English – Prayer List April – Unity Women's Desk

APRIL 2019: FOCUS ON MORAVIAN SISTERS IN AFRICA

I believe in Jesus, who appeared first to Mary Magdalene and sent her to spread the amazing message, “Go and tell the Good News of Resurrection and Salvation to the people.” John 20:17
-from the Creed written by Pastors Alay and Obed

The amazing message continues to spread, especially in Africa. 800,000 Moravians – almost 80% of Moravians worldwide – live in Tanzania, South Africa, Malawi and Zambia, and in Mission Provinces and Areas in Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Uganda. (See map on back of page 2!) Give thanks for the Spirit’s work in the Moravian Church in Africa. Pray that Church leaders commit to educating and empowering women as a vital part of their mission.

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Pray for those suffering – from natural disasters, illness, and domestic violence – in Africa and in your country. Give thanks for servant-leaders who inspire others to help those who are suffering. Lift up women serving pastors, medical workers, educators, and community transformers. Pray for women the UWD is sponsoring to study nursing and pastoral care.

MOZAMBIQUE/MALAWI: In March, cyclone Idai killed more than 1000 people. It also hit Malawi & South Tanzania, destroying 2 Moravian churches and damaging a secondary School.

SOUTH AFRICA: Wuppertal is rebuilding after a fire left more than 200 homeless. UWD Sub-Desk Coordinator Colleen Van Reenen-Cunningham asks for prayers as winter approaches and brings new challenges to women and children affected. There are about 35,000 South African Moravians. Important ministries include the “Elim Home” for handicapped children and the “Masangane AIDS Programme.” Many women have shaped the AIDS Program, a model of faith-based service. There has been a recent increase domestic violence reported and the Moravian Women’s Assoc. leadership is traveling to various Districts to support women’s work.

TANZANIA: Melania Kyando is a Moravian pastor and leader of the self-help group “Lusubillo” for those with HIV/Aids, often a taboo subject in Africa. More than 40 participants meet weekly to share experiences, tips and ideas for living with HIV. Melania and others organize campaigns at markets, where people can get free AIDS tests.

UGANDA: Moravian leaders recognize women as essential community mobilizers for family health days and immunization days organized by the Government of Uganda.

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Pray for Moravians working with refugees in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, and elsewhere. Pray for refugees in your local community and country. In 2016, the Moravian Unity Synod passed a resolution concerning the worldwide refugee crisis: “…the Bible calls us to stand up for justice, to be hospitable, and to protect the foreigner […] Because we believe in the God of love and justice who sides with the homeless and deprived through Jesus Christ, we encourage our congregations and members of the worldwide Unity to side with the refugees, to lend them their voice, and to speak out against hatred and discrimination.”

MALAWI: The Moravian Church offers programs to empower women in the Dzaleka Refugee Camp, and German women are supporting this project in 2019. A new “Child Care Center” will allow refugee women to attend workshops in health, nutrition, parenting, protection from violence against women, English, and starting a business.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: The Moravian Church here, with assistance of the Danish Mission Board, plans to build a school for 300 children from a refugee camp with more than 25,000 refugees. All refugees face hardship and danger, but women and children are particularly vulnerable. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has a special commitment to protect women and work against gender-based and sexual violence.

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Pray for women entrepreneurs working to improve the lives of their families and communities, and for the men working with them. Pray they have courage to learn and use new skills and for mentors and partners needed to help new ventures thrive. Pray the Unity Women’s Desk can support more training and assistance for women starting businesses.

UGANDA: Women of the Moravian in Uganda have formed a Village Savings and Loans Association to financially support each other in their small businesses, improve their livelihood, and reduce over-reliance on their husbands. The board hired a financial consultant to train the women in business management.

ZAMBIA: In 2018 the Moravian Church in Ndola opened the store “Alpha & Omega,” run entirely by women. They sell daily necessities such as rice, oil, sugar, salt, soap and toothpaste, and their specialty: Fish & Chips. It is the only shop in the city offering fresh fish from their own glass tank. It also provides an excellent chance for the Moravian Church in Ndola to become better known. The Zeist Mission Society provided a bike to each of 4 women working there to shorten their walk to work in the big city.

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Pray for increased support for women and girls to complete primary school and attend secondary and post-secondary programs. Pray for governments and churches to establish thriving, quality schools where girls can grow into women of vision and action.

UGANDA: Uganda urgently needs pastors to serve its growing congregations. Pray that women will hear the call to serve and that the Moravian Church will train and ordain them.

The Unity Women’s Desk provides scholarships for 14 Ugandan girls. One of the girls supported has started studying for a Bachelor of Arts in Education at Kampala University. Research in many countries, and the experience of our Moravians in Uganda, shows that keeping girls in school is key to reducing child marriage and teenage pregnancies.

TANZANIA: In January 2019, the Preiswerk Girls Secondary School opened in Ifakara, Tanzania. Erica Ludela, Moravian Pastor, first approached the Moravian Church in Dar es Salaam with a vision for starting this school several years ago. She persisted despite a lack of initial support, and now the school is open and the Unity Women’s Desk is supporting 3 students there. The girls live in a hostel so they can focus on their studies rather than staying at home where they often have to take care of younger siblings, gather wood, and cook.

SIERRA LEONE: In Luawa Yiehun in Ngehun-District of Sierra Leone, there has been a Moravian Secondary School for about 12 years. It’s very common for children to attend school without breakfast or lunch, which makes it difficult for them to learn in class. The congregation is trying to feed the children on-site several times each week. This is only possible if women from the church volunteer to cook for the women.

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Pray for the Women’s Conference in Winston-Salem, NC in June of this year and for all those planning the conference and making travel plans. Pray for Rachel Lwali, African Advisory Board Member, and all the UWD Provincial Coordinators in Africa.Countless Moravian women following Christ’s call to love and serve are doing amazing things throughout the Unity. We hope the few we can mention in our Prayer List serve as an inspiration and help you understand specific needs many women face in different parts of the Unity. Learn more about the work of the Unity Women’s Desk and our Areas of Focus on our website.

Please pray for the work of the Unity Women’s Desk, for its Coordinators in each province, for the Sub-Desk Coordinators and the Regional Members of the Advisory Board. This network of women is here to serve Moravian Sisters around the world and to empower them to serve many others in their communities. You can find out who your Provincial Coordinator is on our website unitywomensdesk.org, or you can email us: unitywomen2011@gmail.com. Please let us know how Moravian women are serving your community and how we can pray for and assist you.