Part of the HMH team (Markus Kuhn and Kerstin Heim) is currently on a project trip in Zambia. The first two days were already very emotional and impressive. On Monday, the new vocational training center and the kindergarten in Lusaka were visited. Both projects were only opened two weeks ago, but there are already almost 60 children and young people there. On Tuesday, the Malnutrition Project at the Neri Clinic was visited. Here, our team was able to see first-hand how professionally the clinic staff care for mothers and children seeking help. Now the HMH team is traveling on to Ndola and Malawi.

From September 13-25, 2024, a group of young adults from South Africa and Germany met in Cape Town for a special exchange trip on the topic of democracy. The trip was intensively prepared by Damaris Enkelmann and David Daniels. They spent eleven full days together exploring questions such as “What is important for democratic coexistence?” or “How can we specifically work for a democratic society?” The initial focus was on the history and current situation in South Africa. The group visited important places such as the Slave Lodge, Robben Island, the Desmond and Leah Tutu exhibition, parliament and Langa Township to better understand the path of democracy in South Africa. However, personal reflection, learning from each other and enjoying the beautiful nature together were also important parts of the trip. More insights can be seen hier. Next year the delegation from South Africa will visit us in Germany.

The church lives from encounters. That is why the congregation of Bad Boll (with financial support from, among others, Herrnhuter Missionshilfe) invited a group of women from the six Moravian groups in Albania to southwestern Germany. Among them was the first Albanian woman pastor, Dena Grillo-Fortuzi, with her daughter Zaira. For some of the women, it was their first trip abroad. They write: “The days were filled with visits to Bad Boll, Königsfeld, Stuttgart and Ulm.” Pictures here.

The Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center SMRC near Ramallah (Palestine) has started to send out regularly short special educational messages or advertising texts in Arabic for its own work. On September 28, 2024, for example, the message was: “A small note with a big impact: Reduce the use of the words ‘no / can't’ as much as possible and look for effective means of engaging in dialogue with our children.” In earlier messages, it said: “Our goal is to teach people with disabilities new skills and prepare them for their future.” “Our (educational) journey with the children opens up new horizons for them again and again.“”The Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center is the perfect place for your child to grow up and learn.“”Let's be ready for tomorrow's challenges and opportunities together.“”Yes, Star Mountain, you are the star.”

In his current newsletter, the retired dean Dr. Jochen Tolk once again provides information about the work in Tanzania. Among other things, he reports on unplanned delays in construction projects, successes in various agricultural projects, a gratifying story of an orphan from Tenende and a festival in Mbeya Province. Thanks to Dr. Tolk's orphan projects/scholarships, many people in need have been able to receive support, help and education in recent years. We would like to express our sincere thanks to all donors for their active support. You can find the complete newsletter here.

The Unity Board Conference 2024 came to a close on Sunday, 29 September 2024. It had begun on 24 September 2024. This time, the highest body of the worldwide Moravian Church between the Unity Synods met on the island of Antigua on the grounds of  St. James’s Clubs. The members of the council celebrated the Sunday service on the island's St. James's Club grounds the day before their return trip to the 15 Moravian churches on the island. It can be seen from a text by Raimund Hertzsch (delegate of the European-Continental Province) that the deliberations took place in a very good atmosphere. Many reports were received. Three new regions in Tanzania have been declared mission areas of the Moravian Church. The task was to carry out the mandates of the 2023 Unity Synod in Cape Town. The agenda also included the history of slavery and climate protection, the finances of the Unity, as well as the current political and church-political situation in Nicaragua. Roberta Hoey (London) was re-elected as President of the Unity Board. Alongside her and Jørgen Bøytler (Christiansfeld, Denmark), the Unity Board Administrator, the other members of the Unity Executive Committee are Algernon Lewis (Caribbean & Latin America region), Neil Routh (North America region) and Erord Simae (Africa region).

Youth leaders in the worldwide Moravian Church are invited to register for another Zoom conference and share their current work and visions for the future. Jiřina Kaletova-Čančíková, Nová Paka (CZ), the coordinator of the Unity Youth Desk, recently sent out an invitation on behalf of the new Unity Youth Committees.The conference is scheduled to take place on October 26, 2024. The start time of the conference varies in different time zones. See here. The coordinator writes: “After a break and some changes in our ranks, we want to revive these Zoom conferences. We want to introduce the new Unity Youth Committee to you in a big group. We want to talk about our work and, of course, get to know each other. We want to know what's going on in your youth work. Website here. Meeting ID: 856 3750 0902."

