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Above: Sisters in Antigua sharing a YouTube Children's Message for Mother's Day.
Deuteronomy 6:5-9 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words that I give you today. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you’re at home or away, when you lie down or get up.
In addition to offering worship as webinars, congregations in almost every province are using Facebook, WhatsApp and Zoom to take daily prayer groups, words of encouragement, Bible studies, and planning meetings into people's homes. If you haven't seen the Moravian Cape Town South District Youth videos - you must!
Many Sisters throughout the Unity have expressed gratitude that they can use technology to connect their congregations in special ways during days of "Stay at Home." While everyone longs for the time to gather and sing together, many have been encouraged to develop new skills and talents. The Internet is full of Moravian music! The Holy Spirit has been powerfully felt in these days, guiding the Church to continue its mission in new ways.
A few places to hear the Moravian spirit in song:
Hosannah Chorus: - Britain
Christian Hands in Love We're Washing - US
Prayer Singstunde - led by youth. Herrnhut Germany
Keep on the Sunny Side -Winston-Salem
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"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, "I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." Matthew 25: 35-40.
Sisters in Greyton in the Western Cape in South Africa gathered in rainy weather - with masks and prayers - to cook and deliver soup and bread to more than 100 people. They challenged local congregations to donate money to support their efforts. "Cape Town and the surrounding Western Cape province have become South Africa’s coronavirus hotspot, accounting for more than half of the nation’s confirmed cases, which have gone above 10,600." 116 of the nation's 206 deaths have taken place in this region.
Like many other countries, including the United States, Britain and Tanzania, there are heated political tensions between those who want to resume economic activities and those who feel restrictions should remain.
Moravian women in the Cape Town area are serving the hungry and also trying to understand the many impacts of COVID-19 on their Sisters, including an increase in domestic violence. Women in the church are exploring new opportunities to minister as the crisis continues.
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Sisters and Brothers in many Moravian Provinces sense that the church is "on the move" - eager to serve their community and thinking less about what happens inside the church building. Above, Sisters at New Beulah Moravian Church in Jamaica prepare Care Packages for members to share with others. Below, Members of Konnoak Moravian Church in Winston-Salem collect food to donate with Sunnyside Ministries.
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In Rungwe, Tanzania the established women's sewing group "Pamoja Tunaweza" is sewing masks. These masks will be given to vulnerable community members, to the sick, healthcare workers, hospitals. The Moravian Church in Germany is helping to support this project. Many Moravian women in the United States and Britain - and surely in many other provinces as well - have been busy sewing masks and protective gowns to keep people safe.
British Pastor Lorraine Shorten is sewing gowns (below) to protect health-care workers - below.
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Please continue to lift up our Sisters and children in all provinces of our Unity who suffer from domestic violence:The World Health Organization and UN Women continue to see alarming increases in violence as tensions rise from economic, health, and social stresses. Authorities are calling this a "shadow pandemic."
Consider joining the Thursdays in Black Movement in your country and possibly starting a local book/article discussion group to learn more about this critical issue and how we can make a difference.
Pray for and support shelters for women and children in need of a safe place to go.
Pray for all the girls out of school during this pandemic and women whose educational plans have been put on hold. Pray for wisdom for those deciding when and how to start schools and universities again.
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