News from abroad...

Brother Russell Winfield was with us for a year from last September, and as he continues his work for the Moravian Church overseas, we hear from him on his arrival in Cape Town, South Africa…

Dear Labrador Friends,

Hello from Cape Town, my home for the next twelve months!

I miss being in Labrador a lot – it doesn’t seem long ago that I was just settling in Makkovik and dressing as a pumpkin for Halloween parties. It will seem strange this winter not having the snow, in fact we are just moving into summer here, and not getting to spend Christmas in Makkovik, Easter in Hopedale or seeing the ice break up in Nain will be sad, I do terribly miss being there with you all.

Below I have tried to outline a little bit of what has been happening over the last few weeks…

District Six, Cape Town

Cape Town is beautiful – I am living in an area called District Six, which has had a tumultuous history following the forced relocation of non-whites during apartheid into townships, and now is undergoing the slow process of land being returned to the people who were forcibly removed, and homes rebuilt. No homes survived as they were all bulldozed, and indeed one of the few original building that remains is the Church that I am working for. The Church is on the left of the picture, and then on the right is the house I am staying in, that was formally a Church manse, but is now used as a B&B, it is a lovely place for me to stay.

District Six as an area is itself somewhat of a paradox. During the day all is relatively calm and peaceful, however I am unable to go outside in an evening. This I guess is true of many parts of Cape Town, but there is an element of danger here that I have not experienced before. Travelling on the trains is also not to be done, nor are the buses particularly safe! What this means is that I am now exploring the option of purchasing a car, which will help with my own travels but also with the youth and the older people in the Church.

My work

My work here is varied but my role here for the next twelve months is threefold:
1. Provide pastoral leadership for the District Six Church
2. Develop a vision for outreach with the Technical College (situated next door)
3. Explore and develop the concept to use the facilities in District Six as a training centre to learn about mission and missional imagination in the context of Cape Town.

Well that’s what they tell me anyway. It all seems quite daunting to be honest!

What it has meant in the first few weeks is that I have begun to try and establish links with the young people in the area, attending youth groups and events, to evaluate what work is already taking place. I have also begun the process of identify what other organisations and work is ongoing so that we can support that and not duplicate anyone else’s work. I am keen to get involved with social justice related projects, such as homelessness, as I feel this is important for both the Church to be active in and also for the wider community to be passionate about. It will be interesting to see how things develop and I am very much in God’s service as I do not have a clue!

On Saturday the Church suggested it would be beneficial to attend the Women’s Conference about 90 minutes drive outside of Cape Town, so off I went. The clue was in the title of the conference really – I arrived to be the only man but they seemed pleased enough to see me, all 212 (two hundred and twelve!!) of them, and I had an enjoyable time learning about the work they have been doing. One of the challenges that I face the world over is introducing myself – my pronunciation of R’s is obviously not what it should be and so invariably I become “Wilson” or “Whistle” or “Roger”! As I vaguely attempt saying my name a third or fourth time to some confused person I can see them begin to glaze over and so they opt for just using my surname – which is usually adapted to “Winfred” or “Wilford”. All in all it means I have to be pretty alert to anyone calling my name as I have a number of pseudonyms!

Cooking

The weather is hot here, well after 12 months in Labrador most things seem hot I guess, and not to be outdone – I have begun cooking somewhat disastrously ‘hot’ meals. Now I am not the next masterchef by any stretch of the imagination but I have begun branching out slightly. I started with a simple beef stir fry which was nice but a bit plain, until I discovered something called Chilli Atchar – which sounded like it would do the trick, so I bought a jar and chucked about a quarter in with my stir fry. Reading the ingredients told me the main ingredient was green chilli’s, and for any accomplished chef this may have set the alarm bells ringing. Sadly I am no accomplished chef. I tucked in and it seemed to have a bit of oomph to begin with, and then it just went downhill. My mouth felt like it had just exploded and my eyes began to water, I persisted though as I had made it myself, and that was not a good idea either. Come half way through the plate I could no longer see due to tears, my nose had well and truly joined the party, and my mouth was now seriously in danger of giving up the fight completely. In a blind panic I managed to find my way to the bathroom and grabbed the first thing that I could – mouthwash. Now I don’t know what goes in a mouthwash, but “Never mix with Chilli Atchar” should be on the label! It basically just became some sort of nuclear event in my mouth. After about 2 hours of a near death experience (for my mouth at least) things began to calm down and I was able to bring a bit of balance back to my day, and a few days and I can begin to taste things again. Still, a lesson learnt at least.

