This lovingly crafted olive oil soap combines care, fairness, and hope. The well-known, high-quality olive oil comes from traditional olive groves in Palestine and is processed by the soap manufacturer Lagerhaus GmbH in the Swabian Alb. With every bar, you support the Star Mountain Rehablitation Center, which has been accompanying and supporting children and young people with intellectual disabilities for many years. The olive oil soap is a product of Moravian Merchandise, the fair trade division of Herrnhuter Missionshilfe e.V., and stands for quality, transparency, and solidarity. It is available at the following graduated prices: 1 piece → €4.90/piece, 10 pieces → €4.70/piece, 100 pieces → €4.40/piece. The soap is also particularly attractive as a sustainable gift idea for companies, clubs, or groups—for example, for Christmas, anniversaries, or as a thank-you gift. With this small, high-quality product, you are not only giving care, but also a future and support for the work of Star Mountain. Further information and ordering options can be found at www.moravian-merchandise.org.

The Atsikana Walani Training Center (AWTC) in Malawi recently acquired a very special helper: a brick clay oven that trainees in the food production program can now use to bake bread, pastries, and many other dishes—without any electricity or gas. Since energy sources in Malawi are currently extremely expensive and often unreliable, this oven is much more than just a technical innovation. It stands for sustainability, independence, and practical learning with local resources. The young women are learning firsthand how simple means can have a big impact – knowledge that will benefit them not only in the classroom, but also in their future everyday lives and on their path to independence. The oven was built thanks to targeted support and donations – an example of how quickly and effectively help can arrive when many people pitch in. Many thanks to everyone who made this project possible!

An encouraging example from Tanzania shows how inclusion is being put into practice: as part of the Tourism Awareness Raising Project run by partner organization Tanzania Mwangaza and supported by Herrnhuter Missionshilfe, a student with disabilities has begun practical training at the renowned five-star Hyatt Park Hotel in Zanzibar. After completing his training at the Herrnhut Academy Vocational Training Center, the young man impressed with his commitment, reliability, and keen interest in the hotel industry. The fact that he now has the opportunity to gain practical experience in a top international hotel is a significant step—both for him personally and for the promotion of inclusive vocational training and equal opportunities in Tanzania. The project aims to enable people with disabilities to access training, employment, and social participation.

In the second week of October 2025, the focus at the worldwide Moravian Church's Rehabilitation Center on Star Mountain near Ramallah (Palestine, West Bank) was on national cultural heritage. Kindergarten children, special needs students, and young people at the vocational training center celebrated their special traditions. They felt proud and a sense of belonging. Everyone wore traditional Palestinian clothing, sang their favorite songs, and danced, expressing their love for their cultural heritage. Teachers, students, and trainees also sampled traditional Palestinian specialties, including manakish (a type of Arabic pizza), delicious cheese slices, and other delicacies—all in an atmosphere of fun and learning with the aim of preserving Palestinian heritage and passing it on to the next generation. 16 photos hier.

The Elim Home support center run by the Moravian Church in South Africa—located very close to the southern tip of the African continent—is once again being highlighted on Facebook by the Zeister Missionsgesellschaft in the Netherlands. See here. Under the motto Every life is precious, the support center writes about itself: "For over 60 years, we have been offering children and young people with mental and physical disabilities guidance, care, and a life of dignity. Many of our clients come from difficult social backgrounds. Without the Elim Home, they would have no access to medical treatment and loving care. We care for 50 children at Elim day and night. Another 33 children attend day care centers in Gansbaai and Bredasdorp near Elim. Here they receive food, medicine, physical therapy, and occupational therapy – and above all, safety."

The Moravian Church in Zambia, which convened its fourth provincial synod in Lusaka in August 2025 and elected John Sichilima as the first Zambian bishop of the Moravian Church, is regularly active on Facebook. It posts reports and pictures from the life of its congregations almost daily, occasionally also excerpts from sermons (e.g., Twatasha congregation here) and videos of choir performances (see the mixed Hope choir here). Occasionally, there are also posts about events in the neighboring Tanzanian provinces, especially from the Western and Rukwa provinces. Among other things, there were detailed reports on the recent election of the church leadership in Rukwa Province (see here) and on the large women's conference in Iringa (see here). Ecumenism is also reflected from time to time in the posts of the Moravian Church in Zambia (see, for example, the transnational evangelistic initiative Palace of Prayer Assembly here).

The Board of World Mission of the Moravian Church in North America had called for a day of prayer for Nicaragua on October 2, 2025. The leadership of this largest province outside Tanzania (102,000 members; mission began in 1849) requested intercession for: unity among the four bishops, so that the church may follow their example as spiritual fathers; progress in the reconciliation process in the divided province; the health of pastors and church leaders; church members in difficult financial situations; those groups that want to divide the church, that they may instead work for unity; strong faith and hope in God; truthfulness and unity in the church; the church's witness to love and peace; for the opening of paths that seem blocked; for the blowing of the Holy Spirit in the church; for all those in authority in the state; for global partnerships of the church. See in English here.

