Six days after Typhoon Halong struck western Alaska on October 12, 2025, there is an update from the region. Damage was reported in the Moravian Congregations of Kongiganak, Bethel, Napakiak, Kwigillingok, Napaskiak, Kipnuk, Quinhagak, and Tuntutuliak. Hundreds of people from Kwigillingok, Kipnuk, and other flooded and destroyed villages were evacuated by the National Guard to Bethel and Anchorage in huge military transport planes. Moravian Church facilities in Alaska have begun to help those left homeless by the storm, providing shelter in the church in Bethel and at the Moravian Bible Seminary in Bethel. Several people are still missing. The Moravian Church's Board of World Mission (BWM) in North America has initially transferred US$10,000 as emergency aid. Together with local organizations and regional partners, further ways to help are being sought. More here. Donate online to the disaster relief fund here.

As reported by the media in Alaska, the vacant buildings of the Moravian Church five kilometers from Kwethluk/AK - formerly Nunapitsinghak - burned down completely on March 2-3, 2025. This affected the large Nunapitsinghak Moravian Children's Home (closed in 1973; last operated by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs), the church and the Moravian Church store as well as several outbuildings. A video of the fire here. A longer photo report by KYUK Media here (also with historical photos). The destruction of the buildings was not arbitrary, but was decided by the Council of Elders of the Moravian Church Bethel/AK, which owns the properties, to avert physical and psychological danger, according to Pastor Clifford Jimmie. The events at the children's home were particularly traumatic for the indigenous Yipìk who were housed there until 1973. They were forcibly alienated from their own culture and quickly Americanized. In recent times, occult activities had also taken place in the now burnt down buildings and drugs had been traded. The Council of Elders in Bethel/AK is now considering what to do with the remains of the fire and the empty properties.

• In a five-minute animated film (animated children's drawings with watercolors), eleven-year-old Yup'ik Gus Erikson from Gladys Jung Elementary School in Bethel (formerly: Kilbuck School after a Moravian missionary from the Lenape/Delaware people) vividly tells of life in southern Alaska, the tundra landscape, the flora and fauna, fishing and hunting as well as the special challenges in the country. He also talks about climate change and explains terms such as permafrost. Watch the movie here.
• Mamterillermiut Moravian Church in Bethel, Alaska, is planning two congregation retreats for the second time, February 7-9, 2025, with the theme: God's Promises. Biblical theme: Revelation 21:4 The speakers are: Frank Matthew and Adam Kashatok. Mamterillermiut is the pre-Christian name of Brethel and means Smokhouse People = smokehouse people after a nearby old fish smokehouse.

On its website, Alaska Travel magazine invites you to visit the regional capital of Bethel on the Kuskokwim River (40 miles from the Bering Sea). See here. Bethel was home to 6,400 people; it was the largest indigenous congregation in Alaska. With the establishment of a mission station in 1884, the Moravian Church ensured that what had been a trading post since 1870 became a real town. Before the settlement was named after a place in the Holy Land, the indigenous Yup'ik living here called themselves ‘Mumtrekhlogamute’ (i.e. Smokehouse People). More than two thirds of the population of Bethel are still Yup'ik today, who fish for salmon, hunt wild birds and gather berries. In Bethel there is a local Moravian congregation, the Moravian theological seminary and a Moravian bookshop. The Unity Province of Alaska includes 24 congregations. 

The prestigious Archaeology Magazine recently reported in a long article by Daniel Weiss on archaeological investigations in Alaska, especially in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, an area in which the Moravian Mission worked from 1885. The archaeologists also visited the Moravian Church of Quinhagak, where mainly indigenous Yup'ik people live. The article states: "The Moravians were particularly successful in suppressing mask dances and other traditional Yup'ik customs. As a result, the Yup'ik congregations believed that their own traditional religious practice was fundamentally wrong and that all forms of dancing were a sin. Many community members also died as a result of epidemics brought into the country by the missionaries. The excavation helped the Yup'ik people of Quinhagak to reconnect with their lost heritage. Several residents took part in the excavations." To the article here.

On April 30, 2026, Moravian University in Bethlehem, PA, announced that Roberta Hoey, Chairperson of the Unity Board and a member of the Provincial Board of the British Province, will be awarded an honorary doctorate in law on May 9, 2026, in Bethlehem, PA, “in recognition of her groundbreaking leadership and tireless commitment to social justice.” At just 32 years old, she was elected Chairperson of the Unity Board, the highest governing body of the global Moravian Church between synods. She is the youngest person ever to hold this office, as well as the second layperson and second woman to lead the global Moravian Church. She grew up in Northern Ireland during a time of conflict and demonstrated a cross-community commitment to peacebuilding even then. She earned a Bachelor of Laws from Queen’s University in Belfast and a Master’s degree in Human Rights and Criminal Justice from the Catholic University of America. More here.

On March 18, the Board of World Mission of the Moravian Church America North, based in Bethlehem, PA, reported on its aid efforts in Ukraine. "Immediately after the war in Ukraine began in 2022, funds from our disaster relief fund were transferred to Nová Paka, Czech Republic. This enabled the local Moravian Church there to spontaneously take in refugees from a Christian school in Kyiv. Many of the refugees have since returned to Ukraine and their former school, but the Moravian Church has been supporting the school in Kyiv annually with $25,000 to cover the salaries of several teachers. The teachers send monthly emails to our organization’s staff with updates, photos, and prayer requests.” You can read here in English about how the Christian school is faring during wartime, how student numbers are developing, what construction plans exist, and what concerns are weighing on people’s minds in their daily lives.

The Armando Rusindo Mission Foundation, the Cuba Foundation of the Moravian Church in North America posted on November 27, 2025: "When we began our work in 2014, we never imagined the extent to which we would support our brothers and sisters in Cuba and how we would grow. Thanks to many prayers and donations, our foundation is now embarking on a new and exciting chapter. Cynthia Redwine will assume the position of part-time executive director of our foundation on January 2, 2026. She brings with her a deep passion for the mission and extensive leadership experience. We are excited to see what ideas she will contribute. We would also like to announce that Joe Jarvis will continue to serve as president. His commitment remains unwavering. He looks forward to working closely with Cynthia, who will strengthen our leadership team." See here.

In more and more countries around the world – and now also in Germany – Giving Tuesday plays a role in fundraising. Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving celebrated every year on the first Tuesday after the US Thanksgiving holiday, which falls on December 2 in 2025. The Moravian Church in North America is calling for donations on Giving Tuesday 2025 for the Moravian Church in Cuba, which was severely affected by Hurricane Melissa at the end of October 2025. See here.

On Sunday, September 7, 2025, twelve full-time and volunteer staff members of the Board of World Mission (BWM) of the Moravian Church in North America, the sister organization of Herrnhuter Missionshilfe, traveled distances of 30, 50, 70, or 100 miles, covering a total of 1,360 miles on their bicycles to raise as much money as possible for the Door County Century Ride Each employee had gathered sponsors who donated a predetermined amount for each mile cycled. The routes for the approximately 3,000 cyclists were all located in the US state of Wisconsin, on the large, scenic Door Peninsula on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. Information about the tour can be found here. Numerous pictures of the BMW cycling team can be found here. The team promised to use the mission donations collected in such a way that they will still be of benefit in 100 years' time. PS: One US mile is 1,609.344 meters long. In total, the BMW team covered just under 2,200 kilometers.

The Board of World Mission of the Moravian Church in North America recommends its newly published 2024 Annual Report: "Looking for something good to read in the morning? Then you've come to the right place: you'll find our report in Moravian Magazine (2-2025), which will be in your mailbox this week! The report highlights our successes over the past year, but above all reflects our preparations for the future. Individuals have their say, as do congregations and global partners. We are investing in leadership and long-term sustainability. And we invite you to join us on this journey for the long haul. Thank you for being part of this adventure. Thank you for your support and willingness to continue lacing up your shoes, filling your backpacks and setting off – no matter how many kilometres lie ahead. We are delighted that you are taking this journey with us." Click here for the annual report in English.

On Sunday, 10 July 2025, a service was held at the Friedberg Moravian Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with the first and so far only bishop of Moravian Church origin from Cuba, Armando Roglio Rusindo. A photo can be found here. The bishop preached and also led the subsequent communion service. An ‘Evening of Gratitude and Giving’ was announced for 16 August 2025 at the Moravian Centre in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. During this evening, an auction will be held to benefit the Moravian Church in Cuba. It will be a so-called ‘silent auction’. Within 60 minutes, bids can be placed with the auctioneer for each item offered (e.g., a painting, a baking pan, a bottle of whisky, a garden lantern, a toy airplane, a tableware set). However, the bidders do not know the alternative offers. See here.

Around 150 friends of the Moravian Church in Cuba from eleven congregations in the Southern Province of the Moravian Church in North America gathered on 16 August 2025 from 6 p.m. until late in the evening at the Masonic Centre in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for a fundraising event in aid of the Moravian Church in Cuba: An ‘Evening of Gratitude & Giving’ with a banquet, silent auction, music and many other activities, organised by the Armando Rusindo Mission Foundation (ARMF). More than 30 volunteers ensured that everything ran smoothly. Photos here. The total proceeds from the event are not yet known. The ARMF writes in its mission statement: ‘We are a Christian organisation dedicated to the spiritual and physical well-being of all people in need in Cuba and beyond. We are actively involved in building relationships with communities and providing resources where needed.’

The Moravian Youth Convo 2025 in Miami, Florida, came to an end on July 7, 2025. With the theme Mission in Action, it was an unforgettable week of fellowship, learning, worship, and fun for everyone involved. People from Jamaica, Antigua, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, and the USA (St. Thomas, Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, and Wisconsin) took part. The program sessions and worship services were led by Rev. Dr. Riddick Weber, Rev. Brian Dixon, and staff from the Board of World Mission of the Moravian Church in North America. The young people stayed at both the New Hope Moravian Church and the Prince of Peace Moravian Church. They also visited prominent tourist sites. Much of the convocation was spent with program times, worship services, singing, and sharing experiences from their respective home areas, so that participants gained new and useful resources. A group photo can be found here.

After a three-month evacuation to the city of Uvira, D.R. Congo, the orphans of the Moravian Church returned to Knudsen House on the outskirts of Kakuzi in early March 2026. The evacuation became necessary when armed M23 rebels temporarily invaded the region on December 9, 2025, and later looted the orphanage. Thanks to the evacuation, the children remained unharmed, but the orphanage is now missing a large portion of its inventory. “The village of Kakuzi, where the orphanage is located, had become a battlefield between the rebels and the regular army,” writes Jacques Bya’unda, Chairperson of the Moravian Church Congo, in a report. "Our country is impoverished and torn apart by civil war. The children’s joy at being reunited in their familiar surroundings after such a long time was immense. The situation is improving every day, although it is not yet as good as it was before the rebels captured the city." More in Danish herein a post by Svend Løbner from the Brødremenighedens Danske Mission (BDM) dated March 13, 2026.

