Steps of Faith | Volume 2 Issue 2 (April/June 2015)

As we produce another ‘Steps of Faith’
newsletter it is with the joy of having shared
in the recently concluded 2015 Eastern Dis-
trict Conference. We also share the joys of
the Jamaica province on the consecration of
the Rt. Rev. Devon Anglin, Bishop of the
church, as well as with the Eastern West In-
dies Province on the election of Rev. Dr.
Conrod Spencer to the office of Bishop. We
will continually lift these brothers along with
our other bishops and church leaders in
prayer as they serve.
This is a difficult season in our year and yet
it is such a beautiful one. Difficult in that we
have to deal with the heat and the bills that it
creates. Difficult for those with children hav-
ing to do summer arrangements for camps,
summer school, other activities and of course
the back to school or off to college prepara-
tions. In the midst of the difficulty however
lies breathtaking beauty. The beauty of sun-
shine, rain, clouds and so many scenes of
nature. The beauty of vacation, travelling,
reconnecting with friends and relatives, and
just being able to relax and have a good time
of rest and recuperation.
It has also been a difficult time for our con-
gregation as we have been faced with the
passing of so many friends and family mem-
bers. The loss of dear ones near and far
leaves a void our hearts and when it becomes
difficult or impossible to attend the last rites,
it compounds the loss. Even in the difficulty
of losing loved ones we have found so much
to be thankful for. The loss of one has be-
come the loss of all. As a congregation we
have found time and ways to rally around
those who lose loved ones, giving loving
support in every possible way. What an op-
portunity to demonstrate that we truly are
‘one in the bond of love’. A far reaching
blessing we have received is the repeated
assurance that those who have gone on be-
fore us, having lived for the Lord, are but
gone ahead of us and we shall one day meet
in our Savior’s presence. We have found
renewed hope and joy in living for our Lord.
The heat of these days is a stark reminder to
me of the cold that is to come. Very soon we
will begin to experience the changes of the
season. Let us enjoy the summer months but
be mindful that fall and winter are ahead. In
the same way, as we live into this season of
our lives let us not forget to trust in God who
gives us the seasons in due time and also
orders our steps as He charts the course for
our lives. We say safe travels to our high
school graduates who move into a new sea-
son of their lives. Travel well Lushelle, An-
nisse, Gary Jr., Kiwani, Denver Jr, and
Ramona. Walk into this season knowing you
do not walk alone, but you walk in faith and
with the congregation of Faith behind you.
To Janelle who also steps out in faith to com-
plete her studies we say safe travels and con-
tinue to uphold the faith as we will uphold
you in Faith. To all who are entering new
arenas we wish the very best. As our other
college students return we also send them
with God’s blessings and the assurance of
our continued prayers and support. Together
we will trust God and all will be well.
Finally friends, as we have gone past the half
way mark of this year, let us do some self-
assessment of our commitment and faithful-
ness to God. Have you given enough of your
time in worship during the months past?
Have you given enough service to God
through service to your church and to those
around you? Have you given enough of your
treasures through regular giving to the minis-
tries of the congregation? Remember that
our gratitude for God’s generosity in our
lives is shown in our giving to God’s work.
Be Blessed!
FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK
I N S I D E
T H I S I S S U E :
30 Years of
Existence
2 &
3
Updates&
Highlights
4
Women’s
Fellowship
5
Graduates 5
Church
Happenings
6
&7
FA I T H M O R A V I A NFA I T H M O R A V I A NFA I T H M O R A V I A NFA I T H M O R A V I A N
C H U R C HC H U R C HC H U R C HC H U R C H O F T H EO F T H EO F T H EO F T H E
N A T I O N ’ S C A P I T A LN A T I O N ’ S C A P I T A LN A T I O N ’ S C A P I T A LN A T I O N ’ S C A P I T A L
STEPS OF FAITHA P R - J U N 2 0 1 5V O L U M E 2 : I S S U E 2
OUR MISSION:
Faith Moravian Church,
responding to God’s love has
been called to:
⇒ Spread the gospel
⇒ Serve Others
⇒ Nurture all God’s
people with love, re-
spect, trust and forgive-
ness after the example
of Christ.
CONGREGATION
WATCHWORD
Be like those who are waiting
for their master to return from
the wedding banquet, so that
they may open the door for
Him as soon as He comes and
knocks. Luke 12:36

