topics of discussion to the conference, such as the Book of Order, Covenant for Christian Living, the role of Bishops, and more.
Each province and mission area represented at this conference (Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, Cuba, and the Ahuas Clinic) will send five church leaders who are familiar with their area’s structure, ministries, and finances.
Your prayers are greatly appreciated as our conference planning committee and speakers continue to coordinate this event as safely as possible. We also invite prayers for each of the partners mentioned above as they begin preparations for their participation in the conference. The Moravian Churches in Cuba and Costa Rica appreciate your prayers for their upcoming Synods, as well. May God continue to bless the worldwide Moravian Church in our individual and joint efforts to do His will.
Moravian Day of Giving 2022
We welcome 2022 with our second annual Moravian Day of Giving, which will be Tuesday, March 1 (also the anniversary of the beginning of the Unity of the Brethren, Shrove Tuesday, and Mardi Gras). Our sponsoring bishops this year are The Rt. Rev. Blair Couch and The Rt. Rev. Carol Foltz. Stay tuned for more information from them in the Moravian Magazine and social media.
We have two matching donors this year: Susan & Herbert Spaugh, Jr. of Charlotte, NC will match dollar for dollar the first $25k given to any Field of Interest Fund through the Giving Portal on March 1. These grant-making funds include:
- Hunger & Thirst
- Housing & Shelter
- Healing & Health
- Clothing
- Prison Ministry
- Environmental Stewardship
- Prevention of Violence Against Women
- Racial Awareness, Equity, & Reconciliation
Click here to continue reading.
Join the Emerging Ministries Team, of the Moravian Church Northern Province, for an Empowering Virtual Event.
Emerge 2022 with the theme, Going Beyond In-House Ministries, is designed to journey with you in your ministry endeavors even after the event is over. No matter where you are in your journey, we will help you discern where God is leading you.
You will learn skills and be given tools to grow an existing ministry, start a new ministry, or start a new church plant. You will also be a part of a team that will do periodic check-ins to ensure progress, provide feedback, and give encouragement.
Emerge 2022, Saturday, February 19, 2022, 9:00am – 2:00 pm via Zoom. Call-in options will be made available.
Sr. High / Post High Winter Retreat
February 18th to 20th
Already registered and want to attend in February, just show up.
Already registered and are unable to attend in February, contact Pastor Cynthia at [email protected] for a full refund.
Not registered and want to attend…
Register now for Sr. High/Post High Winter Retreat 2022
February 18 -20, 2022
Hope Conference &
Renewal Center Hope, NJ
9th grade through 21 and beyond
If you aged out during the pandemic and missed your last year at Winter Retreat, you are welcome to attend.
You are God’s Masterpiece
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Psalm 139:14
2022 Girls’ Retreat at Camp Hope
Friday, April 1st 7pm – Sunday, April 3rd noon
Girls in 3rd through 8th grades are invited to come to Camp Hope for a weekend of fun-filled learning, sharing, singing, and crafting.
We will focus on who we are in God’s eyes, what helps us to grow deeper in our faith, how we can hear God through the noise, what we can do to help others and why it’s important to be a good friend. Cost for the weekend is $90 which includes housing, food, many craft projects, and fun!
Please note – in order to attend, proof of Covid-19 vaccination is required. Registration Forms and Health forms are available by contacting: Rev. Jodie Harney at: [email protected] or 610-838-9344. Please note space is limited to 30 girls so register soon.
UPCOMING CROSSROADS COURSES:
STORY OF CHRISTIANITY
Mondays 6-9 pm
March 7 – May 2, 2022 (except Holy Week 4/11)
Instructor: Rev. Dr. William Falla
In-person instruction (tentative), as well as real-time distance learning via Zoom
Price $240
MY JOURNEY/OUR JOURNEY
Thursdays 6-9 pm
March 10 – May 5, 2022 (except Holy Week 4/14)
Instructor: Rev. Maggie Wellert
In-person instruction (tentative), as well as real-time distance learning via Zoom
Price $240
February Specials
Moravian Daily Texts Sale
The 2022 Moravian Daily Texts are now 20% off! Paperback Ed. $11.50 SALE $9.20; Large Print Ed. $14.00 SALE $11.20; Hardcover Ed. $16.00 SALE $12.80; Journal Ed. $17.00 SALE $13.60.
Readings for Holy Week Special Bundles
Experience the story at home or in your small group with these special Readings for Holy Week book and CD sets:
Audio CDs and Large Print Edition Set: $30.00 (save $6.90)
Audio CDs and Music Edition Set: $32.00 (save $6.90)
Readings for Holy Week Print Editions:
Special pricing: Large Print Ed. $11.95 SALE $7.50; Music Print Ed. $13.95 SALE $10.50
Readings for Holy Week Audio Edition:
This 5-CD set brings Readings for Holy Week alive with complete texts and hymns, ideal for use by small groups and congregations. Also makes a great gift for those who may not be able to attend local services because of distance, infirmity, conflicts in schedule, etc. $24.95
Don’t forget the IBOC carries a wide variety of music CD’s like Sing Hallelujah, performed and recorded by the choirs of Schoeneck Moravian Church $16.00; Osterkantate/Easter Cantata CD $16.00; and Church, Rejoice by the Moravian Lower Brass $16.00. Log onto the website to see more.
To order, visit store.moravian.org: call Jill Bruckart at 800.732.0591 ext. 703 or email jill@mcnp.
Mid-Epiphany Online Service Series
To help break us out of these mid-winter blahs, we’re offering a special online “Mid-Epiphany” service series on Feb. 2 and Feb 9 at 7:30 p.m. EST. These services will feature discussion and study of the Epiphany season through a celebration of the Moravian Liturgy for Epiphany.
We’ll also look at this season in the context of two movies – the classic “Groundhog Day” and a more recent film, “The Map of Perfect Little Things.” Both of these films deal with the same day occurring over and over again, and the impact that has on the protagonists. How does the repetition in these two stories speak to life in this long season of Epiphany?
Services will be hosted via Zoom. Each will begin with a celebration of the Liturgy for Epiphany (Moravian Book of Worship pp. 65-71), followed by small group discussions that dig deeper into the meaning of the season. Participants will then come back together to discuss the stories in the films and have opportunities to share thoughts on how these stories relate to the season of Epiphany.
The Wednesday, Feb. 2 service, led by the Rev. Dr. Riddick Weber, will discuss “Groundhog Day” and the Feb. 9 service, led by the Rev. Jennika Borger, will discuss “The Map of Tiny Perfect Things.” The Mid-Epiphany service series is presented by an interprovincial team from the Moravian Theological Seminary, Moravian Music Foundation, Interprovincial Board of Communication, Southern Province Commission on Congregational Development and local congregations.
To prepare for these services, we invite you to seek out and watch these films. “Groundhog Day,” starring Bill Murray and Andie McDowell, can be streamed on Starz via Amazon Prime Video; “The Map of Tiny Perfect Things” is also available to watch via Amazon Prime Video.
For links to clips and the Zoom Information visit: https://www.moravian.org/2022/01/join-us-for-mid-epiphany-service-series-feb-2-and-9/
