Happy Valley Youth Sunday

It was a cold snowy morning, . . . is there any other kind in Labrador during February? . . . and 16 Moravian youth began to assemble in the sanctuary, preparing last minute preparations for their very own youth worship service. Behind them, slowly forming were 2-3 dozen Girl Guides, anxious to take their vows during worship, and lining up with their handchimes to play for the service. With a team of 7 adults, the Moravian youth gathered for 3 weeks prior, to fellowship and plan their own worship service for regular worship time of the Happy Valley Moravian church congregation. The support of the congregation was strong, and the beauty of the worship on Sunday, February 22nd reflected all things coming together for the good of the Body of Christ and to God's glory.

The youth sang songs, shared their message about Christ-the light of the world, reading scripture, and sharing a drama to music, reflecting the abundance of gifts they possessed and their willingness to share those gifts. The Girl Guides brought a beautiful benediction to the service through handchime and organ music. This service was special to all attending, and the pews were full to the balcony. It was a joyful Sunday indeed and we will hopefully explore and use the gifts of our children for years to come.

Sr Glenna Tasedan

Official launch of the Inuktitut Bible (part 2)

The second half of the celebration was held in the church annex. Hilda Lyall started things off by lighting the kudlik, a traditional Inuit stone lamp, which in the past would have contained seal oil for burning.


Sabina Hunter, coordinator for the Inuktitut Bible Project, introduced and thanked members of the Canadian Bible Society: Hart Wiens, Ed Peters, and national director Ted Seres.



A box of Bibles was presented to a representative from each of the four Moravian congregations.



Sr Joan Andersen
Chair person of the Labrador Province

Official Launch of the Inuktitut Bible (part 1)

On January 20, 2009, the Inuktitut Bible "Gudib UKausingit" was officially launched at a ceremony in Happy Valley. An Inuktitut Bible has existed in the past, but in ten volumes. They had been printed by the British and Foreign Bible Society. Now the Bible is contained in one book. The publication was made possible thanks to funding received from the Tasiujatsoak Trust.


Hart Wiens of the Canadian Bible Society told of their involvement in the project. A video was made during the Launch, and it can be seen at www.biblesociety.ca


Julius Ikkusek of Nain expressed his appreciation for having the Inuktitut Bible under one cover.




The translators expressed their joy at seeing the completed Bible under one cover.




Rev. Brian Burrows (Hopedale) and Bishop Paul Graf (Wisconsin) conducted the bilingual service at the Moravian Church in Happy Valley.

Canadian Bible Society

Hilda Lyall, Sophie Tuglavina, Sarah Townley, Andrea Webb, K. Naeme Tuglavina and Amos Onalik, along with the Director of Translations Hart Wiens and technical expert Ed Peters from the Canadian Bible Society are working on the second book of the "Walking with Jesus" series.

The translators are all working hard and providing their expertise to this continuing work. There are six books in the series and the first one was translated, completed, and printed before Christmas 2008.

Sophie Tuglavina has said that in Makkovik, the primary teachers are using that first book in their class. The books are geared toward children 0-3 years old.

Hopefully once the series is completed the incredibly gifted translators will work on a more contemporary version of the Bible.

Thank you to them for their dedication and expertise.

Sr Sabina Hunter

News from India...

Br Russell Winfield writes with news from his latest placing...

Dear All,

I have exchanged the South African Rand for the Indian Rupee and I write to you from my new home in Rajpur, Dehra Dun, which is about 250km north of Delhi, in the foothills of the Himalayas.

I hope you have had a good Christmas and New Year, and are your winter, i hear that after an unusally warm spell of weather you have recently faced a lot of snow and it has got very cold. I have had a hectic few months, from finishing my work in South Africa, spending time at home in England with friends and family, and then travelling round the world to get to India. Leaving Cape Town was very difficult, not least saying goodbye to the street boys I had grown very close to, and the congregation (Moravian Hill) and friends I made during my year.


