Our container campaign for Malawi came to a successful start. Since it began, we’ve received numerous inquiries and already many donations of goods in good condition. We’re very pleased by this outpouring of generosity, which shows just how many people want to support our educational projects. Among the items being collected are tools, machinery, school supplies, laptops, sewing machines, and other technical equipment and materials that are urgently needed at our vocational schools in Malawi. There, these items will help improve the practical training of young people in a sustainable way. The tremendous response encourages us and shows what is possible when many people work together. We thank all donors from our hearts. Every in-kind donation will find a home in Malawi where it is needed—and will open up new opportunities for young people’s futures.

The soccer World Cup currently underway in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. has made this possible: In collaboration with the Palestine Association for Children’s Encouragement of Sports (PACES), regular soccer training sessions began last week for the children at the Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center (SMRC) near Ramallah (Palestine/West Bank) and for the children at the Al-Karama Center in the Jalazone Refugee Camp. The training sessions take place in a gym at the camp’s children’s club, in an atmosphere of great enthusiasm and joy. The SMRC staff would like to thank PACES and the coaches present for their wonderful support and their dedicated efforts to make this initiative a success. The initiative aims to help improve the children’s skills and promote their social inclusion. Photos here. A video here.

The 2025/26 kindergarten year recently came to a close at the inclusive, international, and interfaith kindergarten of the Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center (SMRC) near Ramallah (Palestine/West Bank). The center recently posted on Facebook: “In an atmosphere filled with joy, gratitude, and cheer, we bid farewell to three proud children from our kindergarten program. In addition to games and dancing, the farewell celebration naturally included the distribution of small treats and symbolic gifts to all the children. The center’s administration wrote: ‘Our rehabilitation center extends its warmest congratulations to the children and their parents and wishes them continued success and the progress they hope for in their future school careers.’ The kindergarten is housed in a modern, spacious building that was completed in June 2020 following extensive planning, funded in part by donations from Herrnhuter Missionshilfe. Ten photos here.

Dr. Jochen Tolk’s donor group reports encouraging developments in the support and education projects in Tanzania. Thanks to numerous donations, construction of a carpentry shop can now begin in Ilindi, opening up new training opportunities for young people. At the same time, the water supply is being improved with a new well. In Tenende, too, support for over 300 children continues. They have once again been provided with school clothes, shoes, and school supplies—for many, a prerequisite for being able to attend school regularly. Herrnhuter Missionshilfe is delighted by this positive news and thanks Dr. Jochen Tolk’s donor group, as well as all supporters, for their great commitment. Read the full newsletter here.

Under the heading Love That Takes Shape, the Moravian Church in Albania showcases a sewing workshop where electric sewing machines are used to create shoulder bags, shopping bags, and other fabric containers from various materials, some featuring sewn-on buttons and appliqués. See here. The sewing workshop is located in the small town of Burrel in the mountainous region of central Albania. It helps the women working there generate their own income. An accompanying Facebook post on July 3, 2026, stated: “Our sisters in Burrel have golden hands.” Indeed, the products they create demonstrate artistic taste as well as the sewing skills of the Albanian women and girls who are supervised in Burrel by Shpresa Gjestila. Burrell was one of the very first outposts of the Moravian Church in Albania in the second half of the 1990s. In this town, which has always been shaped by mining (chromite extraction and smelting), there was great social hardship following the fall of the communist dictatorship.

Even during the summer and vacation season, the Moravian Church in Albania offers many activities for children and women at its locations throughout the country. Groups have been active for 30 years in the small town of Burrel in the mountains of central Albania. Shpresa Gjestila, the group’s leader, not only showcases the building on Facebook—which was renovated by the Moravian Church with donations from Herrnhuter Missionshilfe—but also invites people to join various activities: “It’s worth taking part in the fun and entertaining activities on the grounds of our center in Burrel and in the fresh air.” 17 photos here. Shpresa Gjestila, a nurse, will soon be retiring. She was both a mother and a father to her three children. She comes from a Muslim family and initially had a hard time finding her way to the Moravian Church. This happened through her daughter Doruntina, who attended a children’s group run by the Moravian Church and found the Christian faith there.

Under the theme We Bring the Peace of God, the Moravian Church in Albania is hosting its 18th children’s and youth camp, which will take place from July 9 to 12, 2026, in Pogradec-Buçimas. The camp focuses on the Bible verse Philippians 4:7: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” The invitation poster is available here. The event will be held at the Moravian Church’s campground, just a few meters from the vast Lake Ohrid, which is almost as large as Lake Constance. The campground was purchased and prepared for use primarily with donations from Denmark. The site, located at an elevation of 735 meters, offers space for 20 to 25 tents as well as areas for games and recreation. In addition, there is a sturdy wooden house with twelve beds in four rooms, as well as a large common room and dining area complete with a kitchen and restrooms.