Until I am more settled that is about all the news for now, it doesn’t seem much at all but I think people thought I had disappeared completely and so wanted to put something in writing.

I shall write again before Christmas when I will have a lot more news about the work I am doing and a lot less about cooking disasters!

God Bless,
Russell

Inuktitut Bible Project Update

On October 23-24, 2007 Hart Wiens, Director of Translations with the Canadian Bible Society and Sarah Townley, Hilda Lyall, and Sophie Tuglavina, Inuktitut translators, met for two full days and completed the translation of the first book of the ‘Walking with Jesus’ children’s series. The title for the first book is called "The Birth/Childhood of Jesus".

The completed translation continues in the process of being typeset, where the format of the Inuktitut text is prepared for printing. Hopefully once the typesetting is done a print of the first book will be available for use by Christmas.

The team plans to meet again after Christmas to continue to work on two more of the six book series. The text will be made available to the Lay Ministers for reading during the Christingle services on Christmas Eve.

Sr Sabina Hunter

Birthday greetings to...

Happy Birthday, Brigitte Schloss!

October 3, 2007, Rev. Dr. Brigitte Schloss turns 80! And she is just a growing girl…..in knowledge, wisdom, and spirituality. She has her PhD but says that academics in itself don’t necessarily make you a good human being…..you have to listen, and learn, and keep on growing. And, she says, Labrador has taught her most of what she knows. This is where her heart really is, even though her health now keeps her from traveling north.

She came to Labrador as a missionary teacher in 1950, arriving in Makkovik on her birthday, where she taught for two years. Then three years in Nain. In 1955 “They made me leave Labrador to go on furlough!” but she couldn’t wait to get back. And in 1956 when she returned to Nain on the Winnifred Lee, as she rounded the bend, small boats were heading out to meet the ship. People in the small boats began calling her name and she knew she was back in “heaven”.

After Nain, she taught in Happy Valley (1959-1971) with time away to complete her B.A.(Ed.), and later her M.A. After that she went to Toronto/London, Ontario, to obtain her PhD in Language Teaching and Learning. Upon completion she became a Professor at MUN, and Co-ordinator of the TEPL Program. This position (1981-1988) got her straight back to Labrador where she always longs to be.

By this time she was interested in doing full time church work and obtained a terminal sabbatical.

In 1988 the Provincial Board of the Moravian Church in Labrador asked if she would do chaplaincy in St. John’s.

In 1988 also, she lost sight in one eye. This helped her decide to retire and devote more time to her church work. In 1995 she was ordained, in Nain, on her birthday!

Brigitte Schloss still visits in-patients at hospitals in St. John’s. She has had to give up pastoral visits to the penitentiary and Waterford Hospital, but enjoys meeting with Labradorians whenever they come to visit.

Just this weekend, she sent down a bag of knitted goods, her own handiwork, to contribute to the Ladies’ Sewing Circle sale here in Makkovik, but I know we are not the only community she does this for.

She continues to support lay ministers in each of the four churches in Labrador, and that is very highly appreciated.

If you are in St. John’s, you can catch her service the last Sunday of each month, at the chapel in the Health Science Center.

So it is with great pleasure that we wish Brigitte many blessings on her 80th birthday, from all her friends in Labrador!

Sr Joan Andersen
Chairperson, MCNL

Pastor Olie Andersen reaches 40

Pastor Olie Andersen has reached 40 years of ministry, and we have recieved the following note from his congregation:

"Hello to our Labrador Friends! Pastor Olie Andersen has reached his 40th Anniversary as an ordained minister serving our Lord and Savior. The Saratoga Moravian Church in Wisconsin is having a special celebration Sunday, Sept. 23rd. We would love to include any special greetings from his family and friends in Labrador. I know this is late getting to you, but maybe you could pass the word around and/or forward this to the appropriate people. Please email any greetings you may have and we will share them during the worship service. If anyone would like to send a card later it would be more than welcome too. Please give thanks during you worship for this servant of God and his witness to Jesus word.

Serving Christ,
Jeanne Eggebrecht
smoravch@wctc.net
Saratoga Moravian Church"


And Sr Joan Anderson has sent back the following message on behalf of the MCNL:

"Dear Olie,
Congratulations on your 40th anniversary of ministry. What about the stamina and endurance of these Labradorians, eh?!

Labrador is proud to have one of our own serving God and others for the many years that you have answered the call.

