On Sunday, April 27, 2025, a moving memorial service was held in the Moravian Church's community center in Tirana for Viola Grillo, one of the three founders and then long-time activist of this small but diversely committed church in the early 1990s. Around 70 relatives, friends and also members of the congregation gathered in the morning to celebrate the life of Vjola Grillo and to find comfort and hope together in the resurrection of Christ. Herrnhuter Missionshilfe was represented at the celebration by Bettina Nasgowitz, Bad Boll, who then visited the community group in the satellite town of Bathore and had warm and encouraging encounters there. Viola Grillo, the mother of Dena Grillo-Fortuzi, the first and so far only full-time pastor of the Moravian Church in Albania, was born in 1953. Some pictures from the memorial service here.

Moravian Merchandise, the fair trade arm of Herrnhuter Missionshilfe, was once again represented at this year's Kirchentag in Hanover. In addition to the well-known products such as olive oil and za'tar from Palestine, spices, sewing and coffee from Tanzania, the new notebooks from Malawi were on sale for the first time this year. Fortunately, all 150 books were sold, a great success for the girls at the Atsikana Walani women's project. The proceeds from the sale will now be reinvested in new fabrics. Thanks to numerous volunteers, the entire range was sold and the turnover of the last Kirchentag in Nürnberg was clearly exceeded. Many thanks to everyone who contributed to this successful Kirchentag.

The Worldwide Moravian Church Rehabilitation Center on the Star Mountain near Ramallah (Palestine; West Bank) finally completed its project Promoting Inclusivity in Local Congregations through Good Citizenship. The project ran for 15 months in 2024/25 and reached six regions in the Ramallah and Al-Bireh districts (Nalin, Kharbatha Misbah, Beit Luqia, Petunia, Deir Abu Mashal, Qubia). The project was generously supported by the German Society for International Cooperation. The closing ceremony was organized for many of the participating children, their parents and coaches. They gave vivid accounts of their experiences in different areas of everyday life and the knowledge they had gained. The ceremony also included the screening of a short film documenting the project activities and the distribution of certificates to the participating communities. 30 pictures here.

Full of excitement and anticipation, some children from the worldwide Moravian Church Rehabilitation Center on Star Mountain near Ramallah (Palestine, West Bank) went on an excursion on May 6, 2025. This took them to the large Mazaya Mall north of Ramallah, a shopping, cultural and entertainment center. The joint trip there was part of the extracurricular program of the almost 45-year-old support facility. It contributed to the integration of the children with disabilities into society and boosted their self-confidence. On Facebook it said: “Our students were also able to practice shopping in a mall - an opportunity for them to learn life skills in a new environment. Lunch was provided in a relaxed social atmosphere. This meal also helped to foster a spirit of interaction and mutual connection.” Pictures here.

Several agricultural projects in Honduras are showing signs of progress, encouraging further activities. This is reported by the Board of World Mission of the Moravian Church in North America. Students at the Moravian Church's Samuel B. Marx High School in Ahuas, Honduras (La Mosquitia), are now growing cucumbers and zucchinis. A greenhouse is to support the planned reforestation of areas in future. Watermelons, maize and yucca have been planted in the fields of the Ahuas Clinic with promising results. Cocoa seedlings were planted in Kipahni and Wisplini. Although the La Mosquitia region still faces major challenges, particularly in terms of suitable labor, the new partnerships with CURLA (a major university in La Ceiba) and other local actors are strengthening hopes for a better future. See on Facebook here.

The Board of World Mission of the Moravian Church in North America has published new information from the Clinica Evangelica Morava in Ahuas in Hunduras. See in English here. Ten boxes and two bags of medical technology and other medical equipment, donated by a former nurse and her sister, were recently shipped from La Ceiba to Ahuas. Then a team of twelve dentists from Florida (USA) visited many patients in Ahuas, Krupunta, Waxma and Auratá. The team traveled from early in the morning until late at night across lagoons and rivers, by truck, plane and boat, to provide help that is unfortunately still lacking in this part of the world. Thanks to the team's work, hundreds of patients were relieved of pain. Finally, senior staff from the clinic met with trainers from CURLA University in La Ceiba to discuss university training opportunities at the clinic.

The Moravian Church in Sierra Leone, headquartered in Luawa Yiehun, works as a mission area of the worldwide Moravian Church. When a long civil war in the country came to an end in the 1990s, the first church structures were established there with the help of the Moravian Church in the USA. Now, under the leadership of Akoluthin Safiatu Braïma, there are five congregations with social and educational projects, including a Moravian Secondary School with around 800 children in Yiehun. The congregation in Kailahun is in the process of building a junior secondary school. The congregation's governing bodies meet four times a year to exchange ideas and receive further training. A 16-part Bible knowledge and spiritual leadership course is currently underway. New church leadership elections were held in Sierra Leone at the end of April 2025. Prayer requests from Safiatu Braïma can be found here, sent on the occasion of the Day of Prayer for the Moravian Church in Sierra Leone on May 4, 2025.