As reported by the British news agency Reuters on December 11, 2025, armed Tutsi members of the M23 rebel group (Mouvement du 23-Mars) are now on the outskirts of the city of Uvira in Eastern Congo. The Moravian Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo has its headquarters and one of its churches there. Gunfire had already been heard on the outskirts of Uvira on Thursday morning. The M23 leadership claims to have taken over the city from regular Congolese troops. The city's residents have either fled or barricaded themselves in their homes. The UN reports that 200,000 people have fled the city. 25,000 people have gone to neighboring Burundi, whose capital Bujumbura is only 17 kilometers from Uvira. Jacques Bya'unda, president of the Moravian Church in Eastern Congo, urgently asks for intercession for the people who are under multiple threats. The Moravian Church's orphanage, Knudsen House, not far from Uvira, is also under threat. The Reuters-Video here.

On July 9, 2025, the Eglise Morave au Congo, the Moravian Church in eastern DR Congo, presented the exterior of its new church building in Uvira (South Kivu province) on the northern shore of Lake Tanganyika in a short video. See here. It then posted two photos from inside the church with the comment: “We have now resumed work on the interior of the church!” See here and here. The Moravian Church in eastern DR Congo was founded in 1980. It emerged from the Moravian Church in Tanzania's Western Province. Its founders were Congolese refugees who had fled to Tanzania as a result of a civil war and then returned to their homeland. Since 2015, the Moravian Church has been running an orphanage for 60 physically disabled children near Uvira, with an attached school and workshops.

On February 18, 2025, home director Modeste Abangwa had to evacuate the orphans from Knudsen House in Kakuzi outside Uvira in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a result of the civil war raging in the DRC. Rebels from the terrorist organization M23 (Mouvement du 23-Mars) had approached the village and opened fire. They ransacked the house; some of the roof sheets were perforated by their bullets. The children and several Christians from the congregation were temporarily taken to the church of the Moravian Church. Now the situation around Uvira is safer, the rebels have retreated 70 km to the north. “We plan to bring the children back to Knudsen House in rural Kakuzi as soon as possible,” said Modeste Abangwa, ”but we still have to wait a while and repair the material damage to the house and the surrounding area.” More in a report by Svend Løbner from March 31, 2025 in Danish here.

In the D. R. Congo, where the Moravian Church has more than 21,000 members, there is a Moravian orphanage in Uvira in the province of South Kivu. Of the approximately 1,000 orphans in the region, 50 children between the ages of 5 and 18 live in the home, which was founded in 2015, in five family-like houses. Two of these children are featured in the magazine of the Zeister Missionsgesellschaft (ZZg Nieuws, 1-2024), the sister organisation of Herrnhuter Missionshilfe: Mona (left) attends 3rd grade. She has had a movement disorder when walking since birth. She says: "In Baraka, where I used to live and which is 90 kilometres from Uvira, I heard about 'Knudsen's House'. It has been my home for eight years now. I receive psychosocial, material and physical help here. I dream of training as a seamstress". Steven (right) says: "After my parents died, the head of the Moravian Church Mboko brought me here. They look after me here. And I get an education here. I like doing sports, I'm in 6th grade and would like to become a blacksmith later."

The Brødremenighedens Dansk Mission BDM in Denmark tells a special success story: the story of Isaac Ononga from the D.R. Congo. Isaac came to the Knudsen Center, the orphanage of the Moravian Church in Unvira in the D.R. Congo (50 places), at the age of 15. Here he, who has a physical disability, began physical and psychological rehabilitation. As a child, he had lost his father in the civil war; he left behind a mother with seven children. The mother did not have the means to care for all seven children and pay for their schooling. This is where the Knudsen Center came into play. The orphanage provided Isaac with the material support and encouragement he desperately needed. Isaac recently received his diploma. He is now the first pupil from the orphanage to be admitted to university in Uvira. He would like to become a doctor one day and help other children and young people with disabilities. The whole sunshine story in Danish here.

Angelica Regalado-Cieza, director of mission operations for the Board of World Mission of the Moravian Church in North America, recently visited Costa Rica to strengthen relationships with church leaders and congregations in the small Central American Unitarian province. She also offered a Zoom Bible study for members of all four congregations (two in San José and two in Limón). The meeting focused on the spiritual life in the congregations and future challenges. Angelica Regalado-Cieza also made a detour to the Latin American Bible Seminary (UNELA), an important institution for theological studies in the region. She discussed possible ways of cooperation, as the Moravian Church is developing a curriculum for pastors and lay preachers in Latin America. It was also important to attend a service in the poor congregation of El Refugio, which, after moving to a commercial hall made possible by donations from the USA, still has quite modest premises, but is nevertheless very lively. Pictures here.

On its long journey from the U.S. across the Pacific to East Asia, the cargo ship NordPacific (see here) delivered a container of relief supplies to Cuba. The voyage began at the port in Savannah, GA, traveling down the Savannah River to the Atlantic Ocean, then around Florida into the Caribbean Sea, and finally to Mariel, Cuba, 40 kilometers west of Havana. On May 17, 2026, the Cuba Foundation of the Moravian Church (Armando Rusindo Mission Foundation) posted on Facebook: "We are pleased to report today on the completion of an important stage of our relief effort! Our most recently shipped container has finally arrived at its destination and been successfully unloaded. Here are just a few photos for now." The cargo ship was also carrying additional containers of relief supplies for Cuba that had been sent by other charitable organizations.

On April 26, 2026, the Moravian Church in Jaguëy Grande, Cuba, presented the awards for a literary contest that the church had announced a few weeks earlier. The entries were judged under the following motto by the famous Cuban poet and singer Victoria de Girón: “One must fight and win, one must live and love, one must laugh and sing, one must die and rise again.” The prizes for the 60 literary works submitted by congregation members for this contest were awarded in six categories: Poetry, Décima (a ten-line Spanish poetic form), Short Story, Children’s Poem, Children’s Story, and Work Best Reflecting the Theme. The parish jury consisted of: José Manuel Espino Ortega, Yolanda C. Brito Álvarez, and Carlos Ettiel Gómez Abreu. The jury stated: “The number and quality of the submissions were generally satisfactory.” Within the six literary categories, there were two award levels: Honorable Mention and Recognition. The highest award level was not awarded in every category. All winners received a certificate and a book as a gift. See here.

On March 31, 2026, the following was posted on Facebook: "It is with great joy and gratitude that the Armando Rusindo Mission Foundation announces that it has accomplished an important milestone. Another large shipping container is leaving Lexington, North Carolina, this week, bound for Cuba. The container is filled with food, medicine, and other relief supplies urgently needed by the people of Cuba (a total of 15 tons)—a reflection of the actual needs of the communities we work with. The photo shows Joe Jarvis and Ron Vogler bringing wheelchairs and bicycles to be loaded into the shipping container. See here. We wish you a blessed Holy Week! And then. The Ebenezer Moravian Church in Santa Clara, in central Cuba, celebrated Palm Sunday today, praising the name of our Lord. Photos here.«

The island of Cuba, which was severely devastated by Hurricane Melissa at the end of October 2025, is now receiving a wide range of aid. This was reported by the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Cuba, in which the Moravian Church is also actively involved, in a Facebook post on November 14, 2025. The report begins: "Where the hurricane recently raged and torrential rain devastated almost everything, today there is a whisper of hope that is materializing in food, medicine, care products, clothing, shoes, and technology. But the aid goes beyond material support. It is a ray of hope that strengthens the resilience of the human spirit, a powerful reminder that kindness and solidarity can build bridges even in the darkest moments." Emergency committees of the Church Council are everywhere. The distribution of goods is in full swing. A lot of help is coming from partner congregations, especially from the neighboring US state of Florida. For example, they are working together with ACT Alliance. Mattresses and blankets are currently needed. Pictures here and here and here.

On Reformation Day 2025, Tania Sanches, an honorary member of the church leadership of the Moravian Church in Cuba and a full-time economist at the Consejo de Iglesias de Cuba (Cuban Church Council), addressed theologians of the worldwide Moravian Church on Facebook. She wrote: "Thank you for your willingness, Moravian shepherds, to humbly carry out your ministry for so many years. You are a wonderful example for men and women who long to serve the world with the message of salvation. May God make your work flourish. May He bless your lives, your ministry, and your families. In 1 Timothy 5:17, Paul encourages us to show double honor to those who preach and teach. Surely our pastors, who gladly serve their congregations, are worthy of honor. Congratulations, pastors! May the Lord bless us all so that we may continue to remain faithful to him." See here.

On Sunday, October 26, 2025, two Moravian congregations in two different countries were connected online for a worship service: the Cruz de la Esperanza congregation in Chiclayo, Peru, and the Iglesia Morava Ebenezer congregation in Santa Clara, Cuba. Some pictures can be found here. The sermon was based on Acts 26:16-18 and was entitled: Your natural eyes and your spiritual eyes. A joint celebration of Holy Communion also took place. For more than ten years, the Board of World Mission (BWM) of the Moravian Church in North America has been working to connect the Spanish-speaking congregations of the worldwide Moravian Church in the southern United States, Cuba, Peru, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, Belize, and among the Garifuna (several countries) through international conferences, retreats, and seminars. In Nicaragua and Honduras, however, Miskito is the main language spoken in the Moravian churches.

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.

In several Moravian congregations in Cuba, special events were held in the run-up to 13 August, the day commemorating the great reconciliation in the old Herrnhut in 1727. 55 pictures from the ‘Iglesia Moravos Ebenezer’ in Santa Clara here. Videos of the Children's Bible Week in the same community with a wealth of activities can be found here and here. Pictures and videos of the service at the Belén Moravian Church on 10 August 2025 in Havana can be found here and here. There are also 16 pictures from the headquarters of the Moravian Church in Cuba, the Iglesia Morava Bethlehem. See here. Pastor Will Cuthbert from Costa Rica preached. ‘He spoke in the power of the Holy Spirit, who transforms lives, brings joy and destroys evil. The manifestation of the living God could be felt in every life.’ The older youth of the Moravian Church in the Havana district met from 10 to 13 August 2025 for a blessed retreat with Bible studies, personal testimonies and worship sessions with Will Cuthbert. Pictures and a video can be found here and here.

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.

