A Word from Gary
I bring greetings to all pastors and
board members of congregations in the Eastern District from your District
Executive Board. Our prayer is that
each of you and your congregations will experience the joy of the Easter
Resurrection following a meaningful Lenten and Holy Week journey. I have recently been reading Diana Butler
Bass' book, "The Practicing Congregation." In it she talks of her spiritual and intellectual crisis of faith
during her graduate school years and how a small church in NC taught her a big
lesson in the practice of Christian faith through such simple things as
hospitality, spiritual housekeeping, Bible study, and singing. Through their loving practice of faith, Dr.
Bass writes, "these practices began to heal my soul as I could envision
Christian life as something beyond dogma, something beyond theological culture
wars," and, instead, was much more "about being a community of
practice, a place where people learned the art of a way of life through discernment,
prayer, and the Christian story as it unfolded through the grace of the church
year." This community of faith
that helped her in her crisis "was rarely about one's opinion of
faith" but was rather "about the loving practice of faith." In a previous book, "Strength for the
Journey," she had written, "I began to sense the contours of a
faithful life -- one not defined by strict doctrines and moral certainty but
one lived in true friendship and daily practice." It seems to me that each one of us, as we
experience the message of the Resurrection, are called to enable the ministry
of our Risen Lord through the living of our faith. The faithful life is one that cares much more about daily
practice than it does about strict doctrine.
It is great to
have Brother Mark Breland back in the Eastern District as one of the pastors at
Lititz. We encourage your prayers for
him and for the entire Lititz congregation.
Brother Burt Parry will stay on board for a couple of more months and we
are grateful for the leadership he has given at Lititz and we can only assure
him of our prayer support. Please remember
the Palmyra congregation in your prayers as they enter into the call process
and the St. Paul's congregation as they continue in the call process. Pray for guidance for both New York First
and New York Fellowship as they continue to discern God's purpose for them
stepping into the future.
I would remind
all pastors and board leaders about the need to submit your annual reports
within the next week if you have not already submitted them. As I write this, it saddens (perhaps
"frustrates" is the better word) me to report that only 28 of our 53
congregations have submitted their reports.
We are now six weeks beyond the deadline and 25 of our congregations
have yet to respond. I know that many
say that this is a busy time. However,
the pastors and boards that have submitted their reports have also been very
busy. The Provincial and District 2008
Budget Committees are meeting during the final week of March and are simply
going to have to prepare 2008 budgets and assessments based, in these 25 cases,
on figures that go all the way back to Dec. 31, 2005.
The District
Board will be meeting on Staten Island on April 13-15 and included will be a
meeting with the Board members from all the Staten Island congregations at 10
AM on April 14 at Great Kills. Thank
you to Great Kills for hosting this gathering (and to Castleton Hill for
hosting us on April 13). The members of
the EDEB will be worshipping with the Staten Island congregations on April 15.
Pray for our
College and Seminary Trustees who will be meeting in Bethlehem during the week
of April 16-20. The events of that week
conclude with the official inauguration festivities for Dr. Christopher
Thomforde as the president of Moravian College and Theological Seminary on
April 21.
I want to
highlight again our fast approaching District Conference on May 4-5 at the East
Hills Moravian Church. We are planning
on a minimum of five individuals attending from every congregation in the
district.
Amy, the dogs,
and I plan to be on vacation during the time that you should be receiving this
newsletter. We will be traveling to Cherryfield,
Maine, the week of April 1-9 to be with Amy's daughter, Vanessa, and her husband,
Eric, an independent Baptist Church pastor in Cherryfield. Vanessa is due to give birth to our ninth
grandchild (their first child) that week.
Cherryfield is in the Bar Harbor area of Maine so I am anticipating that
the weather will still be very chilly. --Gary
Pastoral Changes
Sister Jennika Borger
has accepted a call to serve ¾ time as pastor of the Edgeboro Moravian Congregation.
She has served the Edgeboro
congregation full-time since 2002 and has just returned from maternity
leave. The Joint Board is in the call
process to add a second ¾ time pastor to their staff.
Prayer Concerns and Joys
Brother Dave
Wickmann continues to recuperate and has returned to the office part
time. Brother Leon Matthias is
at home and is progressing well with rehab.
Please continue
to hold in prayer all our brothers and sisters dealing with health issues as
they move towards strength and healing.
- Schedule of Events
Through April 15 - Whitefield House Museum,
Moravian Historical Society, 214 E. Center St., (Route 191), Nazareth; Keepsakes
to Keychains: 200 Years of Lehigh Valley Collectibles exhibit, featuring
souvenirs and memorabilia of local places, events and people. Call (610)
759-5070 for info.
April 13, 9:30-2:30 – Zeisberger
Lectures on Evangelism, Reaching the Generation of Learned Skeptics and
Cultured Despisers. Thomas Bandy, lecturer.
April 13-14 – Intro to Mission Work
at Hope Conference Center, Hope, NJ.
Come join in fixing up and preparing Camp Hope for summer camps and
prepare yourself for mission work. Facilitated
by the North East Moravian Disaster Response team. Contact John Egerton, 610-217-0514 or Mike Rampula 610-462-7401.
April 1 - Penn-Mar Mission Society Annual
Meeting at Lebanon Moravian Church.
9:30 am registration, 2:15 closing worship. Contact Jeff Gehris at 301-271-2379 or j.d.gehris@juno.com.
April 26, 9:30-1:30 – Moses Lectures
in Moravian Studies, Lindsey House in Chelsea: The World Headquarters of
the Moravian Church, 1752-55. Vernon Nelson, lecturer.
