Work of the Southern Moravian Women

A newsletter presented by the:

Provincial Women's Board

A letter from our President:

Dear Sisters,

I will be completing my service to the Provincial Women’s Board in a couple of weeks. It has been a joy to serve on this board for the past 8 years. I have had the pleasure of serving with other women on the board who are dedicated to the work this board does for the Southern Province. I will certainly miss serving on the board and the members I have come to know so well.

The greatest enjoyment has been meeting many women from other churches that I normally would not meet. The women of the Southern Province are awesome. I am constantly amazed at how well the Women’s Fellowships function in the communities they serve, as well as in the community we share as Moravians. I look forward to the continuing work of the board and the opportunities to see many of you again.

The board and I thank you all for your support of the Provincial Women’s Board.

We could not do anything without you all.

Blessings to you all,

Pam Prevatte

MEET OUR MEMBERS

We continue to share two bio in each newsletter of our members. This issue we have Judy Albert of Mizpah in Rural Hall and Tina Cockerham of Grace in Mt. Airy.

Judy Pfaff Albert

When you’re of a certain age, there’s much that can be said about one’s life and probably lots that doesn’t need to be. So, let me start with the important stuff:

I’ve been blessed to work with the Provincial Women’s Board. I believe we have an important role to play in the life of the Moravian Church and in the lives of Moravian women and the fellowships where they work as the hands and feet of Jesus. And on a personal level, I’ve made many lifelong friendships that I’m very thankful for.

Staying with the personal level, I am married 54 years to Eddie who claims I dragged him down the aisle, when it was him who begged me. I’m a shamelessly proud mom of two adult children, Zack (Becca) and Brooke (Andrew) and an equally proud grandmother to three girls (Caroline, Anna and Phoebe).

College was a given at my house, so I headed off not knowing what I would do. But it was the 60s, and I wanted to change the world and so, I majored in Religion and Philosophy. After college and a few odd jobs, I quit to stay home with babies and when it was time to get a real job (Eddie’s words), I ended up in Government Relations at Reynolds American. Now, you can’t tell me that God doesn’t have a sense of humor because He saw fit to put me there when I was the most politically indifferent person I knew. But it grew on me, and I retired from the Legislative Policy and Advocacy group in 2009.

Retirement has afforded me the opportunity to get more involved with my home church of Mizpah, and while I’m doing lots of different stuff there, one of my favorites is teaching Sunday School to adults, which was intimidating to begin with but they are loving and supportive. But my heart is teaching children, which is intimidating on a whole different level.

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite scriptures, which I dare say doesn’t come to mind first to most people. But it’s so descriptive of what a blessing it is to be a part of our Unity:

1 How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity!

2 It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
down on the collar of his robe.

3 It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore.

Psalm 133

Tina Cockerham

I am Tina Cockerham from Mount Airy, NC. I grew up in Level Cross, NC. I graduated from Surry Central High School in 1974, Catawba College in 1978, and Gardner Webb College with Masters in 1986. I married John Cockerham in 1981. We have been married for Forty-three years. I have two grown children, Amelia, 39 years old and John Morgan 33 years old. Amelia is married to Joe White with my only granddaughter, five year old, Camille. They live in Greenville, NC. John Morgan lives in Chapel Hill, NC. I grew up in a Methodist Church, but our family joined Grace Moravian Church, Mount Airy, NC in 1996. I taught First Grade in Mount Airy City Schools for thirty years (retired 2008), then I taught in Carroll County VA for eight years (retired 2016). Since retirement, I enjoy reading, gardening, scrapbooking, walking my Goldendoodle, Maggie, enjoying my friends, and traveling with my husband. I filled a vacant position on the PWB in 2022, after attending a Spiritual Life Retreat. I have met wonderful women while being on the board the last couple of years. I hope to have many more years to enjoy life!!!

News from YOU!

Konnoak Hills

There's a lot going on at Konnoak Hills Moravian Church these days.

We continue to collect food on Sunday mornings from 11:30 to 12:30 for Sunnyside Ministry. The support of our congregation AND our neighbors remains strong.

Monthly we gather on an evening for "Tuesday at Table". We share a meal and work on a project for our community.

On Thursday mornings we meet for an online prayer Zoom. Later Thursday mornings we meet at the church for chair yoga. All are invited to participate in either or both of these activities.

Members of our congregation will be commissioned on June 9th before going to Washington for the Bread for the World Advocacy Summit. Prayers appreciated!

Mark your calendars please....