On April 17, 2025, the Moravian Church in Cuba sent the following current prayer requests to its partners in North America. On April 17, 2025, the Moravian Church in Cuba sent the following current prayer requests to its partners in North America: “Please pray a) for the legal transfer of the property of the Moravian Church of Guantánamo to the national land registry; b) for the construction of a church of the congregation of Arroyo Hondo on an already existing piece of land; c) for the purchase of tanks to put drinking water filtration systems into operation; d) for the church leaders in Guantánamo, who will soon begin their studies; e) for the members of the Moravian Church in Cuba and also abroad - for their families, their jobs, their training and their projects; f) for all our sick; g) to ensure that there is a pastor and a leader in every parish district; h) for the construction of a church in Arroyo Hondo. for peace; i) for the purchase of a property in Old Havana, as the congregation there currently has no meeting room; j) for the unity of our church; k) for a ministry car.” Some more prayer requests in English here.

The Moravian Church's Summer Camp 2024 for young people from the district of Matanzas (Cuba) ended on Saturday 17 August. A review on Facebook states: ‘The pastor couple Obed and Alay Martinez lean back. They haven't done that for days. They say their last prayer. Their hearts are overflowing with gratitude for the happy faces of the young people, for the help of volunteers from Jagüey Grande, for the money from the Moravian Church's Cuba Foundation. They sigh: So many dear people! They raise their prayers to the God of life for every young person. At the camp they laughed, were full of energy, spoke of the dreams they want to realise, of their aspirations. So much innocence! They gave thanks for over 25 young people between the ages of 12 and 30. The couple were able to accompany most of the young people from an early age, while others joined them later.’ The full report, some videos and 30 pictures here and here.

On 25 May 2024, the 27th anniversary of the founding of the Moravian Church in Cuba in 1997, Armando Rusindo, the first bishop of the worldwide Moravian Church to come from Cuba, addressed a greeting to the members of the Moravian Church in Cuba. See in English here. In the greeting, he recalls the small size of the Moravian Congregations in Cuba in the early years and the challenges that had to be overcome in building up the church. He then writes: ‘We were able to achieve important successes and set our goals ever higher. Now there is a real Moravian Church on Cuban soil. The Lord has helped us up to this point. But the passion and dedication of many brothers and sisters who have put their talents, their strength and also their sacrifices at the service of this work have also been important." He then greeted everyone who felt connected to his church. Here is a  video and some pictures of the recent dispatch of relief supplies by large container from the USA to Cuba and of the distribution of relief supplies in the Cuban congregations (‘We are not only addressing physical hunger but also spreading the love of Jesus’).

After heavy rainfall and hailstorms caused considerable destruction in parts of Cuba on 22 March 2024, resulting in crop losses, several fundraising campaigns were launched, particularly in the USA. The Cuba Foundation of the Moravian Church in North America (Armando Rusindo Mission Foundation) has now posted the following information on Facebook: "We are sincerely grateful for the continued financial support and prayers you have given us in connection with the Container of Hope Programme. The first container, destined for the Cuban Council of Churches, has already arrived in Havana. The food and other relief supplies inside have already been distributed." Contents of the container: 20,000 pounds of rice, beans and oatmeal; clothing; medical supplies; wheelchairs; agricultural supplies; three water treatment systems. The next container with relief supplies (value: 25,000 to 40,000 US dollars) is due to follow soon. Further donations are welcome and needed. More on Facebook here.

As part of the celebrations marking the 59th anniversary of the island republic of Barbados' independence from Great Britain on November 30, 2025, Ezra Lauriston Parris, who has been a bishop of the worldwide Moravian Church with roots in Barbados since summer 2025, was honored with the National Order of Merit in Gold, along with other prominent figures from society. The laudatory speech stated that the honor was given “for the bishop's 30 years of outstanding and devoted spiritual service to the Moravian Church and to the people of Barbados.” The members of the Sharon and Dunscombe Moravian Congregation also congratulated their pastor, saying, “We thank you for your service, your pastoral care, and your commitment to the work of Christ among us. Congratulations, Bishop Parris!” A short video of the award ceremony by the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation - Barbados here.

On July 14, 2025, Ezra Lauriston Parris, a Barbadian and pastor of the Sharon and Dunscombe Moravian Church, was elected bishop of the worldwide Moravian Church by the 34th Synod of the Unity Province of West Indies East, which was meeting in Trinidad. On Sunday, November 16, 2025, the bishop's consecration took place in a festive setting from 4:00 to 6:30 p.m. in his home congregation in Bridgetown, Barbados. The complete worship service here. Ezra Parris had previously served in ordained ministry in the province for 33 years. Many of his companions spoke during the service, and several choirs sang. Bishop Dr. Conrad Spencer, Bishop Dr. Kingsley Lewis (both from West Indies East), and Bishop Stanley Clarke (Jamaica) participated in the ordination. At the end, the new bishop spoke and received his bishop's seal.

The island of Tortola is one of the smaller islands in the Caribbean. Politically, it belongs to the British Virgin Islands. As far as the Moravian Church is concerned, it belongs to the Unity Province of West Indies-East. There is only one Moravian Church on the 19 x 5 kilometer island, namely the Trinity Moravian Church in the beautiful region of Baugher's Bay. The congregation was only established in 1990 and 1993 (first own service) through private contacts with the Moravian Church on the neighboring islands. See here. On September 7, 2025, the congregation commemorated those of its members who were just starting school or were about to begin their studies or training. Pastor Athena Maduro prayed for the new students and blessed them. Some pictures here. Two weeks earlier, several sisters from the congregation, whose ancestors were slaves deported from Africa, proudly presented themselves in their African national costumes. See here.

With the young Chioma Henry, the Unity Province of West Indies East, specifically in the administrative area of the Barbados Conference, now has a pastor for tasks in the field of education and training. She completed her theology studies at the ecumenical United Theological College of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica, and then worked in the St. Kitts Conference. Representatives of the Barbados Conference gathered at Grantley Adams International Airport in Christ Church on August 7, 2025, to welcome the new employee with open arms. Photos here. In a moving introductory speech during a church service on August 10, 2025, Chioma Henry reminded those present that God is faithful and powerful even in the present. She called on people to trust in God amid all their uncertainty in order to find the path ahead of them. The church leadership asks for intercessory prayer for Chioma Henry's ministry.

• There have been two special events at Calvary Moravian Church in Bridgetown, Barbados in recent weeks. On Saturday, September 21, 2024, new backpacks were given to those students in the Congregation Primary School who are now moving on to secondary school. Some boys and girls were also awarded a scholarship: the Estelle Burke Educational Scholarship Award. Congratulations! Pictures from the event here. 
• On Sunday, August 25, 2024, a two-and-a-half-hour, richly designed service with the Moramus Singers of Barbados took place at the same location under the motto Come Let Us Worship he complete service can be experienced here. Singing and instrumental performances by individual groups alternated with powerful congregational singing, as well as with blocks of preaching and prayer.

The Caribbean state of Antigua and Barbuda, which consists of 48 larger and smaller islands, had proclaimed Thursday, September 12, 2024, as a national day of prayer: a National Convention with God fort he Success of our Land. See here. At 1:30 p.m., there was a march against violence and crime in the city of St. John's, from the Multipurpose Cultural and Exhibition Center zum Antigua Recreation Ground. See here. From 4 to 6 p.m., an intercessory and worship service took place. At the same time, Spring Gardens Moravian Church in St. John's called for children to be registered to attend the congregation's own kindergarten and preschool for the 2024/2025 school year. The institution was founded 30 years ago. The institution is committed to providing a good education and upbringing based on the motto: “We are shaping our children to build the kingdom of God.”

On the island of Barbados and elsewhere in the Caribbean, female scouts have been called brownies for decades - not without controversy. These groups compete with each other for special achievements. The best Brownies are honoured every month. On Saturday, 15 June 2024, the Brownie Month Service was held at the Calvary Moravian Church in Bridgetown, Barbados, with the presentation of the flags of the Girl Scout groups. Pictures here and here. Rosemary Lynch, Chair of the Board of Elders at Calvary Moravian Church, received the flags carried into the church by the Brownies and placed them next to the liturgy table during the honouring ceremony. + A few days earlier, Cheryl Clarke had been honoured in the church by many people and groups as she retired from her ministry at Grace Hill Moravian Pre-School. Lots of pictures here.

• On Mother's Day, 12 May 2024, all congregations in the Unity Province of the West Indies East commemorated the mothers present and the mothers in the world. They received thanks and veneration and were commended to intercession. The Women's Circle of the Nisky Moravian Church on the island of St Thomas also hosted a Pre Mother's Day Praise Breakfast at 8am the day before Mother's Day, featuring live music and a talk by Charlotte Amalie lawyer Everaud Potter. See here.
• The mission work of the Moravian Church in the Caribbean was made famous by the Moravian missionary Christian Georg Andreas Oldendorp (1721-1787), who wrote a book that was read tens of thousands of times and translated several times: "History of the Mission of the Moravian Church on the Caribbean Islands of St Thomas, St Croix and St Jan". The Riksarchiv in Copenhagen has now introduced the missionary and his famous work on its website. See here.

• The Calvary Moravian Women's Fellowship istaged Jesus' parable of the great supper (Luke 14:15-24) in their church in an impressive way. The depicted feast of the infirm, who accepted the host's invitation instead of those originally invited, culminated in a communal meal in the church. Many pictures here.
• The Sharon Moravian Church had invited to a public testimony march through parts of Bridgetown on 3 March 2024, the commemoration day of the founding of Unity in the spring of 1457 in what is now the Czech Republic. See hier.
• On 14 April 2024, a worship service for young and old took place at Mount Tabor Moravian Church. A photo here.
  The Calvary Young People's Society (young congregation) of Calvary Moravian Church invites you to a steel band concert as part of a local music festival for 27 April 2024 at 2pm. See here.
• The Moravian Church on Tortola is holding its eighth Sisters' Conference in Baugher's Bay from 3 to 5 May 2024. Invitation here.

The Moravian Church has been working on many Caribbean islands for 200 years or more. Here - on St Thomas (now the US Virgin Islands) - the Moravian mission began in December 1732. On Tortola (now the British Virgin Islands), on the other hand, the work of the Moravian Church only began a good 30 years ago. Eideen A. Smith, the sister who 33 years ago gave the first impulse to found first the Tortola Moravian Fellowship and then the Trinity Moravian Church on Tortola, looks back on the varied first 30 years of her congregation in a newsletter article of the Unity Province West Indies East (November 2023). The congregation has since built its own church. German translation of the three-page article here. The work of the Moravian Church on Tortola became particularly well known in 2017, when the Unity Offering collected worldwide on 1 March was earmarked for the Trinity Moravian Church.

In its September 2023 newsletter, the Unity Province of the West Indies East saluted two of its members who successfully completed the two toughest rowing races in the world by boat: the crossing of the Atlantic from La Gomera/Canary Islands to English Harbour/Antigua (Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge) and, the following year, the crossing of half the Pacific from Monterey/California to Hanalei, Kaua'i/Honolulu (World's Toughest Row). Both routes were approximately 3,000 miles long. Kevinia Francis and Christal Clashing belong to the Cashew Hill Moravian Church on the island of Antigua. Christal's mother is the congregation's organist. The two members of the Moravian Church undertook the Atlantic crossing in a four-person boat together with Elvira Bell and Samara Emmanuel; the Pacific crossing in a three-person boat with Samara Emmanuel. Samara is the first woman in Antigua with a captain's licence; Christal is a swimming instructor and has also competed in the Olympics. A detailed report on the two ocean crossings in English here (Side 3f).

