The Information

Live then Teach

A Reflection on the Provincial Theme: Making Disciples of All People, by Rev. Deslyn Belle-Watson

Often times, we read the text and make references to the work to be done with others (v. 19), overlooking the fact that Jesus asked that we teach the things he taught us (v. 20a). The disciple of Christ is to be a student of the faith, subjected to the disci­pline of the faith and will­ing to be disciplined by the faith before trying to teach the faith as a disci­pline for others. Before making any new attempt to make disciples, they first had to be disciples. Each had to wrestle with the message, become a disciple, a learner, a stu­dent of the faith.

Note carefully, that whereas a disciple is a follower, not all followers are disciples. People fol­lowed Jesus for many reasons; not all wanted to become disciples/stu­dents of the faith. In the same way, not all per­sons present in a class­room are students - a stu­dent interacts with the material with a desire to learn and not just be present.

It is of absolute impor­tance for us to know that we are required to live the discipline (the faith) before we try to teach the faith. How can we teach that which we have not learnt? How can we make disciples not know­ing who is a disciple?

Resident Chairman

Bro. Glenvil Gregory is now resi­dent at the Moravian Provincial Headquarters in Cashew Hill, Antigua. All correspondence and such like should now be directed there. Kindly bear Bro. Gregory in your prayers as he takes up his offi­cial appointment.

PEC Meeting and Superintendents' Conference

Please be in prayer for the Superin­tendents' Conference which will take place in Antigua during the period January 19-20, 2004. This follows the first PEG Meeting of 2004 which will be held during the period Janu­ary 15-18.

Prayer concerns

Bro. Vankys Jaun Isaac has returned to the Antigua Conference after re­ceiving treatment overseas for an in­jured back sustained in a vehicular accident. We give God thanks for his recovery and request your prayers for him.

Condolences

The Province extends condolences to the following families:

• Bro. Errol Connor on the death of his cousin and nephew. His cousin, Mr. Calda Simon, died in Bar­bados. The funeral service was held in Anguilla on Saturday January 03, 2004. His nephew, Mr. Eugene Connor died on December 29, 2003 in St. Kitts. The funeral service was held on Monday December 05, 2004 in St. Kitts. Both Messrs. Simon and Connor were cousins to Sis. Deslyn Belle-Watson.
• Sis. Idabelle Dowe, the Widow of Bro. Lindberg Dowe, Lay Pastor in the Antigua Conference. Bro Dowe passed away on Monday, January 12, 2004 in Antigua after a prolonged period of illness. His funeral took place on Thursday, January 22, 2004 at the Spring Gardens Moravian Church in Antigua.
• Sis. Megan Gibbs the widow of Rev. Rudolph Gibbs, who passed away suddenly in Barbados. Rev. Gibbs was a retired pastor who served in the ordained ministry of our Church since 1985. He served in the St. Kitts, Antigua and Barbados Con­ferences. Bro. Gibbs was 71 years of age when he died. The funeral took place on February 07, 2004 at the Calvary Moravian Church in Barba­dos. (Sis. Megan Gibbs, widow of Rev. Rudolph Gibbs, has expressed appreciation and gratitude to everyone who supported her and her family in their time of bereavement).

TRIBUTE AND CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF BRO. LINDBERG DOWE

JANUARY 22, 2004

I greet you in the name of Christ, our Chief Elder. On behalf of the Moravian Church EWI Province, I express condolences to Sis. Dowe, widow of Bro. Lindberg Dowe, his children and other relatives. Bro. Dowe began his ministry in the Moravian Church many years ago, as Lay preacher in his local congregation and then as Lay Pastor. As a Lay Pastor, Bro. Dowe responded readily by taking up the challenge of giving pastoral leadership to congregations in times of need. In particular when there was a shortage of Moravian Ordained Clergy, he provided the Pastoral presence and cared for the flock of God.

In my own encounter with him there are 3 things that stood out for me:

1. He was always ready to help and he often provided guidance for new or young ministers
2. He did everything in his power to promote fellow­ship and unity among the brethren.
3. He often remarked that we must be winning "souls for the kingdom." It seems to me that he was fired by the ambition to "Go make Christ known."