On my way to India(!) I was able to visit Vancouver and took in a hockey game - the Flames v Canucks, and here is a picture of me in the arena:


The Flames won which I was very happy about, although I could not find any Flames jerseys for a photograph with, so opted for a Canucks one, but my allegiances have definitely not changed. I had a look at the recent NHL standings and Calgary continue to do well, I note that Montreal are going strong, poor old Maple Leafs seem to be suffering!

I flew into India after Vancouver but then had to return home to England as my Grandma passed away. So I actually began my work here on 29th December. Thankfully my train stop was the final stop as I had fallen fast asleep and it was only when the minister of the Church here where I am working boarded the train looking for me that I woke up and was able to introduce myself! Not my best first impression. Dehra Dun is nice, much quieter than Delhi although still quite a bustling place, and the place where I am staying is about 10km outside in an area called Rajpur, which is beautiful.

I am based in a school called the Moravian Institute (MI) which has about 400 K-12 pupils, aged 4-18, and of these 180 or so are boarders. The MI is a free hostel and education facility established in 1963 for underprivileged children from varying backgrounds, be it street children, Tibetan refugees, poorer families, etc. The MI is led by a minister called Revd Thsespal Kundan, who is Principal of the School, and co-leads the local Church. I am staying with Thsespal and his family, in my own room, but share all my meals with them and report to him directly each day. They have truly welcomed me and I feel a really part of their family which has made settling so much easier, and they were very kind and considerate when my Grandma died. The Church is quite a spectacular building, which is separate from the MI although many of the pupils attend (it is their free choice).



My work is twofold, although it may become ‘more-fold’ I figure. Firstly it is in the school helping them with their administration and finances. Dehra Dun as an area is very famous for its education (Doon School is known as the Eton of India), but the cost of these places is very high for most Indians. The school I am based at is a more affordable, in fact free for vast majority of the students, and was started firstly to serve refugees from Tibet who could not afford or access education. The school is well organised and run but they just need some assistance in future planning. I am helping investigate and plan with the aim of improving the conditions and number of pupils that can study here.

Secondly my work is in the Church, helping out the pastors, and will include preaching. The main language here is Hindi, which I have yet to master, but English is widely spoken and understood and so with patience and some translation I am hopeful to be able to get my message across. I also am getting to know a lot of the younger people and I will be working with them as well.

Finally, the food. I wasn’t sure what to expect...being English our national meal is the supposedly Indian inspired Chicken Tikka Massala and our most popular restaurants are Indian, but I have tasted here nothing like what is served in them. Rice makes up the staple part of any meal, with daal and usually some curried vegetables and a rooti (a type of small chipati). Excuse my spellings on all these words. The food is delicious, my portions are always very large. I can easily judge how hot something is going to be by the number of eyes watching me eat...the hotter the more people expectantly wait for me to react, but so far so good.

I should get back to work now, the electricity here tends to breathe, as the lights brighten and dim in some strange rhythmic pattern.

It is no exaggeration to say I miss Labrador greatly, all the people, especially at this time of year.

My prayer is that you are all well, and continue to see God at work in your lives.

God Bless,
Br Russell

Welcome to Labrador!

The Moravian Church in Labrador warmly welcomes Glenna Tasedan from North Carolina. She has come to serve for six months as Labrador lay minister. This is part of her course work, the final stint towards her Master of Divinity. She currently holds an M.Ed.

Glenna will serve the congregation in the Happy Valley Moravian Church for January and February. She heads to Makkovik for March and April, and if all goes as planned, to Nain for May and June.

Glenna is no stranger to Labrador. She has served at the Moravian Youth Camp held at Gosling Lake for the past two summers. She was also one of the organizers of the Moravian Music Workshop held in Hopedale, July 2008. She sings and plays the organ and it will be a treat to have a trained minister serve our congregations again.

Glenna pictured in 2007 at Gosling Lake

Official Launch of the Inuktitut Bible

The Bible has existed in the Inuktitut language for a long time, but in seven separate books. The Bible is now under one cover, and the official launch of the newly printed “Gûdib oKausingit” will take place on January 20, 2009 at the Moravian Church in Happy Valley.

