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David L Wickmann is the President of the Provincial Elders Conference of the Moravian Church, Northern Province. He is serving his 3 rd consecutive 4 year term. He has written this memo addressing the need for a strong leadership role by our elected Bishops. He includes a letter from Bishops that outlines how they intend to provide this leadership in the life of our church. Memorandum To:
All clergy, Vice Chairs of Elders and Presidents of Trustees of the
Moravian Church–Northern Province From:
David L. Wickmann Greetings
to you in the name of Christ our Chief Elder. And
hello from the Provincial Office where we are in the process of preparing for UNITY
SYNOD (August 8-19, 2002). Delegates from around the world are starting to
arrive in Bethlehem and our staff is very busy dealing with details and events
that are typically not on our plate, but are a special opportunity once every
half-century. I would request that you
pray for our province and our staff as we serve our Lord. Perhaps more
importantly I would ask that you remember
the synod in your daily prayers. Much energy is being expended around the
various actions of our recent Provincial Synod.
Those tensions are noted in the enclosed pastoral letter from the
Bishops and Bishops-elect who met in Winston-Salem, North Carolina recently.
It is certain these issues will be brought to the attention of the Unity
Synod. The
very unity of our church is at stake and this is a time like perhaps none
before for the Church to present a unified front in our world. We as disciples
need to take seriously our mandate to feed the sheep and to address the needs
of the world in which we live as witnesses for the King of Kings and the Lord
of Lords. May it be that the Moravian Church, Northern Province be found
faithful when the day of accounting comes. The
primary purpose of this memo is to send “A
Pastoral Letter to the Congregations – Southern and Northern Provinces” from
the 11th Interprovincial Conference of Bishops held July 18-21,
2002 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. We urge you to read it publicly and
publish it as broadly as possible. Our Book
of Order reminds us that our Bishops have a significant role in assisting
the Church in its faithfulness to Christ and the Gospel. This letter comes in
that spirit. Please note, while this particular mailing is addressed to the
members of the Northern Province congregations, know that the distribution
list is wider including the Southern Province and the Web Page www.mcnp.org. DLW:glr August
2, 2002 A
Pastoral Letter to the Congregations - Southern and Northern Provinces
From
the 11th Interprovincial Conference of Bishops residing in the
Southern and Northern Provinces of the Moravian Church in America,
Winston-Salem, NC, July 18-21, 2002 “The
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy
Spirit be with you all.” Sixteen bishops/bishops-elect of the Southern and
Northern Provinces gathered at Home Moravian Church for three days of worship,
deliberation, and prayer, including intercession for the whole Church. We
rejoice in a fellowship and unity that supercedes our diversity. We feel
uplifted, strengthened and encouraged for the future walk together as sisters
and brothers in the Church we love as reflected in the Moravian Unity. We
sense the leading of God’s Spirit as our two provinces have spoken clearly
in expressing the desire for an even more intentional leadership of the
Bishops in the life of our Church, through legislation and election of four
new Bishops. We respond by renewing our commitment and resolve to reach out to
our congregations, our clergy and their families in loving concern and
support. How shall we lead? Recognizing that the office of Bishop is a
“symbol of the continuity of the church’s ministry and is a focus of unity
for the church as a whole” (Handbook for Bishops of the Moravian Church), we
first and foremost obey and serve our one Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In
fulfilling that commitment, we will be open and devoted to ministry with all
people. We
then lift up for us all a shared acceptance of the Ground of our Unity
as a statement of our belief and the Moravian Covenant for Christian Living
as a statement of how we live our lives. We invite congregations to place
copies of these two documents in the hands of all members, urging each to be
prayerfully studied. We
pray for a growing desire and passion in our provinces to reach new people for
Christ, with an invitation to experience a living and exciting relationship
with Him as Lord and Savior. The establishment of new churches is therefore a
priority for our provinces. We
are saddened by the conflicts that have become divisive and destructive of
relationships within our Unity, and yet we are encouraged by the vital,
transforming ministries present in our provinces and congregations. Mindful of
the growing current of division and separation, we pray that the Holy Spirit
will bring about a rising tide of understanding and respect that fulfills our
Lord’s commandment to love one another thus demonstrating that we are his
disciples. By
faith we affirm the certainty of God’s presence in times of uncertainty, the
light of Christ in the most shadowed moment, and hope even in the most
desperate situation. We commend to you, our sisters and brothers, the ministry
we have all been given as described in II Corinthians 5:18, “all this is
from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the
ministry of reconciliation.” It is our hope and prayer that together we will
adopt this ministry, fully utilizing the fruits of the Spirit with one
another, those of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22) Yours
in Christ, Wilbur
Behrend
Percival R. Henkelman
Milo Loppnow
Edwin A. Sawyer D.
Wayne Burkette
James C. Hughes
Graham H. Rights
Stanley F. Thomas C.
Hopeton Clennon
Robert A. Iobst
Lane A. Sapp
Kay Ward Paul
A. Graf
Douglas H. Kleintop
Warren A. Sautebin
John Wilson
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