Herrnhuter Mission aktuell

Christmas 2014

Kind regards and good wishes for Christmas 2014 from the "Moravian Mission Society in Germany" (Herrnhuter Missionshilfe, HMH). God bless our worldwide Moravian Church in the new year 2015! - "Our lamb has conquered, let us follow him!"

We hope that we are able to send you more Mission News in the future. - Andreas Tasche, Herrnhut, 23.12.2014

Hosanna! – A video message from Rajpur

The “Hosanna“ for double chorus, composed 249 years ago by the church musician Christian Gregor from Herrnhut, is known and liked even at the foot of the Himalaya. With this gentle chant children and youths from the “Moravian Institute“ in Rajpur, a big and esteemed boarding school of the Moravian Church in North India, send their regards to all congregations for the first Sunday in Advent from the steps of the new church in Rajpur. The school, which was originally founded in 1963 for Tibetan refugee children, now unites Christians with people from various places with different religions. The 4 minute video showing the “Hosanna of Herrnhut“ can be found here.

Giving light to Surinam

The “Zeist Mission Society“ in the Netherlands came up with a way to give light as a present. While in Europe almost every household is provided with electricity there are many places in Surinam where power supply is missing or not functioning reliably. For this reason the initiative “Een Lichtje hier voor een Lichtje daar!“ (One light here for one light there) was developed which works as follows: “Zeist Mission Society“ sells the Original Herrnhut Stars with an additional charge of 10 Euros. Three sold stars enable them to buy one modern solar lamp for the teachers at the Moravian churches in the interior parts of Surinam. This way the teachers can keep working after sunset.

“House of Religions“ in Bern is finished now

On the 14th of December 2014 the “House of Religions“ in Bern (Switzerland) did open its doors. People from Herrnhut helped forming the house for more than a decade. They were involved in the ideational as well as the physical construction. Hartmus Haas, who also worked at the Moravian Church in Bern, was acting as the manager of the association “House of Religions – Dialogue between Cultures“ until his retirement. The “House of Religions – Dialogue between Cultures“ is considered special throughout Europe. Eight world religions – Judaism, Baha’i, Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, Alevi and Sikh – have known and supported each other since many years – and now they are living under one roof. Moreover they are interested in making contact with the whole society.

Namtumbo/Tanzania: construction work proceeds

Construction work at the new Moravian Vocational School in Namtumbo (Tanzania, South Province) is proceeding quickly after a break due to the rainy season. The framing is done, so an opening in January 2015 seems possible. The vocational school in Namtumbo is already the third one in the South Province alongside the centres in Rungwe and Songea. A big sponsor for the building projects was the company “Wörwag Pharma“. Daniel Bøytler (Denmark) functioned as the building consultant. Soon up to 80 young people will be able to undertake a training in four classes as carpenters, tailors, electricians or office- and computer employees. Dr. Fritz Wörwag knows: “Elimu ni Ufunguo wa Maisha“ (Education is the key to life).

Renewable energy for Ibaba/Tanzania

A big project of the "Moravian Mission Society in Germany" is about to be realised: “Renewable energy for Ibaba (Tanzania)“. The first stage of the project is denoted with 150.000 Euros. Half of the expenses will be borne by donations in kind of involved companies. Initially it is all about equipping numerous houses in Ibaba with solar power because in this secluded village is no energy supply. After many weeks of preperation the container could be packed and reached the port of Dar es Salaam in October 2014. It contains 14 Euro-pallets with packages. In December 2014, the container arrived safely in Ibaba. Tobias Klaus from Germany (project manager) sets out to Tanzania to run the installation of the solar systems. More information here.

Secondary school for girls in Ifakara/Tanzania is growing

The new Moravian Secondary School for girls in Ifakara (Tanzania) is urgently anticipated and needed. At the moment with support from Germany the first two classrooms for 40 to 45 girls each plus a small office are in the making. For the first construction phase expenses amounting to 35.000 Euros are estimated. A hall of residence for the students is planned too since the girls should be able to apply themselves to their educational tasks. At home they often have to watch their younger siblings, cook or collect wood. The school was developed on the initiative of parson Erica Ludela and should be inaugurated during the first quarter of 2015. Ifakara is a rather rural region situated about 400 kilometers southwest of Dar es Salaam. More information here.

