On 07 October 2023, the terrorist organisation Hamas from the Gaza Strip attacked Israel and caused massacres in the surrounding Israeli towns. Israel responded with air strikes and commando actions in the Gaza Strip. The war situation in Israel/Palestine is keeping the whole country on tenterhooks after Israel officially declared a state of war. The Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center of the worldwide Moravian Church between Ramallah and Birzeit, is far away from the actual war action. However, the closure of the West Bank, solidarity strikes by Palestinians and the uncertain situation on the roads led to a brief suspension of work. After two days of closure, work resumed on 10 October. Especially for the children and young people with disabilities, this daily routine is important in the face of fear and violent images. "We have to stand by their side in this difficult time" says Ranya Karam, the director of Star Mountain. She herself has difficulty reaching Star Mountain from her home in East Jerusalem and is therefore currently working from her home office. We thank the staff at Star Mountain for their service and pray for peace in the region.

Lesinda Cunningham, director of Elim Home, a Moravian Center for disabled in South Africa near the Cape of Needles, shared her team's plans for the 60th anniversary of the facility's founding in 1963: "We are planning a number of events from 12 October 2023 to celebrate our 60th birthday, including devotions, a march from Palm Haven to Elim Home, a carnival with drumming, a barbecue with market stalls and a special celebration service at Elim Church of the Moravian on 15 October 2023. Over the past decades, our Elim Home has been supported by wonderful people who have helped us fulfil our mission: caring for permanently severely mentally and physically disabled children. By God's grace, we overcame many trials and tribulations as well as serious illnesses of those in our care." More here.

The ordination of Rhoïnde Doth as the first female bishop of the European-Continental Province and of Surinamese descent will take place on 22 October 2023 at 3 p.m. in the church hall of the Moravian Church Zeist (NL) by Bishop Theodor Clemens (D). He will be assisted by Bishops Sarah Groves (GB), Humbert Hessen (NL), Reynold Pansa (Suriname) and Volker Schulz (CH). Unfortunately there is only a limited number of seats available in the church hall in the Moravian Church Zeist. All those who wish to attend the ordination ceremony are asked to register via the e-mail address info@ebg.nl. Only those who subsequently receive confirmation of their registration can be sure of getting a place in the church hall in Zeist. Those responsible are planning that the entire ordination service will be streamed live on the internet.

The gynaecologist Luzia Illiger has been working in the hospital of the Moravian Church in Isoko, Tanzania, for more than 2 years. In her newsletter, she regularly reports on her time in Tanzania, the challenges, the successes but also the failures. This issue deals with topics such as alcohol consumption, sex education and the Tanzanian school system. The complete newsletter here.

Immediately after attending a major women's event in Winston-Salem/NC on 14 October 2023, the Moravian Stars Fundraiser Dinner themed Lighting the Way for Moravian Girls and Women (many pictures here) two sisters have moved on to Europe. In Geneva, Hilda Regalado (Southern Province of North America; native Spanish speaker) and Ana Gabriela Ana María Huamán Dávila (Peru) plan to attend a World Council of Churches WCC (World Council of Churches) training on human rights for women. See here.The Unity Women's Desk UWD writes: "Remember the two sisters in your prayers as they get to know their brothers and sisters in Switzerland, are introduced to new resources and learn new skills that they can then share with their Spanish-speaking sisters. Thank you to 'Mission 21' and the 'Home Moravian Church' in Winston Salem for supporting this trip."

The Cuba Foundation of the Moravian Church in North America called Armando Rusindo Mission Foundation reported on 23 September 2023: After a long stay with the Cuban customs authorities, the greenhouse we donated has finally landed at the Moravian Church farm in Santayana (near Camagüey, population 323,309, fourth largest city in Cuba and provincial capital). The 90 x 30 inch metal/glass structure with integrated irrigation system is a very good addition to the services offered by the farm. The greenhouse brings new income to the Moravian Church in Cuba and it brings jobs for some church members. A photo of the delivery here. A translation of the annual report 2023 of the Armando Rusindo Mission Foundation into German can be found here. For the beginnings of the Moravian Church in Cuba in 1997 and what it looks like today, see the English-language flyer here.

