The Worldwide Moravian Church this month celebrated 550 years of ministry around the world and to commemorate the event the Moravian Church in Guyana held a special service of Thanksgiving on March 11.

According to a press release from the church, the service commenced at 3 pm and was preceded by a march of witnesses through New Garden Street, Queenstown. Members of other churches were also in attendance. The leader of the afternoon’s proceedings was Reverend Nigel Hazel while greetings were extended by Mayor of Georgetown Hamilton Green; Chairman of the Guyana Council of Churches, Reverend Alphonso Porter and other members of the clergy.

The sermon was delivered by Reverend Brinmore Phaul, Chairman of the Moravian Church in Guyana, who exhorted the congregation to move onwards on the theme “Recapturing the zeal for growth and mission”.

The release stated that the origin of the historic Moravian Church dates back to March 1, 1457 in ancient Bohemia and Moravia in Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic.

The Moravian Church in Guyana, one of the recipients of the worldwide ministry, was established in 1878. The first congregation established was Graham’s Hall accompanied with the then Graham’s Hall Primary School at Cummings Lodge. Schools were also established in communities of other Moravian congregations; the most distinctive being Comenius Moravian School in Queenstown, Georgetown.

The name Moravians was derived and adopted through the founding of the Church in Moravia. The early Moravian Church had its share of oppression as it protested against the ecclesiastical dominion of the Roman Church. Some of the early protestant reformers including the reformer Reverend John Hus were martyred. The leaders of the church having overcome that painful era of their history continued with their mission in spreading the good news of the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Through their abounding faith in God along with great determination, the gospel was propelled worldwide. Throughout the centuries, missionaries were sent to every continent of the globe in keeping with their prime purpose of spreading the gospel the release said.