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Moravian Church Worldwide Celebrates 550 Years

March 1, 2007 – The Moravian Church Virgin Islands Conference joins in the celebration of the 550th anniversary of the Moravian Church worldwide on March 1, which is the founding of the Unitas Fratrum, also known as the Moravian Church. March 1, 1457 marked the formation of the Unity of the Brethren in Bohemia where it was established in Kunwald by a young man named Gregory, who is historically known as "the Patriarch." It was he who first called together a small band of believers into a Unity of Brethren.
In 1457, "The Patriarch," along with followers of John Hus, gathered in the village of Kunwald, about 100 miles east of Prague and organized the church. This was 60 years before Martin Luther began his reformation and 100 years before the establishment of the Anglican Church. By 1467, the Moravian Church had established its own ministry, and in the years that followed, three orders of the ministry were defined as Deacon, Presbyter and Bishop.
Many people assume the Moravian Church was founded by John Hus, since the Church commemorates his martyrdom. However, Hus was burned at the stake forty years before the church was founded. It was, however, the conviction and courage of John Hus that laid the foundation for the establishment and development of the Moravian Church worldwide.
Moravian churches throughout the world, including the V.I., will be celebrating this auspicious occasion with united communion services at 10 a.m. on Sunday, March 4, on St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John. The service on St. Thomas will take place at the Memorial Moravian Church where the Tortola Moravian fellowship will be in attendance. The Rev. Rowan Simmons of Tobago Conference will serve as the guest preacher for this historic service. On St. Croix, service will be held at the Friedensthal Moravian Church in Christiansted, where the guest preacher is Rev. Deslyn Belle-Watson of the St. Kitts Conference. The Rev. Binta Adlyn Mgonela of the Trinidad Conference will serve as the guest preacher at the service at Emmaus Moravian Church in Coral Bay, St. John.
Throughout the Eastern West Indies Province of the Moravian Church, which includes Antigua, Barbados, St. Kitts, Trinidad, Tobago and the V.I., 49 congregations will share in a common service signifying unity. A number of special events and activities will take place in the V.I. and in the worldwide Moravian community throughout 2007 to mark this special milestone in the life of the Church. Significantly, the year 2007 also marks 275 years of the first mission in the New World which took place at the now historic New Herrnhut Church on St. Thomas.

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