"Who are the Moravians?"
To many, the term [Moravian] denotes ancestry. To Moravians, the term defines Christianity. Few are direct descendants - all are spiritual descendants of the ancient Brethren. We come from all nationalities, all races, all religious backgrounds, and many walks of life to devote our life to Christ.

Unobtrusiveness (Respect):  Moravians believe that God positively wills the existence of a variety of churches to cater for different spiritual needs. Therefore, the Moravian Church does not attempt to win converts from other Christian denominations.  We encourage and support Christian Unity.

Simplicity is the ability and will to keep our church’s focus on Jesus Christ. "Then the soul is full of light. But that light will quickly vanish when of Jesus we lose sight." (Bishop August G. Spangenberg)

Community and Fellowship (Unity): There’s an old Kenyan proverb that says: “If you want to travel fast, you travel alone; but if you want to travel far, you must travel together.”  We have been able to travel far spreading the gospel for more than 550 years - in large part because God has helped us understand the need to travel together.  Moravians place great emphasis on community and fellowship.  The Moravian ideal has been to gather together kindred hearts... Where there are 'Christian hearts in love united', there is fellowship in spite of differences in political affiliation, social standing, wealth, education, intellect, intelligence, thought, opinion, taste or outlook. ( Moravian Virtual Communities )

Joy and Happiness: Jesus promised his disciples, “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11).  Over the generations, under conditions that most of us today would find intolerable, Moravians have manifested a spirit and attitude of joy for God’s grace and joy for God’s call.

Service: Happily having the attitude of a servant has not only given us the ability to work tirelessly within our communities but also send missionaries to the far corners of the world.  Our Christian education and missionary services are unprecedented.

"What do Moravians believe?"
It is essential that we never lose sight of the fact that our faith is not simply a list of statements about us or our Church. Our faith is relationship - relationship with Jesus Christ. This provides a basis for relationship with each other. This should always be the foundation of our understanding of Moravian identity. Once we understand this, then we can use the statements below as a way to describe this relationship.

• Moravians believe in one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
• Moravians believe that Jesus Christ is the way to God and God’s way to us.
• Moravians believe that a personal, heart-felt relationship with God through Jesus Christ is an essential part of faith.
• Moravians hold that faith in Jesus Christ must also be a community experience.
• Moravians believe the Church is called into existence by Jesus Christ to serve Him and follow Him.
• Moravians find guidance for doctrine and faith through the Bible.
• Moravians subscribe to the major creeds of the Church, including the Apostles' and the Nicene creeds.
• Moravians share God’s love in word and deed with people of other cultures and in all the world.
• Moravians have a heritage of creativity in our music and worship. Moravian Music
• Moravians believe that discerning God’s will is a task to be shared among many leaders rather than to be vested in a single person or office. Thus, there is a conferential form of government which shares this responsibility.
• Moravians place great value on their ties with Christians of other Moravian provinces and with Christians of other denominations throughout the world.

Moravians: When? - Where? and Why?
Recognized as the the oldest active worldwide Protestant Christian  denomination dating back to 1457, the Moravian Church was founded in ancient Bohemia and Moravia (present-day Czech Republic).  By the time Martin Luther posted his Ninety-five Theses in 1517, the Moravian Church had thousands of members and a rich Christian tradition.

The name "Moravian" started out as a nickname in eastern Germany in the 1720s when religious refugees from Moravia, fleeing the wrath of the Roman Catholic Church, sought refuge and protection at the estate of the wealthy Saxon nobleman, Count Nicholas von Zinzendorf.

The official name of the Moravian Church (then and now) is the Unitas Fratrum, or Unity of Brethren. This was the original name of the Church when it was founded back in 1457 in the Bohemian forests. Today, the Northern and Southern Provinces of the Moravian Church in America are part of the worldwide Unitas Fratrum.

Possibly the best "why" for the Moravian Church ever delivered was in a paper written in 2007 by Professor Craig Atwood of the Wake Forest University Divinity School.  In that paper, Professor Atwood states that the ancient Brethren "hoped to recreate the original Church of the Apostles, which they believed was a non-hierarchical community of faith that was ruled by love rather than fear."

How?
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)

This Scripture, known to Christians as "the Great Commission", is the last recorded personal directive of the Savior to His disciples and holds great importance in the Moravian Church.  It is the basis for evangelism and missions.  It is a call to duty - a command to go forth to all nations and spread the gospel.  How?  Fearlessly! - for He will be with us until the very end of time.

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