The British Mission Board (BMB), the HMH’s partner organization in the British Province, recently launched a new, informative website. See here. The new website not only describes the organizational structure but also introduces those regions within the global Moravian Church with which the BMB maintains special relationships: the Moravian Church in South Asia and the Moravian Church in Western Tanzania, as well as three institutions: the Elim Home in South Africa, the Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center in Palestine, and the Sikonge Mission Hospital near Tabora in Tanzania. Finally, there is information about the bodies in which the BMB participates worldwide, such as the Unity Mission and Development Board (UMDB). With only 1,100 members, the British Province is the second-smallest church in the worldwide Moravian Church.

Without Windrush, there would be no Moravian Church in Leicester today. This was the consensus in Leicester on Sunday, June 22, 2025, when more than 70 participants celebrated this year's Windrush Day with music, performances, and delicious Caribbean food. All of this brought the community members together in joy and reflection. Windrush Day marks the anniversary of the arrival of the passenger steamer Windrush in Great Britain on June 22, 1948, with the first 1,027 Caribbean immigrants. It provides an opportunity across the country to recognize the contribution of Caribbean immigrants to Great Britain and also to the British churches, including the Moravian Church. Some impressions of Windrush Day in Leicester on June 22, 2025, can be found here (please scroll down). The cultural program was preceded by a contemplative church service. The Moravian Church says: Thank you!

The leadership of the British Province has appointed the young theologian Kiran Young Wimberly as the new part-time pastor for the Irish district of the Moravian Church. The Moravian Congregation at Gracehill, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2024 together with Herrnhut and Bethehem/PA, also belongs to this district. The Moravian Messenger of August 2024 (see here) introduces the multicultural theologian. Kiran Young Wimberly is American by birth, but has been living in Northern Ireland for 14 years. The daughter of a Presbyterian missionary and teacher couple, she initially grew up in Japan (Tokyo) and India and became acquainted with various Christian denominations. She later lived in Princeton, New Jersey, where she also studied. She completed part of her theological studies in Jerusalem. She is married to her American Presbyterian husband Alex, with whom she has three children: Eva, Amos and Phoebe.

Because there had been repeated confusion regarding its missionary agency, the British Province felt compelled to address the question in the August 2024 Moravian Messenger: What is the British Mission Board? See here (page 97). Unlike the other Moravian mission organisations in Europe, the British Mission Board is not an independent organisation with its own board, nor is it a provincial committee that has emerged from synodical elections. Rather, it is an agency of the province, which is predominantly staffed by members of the church leadership. If necessary, the church leadership co-opts individual persons with special skills, experience and interests for a certain period of time into the board by resolution. The British Mission Board has a special partnership with the Moravian Church in Tanzania (Western Province) and in South Asia (India, Nepal, Myanmar).

In the Moravian Messenger (July 2024), the magazine of the Moravian Church in Great Britain, three interesting and current reports are published: The two-page cover story by Jane Carter (London), Head of the British Mission Board, is entitled Spring visit to Nepal and Ladakh. Joachim Kreusel, Bishop of the Moravian Church (Ockbrook), also reports on two pages about his recent trip to Tanzania under the headline "Robert Pangani's Consecration as Bishop of the Moravian Unity on Sunday 2nd June 2024". And Pastor Lorraine Shorten (Bath) talks about how she experienced the recent synod in Herrnhut as a guest: "European Continental Province Synod June 2024: Connected". Finally, reference is also made to an upcoming conference: "Called to a process of reconciliation - Reconciliation in our lives, church and the world: 5th - 8th November 2024 in the Komenský Guest House, Herrnhut". Download all articles here.

During the Provincial Synod of the British Unity Province from 18 to 21 July 2024 at The Hayes Conference Centre in Swanwick, Derbyshire, all delegates and all synodical guests posed for a group photo. See here. On the morning of 21 July 2024, the new Provincial Elders Conference (PEC) was elected. The result of the elections was as follows: Roberta Hoey, Jane Carter and Michael Newman were each elected to the church leadership for a further four years. David Howarth, Edwin Quildan and Livingstone Thompson will remain in their leadership positions until Provincial Synod 2026. A photo with the members of the church leadership here. A video with animated images from the Synod days here and here. An important topic of the synod was Project 32 on the strategic direction of the province for the years 2022 to 2032. The daily devotions, Bible studies and church services as well as the communal meals and various information and sales stands on the fringes of the synod were also important.

The Moravian Church in the UK, which had 971 members in 2021, is largely made up of black people and people of colour who or whose parents immigrated to Europe from former British colonies. One of these members who immigrated from Antigua in 1956 is Hyacinth Christian, who was recently interviewed by the Moravian Messenger. See in English here (Page 7). When asked about her greatest joys, she said: singing in the church choir and in an ecumenical Caribbean choir, visiting the elderly, leading church services and working on the British World Day of Prayer Committee. She cited the following as particular challenges she had to overcome: "I didn't know the history of the Moravian Church. I took part in a lay course despite my limited Moravian knowledge. At the suggestion of Rev Smith and Sister Olive Linyard, I was chosen to be a representative of the Moravian Church on the national World Day of Prayer committee."

In view of the current crisis-ridden world situation and with reference to the Unity prayer watch that began in old Moravian Church on August 27, 1727, the Moravian Church in Great Britain has called for January 6, 2024 to be an additional Unity Day of Prayer. Call in English and all kinds of practical suggestions here. Liturgical elements from the Epiphany and mission liturgy here. The appeal states: "We want to consciously place ourselves under God's rule. We want to refresh, strengthen and revitalize the current church with our prayers so that we can be a sustainable church in the 21st century ... Let the day be a day of communal encounter with God and getting to know his view of our reality and problems. It is about - in this order - listening to God and being heard by God. It's about allowing God to change our perspective and the size of our heart (our heart's capacity)."

As a small but global church, the Moravian Church is extraordinarily colourful. The term colourful is often used in a figurative sense: diverse in terms of language, culture, history and theology.  Sometimes, however, the Moravian Church is also a colourful church in a very literal sense, such as recently in Leichester (UK), when a coloured sister celebrated the Independence Day of her homeland Antigua and Barbuda with her festive and colourful service dress. See here. The sister's dress is reminiscent of the flag of Antigua and Barbuda, designed by Reginald Samuel in 1966, a few years before independence from Great Britain in 1981. see here. The seven rays of the sun symbolise the beginning of a new era. Red symbolises the blood from the time of slavery and the fiery temeprament of mankind. Blue symbolises everlasting hope. Black symbolises the soil and the omnipresent African heritage. The triad of gold, blue and white symbolises the main attractions of Antigua: sun, sea and sand. Finally, the V symbolises victory. The theme of the Leichester Moravian Church service was: "Power of Art - Beauty of Music - Serenity of Prayer".

The Board of World Mission (BDM) of the Moravian Church in America continues to support the Moravian Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands as partners there begin the long-term recovery effort following Hurricane Melissa—the storm that devastated the islands last October and partially destroyed more than a dozen Moravian Church buildings. The leadership of the Moravian Church in Jamaica is currently working with several engineering firms to develop repair and reconstruction plans for the congregations affected by the disaster. Although much work and coordination still lie ahead for the members, this planning phase marks a crucial step in shaping the ongoing reconstruction process in the coming years. The need for further aid is considerable. $100,000 in hurricane relief funds has already been transferred. More here.

Bethlehem Moravian College in Malvern, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, evolved from a teachers’ college founded in 1861 in Bethabara, Manchester, by the Moravian Mission. Since then, the institution has placed special emphasis on early childhood education and care. On Facebook, the vocational training center wrote on May 12, 2026: "At Bethlehem Moravian College, we recognize that many people working in the field of early childhood education are unable to completely give up their careers to begin full-time studies. To address this gap, we offer a Bachelor’s degree program in Early Childhood Education as a part-time program. Paula Forbes, a graduate of this program, shares her experiences with this educational model in a short video. See here. Apply today—preferably online."

A special Mother's Day service was held on May 10, 2026, at the Bethabara Moravian Church in Newport/Manchester, Jamaica; the service lasted a good two hours. See here. The invitation posted on Facebook read: "A warm welcome to our Mother’s Day service! On behalf of our church congregation, we warmly welcome each and every one of you to this special opportunity for worship and celebration. Today we thank God for all the wonderful mothers, grandmothers, caregivers, and motherly figures whose love, strength, prayers, and sacrifices enrich our lives anew every single day. Remember this: In the eyes of the world, many women are mothers, but to their families, they are the whole world. May God strengthen, guide, and richly bless all mothers today and always. We pray that this service will lift up the hearts of mothers."

On May 17, 2026, a special—and particularly loud—worship service was held at the Bethabara Moravian Church in Newport/Manchester, Jamaica, which was also streamed live to homes. See here. The service, which lasted just under two hours, was celebrated together with children in school uniforms from the schools affiliated with the congregation. There was plenty of singing and music, as well as a skit performed by the children. The singing was not from books; rather, as is customary in the congregation, the lyrics were projected onto a screen. The two schools (Bethabara Primary & Junior High School, founded in 1846, and the Bethabara Infant School, founded in 1863) are located right next to the church grounds. Not far away, a vocational training center was established as early as 1861, which is now the renowned Bethlehem Moravian College. Paul Silwamba, a theologian originally from the Moravian Church in Tanzania, serves as pastor of the Bethabara Moravian Church.

Every year, Bethlehem Moravian College in Malvern/St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, holds an Awards Ceremony, most recently on April 17, 2025. A post on Facebook read: “We celebrate outstanding achievements, we celebrate hard work, and we share unforgettable moments on our Awards Ceremony day. From exemplary dedication in the classroom to extraordinary achievements outside of class—on this day, we honored the students who continually inspire us with their commitment and success. Congratulations to all the award winners! You have made us proud and shown that excellence truly pays off. A video compilation looks back on the special highlights of this remarkable day.” See here. The awards ceremony took place in the college’s Great Hall. Dozens of awards were presented.

The Bethabara Moravian Church in Manchester, Jamaica, had planned a one-day seminar titled “Denim & Discipleship” for Sunday, March 15, 2026, at 11 a.m. Young people in particular were invited to a casual Sunday service. The Facebook post read: "We want to reflect together on what it means to live out our faith, shape our character, and be part of the church. Please come dressed casually (e.g., in jeans), but in a way that is still appropriate for worship. Look forward to an inspiring time of fellowship with guided reflection. Bring a pen for your notes! Let’s learn and reflect together and grow as disciples of Jesus. We look forward to seeing you!" See here. From Manchester, England—the namesake of the Jamaican city of Manchester—comes the world-famous corduroy fabric (corduroy), which was used for sturdy work pants.