April 27, 7:00 p.m. Tony Campolo
at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, 1533 Hamilton St., Allentown. Sponsored by the
Penn Northeast Conference of the United Church of Christ. $12 before April 20.
610-826-3113, www.pnec.org.
April 29, 7:30 pm – Unitas Chorale Concert,
Christ UCC, Bethlehem.
May 4-5 - District Conference, The Missional Leader at East Hills Moravian Church, Bethlehem, PA. Cost $35/person. Contact Marian Boyle, registrar, pmoravianchurch@snip.net or 856-829-2886.
May 6- Unitas Chorale Concert, 8:00pm, St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Hope NJ. Pre-concert talk at 7:30 by the Rev. David Schattschneider.
May 19 - a Spiritual
Retreat Day for health care workers at Mary Immaculate Retreat Center
sponsored by the Lay Ministry Commission.
June 4-15 – German
Script Course at the Moravian Archives, Bethlehem, PA. Registration form is
available at www.moravianchurcharchives.org
June 22-23 – Moravian Days on the campus of Central Moravian Church. Sponsored by Bethlehem Area Moravians.
June 27 –30 - Creation Music Festival
June 27-30 – Interprovincial Moravian Women’s Conference, St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota
July
2-9 – Moravian Young Adult Convo – “Make the Moravian Journey Home…and
catch a vision for our future.” Prague,
Czech Republic and Herrnhut, Germany.
For ages 18-25.
August
10-12 – Mid-States Moravians Celebration of the 550th Anniversary
of the Moravian Church. For more information
on costs and hotel accommodations, contact registrar, Sandy Petrella at petrella@verizon.net or 330-339-6857.
September
17-28 – A Christian Heritage Tour in the footsteps of Master Jan Hus and
the Moravian Church. Visit Prague,
Kralice, Berthelsdorf and more. $2,800
CND or $2,500 US. Leaving from Toronto
and New York City. For information and
registration contact Rev. Marge Hassler, New Dawn Moravian Church, 416-656-0473
(office) or 610-751-4220 (cell).
October 20-27 - Moravian 550 Cruise to
the Eastern Caribbean. Port of Embarkation: New York City. Ports of Call: St.
Thomas, Antigua and St. Kitts. Port of Disembarkation: San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Tour Host Bishop Hopeton Clennon. For
more information please call 562-688-4971 or visit www.moravian550cruise.com.
November
10, 7:00 pm – 550th Anniversary Celebration at the
State Theatre, Easton, PA. Gala variety show featuring the musical gifts and
talents of groups and individuals from around the Eastern District. Groups or individuals interested in being
part of the event, contact the Rev. Chris Giesler in the Eastern District Youth
Ministry Office no later than June 1, 2007.
610-867-7566 or chris@mcnp.org.
June
18-21, 2008 – Eastern District Synod at Moravian College.
2007 Hope Conference and Renewal Center Schedule
May
18 - 20 Confirmation Retreat
May
25 - 27 Family Camp
May
28 – Memorial Day Picnic
June
24 - 26 Pre-primary Conference
24
- 30 Fishing Camp
July
10 - 14 Primary Conference
July
15 - 21 Junior High Conference
July
22 - 28 Middler Conference
July 29 - Aug 4 Sr./Post
High Conference
Aug
5 - 11 Performing Arts Camp
Aug.
5 - 11 Swimming Camp
Aug 30 - Sept 2 Family
Camp
Moravian Archives items
The
Moravian Archives is looking for a congregation that is interested in a table
cross, a communion set and a set of paraments for use in its church. For more
information including pictures visit the Archives' website: www.moravianchurcharchives.org/churches.php
Sperling-Zimmerman
Home
The
Sperling-Zimmerman Memorial Home, a duplex dwelling in Gnadenhutten, Ohio,
which was established for the purpose of providing a retirement home for
Moravian ministers or missionaries, has a vacancy. Any applicant who has formerly served in the Moravian Churches in
Ohio shall be given preference. Contact
Ken Abbuhl, Box 279, Tuscarawas, OH
44682, or phone 740-922-2518.
Birthdays
and Anniversaries
April Birthdays
1 The
Rev. James Bruckart
The Rev. Barbara Rich
2 Mrs.
Kathleen Pfeiffer
Mrs. Edna Knight
Mr. Charles Stutzenberger
8 The Rev. Lance Fox
12 The Rev. Vernon Nelson
Mr. Michael Koenig
13 The Rev. Nancy Von Boeckmann
14 Mrs. Connie Bennett
17 The Rev. Kay Ward
18 The Rev. Dr. William Pfeiffer
Mrs. Julia Folk
20 Mrs. Jennifer Grannum
Mrs. Valarie Ferguson
23 The Rev. Dr. Darryl Bell
24 Mrs. Pamela Thierolf
25 Mr. Halfred Smith
26 Mr. Jonathan Borger
27 Mrs. Grace Lindenmuth
Mrs. Catherine Woltjen
The Rev. Allen Bergmann
30 The Rev. Dr. Reed Acheson
April Anniversaries
3 The
Rev. Nancy Von Boeckmann
& Mr. Thomas Von Boeckmann
6 The Rev. Dr. & Mrs. James Hilander
9 The Rev. Dr. & Mrs. Hermann Weinlick
14 Mr.
Ralford Watson &
The Rev. Valrey Watson
25 The
Revs. Tom & Hannelore Nalesnik
Churches
celebrating April anniversaries:
1 - 1888 - First, Easton, PA
10
-1949 - Palmer Twsp., Easton, PA
13
- 1859 - Egg Harbor City, NJ
27 - 1852 - Tremont Terrace, Bronx, NY