The newsletter of the Armando Rusindo Mission Foundation, the Cuba Foundation of the Moravian Church in North America, from the end of April 2025 is available here. The newsletter states: “God is using people of all ages in Cuba to spread the gospel and support one another. Below you will find pictures of worship services, prayers and other gatherings that provide insight into the lives of God's people standing firm in faith - proof that God's light shines in all circumstances.” As the public electricity supply in Cuba is failing more and more frequently, the congregations have created alternative supply systems. Here is a view of the worship room of the Moravian Church Ebenezer in the city of Santa Clara during a power cut. On Sunday, May 4, 2025, communion was celebrated in this congregation.

Moravian High School in Bluefields on the southern Atlantic coast of Nicaragua reports that there were several special events in school life in April 2025. First of all, on April 9, the school grounds and the so-called herb garden were maintained. See here. On April 10, there were the many tables with very different Lenten meals that children from a school class had prepared during Lent and which could be tasted. See here. Then, in the Easter season of joy, there was a big fashion show under the motto Pool Party, which caused amazement and enthusiasm among the audience in the rows of seats in the school gym. See here. And then there was the annual school Mathematical Olympiad on April 29, in which nine winners were chosen. See here. The Moravian Church in Bluefields is the most English-Caribbean Moravian Church in Nicaragua.

One of several Easter celebrations of the Moravian Church in Latvia took place in the Smaiži Church near Liepāja (Courland), the only concrete church built by the Moravian Church in Latvia in the 1920s and 1930s. Because the Moravian Church was subsequently banned and persecuted for decades, this very special church is now just a ruin, albeit a well-kept one that is occasionally used for events. Pictures here. A second, already traditional Easter celebration took place on April 21, 2022 in the old prayer house in Riņģi near Blome southwest of Smiltene (Livonia) under the direction of Arnis and Ivita Dāmis, the honorary church leaders. The prayer house was given a new wooden shingle roof for Easter 2025, the material costs of which were covered by the Moravian Church in Stockholm. Picture of the new roof here. The roofing work was carried out by a team led by Janis Skadins, who was warmly thanked.

On May 1, the visitor season traditionally opens at the open-air museum on the eastern edge of Riga (Latvijas Etnogrāfiskais brīvdabas muzejs). The motto is: A day at home: the museum comes to life. The hot breath of the past will be felt as rarely before. The museum staff will be dressed in traditional costumes and help the crowds of visitors get to know the furnishings and exhibitions in the old wooden buildings. Several Latvian singing and folklore groups will perform and showcase their art. At 2 pm there will be a spiritual event in the old Herrnhut prayer house on the museum's extensive grounds, where the Lutheran congregation in Usma will be present. The museum focuses on familiarizing visitors with the Latvian way of life between the 17th and 20th centuries. See a longer text in Latvian and many beautiful pictures here.

The Facebook pages of the Moravian Church in Estonia recently reported on a faith course in Kuressaare on the island of Saaremaa (German: Arensburg auf Ösel). A picture with the 27 participants here. The course took place on the premises of the Laurentius Parish under the direction of Pastor Hannes Nelis and his team, and it ended on the second day of Easter. Its motto was: Christian life and denial. The aim of the course was to prepare active church members for participation in the Time of Hope festival on October 18-10, 2025 in the Tondibara Ice Arena in Tallinn. The keynote speaker at this festival with music is Will Graham from the USA. The course teaches church members how to put their personal relationship with God in order and how to proclaim the Good News. He wants to strengthen the evangelistic work in the congregations and enable them to grow in faith. New prayer groups have already been set up.

• A few days ago, three statements by people - all women - were published on the Facebook pages of the Unity Province of the West Indies East (5 minutes in total) who decided to undergo theological training and have personally gained a lot from it here.
• In the Sunday services at Mount Tabor Moravian Church in St. John's, Barbados, children often read the scriptures. See here. And there is often an opportunity for a personal blessing at the end. See here. 
• 16 pictures from the confirmation at Spring Gardens Moravian Church in St. John's on Antigua on the Sunday after Easter 2025 can be found here. 
• To mark the 9th anniversary of the founding of the Women's Association of the Moravian Church on Tortola, activists gathered for an afternoon of fellowship. Pastor Connie George gave a powerful and timely speech on Finding strength for your struggles. See here.