Although Bethlehem Moravian College BMC in Malvern/St. Elizabeth in southern Jamaica was itself affected by Hurricane Melissa on October 28, 2025, the institution's students are now providing assistance. A recent Facebook post stated: "BMC shows compassion through aid packages. It demonstrates its commitment to social issues and an intact community in the aftermath of the hurricane. Aware of the plight of those affected by the hurricane, we distributed aid packages to those in need. These were carefully assembled to provide comfort and hope during this difficult time. The packages represent more than just material aid - they remind hurricane victims that they are not alone. At BMC, we believe that education goes beyond the classroom. It also includes empathy and decisive action in times of crisis. We want to be a ray of hope. We pray for healing, reconstruction, and strength for all those affected by Hurricane Melissa." A video of the package campaign here.

Only now are images and videos reaching a wider audience, documenting the devastating effects of Hurricane Melissa, which swept across Jamaica on October 28, 2025. It is clear that it will take a long time for the country to return to even a semblance of normality. A seven-minute, impressive video from the British Province dated December 7, 2025, shows how badly the Moravian Church in Jamaica was affected by the hurricane and how many buildings—churches, parsonages, community centers, and schools—it has lost for the time being or even irretrievably. See here. Other pictures here. The Moravian Church in Jamaica needs help from the worldwide Moravian Church if it is to recover from the hurricane disaster. Another private video shows the destruction, focusing on the city of St. Elizabeth. See here. 

Hurricane Melissa caused severe devastation in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. A report from the church leadership shows that five churches were completely destroyed, including Carmel, Salem, and Faith Moravian Church. At least 20 other buildings—churches, parsonages, and schools—were severely damaged. Many roofs were blown off, and structural damage is considerable. Presumably, nearly all 36 congregations in the Central and West Districts have been affected.
The church leadership has drawn up a multi-stage emergency plan: immediate aid for those affected, pastoral support, damage assessment, deployment of local volunteers, and the establishment of a disaster relief fund. The Board of World Mission (BWM) has initially contributed USD 10,000, but points out that further support is urgently needed to enable reconstruction and relief efforts. All donations to the relief fund will go 100% toward disaster relief.
The Herrnhuter Missionshilfe and the European-Continental Province have each provided €10,000 in emergency aid from their emergency aid funds.

It is still not possible to fully list and quantify the material damage caused by Hurricane Melissa in late October 2025 in Jamaica, Cuba, and other Caribbean islands. A list compiled by the Jamaican government of large and small relief supplies (from AAA batteries to hammer drills) that are currently urgently needed in Jamaica can be found here. And here is a list of locations in the UK, where thousands of people with Jamaican roots live, where relief supplies can be dropped off. Roberta Hoey, Chair of the British Province, appeals to all members of the Moravian Church to generously help the people of Jamaica in their time of need. She writes: "Countless people and families have lost their homes and livelihoods. In the western and central regions of the country, almost all 36 Moravian Churches have reported damage of varying degrees to buildings and other property. Two churches have been completely destroyed: the Karmel Moravian Church and the Springfield Moravian Church (photos attached). Unfortunately, we have received many such images. We will be publishing a complete photo album shortly."

On Sunday, October 19, 2025, a small community day was held in the Unity Province of Jamaica. The Holy Cross Moravian Church in Santa Cruz, founded in 1984, had invited its neighboring congregations to a Central District Conference Covenant Day Service, which was sometimes lively. See here. Although the Unity Province of Jamaica is a province with many ordained women, young men also seek ordination, as was recently the case with Barnabas Nyirenda. Last August – the spiritual month in the worldwide Moravian Church – the Moravian Women's Fellowship (MWF) in Jamaica invited participants to a three-day retreat at Camp Hope in the island region of Westmoreland. The theme was: “Women stepping up for mission, healing, restoration, and empowerment.” See here. This theme is also the annual theme for 2025 of the Unity Province of Jamaica.

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 Bethabara Moravian Church in Manchester (OT Newport) in Jamaica invites children and young people to a Bible camp. They write playfully: "Dive in! It's VBS time (Vacation Bible School)! Get ready for an unforgettable underwater adventure at our VBS 2025! Join us as we SCUBA dive into friendship with God! Here are the details: Date: 4 to 8 August 2025, Time: 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Location: Bethabara Moravian Church. There will be fun, games, devotions and lots of surprises related to the sea! Bring your friends and dive into the water with us!" - SCUBA diving is a type of underwater diving in which divers use equipment that is independent of a breathing gas supply at the water's surface, allowing them to dive for longer periods of time. The word SCUBA is an acronym for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. See here.

The Moravian Church in Jamaica & the Cayman Islands writes on Facebook: "Join us for the Provincial Convention 2025 of the Moravian Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands! The theme of the convention is “New Mission: Healing, Building and Strengthening”. The sub-theme is “Our Vision for 2025: Always Moving Forward!”. The Community Day will take place on Sunday, 24 August 2025, starting at 9:30 a.m. at the Kendal Camp & Conference Centre in Manchester, Jamaica. Come and pray with us as we hear powerful messages from Rev. Karen Kirlew (morning preacher) and Rev. Wayne Reid (afternoon preacher). Can't be there in person? Then visit us online via: YouTube Live, Moravian Church in Jamaica DEMY / Facebook Live, Moravian Church in Jamaica & the Cayman Islands. Let's move forward together in faith and unity!" The invitation poster can be found here.

On March 20, 2026, the Canadian newspaper The Independent published a lengthy article by Frey Black Pijogge about the cultural activities of the Inotsiavik Centre in the Moravian settlement of Hopedale and the surrounding area. The name Inotsiavik means A Good Place to Live. The Inotsiavik Centre is one of several youth-run nonprofit organizations that offers Inuit cultural and Inuttitut programs, thereby contributing to the preservation and revitalization of this ancient, endangered culture. Kim Pilgrim, the center’s executive director, lives in Hopedale but has roots in Makkovik and Postville. A photo accompanying the article shows Nicholas Flowers (23), a young man from Hopedale, artfully preparing a sealskin for use in an Inuit tupik. In his work, he uses the ulu, a tool that belonged to his grandmother. In 2024, the center won the Arctic Inspiration Prize, which comes with a prize of one million Canadian dollars (approx. 650,000 euros). Read more in English here.

The Canadian newspaper Nunatsiaq News, which is aimed primarily at the indigenous population, reported on February 28, 2026, under the headline Moravian interest in Ungava Bay, on the long-standing work of the Moravian Mission in Labrador—now Nunatsiavut—particularly in Nain and Okak. See here. The article makes clear how the missionaries were not only concerned with evangelizing the Inuit but also—to finance their work—pursued economic interests and served the interests of white patrons. It acknowledges the mission’s contributions to Labrador’s development and the education of the Inuit and demonstrates how deeply it has shaped the barren region to this day. The author of the article is historian Kenn Harper, who has lived in the Arctic regions for over 50 years and regularly reports on his research in the column Taissumani. See here. There is also much more information there about the Moravian Mission in Labrador.

In the summer of 1765 – 260 years ago – Mikak, a married woman and mother from the Inuit people, came into contact with two Moravian missionaries, Jens Haven and Christian Drachart, who had been working for some time to establish a mission station in Labrador. When Mikak's husband was killed in a battle with the British in 1767, she traveled with her son Tutauk to London in 1768, where she befriended the German-born princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and spoke to the British authorities on behalf of the Moravians, asking them to allow the Moravian Church to begin missionary work in Labrador. Returning home, she was involved in founding the mission station in Nain, which still exists today. However, her criticism of the missionaries' strategy and a decision by lot prevented her from being baptized, so she increasingly turned away from the Moravians and finally died unbaptized in Nain on October 1, 1795, after many trials and tribulations. An article by Arkis expert Kenn Harper in the blog Taissumani can be found here in German translation.

A new website contains a wealth of information about Canada's northern regions and the lives of the indigenous peoples there. The website is called Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada, it also provides information about the Nunatsiavut region, formerly called Labrador. See here. On these websites there are repeated references to the Herrnhut Mission (historical and current pictures, maps), which began in Nain as early as 1771. Important keywords on the website include: Early History, Colonialism, Family Structures, Adoption, Traditional Clothing, Housing, Urban Inuit, Health, Inuktut writing systems, Place Names, Wildlife, Permafrost, Sea Ice, Climate Change, Education, Inuit Games, Visual Arts and Performing Arts and Music. There used to be eight Moravian Church mission stations in Nunatsiavut. Today there are still assemblies in Nain, Makkovik, Hopedale and Happy Valley (Goose Bay). Behind the website is a book that is available for 99.99 US dollars. See here.

The “Newfoundland and Labrador Genealogical Society Inc.” published a list of the missionary graves in the cemetery of the abandoned mission station Hebron, Labrador, existing from 1818 to 1959. See attached! From here came the famous Iniut Abraham Ulrikab and his family members, who - baptized by Herrnhut missionaries - were exhibited together with other Inuit in zoos in half of Europe in 1880/81 at a large ethnic show and all died and kept a handwritten diary of their suffering. The corresponding book Abraham Ulrikab at the zoo here. Because the name Labrador is reminiscent of the early Portuguese conqueror João Fernandes Lavrador (1443-1502), it has been shunned by the indigenous people for several years. They now call their land Nunatsiávut (Our Beautiful Land) again, as they used to.

Chris Giesler, a bishop of the Moravian Church from the North American North Province, has reached retirement age. To mark the occasion, a benefit Singstunde will be held at Emmaus Moravian Church in Emmaus, PA, starting at 6 p.m. on October 5, 2024. At this gathering, the bishop and members of his family and friends will perform a musical program. The invitation reads: “Come sing, listen to God's word, pray, and contribute to a project that supports the Moravian Church in Labrador. The money raised will be used to buy books and daily watchwords for our brothers and sisters there.” See here. The watchwords for Labrador, Newfoundland, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut (all in Canada) are available in the indigenous language Inuktitut. This language is currently spoken by about 34,000 people. Since 2012, there has been a language institute in Iqaluit/Baffin Island.

Synod 2024 was recently held in the Labrador Mission Province of the worldwide Moravian Church. The synod members gathered in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Despite a late start to the Synod due to bad weather on the coast and cancelled flight connections, Synod delegates were able to complete their work on 25 May 2024 as planned. Sarah Jensen was re-elected as chair of the church leadership. The Board of World Mission was represented at the synod by Chris Giesler, Director of Practical Missions. He led workshops on the history of the Moravian Church and the Moravian Guide for Biblical Interpretation. The Labrador Mission Province currently only includes (from north to south) the four small, mostly very remote congregations of Nain, Hopedale, Makkovik and Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Two pictures from the synod here.