Daily Watchwords and liturgy books for Sambia

Happy Sikafunda, chairman of the Moravian Church in Zambia, reports that the Daily Watchwords made the Church known in whole Zambia: “Our members are delighted to read the word of God this way. Other churches have requested Daily Watchwords, too.“ They are published in the language Bemba in their fifth edition already. The Moravian Church in Zambia has just under 8.000 members. They now asked the Moravian Church in Germany for 2.000 liturgy books as a guideline for their service: “The books mean alot to us“, says Happy Sikafunda. “They give the people in our 15 congregations and 45 outstations a feeling of affiliation and a distinct identity as a Moravian Church in Zambias church landscape.“

Inauguration of an integrative sewing workshop on „Star Mountain“

In the "Star Mountain Rehabilitation Centre" for people with disability near Ramallah (Palestine) the inauguration of a integrative sewing workshop in the new Vocational Training Centre was celebrated on the 30th of October 2014 in cooperation with Caritas Jerusalem. The workshop is supposed to connect women with and without a disability and help them to achieve their own income. The Sternberg-management team as well as the Maltese foreign minister and the leader of the Maltese delegation in Palestine were attending the celebration. The state Malta and the polish Caritas had sponsored the project partially. The main funding came from the big Palestinian telecommunication-company “Paltel Group“.

Back from South Africa

Riley Edwards-Raudonat, referent of the “Evangelical Mission in Solidarity“, has returned from a visit to the Unity Province South Africa and brought back a detailed photo report that provides good insights into the churches life and poses challenges for it. The report vividly depicts the progress of different projects and developments in various institutions (“Masangane” – HIV/Aids; tomato cultivation, school uniform programme; “Elim Home” and “Mispah School”), a provincial convocation, the church leadership’s plans, the problems related to the oecumenic volunteer programme, the church-based youth work and a meeting of the Moravian Church’s youth council. You can read the report here.

Two little reports from Riga

In the style of young correspondents Johanna and Paula Flöter from Herrnhut, who currently volunteer at the “Christian David School” in Latvia, tell in their blogs about their visit in Riga on the occasion of the first Latvian Republic’s 96^th birthday from the 14^th to 18^th of November 2014. They write about the Latvian’s national pride and musicality, their impressions at the sight of festively illuminated facades and their attendance at cultural events. They point out recommendable restaurants, hidden attractions and special vantage points. They mention culinary specialities, enchanting art nouveau houses and a military parade. Meanwhile winter has begun in Latvia. The "Christian David School" is a christian community with 35 children and 20 community members/educators.

Moravian Church now in phase 3

Here you can find a summary of the speech given recently by the Unity Business Administrator Jørgen Bøytler (Christiansfeld/Denmark) at the "Moravian Theological Seminary" in Bethlehem/PA. He took up the suspenseful and highly up to date topic: “Unity in Diversity – Challenges to the Worlwide Moravian Church”. The full text of the English speech will be published soon. Jørgen Bøytler talks about globalisation that has been experienced by the Unity since the mid-20^th century. He describes the globalisation as the third main phase in the history of the Moravian Church after periods of the Old Moravian Church in Bohemia and Moravia as well as the Renewed Moravian Church with a central leadership in Herrnhut.

Walking the second mile

Based on Matthew 5, 41 “And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.” the “Board of World Mission” of the Moravian Church in North America has initiated a programme called “Second Mile Projects”. It is about sustainability and capacity building. Everyone is invited to support the facilitation of Moravian Churches in Belize (soup kitchen for the poor), Costa Rica (music school), Guyana (missionary broadcasting, health work), Honduras (scholarships, Bible school in Ahuas, HIV and health work), Malawi (maintaining food supply), Nikaragua (guest house in Bilwi) and Tanzania (motorbikes for pastors, orphan and health work, building support, solar systems, computer). More here.