Thirty years ago, on October 10, 1995, the then South African President Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) visited the historic Moravian Church in Gnadendal. Nelson Mandela spent a long time in prison during apartheid because he advocated for equal rights for all ethnic groups in South Africa. In 1994, he became South Africa's first non-white president and played a key role in ensuring that the transition from the unjust apartheid regime to democracy was essentially peaceful. The Moravian Church South Africa (MCSA) was an important companion for Nelson Mandela on the path to reconciliation in South African society. A video of the 1995 visit can be found here.

The Moravian Church in Burundi recently reported on Facebook about a special initiative: After Joel Nyabenda, pastor of the Gitobe congregation in the Kirundo church district, was injured in a traffic accident along with his chief treasurer, he had to be treated for a broken leg at the Ngozi district hospital. On October 9, 2025, the pastor first received a visit from Edward Augustino Nsengiyumva, the head of the church elders' council of the congregation, and an evangelist. Two days later, Jean Damascene Ruranga, a representative of the church leadership, visited him at his bedside. He had previously gone through the Gitobe congregation with a collection bag and asked parishioners and friends for some money for the pastor and his medical expenses. Pastor Joel Nyabenda's family subsequently expressed their gratitude for the donation, which they saw as a sign of solidarity and love. Pictures here and here.

A video of the three-hour opening and awards ceremony on October 6, 2025, at Bethlehem Moravian College (BMC) in Malvern/St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, is available here. Accompanied by Beethoven's setting of Schiller's Ode to Joy, the college's teachers first enter the auditorium. Then, before the short opening prayer, the two-verse Jamaican national anthem from 1962 (Jamaica, Land We Love) is sung together. The many speeches during the ceremony, including one by Lowel Morgan, the college's chairman, are repeatedly interrupted by performances by various choirs and singing groups. Also present were Barrington E. Daley, president of the Unity Province of Jamaica, Devon Anglin, bishop of the Moravian Church in Jamaica, and several guests from neighboring Moravian communities, ecumenical groups, and friendly colleges in the region.

The large building complex of the Stadtmission in the center of the state capital Paramaribo is the traditional center of the Moravian Church in Suriname. Many important authorities are located there, as well as a bookstore offering souvenirs. A short video, which can be viewed here, advertises various Surinamese souvenirs with an evangelical character. The Stadtmission also advertises a very special travel offer on Facebook, a Herrnhut Heritage Tour – 290 Years of Herrnhut Mission. See here. The trip takes you into the vast interior of Suriname. It takes place from October 10 to 13, 2025, and costs 10,000 Surinamese dollars per person. (about 230 euros). The advertisement states: Reaching the unreached with the gospel of Jesus Christ – Don't miss this enriching experience! – The missionaries did not shy away from the impenetrable tropical rainforest.

Several older members also enjoyed attending the children's and youth service at the Iglesia Morava Ebenezer in Santa Clara, Cuba, on Sunday, October 5, 2025. They said that they too had been young once in the past. Some pictures of the joyful intergenerational gathering led by Pastor Leonora Pérez can be found here. Several pictures and a short video are also available from the service at the Iglesia Morava Belen (Belen = Spanish for Bethlehem) on the same Sunday in Havana. This service was led by Tania Sanchez, president of the Moravian Church in Cuba. She posted gratefully on Facebook: “What a wonderful Sunday: Together and in harmony, we gathered in our hall at the headquarters of the Moravian Church in Cuba to worship our King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Praise be to His name.” See here.

On October 14, 2025, the Board of World Mission of the Moravian Church in North America reported that Typhoon Halong was wreaking havoc in western Alaska. Many Moravian Churches are also affected (Bethel, Kongiganak, Napakiak, Kwigillingok, Napaskiak, Kipnuk, Quinhagak, and Tuntutuliak). The storm system with hurricane-force winds caused devastating flooding in many coastal villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Initial reports indicate significant damage to homes and infrastructure. In Kwigillingok, the floods tore houses from their foundations, while in Bethel and the surrounding villages, the water flooded roads and promenades and interrupted the power supply. Kongiganak and Napakiak also reported destruction. Hundreds of people have sought shelter in schools, churches, and community centers. The Moravian Church is exploring ways to help and is asking for donations. More here.

In the vast Republic of India, the Moravian Church has spread to the far eastern state of Assam through contacts with the Moravian Institute boarding school in Rajpur in the northwestern state of Uttarakhand 41 years ago. There are now several Moravian congregations and institutions there. From October 10 to 13, 2025, the sisters gathered in Latingkhal for the 40th Northeast Moravian Women's Conference. A total of 28 sisters devoted themselves to exchange, Bible study, worship, and thematic work. Their motto was: “Serving God with devotion, perseverance, and grace.” The oldest congregation in Assam is the congregation in Binnakandi. It is also home to the largest church of the Moravian Church. Seven pictures here. The Moravian Church in Assam is part of the South Asia Mission Province of the worldwide Moravian Church.