P A G E 2
30 Years of Existence
It seems like just yesterday that Faith Moravian Church got started, but in reality it has been
over thirty years since the seed was sown to grow a Moravian Church in Washington DC, the
Nations’ Capital. The following is a brief synopsis of how Faith was born, how it evolved and
how it got to where it is today.
In the early nineteen eighties, the late Sister Maxine Garrrett would travel from Washington DC
to St. Paul’s Moravian Church in Upper Marlboro, Maryland to attend Sunday Worship Ser-
vices, as well as to conduct her other church activities. At the same time, another group of Mo-
ravians including Brother Donald, Sister Joy Morant, Marcia Jackson and I, Mernel Brumley
would worship at Trinity Moravian Church in New Carrolton, Maryland.
Over time other Caribbean Moravians in the Washington Metropolitan Area also visited Trinity
Moravian Church for Sunday services, due to its proximity. The inconvenience of finding trans-
portation and commuting time lead to the idea of the need for our own congregation in the
Washington Area. This need, started some informal discussions on starting our own Church.
The group decided to get together to explore the idea of having a Moravian church to serve our
own people.
Subsequent to evening meetings held alternately at the homes of the late Sister Maxine Garrett
and at the home of Brother Douglas and Sister Margaret Robertson; a committee was formed
from the initial group of Moravians supporters to explore the possibility of forming a new Mora-
vian Church in the DC area. The committee was later supported by some Moravian Pastors both
locally and from New York including Rev. Ted Wilde and Rev. Robert Sawyer, then Pastor of
Saint Paul’s Moravian Church.
The committee selected to organize the Fellowship were chosen from the group of dedicated
Moravians who had the same interest in starting a Moravian Congragation in DC. This group
included Sisters: Maxine Garrett, Hazel Blandford, Margaret Robertson and Dorothy Zamora
and Brothers: Douglas Robertson , Donald Morant and Marco Zamora in addition to two sup-
portive Pastors Rev. Ted Wilde and Rev. Robert Sawyer. The committee elected Brother
Donald Morant as Chairman, Brother Douglas Robertson as Vice-Chair, Sister Margaret
Robertson as Treasurer and Sister Dorothy Zamora as Secretary. The Committee received Spiri-
tual and denominational support and guidance from the Rev. Gordon Sommers, then President
of the Eastern District Board.
The effort of theofficers evolved in the establishment of the Moravian Fellowship of Washing-
ton, DC. The Fellowship then started conducting Sunday Worship Services at 4:00 pm at its
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P A G E 3V O L U M E 2 : I S S U E 2
30 YEARS OF EXISTENCE CONT’D
first worship location at the Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church located on 23rd
. Street, NW,Washington, DC.
In 1984, the late Bishop Stanley Thomas became the Mission Developer to lead and guide the Fellowship into
becoming a Moravian Church of the Eastern District. His leadership, coupled with the dedication and hard work
of the group resulted in the opening of the Charter in 1985. In the same year the Fellowship relocated to our sec-
ond worship home at Grace Lutheran Church on 16th
Street, NW. This was a significant milestone in the life of
the Fellowship, as it called its first Pastor, Rev. Dr. Walter Eversley, closed the Charter and became a Moravian
Church of the Northern Province, on May 26, 1985. In the interim, Faith was able to purchase a parsonage in the
Shepperd Park Community, in North West, Washington D. C. The parsonage housed Faith’s first four Pastors
and their families in this succession: Rev. Walter Eversley, Rev. Steadman Bent, Rev. Hopeton Clennon and
Rev. Lesley McCoy.
As with any new organization there are challenges and growing pains and Faith Moravian Church of Washing-
ton D.C. is no exception, and here is the beginning of our struggles. Over the first eight years of its existence
Faith called and then lost four Pastors. Yet we persisted and through our determination and dedication we con-
tinued to grow as a Church. Despite all these ups and downs, in 1991, we were very blessed to be able to pur-
chase our first church building at 3231 Sherman Avenue N. W. The Lord continued to prosper Faith both nu-
merically and financially to the point that we outgrew our first Church building. Faith realized the need for a
larger Church building and this resulted in the sale of the Sherman Avenue property and the purchase of the sec-
ond church building at 405 Riggs Road, N.E, Washington DC. Faith installed its fifth Pastor, Rev. Clarence
Newsome, after whose tenure Rev. Dr. Jerry Moore was selected to serve as interim Pasor. Their exceptional
leadership qualities were instrumental in enriching the Spiritual level of worship and elevated the level of resil-
ience of the congregation. Faith’s dedication and hard work under their leadership resulted in increased mem-
bership and greater participation of members in the activities of the Church. Faith then called another full time
Pastor, Rev. Edward Turner, after whose tenure, Rev. Keith Harke, came on board as the interim Pastor. Rev.
Harke helped to prepare the congregation and the leaders for future successful call processes.
Faith Moravian Church worked hard and tirelessly under its various groups of leaders, regardless of their leader-
ship styles, in order to survive the many difficult times in its history; and through it all we survived. During the
absence of a permanent Pastor we were blessed with the services of a number of guest Preachers and Pastors.
Eventually Rev. Bevon H. White filled the position of a guest Pastor when he substituted for Bishop Hopeton
Clennon one Sunday. We had our first opportunity to hear him preach. It was deemed ‘Divine Intervention’ as
God had answered our prayers, in His own time. Rev. Bevon H. White accepted the call to be Faith’s Pastor.
We pray that he will be with us for a very, very long time. God has blessed us tremendously over the past thirty
years and we anticipate His continued blessings in years to come. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory!
Submitted by Sis. Mernel Brumley

