SEAL AND MOTTO

The seal of the Moravian Church dates back to the Unitas Fratrum of the 1500s.
In the center of the circular shaped-seal is a frequently used symbol of the early Christian church, the Agnus Dei, or Lamb of God. The figure of the Lamb holds a staff whose top piece is a cross within a circle and is only partially visible behind the Lamb’s head. From the staff, hangs a banner depicting another cross. Surrounding the seal is the inscription, Vicit agnus noster, eum sequamur, meaning ”Our Lamb has conquered, let us follow Him.”

MISSIONS

The Moravian church has a long history of mission work both foreign, dating back to 1732, and home missions. The church supports missions from Tanzania to Tibet, from Greenland to Guyana.

The members of Rural Hall Moravian Church actively support home and foreign missions. The Women’s Fellowship raises money through yearly projects, such as an annual community breakfast in October, wrapping paper sales, bake sales, and pledges to provide funds for foreign mission needs and support of individuals, families, and organizations in the community. The three circles of the Women’s Fellowship each spend a part of their budget supporting mission work.

The missions supported through our church budget are:

• Compassionate Heart International
  
• Crisis Control Ministry - www.crisiscontrol.org
  
• Hope Pregnancy Care Center - www.hopepcc.org
  
• Missionary George Goff through Wings of Mercy
  
• Oaks Indian Mission - www.oaksindianmission.org
  
• Prodigals Community - www.prodigals.org
  
• Samaritan Ministries - www.samaritanforsyth.org

PASSION WEEK

During the week prior to Easter, Passion Week, the Moravian Church holds various services which follow Christ’s movements during His last week on earth. At Rural Hall, these include a lovefeast, reading services, Maundy Thursday Communion, a Crucifixion Hour service, and a Tennebrae service.

Reading services begin on the evening of Palm Sunday, at which time a lovefeast is held, followed by readings, prayers, and hymns that are read and sung from the Passion Week Manual. This manual is a harmonizing of the accounts of the Passion, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ, as found in the four Gospels. Moravians have used it in various translations for more than two hundred years.

On Good Friday, at 2:15PM, the Crucifixion service begins. This very moving service follows the Savior’s path to the cross at Calvary. At 3:00PM, while worshippers meditate and pray, the church bell is rung thirty-three times, each peal indicating a year in the life of Jesus. A Tennebrae service is held in the evening.

At daybreak, on Easter Sunday morning, the traditional Moravian Easter Sunrise Service is observed.

EASTER SUNRISE SERVICE

The Moravians of Herrhut first held an Easter Sunrise Service in 1732. The service was so inspirational that it became a custom that was brought to America.

Traditionally, the service begins about two o’clock AM when the church band assembles, then travels throughout the community playing Easter chorales. This is to awaken those who will attend the Sunrise service and to remind all that “The Lord is risen.”

The actual service begins at daybreak when the congregation gathers in front of the church and the minister proclaims, “The Lord is risen!” The congregation responds, “The Lord is risen indeed!”
After a brief service, the congregation reverently proceeds to the cemetery while the band plays Easter chorales antiphonally. The liturgy is completed at the cemetery.

For a number of years, Rural Hall Moravian has held its Easter Sunrise Service jointly with the Bethania Moravian Congregation at Bethania’s church and cemetery.

THANKSGIVING

For many years, Rural Hall Moravian Church has joined other area churches in a Thanksgiving Eve service.

The locale of the service is rotated among the participating churches.

A love offering is distributed to local charitable agencies. The service is filled with prayerful thanksgiving to God for His bounty and benevolence toward community and nation.

ADVENT WREATH

Four Sundays before Christmas Day, the season of Advent begins. The making and using of an Advent wreath is a Christian custom that probably dates back to the Middle Ages.

In our church, a church family volunteers to make the Advent Wreath: a simple circle of greens with four beeswax candles.

On the first Sunday in Advent, a child of the congregation lights the first candle, on the second Sunday, another child lights two candles, and so on until four candles are lit on the fourth Sunday.

THE MORAVIAN STAR

The Moravian Star is a traditional Christmas symbol that is displayed from the first Sunday in Advent until the sixth of January.

It is not known who invented the Moravian Star, but it apparently originated in Niesky, Germany, about 1850.
The Verbeek family started producing stars as a cottage industry in the 1880’s and later founded the Herrnhut Star Factory. When the war closed the Herrnhut factory, Moravians in other locales began making the stars.

The star’s number of points and size may vary. Traditionally, they were made of paper, but in recent years, many have been made of plastic. Usually they are white, yellow or red or a combination of two colors. The star that is presently used in our sanctuary is white.

According to the late Dr. Adelaide Fries, archivist of the Southern Province of the Moravian Church, the star has a three-fold message. It testifies to the greatness of the Creator who made the stars on the fourth day; it is a reminder of the star that guided the Wise Men to the babe of Bethlehem; and it points to the Divine Star, foretold by the prophet who said, “A Star shall come out of Jacob” (Numbers 24:17), and fulfilled in Him who said of Himself, “I am the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning star” (Revelation 22:16).

