Mission Engagement Lead
For centuries, sisters and brothers have supported the work of both the local congregation and wider church, and many of us have been blessed by contacts made through the various support and prayer networks. These networks take many different forms; the Moravian Women's Association, Unity Women's Desk, Provincial Men's Fellowship and countless others both provincial and locally all provide a sense of community, of being part of something bigger than the visible and as a means of demonstrating God's love in our world.
The British Mission Board (BMB) would like to hear from any sister or brother who may wish to complement what already happens by being a Mission Engagement Lead, connecting and sharing information between the British Province and three areas of the Unity's work at the Elim Home, South Africa, Sikonge Mission Hospital, Tanzania and Star Mountain, Palestine. These new and exciting roles will be on a voluntary basis and one of pen-pal-pattern of sharing information, identifying prayer requests and championing the work through funding appeals and for a specific time period agreed with the BMB.
The following provides a flavour of their work.
Elim Home
(source: www.moravianchurch.co.za/ elim-home)
Elim Home in the Western Cape in South Africa provides a home for children with severe disabilities.
'Every step forward and each smile makes all our efforts more than worthwhile', says Lesinda Cunningham, nurse and director of Elim Home talking about her often-strenuous job which she regards as her calling. She has headed the care home for children with severe disabilities for several years.
The home belongs to the diaconical programme of the Moravian Church in South Africa (MCSA). Fifty children and young adults aged between four and eighteen currently live at the home. Their parents are unable to look after them adequately at home or provide them with medical care. The children are looked after round the clock at Elim Home. They receive care, physiotherapy and occupational therapy. Games and special activities encourage them to take on as much independence as they can cope with depending on their abilities.
The home has existed since 1963 at the old mission station of Elim which today has about 2,000 inhabitants. It was founded during the apartheid era to look after 'coloured' children with severe intellectual and physical disabilities since there were no suitable institutions at that time. Today, Elim Home is still one of the few support centres in the Western Cape. As a result, there is a long waiting list for a place at the home.
Elim Home also offers day care centres in the nearby villages of Gansbaai and Bredasdorp. There, the children spend mainly four to five hours every day and then return to their families. Besides the therapists, also parents specially trained for the job work at the day care centres. 'It took a lot of effort and endurance to set up the two day-care-centres. The government runs very few care-centres for children with disabilities', says Lesinda Cunningham. 'The legal guidelines for care and support are very strict. We had to provide evidence of our competence and knowledge as prescribed by law for managing this type of centre.'
Financing intensive care and labour-intensive centres remains a constant concern. The South African Department of Health bears only 40 percent of the costs. The larger portion of maintenance, running and labour costs must be financed from their own activities and donations. The new agricultural project started by Elim provides an enormous help: There's an olive plantation of almost 100 trees. New greenhouses produce tomatoes all year round. The sale of oil and canned tomatoes is now a contributory factor to Elim Home income.
'Of course, we also enjoy the taste of our fresh home-grown vegetables', says Lesinda Cunningham. 'And you just have to see the joy on the children's faces when they can help out in the gardens.'
Sikonge Mission Hospital
(source: mcwt.or.tz)
Br Ezekiel Yona writes: the church continues to coordinate efforts to assist special groups including the elderly, the disabled, and various needy individuals by providing essential necessities that serve as support in their lives. An example of this is the elderly care centre located at Sikonge Main Hospital, but the coordination process involves district chairpersons and mission area leaders overseeing each parish and organisation to have social welfare departments. Through these departments, all social services are expected to be available to aid the community.
We provide healthcare services through Sikonge Main Hospital, which has become a major hospital in our region. It has continued to offer healthcare services to people from various parts of our country, becoming a refuge for citizens and Tanzanians from neighbouring areas as well as from adjacent districts and regions. Additionally, through this hospital, Tanzanians from all walks of life have been able to secure employment in various positions, based on their education and qualifications. Despite having a main hospital, the Church also operates several dispensaries, including Tabora Dispensary, Kitunda Dispensary, and Nzubuka Dispensary.
Star Mountain
Rehabilitation Centre
(source: www. http://starmountain.ps)
In 1867, the Leprosarium Jesus Hilfe was established by the Worldwide Moravian Church as a secluded sanctuary in Jerusalem for individuals suffering from leprosy. Following the 1948 War, Moravian Sister Johanna Larsen relocated to the Palestinian village of Abu Qash, northeast of Ramallah, and founded a leprosy hospital in 1959. The hospital operated until the 1990s when medical advancements led to the discovery of a cure for leprosy, rendering the hospital unnecessary. In 1981, the facility was transformed into Star Mountain Rehabilitation Centre (SMRC), which caters to Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (PwIDs).
SMRC is an institution of the Worldwide Moravian Church working in Palestine. SMRC offers rehabilitation, educational, and empowerment services to Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) and marginalised groups, while remaining inclusive of all community members. Employing a rights-based developmental approach, it mobilises local and international support to promote dignified livelihoods, in alignment with sustainable development goals. SMRC is committed to designing specialised programs that uphold the rights of marginalised groups, ensure environmental safety and climate justice, and advance institutional infrastructure, programs, systems, and technological resources.
SMRC employs five administrative staff members, and 24 individuals specialised in rehabilitation and therapy support services.
Our vision: leading in holistic, sustainable development efforts to empower and enable PwDs and marginalised communities to thrive in a secure and inclusive society.
Our mission: to rehabilitate, educate, and empower PwIDs and marginalised communities through a rights-based developmental approach. Additionally, it mobilises local and international support to achieve dignified living standards.
British Mission Board
The BMB believes this to be an important and exciting opportunity for someone to share in the wider ministry of our province and those partners we aim to continue to support. We are aware that many members and congregations already support these places of work, and we believe information gathering and sharing will greatly increase the profile of these amazing expressions of God's love working in challenging yet loving situations.
If you would like to know more about these exciting opportunities, please contact Br David Howarth at Moravian Church House in London at: david.howarth @moravian.org.uk or 020 8883 3409.