The "Herrnhuter Brdergemeine"

The "Herrnhuter Brdergemeine" ("Herrnhut Brethren Movement" - an old
christian movement among German Pietists.)

  "I can only thank God with all my heart for once giving Zinzendorf
  the idea of the daily Watchwords into his heart, and for granting
  this quiet work of the Brethren Movement to grow in such precious
  ways",

writes Dr. Paul Toaspern. Toaspern is the author of several prayers
and hymns which have been printed in the Watchwords booklet regularly.

Herrnhut - more than just the Watchwords

In 1722 Nikolaus Ludwig Graf von Zinzendorf (1700 - 1760) permits
refugees from Bohemia and Moravia to settle on his estate in the
"Oberlausitz" region of Saxony in Germany. They are descendants of
Bohemian Brethren who were denied living their protestant faith in
their homeland. By the will of the Habsburg regents they were to join
the Catholic Church. 

On the estate of Zinzendorf "Herrnhut" ("the Lord's protective care")
is founded, which becomes a Christian community. Faith, life and work
are being expressed as one harmonious entity. People come to Herrnhut
from various church backgrounds, expecting new impulses for their
faith. Herrnhut grows rapidly.

More settlements spring up all over Germany and Europe. Six years
after the first tree for Herrnhut has been cut, Zinzendorf, in the
evening meeting of May 3rd, 1728, shares the first "Watchwords"
(German "Losung") for the following day. It is a verse from a hymn:
"Liebe hat ihn hergetrieben, Liebe riss ihn von dem Thron, und ich
sollte ihn nicht lieben?" ("Love has driven Him to me, Love has torn
Him from His throne, thus, should I not love Him?"). This is the
beginning of the unparalleled history of the Watchwords.

Three years later, the first printed edition of the Watchwords is
published. Since then, the booklet has been published year by year,
without interruption, even during times of war.

In 1732 the first missionaries leave Herrnhut for the West Indies. The
Virgin Islands are their destination. They want to bring the Good News
of Jesus Christ to slaves deprived of their rights. This is the start
of Herrnhut Missions. Soon this effort extends to all continents.

Nineteen independent churches resulted from this missionary activity.
Despite linguistic, cultural, regional, or ethnic differences, all
share the same liturgy. Many are committed to local missionary
activity.

After German reunification, the Herrnhut Brethren Movement has
reversed its separation into two districts. The movement finds itself,
nevertheless, with an unusual ecclesiastical structure: besides the
German member churches in East and West, churches in Denmark, Estonia,
the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland belong to it, as well.

In the Netherlands, new missionary church growth has evolved in the
past three decades. Many immigrants from Surinam (a former Dutch
colony in South America) are members of the Herrnhut Brethren
Movement. In their home country, the Mission has evolved into a
Herrnhut "Volkskirche" (a national church with ties to the State).
Herrnhut Schools in Germany, such as Knigsfeld (Black Forest region),
Tossens (North Sea region), and Herrnhut, continue the old pedagogical
tradition of Johann Amos Comenius.

Furthermore, the Movement maintains social institutions, such as
retirement homes, pre-schools, conference centers, and the "Kurhaus
Bad Boll" (a health spa in Bad Boll, Germany), in association with,
for example, the "Diakonissenanstalt Emmaus" (a protestant nursing
order) in Niesky (Oberlausitz region).

Many readers of the Watchwords support the work of the Herrnhut
Brethren Movement with their gifts.

Account Information:
Losungsspende fr die Herrnhuter Brdergemeinde
("Charitable contribution for the work of the Herrnhut Brethren
Movement")
Evangelische Kreditgenossenschaft eG, Stuttgart
No. 415 928
BLZ 600 606 06 

(Gifts for the work of the Herrnhut Brethren Movement at the Bank
listed above by Address, Account Number -"No."- and Bank Routing
Number -"BLZ"-) 

For more information, please contact:
Evangelische Brder-Unitt
Zittauer Strasse 20
D-02745 Herrnhut
Phone: +49 (035873) 487-0

or
Evangelische Brder-Unitt
Badwasen 6
D-73087 Bad Boll
Phone: +49 (07164) 94 21-0

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