LOVEFEASTS

The custom of Moravian lovefeasts is based upon the early Christian’s gathering after Pentecost and breaking bread together. The first recorded Moravian lovefeast was in 1727.

Lovefeast is a service of hymns and prayer accompanied by a simple meal usually consisting of a sweetened bun and a mug of coffee. Dieners--men and women of the church--serve these to the worshipping congregation.

At the Christmas lovefeast, the first of which was held for children on December 24, 1747, a lighted, beeswax candle with a red, crepe-paper ruff is given to each worshipper. The beeswax of the candle represents the purity of Christ; the flame, the light of love that Christ brought into a darkened world; and the red ruff the blood of Christ.

The candles used at Rural Hall’s Christmas lovefeast are made by members of the church who meet several times a year to melt the beeswax, trim the wicks, and pour the melted wax into the molds. In late November, the Women’s Fellowship gathers in the fellowship hall to trim the hundreds of candles with the red paper ruff.

Reverend Dr. Steve Craver, Pastor

Steve Craver was born in Forsyth County the youngest of eight children to Paul and Elizabeth Faw Craver and is a son of the Friedberg Congregation. He is a graduate of Moravian College ’72 and Moravian Theological Seminary ’77. He received a Doctor of Ministry Degree in Parish Revitalization from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago in 1986.

He was ordained into the ministry of the Moravian Church in 1977 and has served Trinity, Mayodan, and Friedland congregations in the Southern Province and the Church of the Redeemer in Dublin, Ohio.
He has been married for 33 years to the former Jennifer Kessler.

Steve and Jenny have a son Matthew who is in graduate school at NC State and a daughter Rebecca who is a pastor at Edgeboro Moravian Church in Bethlehem, PA.

Steve's hobby is woodworking.

Joe Hoover, Director of Christian Education

Joe Hoover was born and raised in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania as a “PK” (Preachers Kid). His father was a clergyman in the Eastern Pennsylvania United Methodist Church Conference and his mother was a Registered Nurse. He is a graduate of Brevard College, High Point University, and received his Masters in Christian Education from Pfeiffer University in Charlotte.

Joe has served as DCE at the Friedland and Calvary congregations in Winston-Salem, NC.

He is married to Jane K. Hoover, DCE at Kernersville Moravian Church in Kernersville, NC. They have 2 married children, Beth Hoover-DeBerry and Ben Hoover, and one grandson, Nikolos.

Belinda Moore, Secretary

Hi!  My name is Belinda Moore.  We moved to King, North Carolina in July 1993 from Chattanooga, Tennessee where I received a Secretarial Certificate at Tennessee Temple University.  While working at another church in Winston-Salem, I felt the Lord was leading me to serve elsewhere but I was comfortable serving at that church. 

After many months of being miserable because I wasn’t where God wanted me, I picked up a local newspaper and saw the ad that Rural Hall Moravian was looking for a secretary.  After submitting a resume which resulted in an interview with the pastor, his wife and a board member, I had such a peace in my heart that this was where the Lord wanted me. So, on December 14, 1998, I began serving the Lord at Rural Hall Moravian Church.  It has been my pleasure to be the secretary for Rural Hall Moravian Church for 9 years. Wow – time sure does fly by! 

My husband, David, and I have been married for 27 years. We have 3 children: Christy, Adam and Emily, 1 son-in-law: Josh and 2 grandchildren: Catie and Jordan.  We have been blessed by The Lord.

Wilson Smith, Organist and Choir Director

Wilson Smith has served Rural Hall Moravian for the past 25 years as organist/adult choir director. He teaches private piano lessons at Rural Hall Moravian and at home in Pilot Mountain, NC, and also holds certification in music education K-12 from the State of NC.

From 2001-2006, Wilson was a full-time caregiver for his late mother, Mrs. Foye Cook Smith, who was his chief inspiration and role model. He also served as President of the Pilot Mountain Auditorium Committee and hopes someday to help to rebuild the Pilot Auditorium building.

He wishes to express appreciation to Steve and Jenny and Joe for their ministry here at Rural Hall, and also to Kimberly (youth choir), John and Larry (band), Jeannie (hand bells), and a special thank-you to the adult choir for their hard work this past year. As Bach said: “Soli deo Gloriae”. “To God alone be glory.”

And, to our wonderful congregation, a special blessing!

Jeannie Ogburn, Handbell Director

I was born in Seattle, Washington but moved to the mountains of North Carolina when I was six months old.  I grew up in Robbinsville, NC and was the second oldest of eight children.

I attended UNC-Greensboro where I met my future husband, Robah Ogburn.  We now have three wonderful children; Stacy (25), Chris (21) and Erica (19). 

I came to Rural Hall Moravian Church to direct hand bells in 1995.  My family has attended this church on a regular basis since that time.  We fell in love with the people and have enjoyed watching the church grow.