On June 1, 2026, the Unity Women’s Desk (UWD) website stated: “We are pleased to announce that Pastor Nasel Ephraim has been elected a bishop of the worldwide Unity. The newly elected bishop serves in the Northern Province of the Moravian Church America North and is the first Black woman to hold the office of bishop from the Northern Province. Nasel Ephraim was a delegate from the American Northern Province at the recent Unity Women’s Consultation in Arusha, Tanzania. – May God bless you in your ministry, Sister! May God’s blessing be with you and with those you serve all over the world in times like these.” An ecumenical congratulatory poster here. - - Brion Dixon was also elected by the Synod of the Northern Province as a bishop of the Unity. A photo of both newly elected bishops is here. The Synod took place from June 24 to 26, 2026, in Minneapolis/MIN. A group photo of the new church leadership is here.

In its summer 2026 newsletter, the Moravian Congregation Rhein-Main published the program for the visit of its guests from the Tanzanian partner congregation of Ibungu. The newsletter states: “We have been working toward this for three years, planning within the partnership committee and raising funds through the ‘Karibu Ibungu’ campaign to finance our guests’ trip. Now the time has come, and Zainabu Cheyo, Joyce Ghambi, Martin Mwiba, and William Mashimbi will be visiting us from August 3 to 17, 2026. We will spend two weeks in Herrnhaag—first at the Sozietät, then at the ‘Lichtenburg’—and go on themed excursions. Good opportunities to meet our guests include the “Meet the West” weekend from August 14 to 16, 2026, the “Meet the West” Day on August 14, 2026, and the “Summer Evening Behind the Sisters’ House” on August 8, 2026.” The Ibungu Parish is located at an altitude of 1,000 meters in the southwestern highlands of Tanzania. The detailed visit program is available here (page 2f).

Kirsten Thomsen, a native of Denmark and a missionary for the Moravian Church in Tanzania (Western Province), passed away on June 5, 2026, just two days after her 89th birthday. She lived in Tanzania for nearly 37 years. Her funeral took place on June 27, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. in Christiansfeld, Denmark. She was held in high regard by fellow missionaries and her Bible students until the very end. She also cared for the hospital in Sikonge and the leprosarium in Kidugalo. A photo of the deceased can be found here. Bishop Ezekiel Yona of the Western Province of the Moravian Church in Tanzania recently wrote on Facebook: “Kirsten Thomsen will be remembered for her great contribution to general and religious education. She played a key role in ensuring that Bible schools and theological colleges trained capable leaders who later served both the church and society.”

• The International Kindergarten & Shristi Academy of the Moravian Church in Kathmandu-Baneshwor reported on Facebook about three highlights from the second half of June 2026. First, they celebrated World Music Day, observed on June 21, 2026, with a school program. Photos of the performances can be found here. The diverse performances show how well the children have already mastered their instruments—including their own voices. It was clear to see: music brings people together across cultures and generations.
• On June 23, 2026, the fourth-graders enjoyed outdoor school as part of a field trip to Marble Dada, Godawari. The theme of the day was: Explore the Earth’s Treasures! During breaks on the hike, they learned about rocks and minerals. Photos of the landscape and the school can be found here.
• On July 1, 2026, students in grades 1 through 5 competed against each other in an in-school spelling bee. The teachers cheered on the winners, saying: Keep up the excellent work! Keep aiming high! See photos here.

Prospective professionals in the fields of education (early childhood, primary, and secondary education), social sciences, business studies, office systems and administration, robotics and AI, criminal justice, and hospitality and tourism management celebrated their graduation from Bethlehem Moravian College in Malvern, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, on July 1, 2026. At a Valedictory Service, dozens of young men and women in their blue and gray school uniforms or capes gathered alongside the faculty in a rented event hall to hear celebratory speeches and words of farewell. The top graduates of the college were honored with certificates, trophies, and small gifts. A video can be viewed here. The soon-to-be professionals expressed their gratitude, saying: Bethlehem Moravian College was a home to us, even though it was far from our actual homes.

Two church leaders from the Moravian Church in Peru, Walter Calle Peralta and Leslie Monica Guerrero Gonzales, have completed a three-year theological and missionary training program. Their church is the Iglesia Misión Al Mundo de Moravian Church de la Cruz de la Esperanza in the city of Chiclayo. They completed their training at the transnational educational organization Harvester ministries - opening the way, founded in 1998, whose mission is: To plant one million churches—train one million pastors—evangelize 100 million believers and invite them to discipleship—by the year 2030. Walter Calle Peralta wrote on Facebook on June 27, 2026: “I am very grateful that I was able to accomplish this. God’s grace was my greatest help. Peru belongs to Jesus Christ. I hope to see a revival in Peru as early as 2026.”

Starting July 3, 2026, the Herrnhut Völkerkundemuseum will present the special exhibition Spirits and Spirituality: On the Mission History of the Moravian Church in Nicaragua. The exhibition explores the conflict between Christian missionaries and the indigenous population. This was announced by the Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden, of which the Völkerkundemuseum is a part. The exhibition features 40 objects from the museum in Herrnhut and will be on view through September 15, 2027. It illustrates how missionaries from the Moravian Church and traditional healers in Central America negotiated their respective concepts over generations and how new cultural practices emerged as a result. When the Moravian Church expanded its mission network to the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua in the mid-19th century, different conceptions of health, spirituality, and community came into contact. Among other items, a newly acquired medical bag belonging to the Herrnhut missionary Guido Großmann (1871–1945) is on display. More here and here.