This project was made possible by the Canadian Bible Society (CBS)and funding from the Tasiujatsoak Trust, as well as private donors.

Hart Wiens and Ed Peters from the CBS will be there. They did the training in the Paratext program with the translators, Sarah Townley, Hilda Lyall, Sophie Tuglavina, Amos Onalik, and Andrea Webb, along with Coordinator Sabina Hunter. After the launch, they will continue work on the second book in the “Walking with Jesus” series of children’s books.

Rev. John Duff, from St. John’s, will represent the Newfoundland and Labrador branch of the CBS.

Two elders from each coastal congregation (Nain, Hopedale, Makkovik) are invited to attend. All will take part in a service conducted largely in Inuktitut.

We look forward also to the visit of Bishop Paul Graf from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. He is coming to commission Glenna Tasedan for her work term as lay pastor in Labrador, and will stay for the Launch.

Welcome Rev Brian Burrows

The Moravian Church in NL is pleased to welcome Rev. Brian Burrows to Hopedale. He arrived on November 21, 2008, and held services that Sunday.

Rev. Burrows is originally from England, but came to Canada in 1962. He served in Canada’s north as an Anglican minister for thirteen years. That is where he learned Inuktitut. He speaks the northern Quebec and Baffin Island dialects, and is keen to learn the differences found in the Labrador dialect.

Rev. Burrows was retired, but felt the call to Hopedale, and we thank him for his decision to share his Christian faith with the people of Labrador. This calling means he will spend time away from his family at Christmas time. Such devotion is an inspiration. Welcome!

A historic day...

October 23, 2008 was a historic day for the Moravian Church in Labrador. That is when a Memorandum of Agreement was signed between the Moravian Church in NL and the Anglican Church (Eastern Diocese of Newfoundland and Labrador).

As Chair of MCNL, I was invited to attend the Anglican Synod (Labrador portion) in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, and at the closing service in St. Andrew's Church on October 23, Bishop Pitman (head of the Eastern Diocese) and I signed the Memorandum.

The Memorandum of Agreement paves the way for an Anglican minister to serve the Moravian congregation at Hopedale. It is hoped that a minister will arrive there before December of this year.

Sr Joan Andersen

MUN Brass Ensemble

What a treat! Thanks to Dr. Tom Gordon, Director of the School of Music at Memorial University of Newfoundland, the Moravian churches in Labrador get to hear a genuine brass band once again!

This is because the MUN Brass Ensemble is on tour…2008 Labrador Tour. Directed by Dr. Karen Bulmer, the students include:

On Trumpets...
Aaron Hodgson
Jill Dawe
Jennifer Murphy
Heidi Adams

On horn...
Kjellrun Hestekin

On trombone...
Chris Miller
Stephen Ivany
Phillip Holloway
Aiden Hartery

On tuba...
Celina Barry

They give a concert of various tunes and music styles, including some Moravian anthems such as the Hosanna, which sounds very stirring. After the intermission, they play a selection of Moravian hymns to which the audience can sing along.

The Brass Ensemble will be performing at the Labrador Interpretation Center in North West River and in the Moravian Churches at Happy Valley, Makkovik, Nain, and Hopedale, September 21 – 24.

Thank you to the Brass Ensemble for giving an impromptu concert at the Paddon Home for Senior Citizens. Although the request was given at short notice, the group readily complied, and perhaps this audience was the most appreciative!

