UNITY CONFERENCE OF BISHOPS

UNITY CONFERENCE OF BISHOPS
JUNE 7-15, 2007-10-16
ST THOMAS, US VIRGIN ISLANDS

Dear Sisters and brothers,
Grace, mercy and peace from God our father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. We greet you from the beautiful island of St. Thomas where, in 1732, Moravian missionaries first began work 275 years ago. Eighteen bishops from thirteen provinces have gathered for the Third Conference of Bishops of the Unity. We have had the opportunity to meet for worship, prayer, and fellowship with much of our time spent in discussion. Our work together began with reports from the provinces. Many of those reports provided items for our agenda. The Unity Board also provided us with issues for our consideration.

It was a very positive experience to sit around the table as bishops from different parts of the Unity and gain varied perspectives on the mission of the world wide church. We would like to share with you some of the matters discussed and invite you to continue the deliberations in your congregations.

CHURCH MATTERS
As bishops we are concerned that our Unity may be tempted to define the Moravian Church in terms of practice rather than theology. Therefore, we recommend to the Unity Board that the Standing Committee on Theology make as high priority the continuation of the discussion concerning “Moravian essentials”
We call upon provincial boards, theological schools, pastors, and church leaders to study and pray about this matter. We bishops, also pledge ourselves to that study and prayer.

· We discussed how bishops may be useful in conflict resolutions in congregational life and within provinces.
· We reaffirmed the practice of infant baptism. When parents request infant dedication, we believe the child is already God’s possession and we do not see dedication as a substitute for baptism.
· We shared information about Christian educational material that reflects Moravian theology which is appropriate in different cultural contexts. We also identified a need to provide an on-line Moravian theological resource.

SOCIAL MATTERS
Hiv/AIDS: The church has AIDS! This affects all provinces. The church is working to address this issue but still needs to do more. Congregations should offer particular prayer support for those suffering and their families. We acknowledge the importance of financial support and therefore the need to work to address political and economic structures. There is a mission imperative to work to ensure that drugs and health-care are accessible for all those who need them.
· There is a need for information and Christian education addressing lifestyle and teaching people to deal with their sexual feelings in a responsible way.
· There is also need to develop pastoral training programs in order to offer love, respect, understanding, and particular intercession for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Homosexuality:
The bishops were asked by Unity Board to consider and discuss the preliminary paper on homosexuality prepared by the Unity Standing Committee on Theology. We had very heartrending discussions and learned much about the diverse views held around the Moravian world. We agreed that marriage is between one man and one woman, and we agreed that in our pastoral care we must offer the love of Christ to all God’s people.

· We believe that this is a matter that will require continuing prayer and discussion.

The Death Penalty:
The bishops in conference considered the used of the death penalty. We regard the death penalty as state murder and know that any human judicial system is not infallible. Therefore, as human beings we do not have the right to take away yhe life that belongs to God (Romans 14:7-8).

· The bishops recommend that the congregations of our province be encouraged to examine and discuss the use of the death penalty in the light of the teaching of Jesus Christ regarding the value of human life.

Unity Matters:
We reported on discussions within our respective provinces with Christian communions as well as other faith communities. Further discussions focused on the role and meaning of the Unity, mission outreach, and the relationship between bishops and the provincial boards where they reside.

As we have been together this week, we have been mindful of the pain that is being felt in some provinces in our Unity because of conflicts and church divisions. We grieve that anyone would have to suffer broken relationships and we call all people to be at prayer for individuals , congregations and provinces as they seek reconciliation and renewed fellowship within the Unity.

As we celebrate 275 years of mission work around the world we are thankful that God has given us new opportunities for mission and that persons continue to answer the call to mission in our church. We commend this letter to your attention and urge you to join with us in prayer and action for all the above concerns. We thank our Lord for your faithfulness to God and the Church and pray God’s blessing upon all of you work and witness to the love of our Lord Jesus.

“May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this” (1 Thessalonians 5:23, 24)
Iglesia de Yulo Tingni destruida por el viento.