Transnational World Heritage Worship Celebration

World Heritage Updates: FAQ Zoom – September 30th October 16th Transnational Worship Celebration and a Chance to Welcome Guests!

Central Moravian continues to celebrate the inscription for our Sanctuary and Old Chapel to join seven other historic Bethlehem Moravian sites, as well as the Moravian communities of Gracehill, Northern Ireland/UK, Herrnhut, Germany and Christiansfeld, Denmark as a World Heritage Moravian Church Settlement site. We also continue to make progress in planning for the welcoming of guests to our community. Pastor Janel relates to the World Heritage Council where the five institutions of either lessees or landowners of these Bethlehem sites (Bethlehem Area Moravians, Central Moravian Church, City of Bethlehem, Historic Bethlehem Museums and Sites, and Moravian University) as well as tourism and county officials. Here at Central, a new committee has been established to discuss plans for expanding our Sanctuary and Old Chapel open house hours as well as other ideas. We welcome the Rev. Dr. Betsy Miller as the chair of this new committee.

Tours: We are thrilled to welcome visitors not only through our worship services on Sunday but also from
2 – 4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Can you help us share a friendly welcome? Please consider being a greeter! Or perhaps you would like to tell guests a bit more about our history and living ministries today? You can be a tour guide (we have a script – no need to memorize!). Talk with our pastors or Betsy, or simply go to tinyurl.com/centraltours.

Zoom World Heritage FAQ: But maybe you, like many of us, would like to hear a bit more about what World Heritage means exactly? Or what do these other sites look like in Northern Ireland, Germany, and Denmark? Is this inscription just about preserving and recognizing our historic buildings? Or a transnational commonality that we share with other Moravian Church Settlements? Is there something more – sustained community building, practices and traditions still carried out today, and living faith communities that largely use these buildings for similar purposes?

Join us for a Zoom gathering on Monday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m. – What is the Moravian Church Settlements World Heritage Designation? – to learn more and ask questions.

Check out www.moravianchurchsettlements.org to learn more as well.

Transnational World Heritage Worship Celebration: On October 16 and 17, pastors, representatives and government officials from all four transnational World Heritage sites will come together for a series of meetings here in Bethlehem. We encourage everyone to join us for a public worship service on Wednesday, October 16th at 6 p.m. in the Sanctuary which will feature our partners in music as well as a Lehigh Valley Moravian Church choir and the pastors from Gracehill, Christiansfeld, Herrnhut as well as Central. It will be a wonderful worship celebration!