Board of Elders 
Olivet Moravian Church
 Winston - Salem, N.C.

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

Our hearts are troubled regarding the direction we perceive the Moravian Church has been taking this summer at the Synod for the Northern and Southern Provinces. It is our belief that these perceived directions lead us astray from the most essential truths of our faith. First and foremost of these is that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior and is the only way to salvation. Second of these is , the fact that the Bible is the inspired word of God and must serve as a roadmap for anyone seeking understanding of the significance of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as well as the Revelation for what we can expect when He returns to claim His kingdom if we do not follow His teachings and those of His Apostles whom he explicitly empowered.

At the Southern Province, we saw a resolution passed that strongly implies that there are other paths to salvation than through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. The reason for this resolution we were told was that we as a church had to be awakened to the fact of a declining membership and that perhaps a more open mind to other's belief systems may help in correcting that downward trend. We won't repeat the extensive discussion that ensued our becoming aware of that particular synod action. Suffice it to say that most of you are well aware of our feelings toward weakening our foundation to build a larger church.

At the Northern Province, we saw additional evidence that the Moravian Church may be seeking to build membership by accepting lifestyles that have been called throughout the Bible as an abomination and totally unacceptable to God. This evidence was in the form of a resolution that seems to embrace homosexuality as an acceptable way of life and encourages us to welcome these individuals not only as church members but also as prospective lay leaders. This last ad was eloquently refuted in a letter from J. Kenneth Burge of Ardmore Moravian Church where Mr. Burge quotes scripture after scripture that addresses the topic of homosexuality. There is not one instance where we as a church are entreated to welcome this lifestyle into our community as an accepted behavior. Once again, our foundation is being weakened in the name of increased membership.

In electing you to the position of Elder for Olivet Moravian Church, we placed our trust in you that you would provide appropriate spiritual guidance for our congregation during your tenure in office. We are asking that each of you prayerfully consider the events and actions at the two synods this summer and weigh these against not only our published doctrines and creeds but more importantly against the only true foundation that we as Christians can have -the salvation we are granted though our faith and acceptance of Jesus Christ and the real doctrine as put forwarn in the Bible as the inspired word of God.

We do not believe that there is a more opportune time to take a stand as a church body and make this position known to the leadership in each of the provinces of the Moravian Church. The passing of the two provincial synods this summer where the positions we question were adopted and the convening of the Unity Synod demand that we not labor over our position. The longer we postpone, the greater the opportunity for the real opposition to gain a foothold in our souls.

In the scriptures we are told that after receiving Simon Peter's profession of faith, He looked at him and said "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." (Matthew 16:18). We believe that our faith in Jesus Christ and acceptance of Him as our personal savior is indeed our foundation and the Bible provides the blueprints for constructing the rest of the church. We believe that the certain actions of the two synods have severely weakened that foundation and leave us at risk of being without a valid blueprint to use in shaping the remaining essentials.

We entreat you as our Board of Elders to craft a profession of faith for our congregation that can be considered by our church council and speedily sent to the leadership in our provinces throughout the Moravian Church. We believe that Olivet Moravian Church must stand up and be counted on these issues.

As a postscript , we also would like you to consider an additional thought. We believe that surprises of this sort might be better avoided in the future if congregations were more aware of the proposed issues to be discussed at future synods. Church councils and Boards, throughout the Moravian Church have the right to be informed when questions so fundamental to our faith may arise at the Synod. The forces of Hades have a knack of capturing us at the most inopportune times, and through increased awareness by congregations throughout the Moravian Church, we have a better chance of defending against those assaults.

Growth in membership will not come through a weaker structure. It can only come through a strong foundation, a better understanding of the basic blueprints, and the resolve of a congregation to be a brilliantly burning beacon on fire for the love of Jesus Christ.

We eagerly wait your guidance and recommendation on these matters.

Yours in Christ,

Mike Parsons for
 The Seekers Class Olivet 
Moravian Church