Herrnhuter Missionshilfe invites you to an encounter trip to Suriname. The trip is scheduled to take place from 27.02.-10.03.2026. The program includes meetings with congregations and institutions of the Moravian Church in the capital Paramaribo. The aim is to visit the various ethnic groups and experience the social work of the church. During an excursion into the interior, the often untouched tropical rainforest with all its magnificent plants can be visited. Encounters with rural congregations focus on their living conditions and the challenges they face. More information about the trip is available here. Almut Clemens can also be contacted if you have any questions. All interested persons are cordially invited!

The employees of the Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center SMRC, Palestine (West Bank), received a visit from the Commission for Education and Vocational Training in Palestine in the near Ramallah. Saida Shoaibat and Saif Al-Anati were members of the commission. The commission's mission statement reads: “We are a national commission that seeks an integrated vocational and technical education and training system that is characterized by efficiency and quality, that promotes innovation and entrepreneurship, and that responds to the needs of the labor market in the context of technological progress to achieve sustainable development. We strive for change through policy making, legislation, strategic planning and development of programs and curricula.” The Commission and the SMRC agreed on a binding cooperation for the future. Three pictures here.

The winter 2025 edition of the Ahuas Spotlight newsletter has now been published by the Board of World Mission BWM. See here. Dhis newsletter provides information about the Clinica Evangelica Morava in Ahuas on the Honduran Mosquitia. It reports on the fall 2024 meeting of the Medical Board. Among other things, successes in preventive health education were noted. A need for help was expressed with regard to staff training and equipping the remote clinic with technology and medication. The newsletter also reports on the fates of patients. Dr. Maylo Wood, for example, tells the story of a 38-year-old man whose life was severely endangered for weeks after a burst appendix as a result of a missed operation. Another major topic in the newsletter is the children's nutrition program.

Four young members of the Moravian Church South Africa MCSA are currently preparing for their volunteer service in Germany. Zingce Dyonase, Anesteen Leander, Faith Joy Daniels and Leighlin Burts will be sent to Germany at the beginning of March with the Ecumenical Volunteer Program of the Evangelical Mission in Solidarity EMS. There, two of them will work in kindergartens and two will live and work on the Herrnhaag. In preparation for this adventure, all four are attending a German course together lasting several weeks. On the last weekend of January, the volunteers also met in Cape Town for a preparatory seminar. Former volunteers Zikhona and Courtney reported on their experiences and gave lots of practical tips. Communication trainer Anna Katharina Opio sensitized the group to possible (cultural) misunderstandings and strategies for dealing with them were developed together. There was also a small taste of German food culture. The South African EMS volunteers receive great support from their church leadership, especially from Sr. Boneta Neethling, who masters all organizational challenges with great dedication.

In a New Year's greeting from the leadership of the Moravian Church in Nicaragua, it says in the opening section after the blessings: "May 2025 be a year in which we restore our relationship with God, with our brothers and sisters and with the whole of divine creation; a year of liberation from chains, hatred, envy and selfishness; a year of restoration of love, solidarity and fraternity; a year of reconciliation and unity of the Church. 'Think no more of what has gone before. Pay no attention to what is past. Look, I am doing something new. It is already coming to light, don't you realise? I am making a path through the desert and roads through the wilderness. (Is. 43,18f). In 2025, we Moravians in Nicaragua are called to set a milestone in our history by holding, with God's help, the Synod of Unity, which will also approve the new constitution, scheduled for 21 to 26 January 2025. The five bishops and all members of the Church leadership ask for your unwavering prayers." More in Spanish here.

As the Southern Province of the Moravian Church in Tanzania announced on Facebook on 15 January 2025, Nikwisa Mwakamele, the provincial officer responsible for widows, orphans and other vulnerable children, paid a visit to the Moravian Church's vocational training centre in Namtumbo. The centre is run by Barnabas Mulundi. During the visit, Nikwisa Mwakamele wanted to make sure that the young people she had placed at the Vocational Training Centre VTC were making the desired progress. Nikwisa Mwakamele used her visit to discuss various topics with the headmaster and teachers at the VTC, to encourage them and spur them on to work hard. In the photo posted on Facebook (see here), some of the VTC's sponsored graduates can be seen alongside the two leaders mentioned. With a blue dress: Nikwisa Mwakamele.

The second synod of the South Asia Mission Province began in Kathmandu, Nepal, in the third week of the 2025 calendar year. More than 30 representatives of the congregations and educational and social institutions from North India and Nepal were together, including guests from Europe and neighbouring Myanmar, where there have been many friends of the Moravian Church for several years. The synod members wrote: "Please pray for further fruitful consultations." In many places, church life in the South Asia Mission Province is particularly attractive to young people and provides encouragement for everyday life. The congregations find ways and means to provide material and spiritual support to people in need in their neighbourhood. Examples of this can be found in the 21-page Annual Report 2024 of the Shey Moravian Church. See here. The special partnership with the British Unity Province is important for this region of the world.