For 13 October 2023, the management of the Moravian Church Kindergarten and School in Kathmandu, Nepal, had invited people to a lunchtime event called Shristi's Vegetable Market and Science Fair. See here. A few days earlier, a post said, "We are so proud of our children who participated in poomsae competition in the U12 and U14 categories. Poomsae is a component of Taekwondo that is used to internalise techniques, learn movement patterns, muscle building and body control. It is fought according to a point system against imaginary attackers. The organiser of the competition, which lasted several days, was NECOS (Nepal Confederation of Sports Socialist)." See here. In both sports and arts, the children from the International Kindergarten & Shristi Academy enjoy competing with other classes or teams.

Dr Isaak Balie, the director of the Moravian Church Mission Museum in Genadendal, South Africa, has published a concise study on the first indigenous teachers in South Africa, entitled The Pioneers Among Teachers in South Africa, for World Teachers' Day 2023 on 5 October 2023. German translation here. The teachers were trained at the Teacher Training College of the Moravian Mission in Genadendal, which opened in 1838 - in good company with other early teacher training colleges (College in Concord/USA 1823; University of Chester/GB 1839; College in Lexington/ Massachusetts/USA 1839). Isaac Balie not only researched the lives and places of work of the first indigenous teachers in South Africa, but also brought historical images of them to light. In 2014 he had already published a small study on Carl Jonas, the very first indigenous teacher in South Africa, graduating in 1842. See in English here.

At the 5th Synod of Unity, held in Cape Town, South Africa, from 4 to 10 September 2023, the following sisters and brothers from the European Region of the Moravian Church were elected to the internationally staffed Unity bodies: Unity Commission on Theology UCOT: Erdmute D. Frank (Dresden) and Philipp Copper (GB); Unity Mission and Development Board UMDB: Bettina Nasgowitz (Bad Boll) and Petr Krásný (CZ); Unity Youth Committee UYC: Damaris Enkelmann (Berlin); Moravian Church Foundation MCF: Christian Lindner (NL / for the EFBU) and Jan Křivka (CZ / for the whole European region of worldwide Moravian Church); Moravian Unity Cultural Heritage Foundation: Wieland Menzel (Herrnhut) and David Johnston (GB);. - The Unity Synod also decided that the two previous mission areas in Tanzania Ruvuma & Njombe as well as Iringa should work in the status of a mission province in the future.

From 6 to 8 October 2023, the Board of Directors and staff of the Board of World Mission BWM of the Moravian Church in North America, a sister organisation of Herrnhuter Missionshilfe, met on Staten Island for this year's autumn exchange. See here. They were guests at the New Dorp Moravian Church. The congregation also welcomes refugees from Ukraine. They provided the guests of the mission with delicious sweets from their homeland. Photo here. The history of BWM dates back to 1745, when the Moravian Church in British Pennsylvania founded a society for the spread of the Gospel, the oldest missionary society in all of North America. In its present form, BWM has existed since 1949 and serves the three Unity provinces of Alaska, North America North and North America South. In particular, it supports the Moravians in Costa Rica, Honduras, India, Cuba, Labrador, Nepal, Nicaragua, Peru, Sierra Leone, Tanzania West and West Indies East.

Many people still like to have a postcard in their mailbox. That is why the Moravian Church's Office of World Mission BWM in North America has now launched a new permanent fundraising campaign. It asks: "Do you already receive our quarterly postcards? If you want to be on the mailing list, become a monthly donor with any amount! Go to https://www.moravian.org/mission/give/, click on the big green button and select Set Up Automated Donation. By supporting BWM on a regular basis, even if it is only five US dollars a month, you help us to better estimate in advance the amount of financial help we will receive. This in turn enables us to respond more quickly to spiritual challenges and sudden emergencies. Plus, there's a special story and a beautiful photo in your house mailbox every quarter."