We wish you joy on your special day of celebration, and as you reflect back on your years of ministry, may they bring you a strong sense of accomplishment.

May God bless you and Rita, who has worked beside you through it all.

Sincerely,
Joan Andersen
Chair, Moravian Church in Labrador"

FASD Awareness Day

Sunday 9th September was the International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder awareness day (ninth day of the ninth month, related to the nine months of pregnancy).

The Department of Health & Social Development (DHSD) here in Makkovik partnered in the afternoon service.

At four intervals duringthe service, Elsie Evans, Community Health Worker, read out facts about FASD.

Afterwards a meal, prepared by DHSD, was shared in church.

More information on the day can be found at: http://www.fasday.com/

A Belated Thank You

I realised I had not written a note on the blog about the conclusion of my time in Labrador other than the postings about the Summer Camp we ran in July, and to pass on my sincere thanks for the truly wonderful time I enjoyed in Labrador.

The end of camp also sadly signalled the end of my time in Labrador (for now), and I departed home for England via Vancouver. I have had an enjoyable month back home catching up with friends and family and it has been a real privilege to be able to speak about the wonderful experiences and people I met in Nain, Hopedale, Makkovik and Happy Valley Goose Bay.

My 11 months in Labrador was a truly life changing experience and I genuinely loved every moment, from getting used to the cold weather, to trying new foods, to being involved in Church and community life.

I wish I could write every single persons name from every community as way of thanks but that would take far too long, but my thanks and prayers are with you all.

I can be personally contacted on russjw@hotmail.com. One day I do hope to return to Labrador and spend more time with you all, God willing, I will just have to be patient and see what the future holds.

The Moravian Church in Britain & Ireland are now sending me to South Africa to help work with a Church in District 6 of Cape Town, a different type of challenge, and this winter won’t feel the same without the snow, skidoo, and seal skin gloves!

I miss you all,
Yours in Christ,
Br Russell Winfield

Moravian First Nations Outreach

The first meeting of the Moravian First Nations Outreach will be held in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin on October 5.

This is the same time and place as the meeting of the Board of World Mission.

Loren Jendro, Will Sibert, Bishop Paul Graf and Sabina Hunter will be there.

Labrador Fishery Legacy Workshop

Each year the Battle Harbour Historic Trust organizes the Labrador
Fishery Legacy Workshop. The topic for the 2007 workshop is the role of
the churches in the lives of people who lived and worked on the coast of
Labrador and made their living from this incredible fishing industry.
Guest speakers will present a series of talks on a variety of topics
including the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches in Southern Labrador,
the Moravian Church on the North Coast, the influences of itinerant
ministers and clergy, and other topics related to the significance of
the Churches in the coastal communities.

2007 is an ideal time for this workshop as it is the 150th anniversary
of the consecration of St. James the Apostle Anglican Church at Battle
Harbour. The Trust, in conjunction with the Anglican Church, is
planning a celebration to mark this historic occasion. The workshop
will coincide with the celebrations which will take place on Sunday,
August 19.

For more on Battle Harbour information please visit www.battleharbour.com

For more information on the workshop or traveling to Battle Harbour,
call Gordon Slade (Chair, Battle Harbour Historic Trust) at 709-728-6329
or email gordonslade@yahoo.ca or information@battleharbour.com

Revd Sam Propsom

Many of you will know the news of Revd Sam Propsom's recent ill health, here is a link to keep up to date with his progress:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/samuelpropsom

Please keep Sam, Debbie and all the family in your prayers.

Past photo's

Here are a couple of photo's taken and supplied by Sr Brigitte Schloss.

Two cannons overlooking Nain harbour. Photo taken in the 1980's. One cannon was moved here from Okak. They stood in front of the church and were fired to welcome the Harmony (Moravian Mission ship) when it arrived. They have since been buried under landfill.

This photo was taken in 1952 in Nain. It shows Rev. F. W. Peacock and Nain elder, Martin Martin, looking at the newly printed revised New Testament in the Inuktitut language. On the inside cover page, it reads: TESTAMENTITAK; London; The British and Foreign Bible Society; 1952.

The Oldest Protestant Church

Last week I was privileged to help Labrador Moravians celebrate their 550th anniversary as the oldest Protestant church by presenting two lectures at the Labrador Interpretation Centre in North West River. The anniversary event featured the Hopedale School's brass band under the inspiring direction of Ms. Nicole Burt, award-winning music teacher at Amos Comenius School. Mr. Amos Lyall of North West River and the provincial chair of the Moravian Church in Labrador, Ms. Joan Andersen of Makkovik, presided. My anniversary lectures included these reflections.