Geological explorations that have been ongoing since 2020 have revealed that there are mineable gold, copper and nickel deposits in the ground in the hinterland of the former Moravian mission station Hopedale (Labrador). This has now been announced by Labrador Gold Corp. At the end of 2023, the company exercised the option to acquire 100 per cent of the four mining licences granted, which cover a total of almost 700 claims. The large Hopedale mining area extends over 43 kilometres along the Florence Lake Greenstone Belt. Roger Moss, President of Labrador Gold Corp, sees considerable potential for further major discoveries in the now contractually secured mining area. He thanked the Department of Natural Resources of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador for their financial support in the exploration of the concession area under the 2023 Junior Exploration Assistance Programme. More here. It remains to be seen what the start of mining will mean for the highly sensitive Arctic environment and for the people in the Moravian Church of Hopedale.

In Nain, Labrador, a former mission station of the Moravian Church, founded in 1771, more than 1,500 sheets of handwritten music were discovered, some of which date back to 1810. This was reported by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The Canadian musicologist Tom Gordon described the sheet music found as jewels: "Great choral pieces - parts for the choir and parts for the orchestra - all in Inuktitut," he marvelled. Because the music he found differs from older music found in Nain in terms of compositional style and arrangement, Tom Gordon assumes that it was written in the mission station Okak, which is located further north and no longer exists, especially as some of the works are signed by the Inuit organist Jeremias Sillit, who worked mainly in Okak. "If it turns out that the majority of the music comes from Okak, then this will add considerable value to the find," emphasised Tom Gordon.

"As Premier and on behalf of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, I apologise for all that has been done to school children, families and all Inuit in Labrador. I am sorry that the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador allowed crimes to happen and that they did not step in to protect the children who should have been protected." This is what Andrew Furey, the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, said to the residents of Hopedale and Makkovik on Thursday, 2 November 2023, during the third of six promised visits to Labrador. Inuit Toby Andersen from Makkovik, who was forced to attend a government residential school at the age of 12, accepted the apology on behalf of the residents of the semi-autonomous Inuit region of Nunatsiavut. However, this is only the first step towards reconciliation. Material compensation must follow. For example, there is still no doctor in Makkovik. Only three times in four years has a doctor from distant St John's been to Makkovik. - To a large English-language article by CBC News with reports from the former Herrnhut mission stations Makkovik and Hopedale here.
 

There is an Inuit grave in the Moravian Church churchyard in London-Chelsea which until recently had a small stone on it with the inscription: "En Eskimo Child, departed 1900". It was later discovered that this was the grave of Sara Ubraha Uvloriak, who had arrived in London shortly before her death as one of more than 30 Inuit who had been "exhibited" in Paris on the occasion of the "Games of the Second Olympiad 1900". Although the Moravian Church had not initiated this exhibition, many of the Inuit "on display" belonged to the Moravian Church or were connected to the Moravian Church mission. Therefore, the Inuit child who apparently died on the "return transport" was buried in the churchyard of the "Fatter Lane Moravian Congregation" in London-Chelsea. On Friday 29 September 2023, members of the Moravian Church in London gathered to lay a new gravestone on the old grave, on which the name and exact dates of the life of the child who had gone home are engraved. More here.

Recently, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Pierre Trudeau and his son Hadrian visited the former Moravian mission station of Nain (founded in 1771) for the first time, as reported by the Aboriginal People's Television Network on National News. See here. "Since 2015, I have invited the prime minister to my homeland," said Natan Obed, chief representative of 60,000 Inuit in Canada, in his welcoming speech, calling the presidential visit very significant. They talked about weapons, fishing and hunting, about the health of the Inuit, but also about reconciliation between white Canadians, whose ancestors trampled on the rights of the indigenous people for centuries, and today's Inuit. A video of the presidential visit, which was also attended by Johannes Lampe, President of the Autonomous Iniut Region of Nunatsiavut. The implementation of the "United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples" was also on the 14-point list of issues.

Given that the next synod of the Eglise Morave Burundi will take place in 60 days, Pastor Manassé Irutingabo, secretary of the Department of Evangelism and Prayer, called for 60 days of prayer beginning on May 17, 2026. He shared the following prayer requests with church members via Facebook: “1. Pray for the success of the synod in light of the upcoming elections, for a peaceful synod, and that God will provide the church with leaders who will move the church forward. 2. Pray for the synod delegates from the individual congregations, that they may bring peace to Bujumbura. 3. Pray for the guests from abroad who are participating in the synod, that they too may find peace.” Pastor Manassé Irutingabo reminded everyone that the synod begins on July 17, 2026. The days until then are short, he said, so it is important to turn to God in prayer so that He may guide the church. See here.

In 2009, inspired by the Moravian Church in Tabora, Tanzania, Julius Mubiru founded the Moravian Church in Uganda, which today has 7,000 members across ten congregations. Recently, the church has been doing pioneering work on an island in Lake Victoria, where it operates a school with 150 students and a health clinic. The students are taught under trees because there are no school buildings yet. During a meeting with Julius Mubiru in the Ugandan capital of Kampala, it becomes clear that the triumphant advance of the Gospel is unstoppable. Julius Mubiru is the chairman of the Moravian Church in Uganda. Currently, 15 pastors and evangelists serve in the Uyukwe political district on Lake Victoria. “We want to strengthen society as a whole,” says Julius Mubiru. “There is a great demand for the Gospel. We already have three congregations on the island. In one location, we own a plot of land where we can build a church.” More here (p. 3).

The Moravian Church in Burundi in the Kirundo District marked International Women’s Day on March 8, 2026, with a fundraising campaign initiated by women to support the construction of a church building located very close to the Kirundo District office. A two-and-a-half-minute video is available here. A Facebook post by the Moravian Church in Uganda on April 15, 2026, states: "In our church, four women from two congregations in Kayunga District are benefiting from a pig-rearing project. The women were carefully selected and trained to properly care for the piglets from day one. It is hoped that the piglets will become a source of income for the women, enabling them to support themselves in the future. Once the project has expanded, these women will pass on the grown female pigs to other selected women." Pictures here.

The Board of World Mission (BWM) of the Moravian Church in America introduces Brother Alberto, the village leader of the Chapi congregation in the Peruvian Amazon region. He has been working with the Moravian Church in this area for several years. He recently participated in a workshop in Bajo Canampa with Will Cuthbert from the BWM. He first heard about the Moravian Church during his studies and later met BWM staff members Justin Rabbach and Samuel Gray during visits to the Amazon region. The BWM presents his life story in English here. It begins: “I am happy to see so many people in church, especially the younger generation. If there is anything that can change their lives, it is God’s Word. I can assure you of that, because before I met Jesus, I lived a very worldly life, drank a lot, and eventually lost control of myself—until I met Pastor Edwin in Bajo Canampa—and with him, the Gospel and the love of Jesus.”

During a visit by staff members of the Board of World Mission (BWM) of the Moravian Church in America to the Peruvian Amazon region, Evangelina Domingo approached Will Cuthbert from Costa Rica. In her hands she held a book she cherishes deeply. In her native language, Aguaruna, she said to the evangelist: “Please convey our heartfelt thanks to those who made it possible for us to have a hymnal in our native language. I have been a Christian since 1997—one of the first in my village—and I never thought that one day I would be able to sing all these songs in my own language. This book will mean a great deal to me for the rest of my life.” Evangelina Domingos’s congregation has been connected to the Moravian Church in Peru for years. The BWM supports this connection through visits, travel grants, and the translation of hymnals into the local language. More here.

After a storm with heavy rain had already destroyed the Moravian Church in Kirekura near Bujumbura on Wednesday, November 4, 2025, the church in Miduha near Rugombo on the border between Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo has now also been damaged by the force of a storm. Pastor Manasse Irutingabo, the leader of the Moravian Church in the Bujumbura district, called on Christians to pray. Satan is active among them and wants to hinder God's work, he said. The pastor reported on Facebook that parts of the church walls had been torn down by the storm and now lay in the Rusizi River. He comforted the sad parishioners on Facebook and encouraged them to renew their faith. He said that the individual Moravian Churches in the Bujumbura district were on the right track. They were doing God's work. Satan could not prevent that. Pictures of the partially destroyed church here.

In Onward, the mission magazine of the North American South Province (No. 3-2025), missionary Michael Tesh reports on the gradual growth and consolidation of the Moravian Church in Kenya. Among other things, he writes: “In July 2025, Pastor Samuel and I spent two weeks in Ikutha to establish a new congregation.” By God's grace, we were able to minister in twelve different homes, and two families now belong to the new congregation. It was physically demanding because of the long distances, but the weather was cooler than last time. We also held two film events in Ikutha. On the first Saturday, we showed the Jesus film, and on the second Saturday, we showed the film about Moses and the Red Sea. Each event attracted about 100 people, and before the film screenings, we shared the Word of the Lord. We also visited two schools. Once we told the children about David and Goliath and told them that God helps them overcome challenges and fears. The other time, we told the story of Jonah and taught the children to listen to God's voice and follow His call.

Michael and Cecilia Tesh send greetings from Kenya. They write in the magazine Onward (July 2025): It is the rainy season here in Kenya. We are planting corn and other crops. All the children are currently in school. They will be there until the first week of August 2025. Here is an update on the situation of the Moravian Church in Krenia. Pastor Samuel and I have been traveling to Ikutha every month since the beginning of the year. In the first week of May, we were only there for three days. We had to talk to the pastors and tell them to focus on one congregation and strengthen it. We had noticed that there were many congregations but hardly any members. Now when we go there, we can devote our attention to one congregation. We plan to go to Ikutha for two weeks in June. We need to live with the people there for a longer period of time and pray with them. We will also visit schools and preach God's Word to the children.

The Board of World Mission of the Moravian Church in North America announces: "On June 1, 2025, a group in Lauro de Freitas, just outside the city of Salvador, officially joined the Moravian Church in Brazil. This marks the founding of a second Moravian Church in the country. There was also a baptism during the founding celebration. On June 7, 2025, the members gathered for a communion service, an hour marked by deep spiritual fellowship. On June 13, 2025, the members of the new Lauro de Freitas congregation met with the members of the Salvador congregation for coffee. It was a time of shared joy and encouragement. The relationship between the two congregations is expected to continue to grow and deepen. Pastor Mauricio Melo said, “We believe that God will do even greater things among us.” Some pictures from the meeting room of the Moravian Church in Lauro de Freitas can be found here.