P A G E 4
Board of Trustees Highlights
The Trustees have been hard at work since the beginning of the year. As we ap-
proach the 6 month mark, we can only give thanks to God for the many blessings He
has given us. We are working on fund-raising for the purchase and installation of our
church sign and a projector system. The church website is presently under re-
construction. The trustees are working to install new energy efficient windows in an
effort to reduce the utility costs. The Gospel concert was a success. The trustees in
collaboration with others are working to open a Learning Center in the lower level of
the building.
Submitted by Sis. Jacqueline Jackson (Secretary)
Stewardship Corner
Steward is the name given to a person or persons who care for the belongings of
others. Stewardship combines matters of great spiritual impact by the empowering
work of the Holy spirit in which we honor God by our talents, time and treasure en-
trusted to us. Paul wrote in Corinthians 9: 6-7 “ the one who gives sparingly will also
receive sparingly and God loves a cheerful giver. If what we have is a gift from God’s
abundance that He has given let’s honor Him by being good stewards.
Submitted by: Sis. Velma Alleyne
Christian Ed. Updates
Christian Education is a vital part of our growth at Faith Moravian Church. The Chris-
tian Education Committee has been revived and the committee chair is Sis Cheryl
Gooding. The CEC is aimed at orienting the congregation to think about Christian
education.
In May, we led the Tribal Teachings that were based on the miracles to be used in the
Journey of the Tribes. This was a well received event by the congregation. In June,
the CEC led the Baccalaureate Service, where all the graduates were recognized for
their milestones. VBS was a successful event and was enjoyed by all those who at-
tended. The CEC is looking forward to organizing a Date Night in the fall.
Submitted by: Sis. Jacqueline Jackson (Secretary)
Sunday School Updates
Sunday School begins at 10 am each morning. There are classes from Pre-school to
Adults. Pre-School—Sis. Jackie Jackson & Sis. Ashley Alexander ; Elementary—Sis.
Kim White/ Sis. Grace; Tweens—Sis. Jennifer Walker; Teens - Sis. Cheryl Gooding ;
Adults - Pastor/ Sis. Kim/ Sis. Grace. Sis Alda takes care of the attendance, offering
and snack. We use an exciting and interactive curriculum - Deep Blue. The Adult
class meets in the chapel and the kids in the hall. Presently we have an average at-
tendance of 12 kids.
We encourage you to send the children to Sunday School so they can be equipped
with the Word of God. Remember: “Train up a child in the way he/she should
go and when he/she is old he/she will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
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Women’s Fellowship Spring Rally 2015
The Spring Rally for the Eastern Region Moravian Women was held on Saturday April 25th
2015, at Grace Mora-
vian Church in Queens, NY. The theme for the rally was “Woman of God, Hear the Cry, Heed the Call.” The rally
was cheered by Margo Harris, President of ERMW.
This is an annual event for Moravian Women from the congregations in the Eastern Province, in which most of the
churches are represented. There were 15 representatives from Faith Moravian Church. More than 200 people at-
tended the event including invited guests who were non-Moravians. We participated in the banner presentation, in
which a Bible verse was selected to depict the theme of our banner. The Bible verse chosen was Galatians 6:6.
We also participated in the Bible Quiz and Book of Worship Quiz. Entertainment was provided by Grace Dancers
and Steel Orchestra.
The speaker at the Rally was Rev. Nasel Ephraim from Redeemer Moravian Church in Philadelphia. Her message
was captivating and inspiring. The Rally ended with the singing of “Asithi Amen” while the banners were being
collected. The closing hymn for the day’s event was #690, “The Right Hand of God” an appropriate Hymn for the
theme of the rally. We are praying that God will help us to be of service, not only to each other but to all people
by hearing their cry and heeding their call.
Submitted by Sis. Stephanie Henry - President FMWF
MEET OUR GRADUATES
High School
Briana Chambers: Graduated from Eleanor Roosevelt High School and will be attending University of Maryland,
College Park where she will major in Cellular Biology & Genetics.
Luchelle Jackson: Graduated from Capital City Public Charter School and will be attending Virginia State Univer-
sity where she will major in Criminal Justice. She is an active member of our Youth Fellowship.
Annisse Murillo: Graduated from Eleanor Roosevelt High School and will be attending Mannes College of Music
in New York where she will major in Vocal Performance with Classical Concentration. She is an active member of
our Youth Fellowship.
Gary Omeir: Graduated from Blair High School and will be attending Montgomery College where he will major in
Music Production & Audio Engineering. He is an active member of our Youth Fellowship.
Ramona Plummer: Graduated from Duval High School and will be attending Lincoln University where she will
major in Biology.
Denver Taylor: Graduated from Spring brook High School and will be joining the Armed Forces - Navy.
Kiwani Thomas : Graduated from Northwestern High School and will be joining the Armed Forces - Navy. He is
an active member of our Youth Fellowship.
University & College
David Benjamin Snr. : Graduated from George Washington University with an MBA—Civil Engineering.
Cyndi Campbell : Graduated from Strayer University with an MBA.
Jacqueline Jackson: Graduated from University of Maryland, University College with Master of Science in Bio-
technology.
Aeisha Strong: Graduated from Frostburg State University with Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice & Sociol-
ogy.

