Welcome to Church House Fulneck

On 1st September, Church House opened its doors in Fulneck, beginning a new chapter in the life of the British Province. After 69 years at Muswell Hill, our administrative home has moved north to Fulneck in West Yorkshire, and we are gradually settling into our new surroundings.

For now, Church House has found a home at the west end of the old school buildings. This is in itself a temporary arrangement and our plans for the Robinson Building form an important part of that longer-term vision.

Of course, over the course of more than 300 years of Moravian history, we have been no strangers to moving! Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Wiltshire and London have all played their part in the administration of the Church. And, as I recently discovered, Fulneck has a wonderful history of hosting Church leadership that goes back rather further than our present arrangements.

A few weeks ago, Paul Peucker (Director and Archivist at the Moravian Archives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) wrote to me from Herrnhut, where he was undertaking research in the archives. He had uncovered something rather delightful. In 1768, the Unity Elders Conference, then based in Zeist in the Netherlands, travelled to England for an extended stay. From 6th to 28th July, its members resided in Fulneck, holding their meetings at what the minutes describe as ‘Bankhouse bey Fulneck.’ The Bankhouse Inn, albeit in a newer iteration, is still there today!

After their stay in Fulneck, the Unity Elders Conference travelled to Lindsey House in London, before eventually returning to Zeist. More than 250 years later, we have made something of the reverse journey.

I like this connection with our past. It reminds us that we have previously adapted our arrangements to the circumstances of the time.

And so, here we are in Fulneck.

The first few weeks have been busy, as you might imagine. There have been boxes to unpack, new systems to establish, and the inevitable challenge of discovering where everything belongs. I am enormously grateful to everyone who has worked so hard to make this transition possible, particularly our colleagues who have taken on the considerable task of establishing a new Provincial office. We have been gratefully supported by a wider relocation team including Br Edwin Quildan, Br David Howarth and Sr Jane O’Donnell.

We are delighted to welcome Cara Dyer as our Finance and Operations Manager and Chantal Erasmus as our Administrative Support Officer. Together with the Provincial Board, they are helping us set up new ways of working and supporting the life of the Province. Lorraine Parsons along with our archives will also make their home at Fulneck in due course, another important connection between our past and future.

For me, one of the most exciting aspects of this move is the opportunity to think differently about what Church House can be. It should not just be a place of administration, important as all our tasks are. I hope it can become a place of welcome, conversation, collaboration and hospitality.

Fulneck itself is a great setting for this next chapter. It carries centuries of Moravian history, but it is also part of a wider, living church community, with its own opportunities and challenges.

There is still much to do, and we certainly haven’t got everything figured out. But we are here, the kettle is on, and the welcome is genuine.

So, whether you are visiting for a meeting, passing through Yorkshire, or simply curious to see our new home, please do come and say hello.

And if you can’t find us at Church House, perhaps try the Bankhouse Inn. Apparently, there’s a long-standing precedent!

Sr Roberta Hoey

Provincial Board