Under the motto All with Nicaragua, the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Religious have invited the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops' Conference to an international day of prayer for Nicaragua on September 24, 2024. Prayer is the main tool of Christians. The country is now facing a crisis of hope, prophecy and solidarity. The Church in Nicaragua is living through the darkest chapter in its history. There are four intercession requests: “We pray that those in power will hear the cry of the people. We pray for the thousands of exiles. We pray for the Church, which is suffering the same pain as the Crucified One. And we pray for the poorest, that is, for the most vulnerable people who are left alone.” Anyone in the world could register in advance for this international day of prayer on the internet. See here and here.

On the occasion of the Day of Prayer for the Western Province of the Moravian Church in Tanzania on September 19, 2024, the Board of World Mission of the Moravian Church in North America conveyed the following prayer requests from Bishop Ezekiel Yona: Please pray for a) strength for church leaders in their oversight of a large province and five mission areas; b) strength for pastors to behave well in a time of false prophets in Africa; c) the men in the church. They often do not like to attend church services and should be encouraged to love the church. The Tanzanian Western Province was created in 1898 and covers a geographically large area from Lake Victoria in the north and the northern shores of Lake Tanganyika in the west to large cities and small villages in the east to Itigi and in the south to Rukwa Province. The church has over 100,000 members and continues to grow rapidly, which has characterized its work for decades. See here.

On Sunday, September 8, 2024, an extraordinary synod of the Moravian Church took place in Burundi. This took place in Bujumbura, Kuwinterekwa district, at the headquarters of the Moravian Church in Burundi on the grounds of the Bujumbura congregation. Delegates from all regions of Burundi took part. The special synod was held under the leadership of Pastor Mathias Koligito together with Bishop Pascal Benimana. The main reason for this special synod was the need to amend the church constitution of the Moravian Church in Burundi in order to align it with the country's laws. During the synod, new articles were formulated and approved to enable the church to function under the best possible conditions. A commission has been set up to implement the changes. The synod took place after a church service in the church in Bujumbura. Several pictures here.

Two years ago, the Moravian Church in Tanzania decided to send the experienced Matias Kiligito as a missionary to neighboring Burundi to establish the Moravian Church there. Since then, he has been very active, most recently at a large, beneficial youth seminar in Rudaraza-Karusi. A total of 3,000 people attended. More than 800 of them decided to follow the path of Jesus and asked Jesus to give them a new life. There were also 20 baptisms! A longer report about the seminar with an interview with Matias Kiligito in Danish under the heading “The Moravian Church in Burundi is moving forward” can be found here. Matias Kiligito is 62 years old and married to Rosie. They have four children. Before being sent to Burundi, he was a pastor of the Moravian Church and a lecturer at the Theological Seminary of the Western Province in Sikonge (Lusangi Bible College). There are currently 139 congregations in Burundi, served by 57 pastors.

• The Moravian Church in Burundi is now also working in Rumonge Province. The relevant documents for the Mayengo congregation were signed on September 18, 2024 and a pastor was appointed. Rev. Edward Nsengiyumva Augustino and Rev. Sylvestre Gashatsi from other congregations attended the ceremony. See here.
• A capacity-building seminar for leaders of the Moravian Church in Burundi took place in Bujumbura on September 3-4, 2024. Some pictures here. The seminar was organized by Senior Kay and his wife from Denmark. At the opening of the seminar, Edward Augustino Nsengiyumva welcomed the participants on behalf of the church leadership and called on them to seriously follow all the teachings of the seminar. In his sermon on September 4, 2024, Rev. Manacé Irutingabo of the Moravian Church in Bujumbura preached on Luke 22:24-30, exhorting the leaders to be servants of others above all. Pictures of the prayer groups here.