After Joachim Kreusel, Bishop of the Moravian Church from Ockbrook/GB, had asked in Uganda how things were going with the Moravian Church there, he received the following reply: "Dear Brother Bishop! Thank you very much for your inquiry about the Moravian Church in Uganda. Below is a description of our ministry. With over 500 members, the Moravian Church in Uganda is growing. Despite several challenges, the church is faithful to its mission. Our congregations are located in the central region in the districts of Mukono, Buikwe, Kayunga and Buvuma. There are currently ten congregations with four ordained pastors. Only one congregation has a permanent church building. The remaining congregations fellowship in temporary buildings, rented classrooms, private homes and under trees. The biggest challenge is the lack of land for most congregations. But we hope that God will provide for us. Please convey my greetings to your congregations and pray for our ministry. Peace be with you! Rev. Julius Mubiru, Chairman of the Board of the Moravian Church in Uganda, P.O. Box 993, Mukono, Uganda, phone: +256779068517.

The Moravian Church in Burundi announced on Facebook on May 23, 2025: The president of our church, Edward Augustino Nsengiyumva, and the person responsible for women's and children's ministry, Chantal Bakamiriza, are flying to Denmark today where they will attend a church meeting. The church leadership asks for prayers for the travelers and for the church they represent. See here. On May 22, 2025, the leadership of the Moravian Church in Burundi visited the congregation in Bujumbura under the leadership of Pastor Manace Irutingabo. Together they visited the building site for a church in Kirekura. The church leadership announced that the construction preparations were well advanced and had reached an interesting stage. The official start of construction is planned for July 27, 2025. Prior to this, there will be a house-to-house evangelization in the surrounding villages on 26 July 2025. More here.

The Moravian Church in Brazil is growing in all directions The Board of World Mission reports: The Moravian Church in Brazil is steadily expanding its presence, guided by a long-term vision based on witness, community service, and intercultural mission. It has already celebrated baptisms, held outdoor evangelistic services, and organized transformative meetings for men and women. Its commitment includes support for addiction, distributing food donations, and events for children. The church has also sent its first intercultural missionary to Bolivia. And it plans to evangelize indigenous communities in the Amazon region. There are also plans to establish a theological seminary and build health facilities. In all of this, the Moravian Church in Brazil is concerned with spiritual growth so that it can be a faithful servant of Jesus Christ.

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.

On the occasion of the Day of Prayer for the Iglesia Evangélica Morava En Perú on 15 August 2024, proclaimed by the Board of World Mission BWM of the Moravian Church in North America, new prayer information from the country is available on Facebook. See here. It says, among other things: Pray for: ‘the physical health of our pastors, for the registration of the church with SUNARP (Superintendencia Nacional de los Registros Públicos), for growth in the Moravian Church in Peru, for the pastoral leadership of the Moravian Church in Peru, for Unity among women, for wisdom in the fulfilment of God's will, for the congregation ‘El Admirable’ in Zaña and its evangelisation work, for overcoming the political problems in Peru, for an end to corruption in both the executive and legislative branches of Peru, for the eradication of violence against women, for our participants in the meeting of the ‘Unity Women's Desk’ UWD in Winston-Salem/NC’.

The Board of World Mission (BWM) of the Moravian Church in North America recently proclaimed the third Thursday in March as aday of prayer for the Moravian Church in Brazil  The Iglesia Morava has penetrated northern Brazil through the activities of brothers and sisters in Suriname. In 2020, Br Mauricio Melo approached the BWM with the question of what needed to be done so that an independent Moravian Church could be established in Brazil. He and his wife Jucineide then took part in the Spanish-speaking Moravian Resources Conference 2022 in Panama. Since then, the couple have joined other Moravians in Central and South America in a weekly Bible course that takes place online and is led by Will Cuthbert from the Moravian Church in Costa Rica. In 2023, the Unity Synod in Cape Town authorised the establishment of the Moravian Church in Brazil as a Prospective Mission Area. There are currently around 50 members of the Moravian Church in Brazil. Under the link above you can also find specific prayer requests in English.

In their last newsletter in 2023, Michael and Cecilia Tesh greeted us with their daughter Bessing, who have been working for the Moravian Church in Kenya for a decade. Together with the Kenyan John, they are responsible for the Ray of Hope School near the country's capital Mombasa, among other things. They write: "The Lord has been faithful to us as a family. We were able to harvest seven 90kg bags of maize from our garden. We will use it to help other needy people. It will also save us a lot of money, as maize is one of the staple foods in Kenya. The price of maize has risen sharply. We are grateful for all the rain ... Things are going well at the Ray of Hope School. It now has four classes. We are praying that more and more children will attend the school and that we will be able to add a fifth class in 2024. A congregation in Turkana organised a Christian camp in Mombasa. The Ray of Hope children were able to attend the camp."

One of the youngest branches in the tribe of the worldwide Unity has been the Moravian Church in Brazil since 2020. It is supported primarily by the Moravian Church in Peru and in North America. A recent communication from the Board of World Mission states: "Our brothers and sisters in Brazil share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a variety of ways in their growing community. In July 2023, they hosted an ecumenical women's meeting, inviting women from many denominations: for prayer, discussion and personal sharing." Three pictures from the meeting here.

For about 15 years, the Netherlands as a nation, along with many social groups and organizations within the country, has been working to critically examine its own history of slavery in cooperation with the descendants of those affected. The Moravian Church in the Netherlands and the Zeister Zendingsgenootschap (ZZg) are also tackling this important task with considerable financial and human resources and are opening their archives. In this context, another Annual National Memorial Service on the History of Slavery will take place on June 27, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. in St. John’s Cathedral in ’s-Hertogenbosch, Torenstraat 16. The theme is Hopeful on the Path to a Better Future in Solidarity. The memorial service is organized by the Council of Churches in the Netherlands and the Foundation for the Reconciliation of the Past of Slavery. The Moravian Church calls for participation.

The topic of mission is one of several topics on which the newly founded Institute for Moravian History and World Heritage in Bethlehem, PA, is requesting academic papers and other contributions to the discussion (e.g., workshop proposals, concerts). These should be submitted by the time of the institute's inaugural conference, which is planned for November 12-14, 2026, at Moravian University in Bethlehem, PA. A recently published call for papers states that contributions should focus on “the preservation, interpretation, and global significance of the history, work, and cultural heritage of the Moravian Church,” while also taking digital humanities into account. One of the topics for which the institute is requesting contributions within eleven months is entitled: “Encounters with indigenous cultures and other existing cultures in the context of the Moravian heritage.” More information can be found on the last page of the Moravian Messenger (issue 11-2025) here.

On the morning of July 23, 2025, Deutschlandfunk, Germany's most listened-to radio station, broadcast a lengthy report on its program “Tag für Tag” (Day by Day) on how and with what success the Moravian Church is coming to terms with its history of mission and slavery. In this context, the station also visited the Moravian Church in Amsterdam and interviewed Johannes Welschen, a member of the Unity Directorate, in Zeist, Netherlands. The visit was prompted by Keti Koti 2025, the 162nd anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the former Dutch colony of Suriname, which is now also celebrated annually in the Netherlands. The report pays tribute to what the Moravian Church has been doing for more than 15 years in the field of historical sciences and in the interpersonal sphere to overcome the consequences of slavery, which are still clearly visible in many parts of the world, both rich and poor, and to bring about reconciliation. In the interview, Johannes Welschen does not hide the fact that there are still many steps to be taken before true reconciliation can be achieved. Listen here from minute 13:45.

On August 5, 1900 – 125 years ago – a large festive service was held in Lichtenfels on Greenland to mark the handover of the Greenland Mission of the Moravian Church to the Danish Lutheran State Church. This transfer had been decided in 1899 by a synod of the Moravian Church for financial and political reasons (ongoing conflicts between Denmark and Germany over the border demarcation) by a vote of 47 to 2. On March 3, 1900, Danish King Christian IX had already received the Greenland mission president Adolf Riedel (1845-1918) in audience and thanked the Moravian Church for its 167 years of work in Greenland. Forty large boats and 212 kayaks carrying more than 800 Greenlanders (one third of the entire Inuit population of South Greenland!) arrived in Lichtenfels for the above-mentioned farewell service for the Herrnhut missionaries. On September 11, 1900, the last Herrnhut missionaries boarded a Danish ship with their few belongings. The Danish king financed the missionaries' return journey.

On April 24, 2025, the Netherlands and Suriname commemorated the 80th anniversary of the death of Anton de Kom (1898-1945), a Surinamese writer who fought against colonialism with his pen and his actions and was also active in the resistance against Nazi Germany. In 1934, he published his book We, the Slaves of Suriname, an indictment of the colonial system and the very first history book about Suriname written by a Surinamese author. To this day, the book opens people's eyes to how power, violence, and inequality were perpetuated. During the German occupation of the Netherlands, Anton de Kom joined the resistance. He wrote for an underground newspaper, which cost him his freedom and his life. He was arrested, deported, and died on April 24, 1945, in the Sandbostel concentration camp, a branch of the Neuengamme concentration camp. It was not until 1960 that his body was identified in a mass grave. More here and here. His daughter Judith de Kom fought to have the injustice done to her father recognized. In 2023, the Rutte cabinet apologized to Anton de Kom's family.

In Denmark, much is currently being done to come to terms with the country's involvement in the colonial system and to bring the crimes of the age of slavery to light. Denmark owes its flourishing as a nation state and its economic prosperity in the 18th century in large part to colonialism. The public broadcaster DR has already broadcast several documentaries about Denmark's past as a global colonial power. In view of this fact, Jørgen Bøytler from Christiansfeld, the Unity Board Administrator, emphasized in a podcast moderated by Svend Løbner and produced by Michala Linn (listen in Danish here) that the Unity Synod passed a resolution in September 2023 acknowledging grievances caused by Europeans and asking for forgiveness. Although the Moravian Church had sometimes ransomed slaves and provided slaves everywhere with basic educational goods, it had also owned slaves itself at times.

In the anthology Transculturality. Gender- und bildungshistorische Perspektiven, ed. by Wolfgang Gippert et al. (transkript Verlag Bielefeld), the Pietism and Moravian Church researcher Pia Schmid, professor at the University of Halle/Saale, publishes an 18-page essay on Moravian Church mission in North America in the 18th/19th century. The essay is entitled: John Heckewelder's 'History of Indian Nations' (1819). A missionary as proto-ethnologist. The essay can be read online here (page 105ff). Pia Schmidt shows how the Moravian missionary John Heckewelder, a student of David Zeisberger, endeavoured to awaken understanding among his white readers for the differences in the customs and traditions of the indigenous peoples of North America. John Heckewelder does this, for example, in his comments on scalping, a custom that seems particularly cruel and senseless to Europeans, but which makes perfect sense in the culture and warfare of the Native Americans.

