New Moravian T-Shirts On Sale Now

For anyone who has ever been thrown the question, "Whatever happened to the Moravians," here's an answer! With all humility, you can now demonstrate that the faith tradition of the Moravian Church is not just a remnant of history. 

For a limited time, this newly designed t-shirt will be available for just $10. With a Moravian seal graphic on the front, the burgundy shirt will bear the message: "The Moravian Church... alive and well and serving Jesus since 1457." The shirt will also carry this blog's address, a way of pointing folks to further information about our local churches.





Shirts may be ordered and paid for through your local congregations from now through June 14. Please make checks payable to OMMC.
If you are not connected to an Ohio Moravian congregation, please contact Rev. Chris Johnson at moravianpastorchris@
gmail.com.

Shirts ordered by June 14 should be available by June 25 and can be picked up and worn during "Moravian Night" at Trumpet in the Land. (Stay tuned to the next blog post for those details.)


If you plan to volunteer your service at the Trumpet concession stand this summer, you'll especially want to consider purchasing a shirt to wear as a uniform.

Additional shirt sales may take place later in the summer, but you'll only be assured of the $10 price if you order by June 14.

Make a statement! Purchase and wear a Moravian t-shirt. Help spread the good news that living, breathing Moravians continue to spread The Good News!

A Party Invitation!

Summer calendars are already filling up with fun and exciting events. Be sure to make room for this upcoming celebration:

Brown Bags & Big Ideas: A Possibility Exchange

Pack a lunch and head to Tuscora Park
each summer Monday 
to join up with other Moravians for partnership-building, info-sharing, crowd-sourcing, fellow-shiping conversations around a picnic table. Join in the noon hour "think tank" that's being called
"Brown Bags and Big Ideas." Come to exchange thoughts about faith and life and church and everything.

Beginning on June 1, gatherings will take place between noon and 1:30 p.m. They'll be informal, so feel free to drop-in when you can, and leave when you must.

Pastors Darrell and Chris Johnson will be staking out a location somewhere in the vicinity of the Park Place/Dining Pavilion parking lot. They'll have a Moravian Star banner to mark the spot.

There's no set agenda. We'll have free-flowing discussions about what is working well in our faith journeys, and what might need adjustment. Feel free to bring discussion topics as well as resource recommendations. Most of all, though, just bring yourself!

As with all programs sponsored by the Ohio Moravian Ministries Commission, the goals are simply to strengthen our local ministries and engage in cooperative ministries for the upbuilding of the Body of Christ.

What will these gatherings be like?  Nobody is exactly sure, but let's find out together!

Sidewalk Stars

An enduring custom, The Moravian Star is a beautiful symbol we can hardly get enough of. Representing the light of Christ's love, The Star is a simple expression of faith. While electrified versions of this lovely symbol are usually lit from Advent through Epiphany, here's a new, creative way to put The Star on display year round.

As a fundraising project, young adults from the Dover congregation will come to your home and stencil this unique design on your sidewalk or driveway. You may choose to have your Moravian Star painted in blue or white (or one of each!) Pay just $10 for one, or $15 for two. 

Funds raised through this project will be used toward travel expenses for folks participating in the Moravian Young Adult Convo to be held this summer in Herrnhut, Germany and Prague, Czech Republic (both locations being significant in the history and heritage of The Moravian Church).

To place your order, call 330-364-8831 or email pastor@firstmoravianchurch.org.

Painting is scheduled for June 6th and June 13th, so place your orders soon!

Trombone Tunes

As part of its bicentennial year festivities, Sharon Moravian Church is planning a

200th Anniversary Concert on June 14 at 4:00 PM. 

The concert will feature the amazing trombone stylings of Erik Salzwedel. From symphonic masterworks to traditional hymn chorals to soulful jazz, Mr. Salzwedel has the chops to entertain all kinds of music enthusiasts.