As they do every year, hundreds of people, mostly of Surinamese descent, gathered at the Moravian Church Hall in Zeist, the Netherlands, and in the squares in front of it on September 22, 2024 for the mission festival. The festival is characterized by hugs and catching up with people you haven't seen in a long time, Surinamese food and drinks, a large festive church service with powerful singing, and a mission information session. This year, Pastor Urmie Mingoen and educator Petra Pinas were live-streamed from Suriname, reporting on the educational opportunities offered by the Moravian Church in the country. 300 years ago, the first Moravian Church school was founded in Herrnhut. On this sunny day, the children who had come enjoyed a separate program of games and painting, drama and poetry. The total proceeds of the festival amounted to €13,000 (before deduction of costs). The proceeds will be used to provide vouchers that will enable needy children in Suriname to buy necessary school supplies. More pictures and more information here and here.

From September 16 to 20, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Moravian Church in Suriname held a seminar for traumatized children between the ages of 8 and 13 at its youth center in Paramaribo (Johan Raillardlaan 5-7). The announcement stated: “The children learn what the signs of trauma are and how they can deal with their own emotional and mental suffering.” Talita Koem, a special healing ministry of the Moravian Church in Suriname under the direction of Lydia Sedney, a youth pastor appointed in 2019, is responsible for conducting the seminar. On the ministry's website – see here – it says: “We see it as an important task to make children and young people in Suriname feel valuable and loved. We also consider it important to comfort children, to encourage them, to guide them and to give them hope (again).” Further information can be found here on a flyer. The certification of trainers who want to dedicate themselves to child trauma management is carried out by the Surinaams Bijbel Genootschap.

Seven young people from the Moravian Church in Suriname (Mae Ann Haimes, Karin Pinas Grant, Steven Pinas, Vanessa Lieveld, Vanessa Burgos, Arantis Forster, Benito Pick and Dwayne Weltevreden) spent a week volunteering at the youth center and the Moravian Church's theological seminary in Paramaribo. Their main aim during the taster days was to gain professional orientation. They helped with practical youth work, in administration, and with caretaking and gardening. They took part in devotions during all lunch breaks. The volunteers were inspired by what was said. They gained general insights into the Christian faith and human life and were strengthened in their will to serve God in the future. The Moravian Church in Suriname, with about 30,000 members, is a church that is very active in the social and educational fields. See here.

The new Spotlight from the Clinica Evangelica Morava in Ahuas, Honduras, is very varied. See here. First, Will Cuthbert, the youth pastor of the Moravian Church in Costa Rica, talks about his visit in August 2024. Then there is talk of the clinic's financial need for help and the volunteer work of a six-person dental team from Florida in the clinic's dental department. The team worked in the remote La Mosquitia region on the Atlantic Ocean under the motto Being God's Hands & Feet. The work of the clinic's management is also the subject of a separate section. The clinic is indispensable for indigenous people with a wide range of illnesses, for pregnant women and women in labor, as well as for children and the elderly in need of care. They often travel several dozen kilometers to reach the clinic. The clinic also offers a child nutrition program and preventive health care.

• There have been two special events at Calvary Moravian Church in Bridgetown, Barbados in recent weeks. On Saturday, September 21, 2024, new backpacks were given to those students in the Congregation Primary School who are now moving on to secondary school. Some boys and girls were also awarded a scholarship: the Estelle Burke Educational Scholarship Award. Congratulations! Pictures from the event here. 
• On Sunday, August 25, 2024, a two-and-a-half-hour, richly designed service with the Moramus Singers of Barbados took place at the same location under the motto Come Let Us Worship he complete service can be experienced here. Singing and instrumental performances by individual groups alternated with powerful congregational singing, as well as with blocks of preaching and prayer.

On September 24, 2024, the Republic of South Africa again celebrated National Heritage Day. Around this date, there were many special events at the Moravian Mission Museum in Genadendal. Some local primary school children presented their pictures of the Overberg region at an art auction on September 13. See here. On the morning of September 24, the Friends of the Genadendal Mission Museum Association held a Meet and Greet. See here. On that day, the museum also offered several special tours under the motto Step back in time! (Take a trip back in time!), during which a small Nelson Mandela special exhibition could be seen. See here. During the tours, a historical photo of the former mission shop was admired, among other things. See here. Highlights were a courtyard festival for Heritage Day (including demonstrations in the historic water mill, carriage rides, a bazaar and live music) – see here and a workshop offered by the Clay Collective to make various pottery items. 25 more beautiful pictures See here (please click to the right).