As a Province we celebrate today the legacy of Bro. Dowe. His legacy is a life of sacrificial service to the benefit of the Church. This he did through his total surrender to the Lordship of Christ, the great diligence he gave to his work and the particular love he exercised in serving others. In conversations he would say "Christ did not come to be ministered unto but to minister." As a Province we recognize the great contribution he has made to the Church. We give God thanks and praise for his life, witness and contribution. Hence the entire Province is touched by his passing. We pray his life will inspire all of us to similar commit­ment and service.

May God's comfort and strength be yours, for He is our refuge and strength, and a very present help in trouble. God grant you peace in this time of sorrow.

Repairs to Headquarters

We are currently in the process of replacing and repairing items at the Provincial Headquarters. We ask that any one desirous of making a donation towards these repairs, make that contribution through your Superin­tendent or forward it directly to the Provincial Office in Antigua.

We know that every bit will go a long way in helping us to achieve our goals, so we ask that you make what­ever contribution you are able to. A wish list will be sent to the Superintendents outlining the items needed.

2004 Almanacs

The PEC apologizes for the delay in the printing and distribution of the 2004 Almanacs of the Moravian Church EWIP. The decision was made for the Almanacs to be printed by Unity Printers in St. Kitts. However, the Printery is not fully functional since we are awaiting the arrival of some vital pieces of equipment. These will enable us to produce coloured work of the highest quality. It is anticipated that the equipment will arrive and will be installed within

the next week. It is our hope that within the next month we will be able to print and distribute our Almanacs of which we can all be proud.

Unity Prayer Watch

The dates for this years Prayer have been slightly changed. We are asked to begin the prayer day one day be­fore the normal day so that the prayer chain would not be broken. The EWI prayer dates are March 31 to April 14, 2004.

Unity Offering

Be reminded that the Unity Offer­ing for 2004 will go towards Mission work in the Guyana Province. This offering is to be collected on the first Sunday in March, March 7, 2004.

MCF New Board of Directors

The Moravian Church Foundation met in July 2003 in Amsterdam and elected some new Board members. They are as follows:

• Bro. Robert Hopcroft (European Region Church)
• Bro. Johan Stam (European Region Church)
• Sis. An Hiralal-Norden (Suriname Province)
• Bro. Vincent Richards (Caribbean Region)
• Sis. Itika Hilda Mafwenga (African Region)
• Bro. Hans Beat Motel (MCF Church)
• Sis. Angelene Swart (MCF Church)

We ask that you remember these members and the MCF in your prayers.

Call and Consecration

Sis. Georgette John has accepted a call to serve as Pastor of the Bon Accord congregation in the Tobago Conference on a Supplementary basis. This call takes effect on March 01, 2004. Please bear Sis. John and the To­bago Conference in your prayers as she takes up this new assignment. Also pray that God will be with her and grant her success.

PEC requests the prayers of the entire Church in this Province for all of our Ministers and their families, and especially for Sis. Esther Moore-Roberts who will be consecrated a Presbyter on March 14, in Tobago. Sis. Moore-Roberts was ordained a Deacon on July 22, 1990. She is currently Minister of Christian Education and Acting Superintendent of the Tobago Conference.

Unity Youth Conference

The Unity Youth Conference is scheduled for July 26 to August 07, 2004 in Jamaica. Four persons will be representing our Province at this Conference. The names of these delegates will be given in another is­sue of The Information. We invite your prayers for this Conference as youth from the Worldwide Moravian Church come together to deal with pertinent and relevant issues and to foster Unity amongst them.

We are in the process of completing the 2004 Provincial Directory which will be published by the end of March.

USVI Treasurer

Sis. Annette Williams has been ap­pointed Treasurer of the USVI Conference. Sis. Williams was acting in that position for the past six months. Please bear Sis. Williams, her family and the USVI Conference in your prayers.

