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A Word from Gary
Greetings
to all who receive this newsletter. As we enter the warmest part of the
summer, I send warmest greetings to each of you as, together, we serve a God
who is always seeking a warm and affirming and uplifting relationship with
us. If you have already been on vacation, I trust that it was a relaxing
and renewing time for you. If you are still looking forward to a vacation
time, it is my prayer that you will have a wonderful family time together, that
you will experience rest and relaxation, and that you will return renewed and
re-energized.
It is not too
soon to begin thinking about the 2008 District Synod that will be held June
18-21 on the campus of Moravian College in Bethlehem. The Synod Planning
Committee, under the leadership of Barbara Dietterich, and the Synod
Nominating Committee, under the leadership of Rich Thierolf, have been hard at
work already with much more to come. If you do not already hold annual
Church Council meetings in the fall, congregations are encouraged to have a
special Church Council meeting sometime this fall for the purpose of electing
your lay delegate(s) to synod so that they can be involved in area meetings
this winter in preparation for the synod. Synod adopts legislation for
district level decision making, hears reports and oversees the work of our
district boards and agencies and commissions, and elects individuals to those
same boards and agencies and commissions. Attached to this edition of
District Developments is a personal letter as it applies to the election of the
next District President. click for letter
August brings
with it a special installation when Brother Chris New is installed as the
pastor of the Journey Community in Mississauga at 2:30 PM on August 5.
The installation will be held at the worship site for the Journey -- the
Meadowvale West Church Centre, 6945 Meadowvale Town Ctr Circle, Mississauga,
Ontario.
As a part of
that service, we hope to welcome our new Director of Church Planting to share
in the installation. Announcement will come from the PEC but it is hoped
that the Director of Church Planting will begin duties on August
1. Among the duties for this position will be
oversight of all of the new church starts throughout the Province,
the administration over those plants, and coaching for the pastors of those
plants. Working in partnership with the various district boards,
this individual will report to the Provincial Elders Conference.
There are always
continuing education events for our clergy and lay leaders available but there
is one very special event coming on October 5 on the campus of Moravian
Theological Seminary as the seminary hosts Diana Butler Bass to the Couillard
Lectures. Her lectures titled, "Christianity for the Rest of Us: A
Transformative Pilgrimage," will consider how practice-centered
("missional") Christianity is revitalizing and transforming people,
congregations, and God's world. Oct. 5-6 also happens to be the weekend
that the seminary will observe it bicentennial with a banquet on the evening of
October 5 and history tours during the day on October 6. As the seminary
brochure says, "Come early, stay late. Be fed in many ways.
Enjoy colleagues from your Seminary days -- your friends would love to see you!"
Another exciting
bit of news is that details for our next District Clergy
Conference are taking shape. Our special guest leader will be Mary
Wright, a member of our Advent congregation, and known as a gifted storyteller
and playwright. She has taught storytelling and theatre techniques to
church groups across the country and we look forward to how she will be able to
help us, as clergy, to more fully bring that wonderful ingredient into our
congregations. Our very relaxed program of the 2006 and 2007 Retreats
will be repeated because it was so well received by all who attended. The
dates are from dinner on January 22 through the noon meal on January
24, 2008, and the place is the Mary Immaculate Retreat Center (note the date
change from the original date a week later).
A reminder to
the pastors and Joint Boards of congregations of the Northern half of the
Lehigh Valley (Newfoundland, Canadensis, Schoeneck, Nazareth, Palmer, Easton
First, Advent, East Hills, and Edgeboro) -- the District Board looks
forward to your joining them for discussion and lunch at the Schoeneck Moravian
Church on August 18. We are planning on full participation from each
congregation.
May
your summer be a blessed one for you.
-- Gary
Prayer Concerns and Joys
We
extend Christian sympathy to the family of Brother Percy Henkelman who
was received into the more immediate presence of his Lord and Savior on
Saturday, July 14. Bishop Percival
Henkelman was the second longest serving Moravian bishop on our current list at
the time of his passing. He was consecrated on November 20, 1966 at the
Edmonton Moravian Church. He is
survived by his wife, Martha and their three children.
Our condolences
to family and friends of the Faith Moravian Church of the Nations Capital
on the recent passing of Brother Donald Morant. Brother Morant was a founding member and
leader in the Faith congregation for many years.
Condolences also
to Brother Al Bergmann and family on the passing of his mother, Lucinda
Bergmann, age 89, on July 22 in Watertown, WI.
Please continue
to hold in prayer all our brothers and sisters dealing with health issues as
they move towards strength and healing.
We particularly remember Dave Wickmann, Leon Matthias, Reed
Acheson, Kay Rohn, Denny Rohn, and Leslie McKoy.
- Schedule of Events
August
19 Moravian Day with the Staten Island Yankees. Contact the New Dorp Moravian Church office
at 718-351-0090 or by email at ndmcthree.Moravian@verizon.net
August
31-September 3 - Feet First mission work conference for young adults at
Laurel Ridge. Contact the Board of World Mission at 610-868-1732 or
336-773-1732. You may also contact
Glenna Tasedan, the coordinator for the weekend, by phone at 336-922-6762 or by
email at gtas29@yahoo.com.