In 1457, sixty years before Martin Luther began his Reformation in Germany, followers of the reformer Jan Hus settled in a small community in northern Bohemia. Hus's attempt to reform and revive a church in crisis had led to his arrest, trial, and subsequent burning at the stake in Constance four decades earlier, resulting in upheaval and bloodshed among the Czech people.

Eventually a national church movement emerged, in search of spiritual, theological, and institutional renewal. Hus's revival and martyrdom spawned a spectrum of different factions, especially radical Taborites (named after their main city) in southern Bohemia and more moderate reformers under Archbishop Rokycana of Prague.

Yet even in Prague's famous Tyne Church, where Rokycana continued Hus's legacy as a powerful reform preacher, people led by the archbishop's nephew, Brother Gregory, a tailor, came to believe that hope did not lie with institutions and individuals but in communities guided by Christ through his Holy Spirit. The movement around Brother Gregory grew and received new spiritual impulses from Peter Chelcicky, a lay theologian and original thinker who powerfully contrasted the church of his day with the apostolic ideal. In his most famous book, The Net of Faith, Chelcicky compared the Christian message based on Scripture with a large fishing net that pulled humans from the ocean of the world.

As humankind struggled for salvation, two great whales had torn the net of faith-a worldly pope and a pagan emperor. Chelcicky counselled his fellow Christians to abstain totally from earthly power and to separate themselves wherever possible from the world.

Brother Gregory's group, influenced by people like Rokycana and Chelcicky, moved into the mountain village of Kunvald, in the parish of a congenial and blameless priest, Father Michael. This separation from the world, expressed in the move to Kunvald in 1457, marks the beginning of the Old Moravian Church. Over the next ten years, the movement defined itself gradually as a religious fellowship separate from the Roman Catholic Church and distinct from other Hussite groups.

This process of normative self-definition transformed the group into a Christ-centered body of believers with its own priesthood and bishop, elected by the drawing of lots. Their most distinctive spiritual experience was the effort to arrive at unanimous decisions in community. "Thus God renews his church by renewing his Holy Spirit," they declared in an early synodal statement, "so that they might serve him and each other through the love of the Spirit, so that in the last days like in the beginning of the apostolic faith many are of one heart and of one soul." Their search for unity in unanimity found expression in the official Latin name for the Moravian Church, Unitas Fratrum (Unity of the Brethren), and the Czech original name, Jednota bratrska (Brotherly Community).

Setting high ethical standards for themselves, Moravians have always sought to avoid conflict and competition with other Christians by planting their missions in places where no other missionaries had gone-as, for example, on the north coast of Labrador. Although they were often persecuted, Moravians nevertheless made significant cultural contributions, such as translating the Bible into the common language of people who received them. They also promoted universal education for male and female children, which became a reality in Labrador as early as 1780. One of the founders of modern education was the seventeenth-century Moravian bishop Amos Comenius, after whom the school in Hopedale is named.

In the fifteenth century, people in German-speaking areas of Moravia responded to the evangelization of the Czech Brethren but experienced much repression after the Thirty Years War. Many German-speaking Moravians fled to Saxony, where Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf permitted them to practice their religion freely and settle on his estates in Herrnhut.
Zinzendorf renewed the old Moravian Church in 1727 and established a worldwide missionary effort.

There is an especially relevant link between the Old Moravian Church in today's Czech Republic and Labrador Moravians. Among the earliest missionaries to the Inuit who established Nain in 1771 was a couple from Moravia, Johann and Elisabeth (Ertel) Schneider. Johann's and Elisabeth's families were leaders in preserving the old Moravian Church in Moravia during the persecution. On 19 February 1776 in Nain, Johann Schneider baptized Kingminguse, who became the first Inuk to be converted in Labrador.

That baptism related Labrador to Moravia in a direct way, spiritually and personally. The Schneiders later pioneered in Okak and Hopedale and lie buried in the oldest graveyard in Hopedale, where their withered stone markers can still be seen today.

Dr Hans Rollmann

(Dr Rollmann is Professor of Religious Studies in Memorial University and can be reached by email: hrollman@mun.ca)

Summer Camp 2007 photo's

If you wish to see more of the photo's from the Summer Camp please visit this link:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/3255682/bd5979c1/sharing.html

You will need the password everything