On January 23 and 24, 2026, the HMH Board, newly elected in June 2025, met for a closed-door meeting in Bad Boll. Since the new board members often live further away from the headquarters in Bad Boll, the board meetings are held in a hybrid format. Now, at the closed-door meeting, it was possible to meet in person and exchange ideas. In a varied program, not only were the official topics dealt with, but the House with the offices of the HMH staff, the fundraising department, and the work area of Moravian Merchandise were also visited. In addition, important areas of work were considered in greater depth and the theological-ethical basis was revised. We would like to thank the board members for their dedicated work!

The Herrnhuter Missionshilfe bids farewell to Rev. George Robert Kaliati, a long-standing church leader of the Moravian Church in Malawi. Rev. Kaliati came from the district of Thyolo in southern Malawi and was a formative figure in the church. In 2001, he was one of the first church elders and completed his basic theological training at the Lutengano Bible School. He was ordained a deacon in 2004 and a presbyter in 2008. He subsequently took on various leadership roles, including secretary general of the mission province and, from 2019, chairman of the Malawi Unity Province. Most recently, he served as a community pastor in the Dzaleka refugee camp. Rev. Kaliati passed away on December 10, 2025, at the age of 73. He is survived by seven children and 29 grandchildren. Jonah Sinyangwe, head of MoHDevS, writes: “We remember Rev. Kaliati for his commitment, his passion for the church and its development, and his energy in working to ensure that good things happen to ordinary people. He was an inspiration, always ready to listen and offer advice and support. He was a visionary and cheerful leader. He was a history book for the church.” We thank him for his many years of service to the church.

The Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center SMRC near Ramallah (Palestine, West Bank) wrote on Facebook on January 14, 2026: "We at the Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center are pleased to announce the resumption of our full-time vocational training program. We have welcomed new students with intellectual disabilities aged between 14 and 40 in a positive and supportive environment. The program aims to teach the necessary everyday skills and promote unobtrusive behavior as well as motor and vocational skills. It also aims to strengthen the independence and self-confidence of each individual. We believe that every person has the ability to develop. Together, we are doing our utmost to create a new semester with new ideas and learning content." Pictures here.

On January 22, 2026, the Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center SMRC near Ramallah (Palestine; West Bank) posted nine photos from the special needs school on Facebook. The photos were taken when classes resumed after the New Year break. Those responsible wrote: "After the start of the new year, our children between the ages of 6 and 14 are once again happily participating in the inclusive programs at our facility. They enjoy the atmosphere here, which is full of vitality and creativity. They are continuing their educational journey with the goal of expanding their skills, refining their characters, developing their personalities, and strengthening their independence in small steps. The more we succeed in creating an inspiring and supportive learning environment, the better the future will be for our special needs students." Click here to see the pictures.

In Tanzania's Rukwa Province in the southwest of the country, many small congregations do not have their own pastor. But in most cases, there is a person who proclaims the Word of God as an evangelist. But even for this ministry, one must be equipped. Such training takes place at Mlimani Bible College in Sumbawanga. Here, 35 evangelists receive two years of practical theological training, including Beatrice Amos Mazimba, 20 years old and already in her second year of study. She writes: "I like it here. The food is good. We eat rice, ugali, beans, fish, and meat from time to time. The teachers are competent. My favorite subjects are preaching, liturgy, Christian education, evangelism, missions, and church history. Before I studied here, I helped my parents on the farm as a farmer. I finished seventh grade, but further education was too expensive for my parents." See here.

On December 18, 2025, the leadership of the Moravian Church in Burundi had already invited participants to a workshop. The agenda included reviewing and updating the Strategic Action Plan. The event, attended by 20 pastors, took place at the headquarters in Bujumbura. There was heated debate because there were different opinions on how the Strategic Action Plan could be improved and on which topics or areas of work the Moravian Church should focus. It was said that the plan needed to be more practical. After many questions had been answered, the Strategic Action Plan was accepted by all participants. To ensure that the plan is implemented in a timely manner, an accompanying commission was set up at the end. Some pictures here. The Moravian Church in Burundi has 25,750 members in 140 congregations.

On January 16, 2026, at around 7 p.m., the Kuigilnguq/Kwigillngok Song Festival began in the Moravian Church in Bethel, Alaska, and continued with several events until January 18—lasting the entire weekend. The highlight was the Sunday service with Rev. Timothy Samson. Due to the destruction caused by Typhoon Halong in mid-October 2025 in many parts of the west coast of Alaska (a video here), the festival took place in Bethel, the center of the Moravian Church Alaska, and not in rural Kwigillngok. A website featuring the 15 churches of the Moravian Church in rural Alaska can be found here.The second photo shows Rev. Timothy Sanders, who comes from the remote congregation of Kipnuk, leading the Easter morning service at the cemetery of the Bethel/AK Moravian Church. The Moravian Church Alaska was founded in 1885—a few years after the United States purchased Alaska—through the sensitive missionary work of John Henry Killbuck, the first academically trained pastor of the Moravian Church from the Lenape (Delaware) people. Today, it has about 1,200 members in 22 congregations.

On January 25, 2025, the Facebook pages of the Moravian Church Cuba, which has the status of a mission province within the worldwide Moravian Church, reported on a very beautiful event: "We experienced unforgettable moments in our Juan Hus congregation in the administrative district of Guantanamo with the new pastor there, Yadira Quintana. Under the responsibility of Pastor Tania Sánchez, the current president of the Iglesia Morava en Cuba, 35 members, mostly children and young people, were baptized to the glory and honor of our great God." 28 impressive pictures here. A five-minute video here. The Moravian Church Cuba was only established in 1997 with the support of the Moravian Church North America South Province in particular and has around 1,250 members in nine congregations. The majority of the members are very young. Almost all congregations have their own social project or support one in their local area. The country's current economic situation is as bad as it has rarely been.