The children and young people at the Moravian Mission School in Leh, Ladakh (northern India) experienced exciting days with experimental learning units around the turn of the year 2024/2025. Some of the young people took part in a camp organised by the National Cadet Corps (NCC), which is part of the Indian armed forces. 50 pictures here. Some other young people celebrated their farewell to school. 50 pictures here. A study day with a visit to the market was dedicated to healthy eating. 30 pictures here. Two further study days, Turning Trash to Treasure and From Kitchen Novices to Cooking Experts, focussed on making beautiful things from waste products and teaching kitchen skills respectively. 12 and 18 pictures respectively here and here and here. Finally, handicraft techniques could also be learnt - 30 pictures here – and methods of environmentally friendly construction were presented. 20 pictures here.

Barrington Daley, President of the Moravian Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, preached at the service during National Heritage Week 2024 in Kingston, Jamaica. See the report by Chris Patterson in the Jamaica Information Servicehere. The church president said, among other things: "What kind of legacy are we leaving behind? Are we passing on values such as love, justice and unity or are we allowing division, selfishness and greed to grow among us? The torch has been passed on to us: How do we deal with it? Do we let it burn brightly or do we allow it to flicker and eventually go out? We are all responsible for shaping the future. Cultural heritage is not just about the heroes of the past, but also about the decisions we have to make today." Sir Patrick Allen, Governor General of Jamaica, emphasised: "We must ensure that our approach to our national heritage makes future generations proud of us."

Brinmore Phaul from Guyana (formerly part of Dutch Demerara, then British Guyana), Bishop of the Unity, addressed the 700 members of the Moravian Church in Guyana in eight congregations with a greeting and a brief interpretation of Scripture at the beginning of 2025. See here. Brinmore Phaul is the first native bishop of the Moravian Church from this third oldest mission region of the Moravian Church. In his greeting, he emphasises that people should not doubt in the new year that God will fulfil his promises. Even difficult days in the vicissitudes of life could become days for all of us in which God's grace, mercy and faithfulness carry us through in a special way. - A sharing of the sermon meeting of the Georgetown Moravian Church on 19 January 2025 here. Eine digital invitation with music to the Sunday children's service of the Calvary Moravian Church in Queenstown here.

In Genadendal, South Africa, there is not only the Moravian Mission Museum, but also a museum of printing history. Photo here. This museum has existed since 2003, when the successful print shop (with Heidelberg printing presses) was relocated to Cape Town and a museum was set up in the print shop building. The old print shop was built in 1858 on the initiative of the avant-garde missionary Hans Peter Hallbeck (with a wooden Gutenberg press from the Netherlands) and was extended in 1960. Photos of the construction work here. In 1914, an early joint publishing venture took place in the old printing works. The Moravian Mission, the Berlin Mission and the Lutheran Church in South Africa published the magazine Die Huisvried (The House Friend) here. Later, only the Moravian Church was responsible for this magazine, which had only recently ceased publication. The magazine De Bode (The Messenger) was printed as early as 1859; most of the printed matter was used for the educational work of the Moravian Church. The printing and binding of books was part of the training programme at the Moravian teacher college in Genadendal, founded in 1837, where a large number of local teachers were trained.

The International Mission Photography Archive digitisation project has now made historical photos from the archives of 15 missionary societies and churches accessible to the public: in addition to 2,911 photos from the area of the Moravian mission, there are hundreds of photos from the Danish, Basel, Leipzig, Hermannsburg and Scottish missions, among others. See here. Regarding the photos of the Moravian mission, it says: "The photos of the Moravian Church from the years 1890 to 1940 are part of the collection that is physically stored in the Unity Archive in Herrnhut. The church was founded in 1722 and was the first Protestant church to send its representatives to West and South Africa. The digitised photos from this collection focus on two missionary areas: Nyasa in what is now southern Tanzania and South Africa West, the area north and east of Cape Town." The first photos from the Nyasa mission here.

On 21 January 2025, the Board of World Mission posted on Facebook: "Registration is now open for the Convo (Convocation) from 2 to 7 July 2025 in Florida. Come and see how the Moravian Church became a church with a mission. Find out how we can put God's mission into practice today, individually or together. The convo is designed for high school age youth. The theme is MIA - mission in action today. Please mark Monday 3 March 2025 at 19:00 (local time) in your calendar. We will then hold an info session via Zoom to answer all your questions about the event! In the meantime, if you have any questions, please fill out the contact form on the Convo website and our staff will be happy to answer your questions. Cost $800". To the Convo website here. To the registration here.

In 2025, the Mount Tabor Moravian Church in Bridgetown, Barbados, commemorates its founding 200 years ago. The anniversary graphic on a large banner is here. The anniversary motto is: Celebrating the past - Creating a Future for All. For 50 Barbados dollars (just under 25 euros), you can take part in a Dancing under the Stars event on 14 February 2025 at 8 pm at Mount Tabor Primary School to mark the start of the anniversary year. Ticket here. There will be many attractions on this evening: Music from a live band, awards for the best dressed woman and man and the best dancing couple, karaoke competition, food from the barbecue and deep fryer, chilled drinks, lots of raffle prizes (including gift boxes with items for the bathroom and body care), a small gift for everyone.