Erik has been a member of the Greensboro and Winston-Salem symphony, Charlotte symphony, Camel City Jazz Orchestra, the Halcyon Brass (founding member), the Wachovia Brass Collegium (founder) and many other ensembles. He is a prolific composer and arranger, primarily of music for trombone and organ, but also for brass groups and hand bell ensembles. Before joining the staff of the Moravian Music Foundation, where he is business manager, he was Manager of Corporate and Foundation Relations of UNC School of the Arts for six years. He also served as Executive Director of Arts United for Davidson County (Lexington) for 6 years.  Other positions included Director of Education for Winston-Salem Symphony and Personnel Manager/Librarian, then Production Mgr./Librarian for Greensboro Symphony Orchestra.

With summer activities about to get underway, please be sure to mark your calendar to include this upcoming special event!

Service Is the Name of the Game

Some sisters and brothers have been busy serving Jesus by serving in local mission projects. Check out these recent photos that show T-County Moravians in action. 

After trimming trees during the Spring Clean-Up Work Day for Trumpet in the Land,
 the Green Family loads the truck to haul away the remnants. 

Pastor Darrell Johnson gives the shrubs a needed trim
during the Spring Clean-Up Work Day for Trumpet in the Land.

In commemoration of 200 years in ministry, the Sharon Moravian congregation
 has been collecting supplies to support local agencies.
Here are 200 items ready to be donated to the Twin City Food Pantry...

...and here is the growing collection of items earmarked
 for the Tuscarawas County Humane Society.

Service Project for Trumpet In the Land

The new season of Trumpet in the Land will soon get under way, but there's lot of work to be done before the actors arrive and the public pours in. Volunteer to lend a hand on Sunday, May 17, from 1-4 p.m. at the Trumpet administrative building located at 1994 East High Avenue in New Philadelphia (formerly the State Patrol barracks). NOTE: This is a change from the previously announced location.

We will be trimming bushes and trees, cleaning gutters, and doing some outdoor painting. Clippers, trimmers, paint brushes, paint rollers, paint pans, step ladders and work gloves would all be useful items to bring if you have any available. Of course, dress appropriately.

The Trumpet staff works diligently to bring our story—the Moravian story in Tuscarawas County—to life every summer.  Show your appreciation by offering your services on this OMMC-sponsored project day. If you need further information, please contact Chris Johnson at 484-894-9077 or moravianpastorchris@gmail.com.

Read and Chat with the Sharon Moravian Church Book Club

The Book Club at Sharon Moravian Church invites you to join in the conversation. Gathering the 3rd Monday of each month,  Gloria Rentsch always leads a stimulating discussion. For the month of May, the book selection is Once We Were Brothers by Ronald H. Balson.

In June, the choice is The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffinbaugh.

Each session beings at 6:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Sharon Moravian Church is located just outside of the Village of Tuscarawas. If you're using a GPS, please enter the address as 4776 Moravian Church Road SE, New Philadelphia.

There's No Excuse to Miss Out on Good Eating Tomorrow

On Saturday, May 9, you'll have not just 1 but 2 opportunities to eat a delicious chicken BBQ meal while supporting the ministry causes of 2 terrific congregations! 

Visit the Gnadenhutten Moravian Church from 3-6 p.m., 

or the Fry's Valley Moravian Church from 4-7 p.m. 

and enjoy a freshly prepared meal with scrumptious sides and homemade desserts.

                                         

What's that? You don't want to play favorites and choose between the two? You don't have to! If you place one or both of your orders "to go," you can take home that fabulous grilled chicken and keep it in your refrigerator or freezer for another day. 

Just a Reminder...

This afternoon, from 4-6 p.m., there are good times to be had at the YOUTH PICNIC being held at the public park in the village of Tusky. (It's directly across the street from the gas station on Cherry Street.) Music, games (active and otherwise), hot dogs, ice cream sundae bar...and good company will all be provided by the Moravian Churches in T-County. And it even looks as though the weather will be PERFECT. Middle schoolers, high schoolers and post-highers are all welcome.

Fellowship is one of God's finest gifts. Let's enjoy it together!