Ash Wednesday Celebration

The Antigua Conference will be having a joint service on Wednesday February 25, 2004 at the Lebanon Moravian Church in Antigua. This service is to celebrate Ash Wednes­day which begins a period of reflec­tion and repentance leading up to Good Friday.

Moravian Week

The Antigua Conference will be celebrating Moravian Week from Monday February 23 to Sunday March 07, 2004. Activities include Church Officers Retreat, Youth Night, Sports Day and a March of Witness. Please be in prayer for the Antigua Conference as they seek to affirm their calling and to fulfill the Provincial theme.

Provincial Men's Conference 2004

The Provincial Men's Conference will be held in Antigua from July 7 to 11, 2004. The theme is 'Men . . . Converted . . . Reformed, Ready to Serve.' Men of all ages: youth through to the retired are encouraged to at­tend.

The Conference will be hosted at the beautiful Jolly Beach Resort. The total fee is US$475.00 and includes accommodations, meals, shirt, tour and use of all hotel facilities.

For further information contact your Superintendent or Minister of Chris­tian Education. A website has also been established for this Conference: www.moravianmen.org or e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Birthday greetings are extended to the following persons:

January

• Sis. Margaret John -  4
• Rev. Glenvil Gregory - 8
• Sis. Sonia Spencer  - 11
• Sis. Tasia Gonsalves-Barriero - 10
• Bro. George Ramsay - 27
• Bro. Ray Joseph  - 27

February

• Rev. Dufferin Culpepper  - 1
• Rev. Adlyn Binta Mgonela  - 3
• Rev. Cortroy Jarvis - 7
• Sis. Shirley Joseph  - 8
• Rev. Willard Prout  - 10
• Sis. June McMillan  - 17
• Rev. Errol Connor - 21
• Rev. Adrian Smith  -  21
• Rev. Esther Moore-Roberts  - 24
• Rev. Deslyn Belle-Watson  - 27

Advanced birthday greetings for March are going out to:

• Rev. Derick Forrester  - 4
• Sis. Elva Kitson  - 7
• Rev. Eulencine Christopher  - 18
• Rev. Gaveston David - 19
• Rt. Rev. Kingsley Lewis - 20
• Rev. Denise Smith-Lewis - 20
• Rev. Vera Waithe - 29

Anniversary greetings are extended to the following persons:

February

Rev. Ray & Mrs. Shirley Joseph - 7

Rev. Dr. Kingsley & Mrs. Maureen Lewis - 19

Advanced Anniversary greetings for March go out to:

Rev. Ralph & Mrs. Rosalind Prince - 2

Congregations Celebrate

We rejoice with the following congregations which celebrated anniversaries in February:

The Sharon congregation in Barbados celebrated its 236th birthday in February. The Pastor is Rev. Ezra Parris and the congregation has a membership of 951.

The Spring Gardens congregation in Tobago celebrated its 153rd anniver­sary in February. The Pastor is Rev. Sean Roberts and the congregation has a membership of 287.

The Friedensfeld congregation in the USVI celebrated its 203rd anni­versary in February. The Pastor is Rev. Reuben Vessup and the congre­gation has a membership of 359.

Advanced Anniversary congratulations go out to the following congregations who will celebrate in March:

The Friedensthal congregation in the USVI will celebrate its 249th anniversary in March. The Pastor is Rev. Winston Chase and the congre­gation has a membership of 620.

Memorial Service for Rev. Rudolph Gibbs

The Antigua Conference has planned a memorial service in honour of the late Rev. Rudolph Gibbs. Rev. Gibbs died on January 29 and was buried on February 7, in Barbados.

The memorial service takes place on Thursday March 11, 2004 at the Potters Moravian Church beginning at 7:00pm. All are invited.

STOP PRESS

The next issue of the Provincial Newsletter will be published in March. We welcome articles and in­formation of interest to be shared with the Province in The Provincial Newsletter. We also welcome infor­mation on programmes and events which will take place in congregations and Conferences. These should reach us no later than March 15^th. We are also in need of anniversary dates for congregations in the Conferences.

Contact

The Moravian Church now has a new e-mail address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Any information, correspon­dence etc. can he sent to the Chairman via this address.