Faith completed in love” is a theological grounding in the Moravian Church. We complete our faith through loving action. God makes loving action possible by generously blessing us with time, abilities, and resources. With glad and generous hearts, we offer these gifts in service as our response to God’s love for us.
Schoeneck Moravian Church is a place where you can make a difference. Members are encouraged to find a place in our church or in the community where they grow spiritually by serving others in some way. There are many opportunities for everyone, including our children, to be a part of something greater than ourselves.
We have divided our mission and outreach programs into four categories to help us remember that loving our neighbor includes everyone — those near to us and those far away. On the next few pages, we have listed community organizations that Schoeneck is either currently partnered with or that we have partnered with in the past.
To Love And Serve All
The Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37–40, Mark 12:29–31) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19–20a) are Christ’s call and direction for how we are to actively live our faith in the world. Everything we do stems from these reminders to love God and our neighbors and to share Christ’s message with the world.
We offer the lists and details on the following pages to give you an idea of how Schoeneck is connected within our local, regional, and world–wide communities, and how we do our best to respond to the needs of our neighbors as we strive follow Jesus’ example to love and serve all.
Each month, we raise money for ministry projects and organizations. The recipients of these offerings, chosen by our Joint Board, can range from Schoeneck ministries to local schools and organizations to Moravian ministries to national and international agencies. This has been an excellent opportunity for Schoeneckians to become aware of and support all kinds of ministries and efforts.
Schoeneck often collects items for a number of local programs and organizations. These collections are not ongoing — they occur and change as there is need — and will be announced in our bulletins, newsletters, and on social media.
Of course, the organizations Schoeneck has partnered with are not the only organizations available in our area, across America, or that do work internationally. If you would like to suggest a new organization for Schoeneck to become involved with, please speak with Pastor Ian or any member of the Mission & Evangelism Committee.
Mission & Evangelism Ministry
Members — Elaine Bittner, Jennie Dishong, Pastor Ian Edwards, Marissa Graver, Sunny Kline, Cookie Knauss, Sharon Schuler
The Mission & Evangelism Committee encourages members to use their time, gifts, abilities, and resources to to support one or more of the various service organizations Schoeneck supports. One of the benefits of a church community is that you can do more together than you can on your own. Sharing the love of God transforms relationships, changes communities — and changes you!
The Mission & Evangelism Committee is therefore called to grow the kingdom of God and Schoeneck Moravian Church by reaching out to the community with the message of the Gospel, exemplified in Christ Jesus. We are responsible for choosing many of Schoeneck’s service projects and mission opportunities for engagement, stewardship, and outreach to our community, the broader church, and the world.
If you are interested in participating in this committee or have some ideas for our ministry, please send an email to [email protected].
Moravian Day of Service
The annual Moravian Day of Service raises awareness of the importance of mission work in our Moravian faith, encourages congregations to think of new ways to make a difference in their communities, and demonstrates our desire to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world.
The idea for the Moravian Day of Service sprang from the 2018 Synods of the Northern and Southern Provinces. The Synods recognized that coordinated efforts of Moravians can help engage others in service and ministry and raise awareness of the Gospel message; that Moravians have always celebrated their faith through service and mission work locally, regionally, and globally; and that Moravians derive a sense of common unity and identity from serving together and with others. The Synods resolved to set aside a day every year for individuals and congregations to get involved in mission work in their communities and share their work across the Moravian Church in North America.
The Moravian Day of Service isn’t a one–time event, nor is it meant to replace the great local mission work already going on in our congregation. It is meant to help celebrate how Schoeneck interacts with our community while encouraging us to make local missions an enduring part of our congregation’s identity.
In 2025, the Moravian Day of Service will be held on Sunday, September 14th. Please watch the bulletins, newsletter, and social media for how Schoeneck will participate this year.