P A G E 6
CHURCH HAPPENINGS
BACCALAUREATE SERVICE
30TH
ANNIVERSARY PRAYER
BREAKFAST
EASTER CHILDREN’S
PRESENTATION
TRIBAL
TEACHINGS

CHURCH HAPPENINGS
SUNDAY EVENING WORSHIP
BAPTISM
VBS
PICNIC & BEACHTRIP

We want to hear from
you! Tell us what you
think!
Feedback/ Suggestions?
Please submit suggestions/articles/
topics of interest that you would like to
be included in the next issue to:
admin@faithmoravianchurch.org
Board of Trustees: David Whittle (President); Audrey Waite ( Vice President) ; Jacqueline Jackson (Secretary) ; Yvonne Lyttle; Maxine
Jackson-Strong; Delma Alexander; Lisa Ferdinand; Garth Salmon (Comptroller); David Benjamin (Treasurer).
Board of Elders: Rev. Bevon White( Chairman); Jennifer Walker (Vice Chair); Cheryl Gooding (Secretary); Mernel Brumley; Bernice Lloyd;
Pearline Ennis, Xenia Omeir, Alda Allen.
In Essentials, Unity;
In Non-Essentials, Liberty;
In All Things Love.
FAITH MORAVIAN CHURCH OF THE
NATION’S CAPITAL
405 Riggs Road, NE; Washington DC 20011
Phone: 202-635-9012/ 202-635-9013
Fax: 202-635-9014
Email: writeus@faithmoravianchurch.org;
pastor@faithmoravianchurch.org;
admin@faithmoravianchurch.org
Visit our website:
www.faithmoravianchurch.org
Visit our Page on Facebook: Faith Moravian
Church of the Nation’s Capital
Upcoming Events
Fruit Sale - Nov. 21st
Harvest Service - Nov. 22nd
Rally of the Homelands - Dec.5th
Children’s Christmas Presentation - Dec. 13th
Carol Service - Dec. 20th
Candlelight & Lovefeast - Dec.24th

Steps of Faith | Volume 2 Issue 2 (April/June 2015)

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Steps of Faith | Volume 2 Issue 2 (April/June 2015)