Highlights of the annual Semester Opening Service at Bethlehem Moravian College in Malvern/St Elizabeth on Monday 9 October 2023 can be viewed here (135 pictures!). A video of the two hour service is available here. Last but not least was the official introduction of the newly appointed Principal Albert Corcho and the welcoming of the newly elected student representatives of the college. The guest speaker at the opening ceremony was Dr Carey Wallace, the Executive Director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund of Jamaica since 1 March 2017. The opening of the semester was followed by a Spiritual Emphasis Week from 9 to 13 October 2023. The motto of the week was: "Take a new direction in life with Jesus Christ" (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17).

A recent post from South Africa said: "We at the Elim Moravian Church on the southern tip of South Africa have some interesting news for you. Our big old water mill was of great importance to the local people. All the local farmers in the area brought their grain to our mill. How do we know this? We have just discovered that, in the absence of barns, they used the dry attic of our church to store their grain. A total of 41 pillars point to this fact. Some of them still bear a name plate or a name in the wood indicates where the respective farmer stored his grain. The names that appear include Jan Swart, Piet Wessels, Paul Colyn, Thys Lourenz and many more. It was probably mainly wheat that was stored here. Isn't that something to be proud of?" Pictures here.

Despite some heavy downpours, there was great enthusiasm during the visit of a group from the Uitenhage Moravian Church on 30 September 2023. See here. Curiosity promotes learning! That is why children from the nearby Hermanus Waldorf School with a thirst for knowledge visited the Mission Museum on 29 September 2023 and immersed themselves in their cultural heritage. See here. On Gratitude Monday, 2 October 2023, the Museum was grateful for the enriching moments the staff was able to spend with the Sarang Church Youth Group from South Korea. See here. Also accompanied by many downpours was the heart-warming tour of the Mission Museum by participants and attendees of the Cloëte Family Reunion on 1 October 2023. See here. A group photo shows the current staff of the Mission Museum. They are always transforming artefacts into engaging stories for everyone. See here.

Members of the Dutch armed forces recently arrived in Suriname to gain operational experience in the tropics. In addition, the soldiers are to acquire intercultural skills in the microcosm of Suriname. From 7 October to 5 December 2023, three men and one woman will cooperate with the Medical Mission in Suriname (Medische Zending - Primary Health Care Suriname). Their specific place of work is the polyclinic in Brownsweg (5,000 inhabitants) near the Brokopondo reservoir. The clinic team is happy about the work of the guests, because the military doctor (general practitioner), the nurse, the nursing specialist and the nursing assistant help the clinic to gain additional capacity. A short film about the polyclinic here. A photo from the Dutch Embassy with the military here. The polyclinic with twelve attached beds was established in 1964 on the initiative of the Moravian Church.

On 27 September 2023, Latvian Radio Latvijas Sabiedriskie Mediji featured a contribution by Inta Zegner in its popular cultural programme on Channel 3 entitled "Did you know?", in which Gundars Ceipe, the long-time leader of the Moravian Church in Latvia, spoke at length. German translation of the radio contribution here. Gundars Ceipe, a historian and theologian with a doctorate, introduced the German-Baltic Countess Magdalena Elisabeth von Hallart (1683-1750), under whose influence the work of the Moravian Church in what was then Livonia began soon after the foundation of Herrnhut and - despite political and ecclesiastical resistance - gathered momentum. As many Latvians are only now becoming aware, the work of the Moravian Church in Livonia (and far beyond) contributed significantly to the formation of a united Latvian nation with its own written language, culture and history. To the original contribution in Latvian, six minutes here.

On 5 July 2023, the German government published the cabinet draft for the 2024 budget. Action against AIDS Germany was horrified to find that the title Costs of international cooperation in the field of public health was cut by more than half. This drastic cut raises concerns that further funding for UNAIDS is at risk. The alliance, which also includes Herrnhuter Missionshilfe, wrote to the Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach, asking for a permanent contribution to UNAIDS commensurate with Germany's economic strength and for the establishment of a separate budget line to support the joint United Nations HIV programme. Germany is currently chairing the meetings to coordinate the UNAIDS programme. The alliance wrote another letter to the involved members of the Bundestag. See here.