• Issue 12-2024 of the widely read magazine Publik-Forum contains an article by Johann Hinrich Claussen, Berlin, the EKD's cultural representative, on the Moravian Church's first picture. The article combines an appreciative look at this picture with critical comments on the circumstances that contributed significantly to its creation. Listen to the article here.
• Several webinars organised by Mission 21 in Basel, an organisation to which the Herrnhut Mission in Switzerland also belongs, are dedicated to the actions of Christian missionary societies in the context of slavery and colonialism. It examines historical points of contact between Christian missions and racism and discrimination. With the eleven webinars, Mission 21 makes it clear that the transparent and scientific reappraisal of missionary history is one of the organisation's most important concerns. To the eleven webinars here.

Back in 2021, a lengthy essay by Dr Josef Köstlbauer from the Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies at the University of Bonn was published in English in an anthology, which deals with the actions of Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf and his wife Erdmuth Dorothea as slave buyers and slave owners. As the essay has received little attention in Germany to date, it has now been reviewed by Andreas Tasche and its two most important sections (two case studies) have been translated into German. The essay is entitled: 'I Have No Shortage of Moors! Mission, Representation, and the Elusive Semantics of Slavery in Eighteenth-Century Moravian Sources. It is striking how ruthlessly the count and countess behaved towards their personal slaves and how they asserted their property rights with all vigour when they "escaped" - right up to the King of Denmark! - asserted. It makes us wonder why the presence of enslaved people was apparently taken for granted in the Moravian Congregations Herrnhaag, Herrndeijk, Zeist and Barby. To the review here.

On 15 February 2024, the Sächsische Zeitung reported in a full-page article by Thomas Ruhland that, with the help of Herrnhut missionaries, at least one human skull came from the South African mission station Shilo via the Genadendal station to Herrnhut for research purposes and was later sold - together with 27 other skulls - to the skull collector Hermann Welcker in Halle/S. See here. A total of 831 human skulls are still stored in the Meckelschen Sammlungen in Halle: the skull of Caffern Mqhayis from Shilo in a display case. The skull bears the inscription Coll. Becker; this refers to Carl Joseph Becker, a doctor in Herrnhut, whose son Woldemar later completed a doctorate on the skulls of indigenous people. In Herrnhut, the journalist was given the desired access to the Unity Archiv and also to private ethnological collections. The Moravian Church is pleased about the ongoing research into the darker chapters of its mission and supports it.

The Unity Women's Desk UWD, headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, reminds us of its purpose in a Facebook post dated December 4, 2025. It writes: "We are committed to empowering girls and women from the Moravian Church in global change. We support the realization of the dreams and plans of such girls and women worldwide. They should be able to live the life to which they feel called. Through scholarships and other funding, we enable them to participate fully in family, church, and congregation life and nurture their talents and abilities, which they will later use to serve on earth in the spirit of Jesus Christ. Our heartfelt congratulations go to all the graduates of the class of 2025, especially Martha Ezra Kigata from Tanzania, who has just completed her bachelor's degree in sociology with a scholarship from the UWD." See here.

The Unity Women's Desk UWD, based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, organizes a women's conference every seven years to discuss issues affecting women throughout the worldwide Moravian Church. The next such conference, entitled “With Heart, Hand, and Voice: Advocating for Women's Human Rights in the Moravian Church and Its Congregations,” will take place in Tanzania from January 31 to February 6, 2026. In the run-up to this conference, Lettice Joemath from South Africa spent several weeks in Winston-Salem to help with preparations for the 5th Unity Women's Consultation. On Thursday, December 11, 2025, she will return to South Africa. The day before, however, she will lead a prayer meeting for the conference in Winston-Salem. The conference was originally scheduled to take place from June 1 to 8, 2025, in the US state of North Carolina, but had to be moved to Tanzania due to entry refusals for many guests. See here.

A post by the Unity Women's Desk (UWD) on November 10, 2025, shows that the women are well connected within the worldwide Moravian Church. This organization, founded in 2011 but with origins dating back to 1995 (see here), has been operating since 2023 under the leadership of a coordinator (currently Julie Tomberlin from Winston-Salem, USA) and a seven-member advisory board: Each of the four Unity regions (Africa, Europe, Caribbean/Latin America, North America) has one representative on the advisory board. Each additional representative comes from Africa, the most important continent for the Moravian Church, is Spanish-speaking, and is younger than 50. The connections within the worldwide Moravian Church are demonstrated by the encounters that the prominent Tanzanian pastor Mary Katergile had on the Caribbean island of Curaçao: a) with Rhoïnde Mijnalds-Doth, the recently elected bishop of the Moravian Church from the Netherlands with a Surinamese background (see here), and b) with Roberta Hoey, the current chairperson of the Unity Board, the governing body of the worldwide Moravian Church between synods, from Great Britain (see here).

The Global Market on South Church Street in Old Salem, the historic 18th-century district of Winston-Salem, NC, organized by the Unity Women's Desk (UWD), is a place of encounter. Here, products are made in workshops and offered for sale, opening a window to the wider world—especially the world of the Moravians. Recently, guests from South Africa visited the Global Market (see here) and shared their art (see here). Two young women from Nepal, who are staying in the city for an extended period, can also be found at the Global Market time and again. From them, younger and older American women from the southeastern United States learn the techniques used to create handicrafts in their distant homeland (see here). Sewing and embroidering, painting and crafting together often leads to international understanding.

The Unity Women's Desk (UWD), headquartered in Winston-Salem, NC, posted on Facebook: "Do you have any spare wool sweaters or wool yarn? Then donate your wool to the UWD! We ask for pure wool, not ‘superwashed’. All donated wool will be reused for handicrafts for our Moravian Global Market. Or do you have nail polish sitting in one of your drawers, gathering dust because you don't use it? Then consider donating your nearly empty nail polish to the UWD. We use donated nail polish to create painted artwork for our Moravian Global Market, such as colorful pumpkins! If you would like to send us leftover wool or nail polish, please contact the director of our organization, Julie Tomberlin, by email (julie.unitywomen@gmail.com) or by phone (336 575-8577). See here and here.

The Unity Women's Desk (UWD), based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, announced on 19 August 2025: "It is with great sadness that we share the news that our dear sister and member of the UWD Advisory Board, Rachel-Juliana Matthew Lwali, has suddenly passed away. We are grateful for every day of her life and for everything she did for girls, women and the Moravian Church. We know that she is resting in peace with her Saviour. Please keep her family and all those who mourn her death in your thoughts. Rachel was surrounded by her beloved family when she died unexpectedly." See here. Rachel Lwali was also a member of the Council of the Teofilo Kisanji University of the Moravian Church in Mbeya in Tanzania's South-Western Province and represented the Moravian Church in Tanzania at many conferences at home and abroad. She had a degree in Banking and Financial Support Services and worked for 30 years in a Tanzanian bank. She is survived by seven children and many grandchildren. See here.

A good idea recently emerged at the Unity Women's Desk in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Because the cost of transporting small but important obstetric kits to women's organizations and hospitals of the Moravian Church in Central and South America, the Caribbean, and East Africa is disproportionately high, volunteers will transport them to their destinations in their personal luggage. The Unity Women's Desk is asking for spacious, unused suitcases with wheels that can hold about 30 obstetric kits. The suitcases will be packed and stored in Bethania near Winston-Salem until the group trips begin. The contact person is Julie Tomberlin, director of the Unity Women's Desk (julie.unitywomen@gmail.com). To donate, click here. There is a list of the nine items that are usually included in a birth kit. See here. More about the Birthing Kits here.

Once again, the Unity Women's Desk (UWD), based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is introducing one of its scholarship recipients on Facebook: Ibenathi Bhaku from East London, South Africa: "Overcoming barriers and radiating grace is what Ibenathi Bhaku does. She is studying systems development in her home country. She believes that you can do three things at once: achieve technological excellence, be creative and beautiful, and remain rooted in your faith. In conversation with a UWD intern in the US, she said: 'I am deeply grateful for being awarded a scholarship. It is helping me to expand my skills and prepare for a career in the technology industry. The current semester, in which I had to learn new computer languages and write challenging software, was a big challenge. Thank you for supporting young learners at UWD and sharing their life stories to inspire others." More here.

The Unity Women's Desk, based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, wrote on Facebook on June 6, 2025: "US$1,000 provides a one-year university scholarship; US$500 provides a one-year secondary school scholarship. In some countries, this amount covers most personal expenses for a year. In 2024, 33 of our scholarship recipients successfully completed their studies with their graduation! One of them is Nicole Lerians from Honduras. See here. Congratulations, sister, and to all the other sisters from North Carolina to South Africa, from Nepal to Honduras." The Unity Women's Desk points out in this context that its former scholarship recipients have committed themselves to working at least ten hours per year for free after completing their studies, tutoring other young women, helping with career guidance or job applications, etc. Four such graduate volunteers can be seen here.

A Unity Creed was written in Spanish by two female pastors of the Moravian Church in Cuba and translated into eight other languages for publication. With its focus on Jesus' treatment of women and on the feminine characteristics of God, the Unity Creed was described by its authors as a women's creed. The publication of the 14 verses of the creed was accompanied by images by Gail Morris (USA) and brief information about those involved. The main motive for writing the Unity Creed was to combat domestic violence and empower victims of such violence. The Unity Creed is deliberately kept short so that those affected can easily memorize its content. A printed version of the Unity Creed, a powerful and impressive literary work that opposes misinterpretation of the Bible, is available from the Unity Women's Desk in Winston-Salem. See Facebook here.

After the 5th Unity Women's Consultation, which was supposed to take place in North Carolina (USA) from June 1 to 6, 2025, had to be canceled at short notice due to visa problems for the participants, a new location and a new date have now been found. On May 26, 2025, the Facebook page of the Unity Women's Desk posted: "Good news! We are grateful to our Tanzanian sisters Rachel and Fatima for taking the long bus ride from Dar es Salaam to Arusha to meet the local team preparing the rescheduled 5th Unity Women's Consultation. The consultation will now take place from February 1-6, 2026 in Arusha, Tanzania." The planned theme of the consultation is expected to remain the same: With Hearts and Hands and Voices: Advocating for Girls and Women in and through the Moravian Church. Three photos from Arusha here.

The Unity Women's Desk,  headquartered in Winston-Salem, NC, posted the following on Facebook on March 3, 2025: “In 2024, we were able to distribute over $73,000 worth of scholarships to the worldwide Moravian Church. One of the most recent scholarship recipients was Zilpa from Tanzania, who earned a Masters in Education from Uganda Christian University We wish Zilpa that she gets a job in her profession. She has worked so hard for her degree. The university scholarships we provide are currently capped at $1,000 per year per student, which used to cover most tuition costs in many provinces. With rising costs around the world, we will need to increase this amount so that girls and women can study without family support. We also provide scholarships to the USA and the Caribbean, where tuition fees are much higher. We thank all our generous donors who are helping to improve the lives of countless people inside and outside the Moravian Church by enabling women to become teachers, doctors, lawyers, administrators or pastors.” A photo of Zilpa here.