Aug 30 - Sept 2 - Family Camp at
Hope Center
Regional Workshops: Moving from Ideas to Reality:
Mobilizing Your Congregation to Ministry
Sept. 15 at Great Kills MC, Staten
Island
Sept. 29 at Schoenbrunn MC, Ohio
Oct. 13 at Covenant MC, York, PA
Nov. 17 at Palmer MC, Easton, PA
Brochures have been mailed to all
congregations. Contact Gary Marsh or
Chris Giesler at 610-867-7566 or Marie Couts at 740-254-4769.
550 Anniversary Celebrations
August
10-12 Mid-States Moravians Celebration.
September
17-28 A Christian Heritage Tour
October
20-27 - Moravian 550 Cruise to the Eastern Caribbean
November
10, 7:00 pm Gala Variety Show at the State Theatre, Easton, PA
2008
January
22-24, 2008 Eastern District Clergy Retreat at Mary Immaculate Center,
Northampton, PA
April
25-26, 2008 - Healthy Congregations Workshop conducted by the
Lombard Mennonite Peace Center to be held in New Philadelphia, Ohio. Sponsored by the Eastern District Christian
Education Commission and the Ohio Moravian Ministries Commission.
June
18-21, 2008 Eastern District Synod at Moravian College.
Garrison Keillor Celebrates Christmas in Bethlehem!!
Garrison
Keillor is returning to Bethlehem and this time he's bringing his whole radio
show entourage with him. They will present a live radio broadcast of the
Prairie Home Companion show on Saturday, December 22, 2007 at Zoellner Arts
Center, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA. Co-sponsored by Moravian
Church-Northern Province and Zoellner Arts Center, PHC will send holiday
greetings from the Christmas City all across the country!!
Ticket
sales to the public go on sale at noon on August 1st (Eastern Daylight Time).
A block of tickets have been reserved for Moravians; when you call for tickets
be sure to mention the code: 550 (because it's our 550th anniversary).
There
is a limit of 2 tickets per customer. Ticket prices are $75, $50, and
$25. There are all ticket prices represented in the tickets that are set
aside for Moravians.
Prairie
Home Companion is a LIVE radio show. Ticket holders MUST BE IN THEIR
SEATS BY 5:45 p.m. (the show runs from 6 p.m - 8 p.m.). Please note the
early start time for the concert!!! We will have a sugar cake reception following
the show for the entire audience.
You
may purchase tickets, beginning August 1st at noon in one of 3 ways:
Online:
www.zoellnerartscenter.org
By
phone: 610-758-2787, ext. 0
At
the box office: Zoellner Ticket Services, 420 E. Packer Ave, Bethlehem.
2006 Annual Reports still due
Annual reports (or portions thereof), which were due almost
six months ago, have not yet been received in the district office from the
following congregations in the Eastern District:
East Hills
Newfoundland
Tremont Terrace
Fellowship
New York First
Castleton Hill
Additionally, some reports are missing pages. The following congregations have incomplete
reports:
Calvary
United
Grace Queens
Battle Hill
Schoeneck
Edgeboro
Grace Center Valley
These reports
are very important for us to be able to carry on the work of the district (and
the province). Please make this a
priority this month. Provincial and
District budgets have been prepared without complete information and common
ministry assignments will be made this month.
If we do not have your report, your assignments will be made based on
your 2005 report.
Birthdays
and Anniversaries
August
Birthdays
1 Mrs. Nancy Harstine
Mr.
Jim McMahan
4 Mrs. Dorothy Semper
The
Rev. Marge Hassler
5 Mrs. Eleanor Adams
The
Rev. Richard Michel
8 Mrs. Barbara Caldwell
Ms.
Bonnee Voss
10 The
Rev. Dr. Mary Matz
11 The
Rev. Terry Folk
The
Rev. Jeff Van Orden
14 Mr.
Thomas Von Boeckmann
16 Mrs.
Naomi Foran
17 Mrs.
Shelia Clennon
The
Rev. Jennika Borger
19 Mrs.
Linda Marsh
Mr.
Anthony Pula
21 The
Rev. Dr. Stephen Nicholas
22 The
Rev. Christine Johnson
23 Mrs.
Pam Henning
24 The
Rev. Aden Ward
30 Mrs.
Amy Straughan
31 Mr.
Wilton Grannum
August
Anniversaries
3 The Rev. & Mrs. John
Morman
Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Johnston
4 The Rev. & Mrs.
Lance Fox
6 The Rev. & Mrs. Kent
Trievel
9 The Rev. & Mrs.
Leslie McKoy
12 The
Rev. & Mrs. Jeffrey Gehris
The
Revs. David & Cynthia Geyer
13 The Rev. Katie & Aaron Van Der Linden
16 The Rev. Ian and Dr. Eileen Edwards
The
Rev. & Mrs. Jeff Van Orden
22 The Rev. Dr. & Mrs. Stephen Nicholas
27 The Rev. Dr. & Mrs. Claude Knight
28 The Rev. & Mrs. Leon Matthias
30 The Rev. Jennifer & Mr. Greg Bowden
Churches celebrating anniversaries in
Aug.:
13 - 1837 - Newfoundland, PA
31 - 1873 - Castleton Hill, Staten Island, NY