Page 8 - Moravian Messenger Jan 2021

Br Dick Porter reports on the
Yorkshire District Conference,
held on 3rd October 2020
Moravian Churches in Yorkshire have been praised for adapting to new ways of working and worshipping during the coronavirus pandemic. The autumn district conference of Moravians in the district was told by Provincial Board member Mark Kernohan there had been a fantastic response from ministers and congregations when restrictions were imposed in March, with weekly services continuing instead online. He said there had been 'some stress' when church services resumed in September, with some of the more vulnerable congregation members caught between choosing online services or whether to appear in person, so he said some services would continue on the web.
Br John McOwat told the meeting, which was held via Zoom, that Yorkshire ministers Br Michael Newman, Sr Jane Dixon and Br David Howarth should be congratulated for the way they had coped, not only with worship but keeping in touch with the members. He proposed a vote of thanks, which was unanimously approved.
Br Howarth, for the Baildon and Horton congregations, said there had been regular telephone conversations between members and another way of maintaining contact had been through the congregation's WhatsApp group. He said a wedding at Baildon, scheduled from nearly two years ago, had gone ahead as planned in August. Br Howarth said: 'This was our first service since March. The bride and bridesmaids looked beautiful in their dresses and masks'.
Br Kernohan went on to detail how Fulneck and Ockbrook schools had opened again after being closed for a time, but said they still faced significant challenges. While some furloughed parents had struggled with fees, both schools had been praised for the quality of their teaching and it had been a good year as far as exam results were concerned.
Looking ahead Br Kernohan said the church was looking at its tri-centenary in 2022 and a decade of evangelism, growth and change was the objective. He said: 'We need to make an impression in the next 10 years.' He said the viability of Synod in March next year was constantly being monitored and the province would be kept updated.
A lay preachers' training weekend planned for October was being pushed back to October next year and the ministers' retreat had been postponed because of Covid-19.
Br Kernohan said Sr Roberta Hoey and Br Livingstone Thompson had been lucky to get out of India as a clampdown on internal flights had been introduced suddenly in March while they were out there. He said they had flown to South East Asia, where the Moravians have churches in Ladakh, Nepal and Assam. After visiting Rajpur they flew to Delhi when the hastily announced embargo on internal flights was announced. India is the third worst-hit country in the world for Covid-19, after America and Brazil. Br Kernohan added that students in Rajpur had found themselves locked down and they had had to organise deliveries to be sent in for them.
In Ladakh, the conference was told, there had been rising tension between Indian and Chinese forces along the disputed Himalayan border after accusations that shots were fired into Ladakh from China for the first time in 45 years. In August, 23 Indian soldiers were killed by gunfire.
In Western Tanzania, he said, the church was committed to a further £5,000 in grants to support mission work in areas including Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya and Uganda. Br Kernohan told parishioners: 'Pray for peace'.
Closer to home, he said a task force in Gloucestershire had been supporting the Brockweir congregation as they considered plans for Moravian buildings there hit by flooding. In January, floodwater had come up to the church steps and one graveyard, dating back to the 1800s, had been under two feet of water. It is hoped a report will go to Synod in 2021.
Fulneck's Br Ron and Sr Ros Davey were thanked for their 19 years of service as wardens of the settlement's Choir House, where they have overseen the management of the 11 apartments. He said the board had planned to recognise their work at Synod 2020, but this had now been postponed until 2021. Br Ian Haggas has taken over their role.
The conference was told vacancies will be opening up on several Provincial Committees and congregation members were asked to put themselves forward for the role. Among the committees will be Finance, Church Book, Church Services and Youth and Children's work. Br Kernohan said the roles involved around 10 or 12 days' work a year. Anyone volunteering is asked to approach their own church committee in the first instance.
Ministers then gave individual reports of congregation membership and details of events, all of which had been cut short by the pandemic. Lockdown had been introduced only a short time after the spring district concert.
Fulneck has 74 members and adherents, Gomersal 39. Lower Wyke has 33 members and one adherent, Wellhouse has 13, no change from last year. The conference fell too early for confirmed numbers to be given for Baildon and Horton. For the Moravian Singers, it has also been a truncated year. The choir is now jointly led by Br Glyn Jones and Sr Diane Thornton. Br Jones took the choir through rehearsals from September to November, culminating in the Advent Sunday service at Lower Wyke.
Rehearsals for the 23 singers resumed in January under Sr Thornton and the Palm Sunday service at Gomersal on 23 February was well received. Rehearsals continued until early March when all gatherings were put on hold. Sr Thornton said both leaders were ready to resume their duties. In the meantime, for them and all of us, it is now a case of wait and see.
Br Dick Porter
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