On Sunday evening, July 28th we will host one of six concerts in the Sounds of the Season summer organ concert series. All are invited! Submitted by Martha Johnson

Friedland

The Women's fellowship has had a busy and fulfilling Spring. We have continued with our fundraising to refurbish the Fellowship Hall with new lights and flooring and have met our goal.

For our Mission outreach we have had two significant events. First, the three Circles assembled and donated 101 homeless kits for the Sunnyside Blessing Box that Hilda Cieza-Regalado made for her Girl Scout Gold Award project.

On Saturday, April 29, 2023, we had a Saturday Morning Women's Retreat at church from 9AM until noon. It included breakfast prepared by several of our women with service and cleanup by 7 of our men. Tickets were $10. There were 60 in attendance. The speaker for the event was Julie Tomberlin, Director of the Women's Unity Desk and author of our current Mission study book. We presented Julie with a donation for The Unity Women's Desk. To conclude the morning the attendees were invited to participate in making cards and pockets ( for using as gift containers) for the SECU house residents to use.

Submitted by Sarah Brent

Christ Moravian Women

Our April General Meeting began our second quarter of our calendar year.

It seems as if this quarter does not have as many demands as first quarter, however, you will find a group of our ladies making chicken pies twice in the month of May.

Our bulletin board in our church building has been updated and will continue to have rotating news. Very attractive.

We are a very benevolent organization striving to help some who are less fortunate.

Thank you to Donna Tesh, whom we lost to death, we have a Sharing Box in our parking lot. Items of food and some clothing are placed there for those needs. Also some of the neighbors contribute as well. This has become a community effort. Not only do we contribute weekly to the sharing box. We contribute to many other causes: Sunnyside, City of Dwellings, mission fields, and many more especially Ray of Hope. Michael Tesh grew up in Christ Church and together he and CiCi (his wife) run this orphanage.

Once a quarter we purchase fast food cards and bus tickets for those in need. It is our practice to give away all of our proceeds.

We are working on our fall event which is held the last Saturday in October. More to come on this.

Our goal is to never forget our special friends throughout the whole year. The Easter card boxes made them very excited. Prayer shawls are made by our ladies and given to our people as needed.

Jo Brown, President

New Philadelphia

New Philadelphia’s Women’s Fellowship circles continue to meet monthly. The WF led the church wide candle making and we made over 2,500 candles for the 2024 Christmas lovefeasts. Chicken pies were made and sold. We have fed “His Path” ministry that uses NP space daily for their school. We have also fed the youth in the past as well. Bereavement visitations are also provided from our WF. We placed flowers on the graves at Easter.

Our “sewing ministry” has started back. Ladies are making and decorating “pillow case” dresses for little girls in foreign countries. We are also sending t-shirts for little boys so they won’t feel left out.

We may not meet much in the summer, but we will be ready to serve when called. Our ladies are awesome and are very giving of their time and talent.

Jane Shore

ARDMORE MORAVIAN CHURCH

Women’s Fellowship at Ardmore Moravian Church has continued to emphasize Bible study, fellowship, and the following projects by individual circles:

Member Outreach: Cards and phone calls to church members including homebound members and college students. Visits and gifts to church members.

Financial Support Locally: Sunnyside Ministry, Rescue Mission, Salvation Army, City with Dwellings, Friends of Moravian Prison Ministry, and Ardmore’s Blessing Box.

Additional Gift Donations: Missionaries, World Vision, Compassionate Heart International, St. Jude, Rise Academy, Christian School in Iraq, Mercy Ships.

The three Women’s Fellowship Circles combined their efforts for the following projects: Day of Prayer: On February 28, 2024, Women’s Fellowship sponsored Ardmore Moravian Church’s Day of Prayer, attended by 71 persons to hear Rev. Kelly Moore, our guest speaker.

Decorating Graves in God’s Acre: On Saturday, March 30, 2024, church members placed flowers on two assigned squares in the men’s section and then placed flowers on six unassigned squares in the women’s sections for a total of 258 vases.

Installation Luncheon for New Pastor: On April 21, 2024, Women’s Fellowship coordinated a luncheon welcoming Rev. Joe Moore and family as our pastoral family. Attendants included PEC representatives, the pastor’s extended family and former church members.

Upcoming Events:

June 2, 2024: Recognition of June school graduates

June 16, 2024: Father’s Day Breakfast June 23, 2024: 100th Anniversary of Ardmore Moravian Church

Fairview

The Women of Fairview have had a busy Spring and are looking forward to an equally busy Summer. We have enjoyed the Lenten Season with its Days of Prayer, the fellowship while decorating the older graves in God’s Acre, and making candles for our Christmas Eve Lovefeast. We had a successful Shredding Event in April.