Music Workshop in Hopedale

Submitted by Christopher Guindon

From the first note played on the keyboard as camp-goers entered the classroom in Amos Comenius Memorial School, students and camp facilitators alike were in for a wonderful experience. Over the course of the next 4 days, students from Makkovik, Goose Bay, Nain, and Hopedale were exposed to a wonderful, enriching program of Moravian music and worship. Rev. Tim Byerly would open with a few scripture readings and a morning prayer followed by singing of hymns or rehearsal of pieces for the big concert on Friday. There was singing, throat singing, instrumental music, drum dancing, and studies on music theory and history. Thanks to the musical talents and leadership of Rev. Tim Byerly, Bishop Sam Gray, and Mrs. Glenna Tasedan, Mr. Jamie Jackman, Ms. Natalie Fost, and yours truly, Christopher Guindon, students were given the chance to discover, through music and worship, more about themselves as musicians and as Christians. There were presentations and discussions on recent work done by Dr. Tom Gordon on various Moravian hymns, manuscripts written in Hebron decades ago, music scores, and some Moravian artifacts. Natalie Fost spoke on the tradition of throat singing and drum-dancing and Dr. Gordon spoke on its initial relationship with the Moravian Church and how it has become more accepted by the church as a part of a native culture over time. Over the course of the four-day camp, Bishop Sam Gray spoke on the history of Moravian music from the year that Jens Haven traveled to Nain as a Moravian missionary in 1771 to the acceptance of Inuit drums and other instruments by the church in the late 1900’s to early 2000’s.



One of the interesting things about the camp was that, thanks to Bishop Gray’s worldly experience, everyone at the camp had the opportunity to learn about Moravian music in Churches in other communities in Labrador and also far away countries such as Nicaraqua, Nepal, Tanzania. Emphasis was made on the fact that Moravian music does not have to fit one genre or style and it does not (well not anymore) have to be performed by any specific set of instruments. Moravian music is music performed by Moravians, anywhere in the world. There was also time spent on discussing the history of the Moravian Church and the settlement of Hebron in Labrador.



Every evening, members in the camp were invited to an activity after supper. On Tuesday, there was a hike; Wednesday, a softball game; Thursday was a karaoke night (hosted by Jamie Jackman) where some camp members took the opportunity to come out of their shell. On Saturday, members of the camp were taken on a fishing trip which lasted the whole day. Our gracious Hopedale hosts took the time to ferry 13 students and 7 facilitators up to Adlatok Bay in one longliner and four speedboats. It was a smooth ride to Marjorie and Brian’s cabin. The weather was very cooperative. When we arrived, Marjorie had fresh trout fried for all hands! Good times seemed to have been had by everyone who attended the outing. The trip was also an ideal situation for camp members to appreciate the scenery and take in the beauty of the Labrador wild. What better way to end a visit to Hopedale?

My experience with the camp was two-fold. For one, I was given the opportunity to teach students at camp about their instruments and how to better understand the music we were rehearsing. I was given various opportunities to try my hand at bringing out creativity and musical cognizance from the talented students from Hopedale, Nain, Makkovik, and Goose Bay, and answering technical questions about playing an instrument or using your voice to make music. I also got the chance to see more of what makes Labrador so beautiful. That would be its areas of undisturbed natural beauty.

I had the privilege of meeting “Uncle” Jim Andersen who is known for his photographs and having the most complete record of communities of Labrador, his musicianship, and his kind and friendly demeanor! He along with the other facilitators at the camp had been very encouraging and supportive every day towards myself, one another, and the students which undoubtedly contributed to the Moravian Music Camp’s overall success. Hearing Jim’s stories and fiddle playing was a real inspiration for my musical spirit and has strengthened my drive to share my own musical experience with anyone who is willing to listen and to make it fun for people who are not too sure what they think about music in general.



In my opinion, the camp was a great success. If the objective of the camp was to share our gifts and the word of God and strengthen students’ knowledge base around music through immersing them in the general and musical history of the Moravian Church, then I would say the camp had done just what it had meant to do. I would certainly like to see this happen as an annual event. I think it would be very beneficial in many ways to coastal communities and their students.

In my opinion, the camp has been a true success and could not have happened without the guidance and expertise of our facilitators, the hospitality of our hosts and camp chefs, and, very importantly, the active participation of the students from Hopedale, Nain, Goose Bay, and Makkovik. Bravo to everyone who contributed to this wonderful week of fun through worship, music, and activities.

Thank you all!
Christopher Guindon

Music Festival Photos...