In the third week of January 2026, Justin Rabbach, director of the Board of World Mission (BWM), traveled to Brazil together with Rev. Jørgen Bøytler, Unity Board Administrator (UBA). There, the two mission experts visited congregations and institutions of the Igreja Morávia no Brasil in Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina, and Salvador. The trip served two purposes: to meet with new and growing congregations and ministries of the Moravian Church, and to learn from past experiences. Although Brazil is one of the youngest areas of the worldwide Moravian Church today, the history of the Moravian Church there dates back to the late 19th century. A member of the Moravian Church in Brazil has created a video set to music that summarizes the highlights of the visit by guests from Europe and North America. See here. Further information about the visit to Brazil can be found here.

In October 2025, the Moravian Church in Salvador, Brazil, received donations from the Moravian Church North America. Some of these funds were earmarked for a local addiction rehabilitation center with which the congregation has close ties. The congregation organizes worship services, serves meals, and performs administrative tasks. The center currently provides a home for 19 people in their rehabilitation phase and also operates a similar facility elsewhere. Mr. Marcos, the facility manager, warmly thanked the Moravian Church during one of their visits and explained that the money had come at just the right time. Due to their hardship, the families of those suffering from addiction are often unable to contribute to the facility. Donations are therefore necessary. The center will soon start a fish farming project; the necessary containers are already in place. The project could help the residents therapeutically and contribute to their food supply. The fish could also be sold to cover costs. More information and pictures here.

During their recent visit to new Moravian Churches in Brazil, Jørgen Bøytler (DK) and Justin Rabbach (USA) came into contact with Lutheran Christians who have Moravian roots. Following a synod decision in May 1878, Pastor Wilhelm Gottfried Lange (1858-1930), appointed by the church leadership, emigrated to Brazil with a group of Protestant Swabian Germans who had settled for some time in the Russian Empire south of the Moravian Church of Sarepta (today Volgograd). With the approval of the church leadership in Herrnhut, the Moravian colony of Brüderthal was established in 1885 under the leadership of Pastor Wilhelm Gottfried Lange near Joinville in the Brazilian state of Santa Catharina. In the 20th century, ties with Herrnhut loosened, and Brüderthal became a Lutheran congregation. A book by Saulo Adami about Wilhelm Gottfried Lange tells this story. See here (four-page summary by A.T.) and here.

Following the expulsion of 60,000 black and colored, predominantly poor people from Cape Town's District 6 by the apartheid regime and the subsequent destruction of the old buildings in the 1970s and 1980s, the large brownfield sites at the foot of Table Mountain are currently being redeveloped. The new houses are to be connected to the fiber optic network. In this context, a residents' meeting was held in the Moravian Hill Chapel, the church of the Moravian Church in District 6, which was one of the few buildings spared from demolition and has since been beautifully restored. The South African communications group Octotel had invited residents to attend. Many people who will soon be moving into houses built in phase 3 of the redevelopment of the district took the opportunity to find out about the network operator and its services in the church before the network goes live. Pictures here.

The Stichting Onderweijs, the school foundation of the Moravian Church in Suriname, currently runs 65 primary and secondary schools spread across the entire country. Most of these schools were formerly small schools run by the Moravian Mission and have a history dating back up to 200 years. Now, in a Facebook post dated January 20, 2026 (see here), the school foundation is calling on people to register on the website of the Stichting Gebouwd Erfgoed Suriname This cultural heritage foundation, established in 1997 by the national Ministry of Education, is dedicated to researching and preserving important school buildings. It promotes itself with the following words: “Our programs enable students to discover Suriname's architectural heritage in an active and creative way.” The work of the foundation, which cooperates closely with the national monument preservation authority, is particularly important because many historic schools in Suriname are extremely vulnerable due to their lightweight wooden construction. Since June 29, 2002, the historic old town of the Surinamese capital Paramaribo has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Once again, the Moravian Church bookstore on Burenstraat in Paramaribo has posted on the Facebook pages of the Unity Province of Suriname, recommending several books. See here and here. Regarding the latter recommendation, it says: "You can study and discuss this three-part book series on your own or in small groups (friends, colleagues, housemates). Tom de Wal takes you into the power of biblical faith. Learn what biblical faith is, how faith works, and how you can use faith meaningfully in your situation. Transcend the limits of your faith and see how the impossible becomes possible in your life! The book series includes two textbooks and a workbook. The workbook provides space for notes, summaries, reflective questions, and practical tasks. This allows you to immediately start a new life of faith. It will change your life!

Greenland is currently on everyone's lips. Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf and the Moravian Church took an interest in this country and its inhabitants, the Inuit, as early as 1729. You are cordially invited to the following lecture on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. in the reading room of the Unity Archives in Herrnhut: Dr. Christina Petterson from Christiansfeld, Denmark: “The Moravian Mission in Greenland (1733-1900): Course, Challenges, and Results.” Admission is free.

The fall of 2026 will also focus on a chapter in the history of the Moravian mission. On Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at 7:30 p.m., Dr. Paul Peucker from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA, will also speak in the reading room of the Unity Archives in Herrnhut. His topic: “Zinzendorf's Attitude Toward Slavery.” Admission is free. Both lectures are organized by the Unity Archive and the Association of Friends and Supporters of the Unity Achives.