Our project for April was collecting items for The Elizabeth and Tab Williams Adult Day Center of Senior Services. In May, we collected food for Sunnyside Ministry.

We are grateful for our congregation’s support of our projects. We couldn’t do everything that we do without them.

Our June project is a bigger version of our monthly Food Drive for the Food Pantry at Bethabara Moravian. We are calling it the Stuff the Bus Food Drive. It will be on June 8th from 10:00 am until 1:00 pm. We have invited the area churches to join us in this outreach mission. Our band will play at some time during it. We are reaching out to the Media and hope for coverage.

On June 1^st, we will have a Congregational Birthday Party. They have always been a fun evening that we haven’t had since before the Pandemic. Our members that are 90+ years young will be recognized.

Once again, we will participate in Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Ministry. Our Kick-Off date is Sunday, July 21st and our closing date is August 25^th.

Wishing everyone a good summer, Melinda Yarbrough

Please join the Provincial Women’s Board in thanking the following members who will be completing their time of service to the board:

Kaye Brookshire, Ardmore

Diane Clifton, Kernersville

Pam Prevatte, New Hope-Newton

Vicki Stanfield, Friedberg

Kay Vance, Unity

SAVE THE DATE:

Fall Celebration

Saturday September 28 at 9:00 (Coffee)

Pastor Matthew Allen will be reviewing his Bible Study book:

The Story of August 13 – A call to prayer for renewal

Olivet Moravian Church

MORE INFORMATION TO COME

Home Moravian Church

Home Moravian Church Women’s Fellowship

Deepening relationships with God and one another through Christian fellowship and service to all.

Women’s Fellowship thanks our sister Jean Craddock and her team for their incredible work on the2023 Candle Tea. After a successful Candle Tea in December, the women of Home Church spent the early months of the New Year deciding where to donate the proceeds of the Tea. The Candle Tea Committee invited the women of the church and Tea volunteers to suggest agencies and projects in our community, the province, and beyond to which we could make financial gifts. In April, the women of the church voted on the proposed distributions and the Candle Tea Committee disbursed funds to the following groups:

Board of World Mission

HMC World Mission Team

Jan Blahoslav High School

Unity Women’s Desk

Archives - Southern Province

Commission on Congregational

Development, Southern Province

Laurel Ridge

Salemtowne

Sunnyside Ministry

Albania Bathore Project

Estamos Unidos Moravian Ministry

Friends of Moravian Prison Ministry

HMC Youth Ministry

Moravian Music Foundation

Moravian Theological Seminary

Salem Academy

Salem College

Wachovia Gardens

A Bed and A Book

Center for Exceptional Children

City with Dwellings

Crisis Control Ministry

Crisis Control Crop Walk 2024

Diggs-Latham Elementary School

East Stokes Outreach Ministry

Enrichment Center

FC Family Support Network

Flourish- the Shalom Project

Forsyth Jail and Prison Ministries

Forsyth Humane Society

greenNest

iCan House

Mission: Feet First

Old Salem Museum & Gardens

On Wings Like a Dove

Riverwood Therapeutic Riding

Center

SECU Family House

Second Harvest Food Bank

Meals on Wheels

Shepherd’s Center W-S

Sunnyside Freedom School

The Dwelling

W-S Street School

W-S Rescue Mission

As we get ready for summer holidays, Circle 7 has invited the church to join them in donating new and gently used home goods to World Relief Triad for refugees moving to our city; we are preparing to host the Church Women United 2024 Human Rights Day Breakfast on August 24th with speaker Russ May; and planning our HMC Women’s Retreat lead by Nola Knouse at Higgins Lodge, Laurel Ridge, September 20-22.

All Photo’s in this newsletter are from this year’s Spiritual Life Retreat in April. Thanks for all who sent photos.

A facilitators work is never done...

God let us know that he was there with us, on the mountain.

Work of the Southern Moravian Women

2017 Watch Word for the PWB

Thursday, July 25, 2024

2024 Fall Celebration

Thursday, July 18, 2024

Call for Presenters at the Moravian Women's Conference June 2025

Thursday, June 6, 2024

May - 2024 Serving and Shareing newsletter

Thursday, February 22, 2024

2024 Spiritual Life Retreat

Thursday, February 8, 2024

Day of Prayer Services

Monday, November 13, 2023

Contact Update information

Thursday, November 9, 2023

And the Quilt Winner is: