Moravian Worship and Traditions
Over its 500-plus year history, the Moravian Church has developed unique, deeply-held traditions.
The Lovefeast, the Moravian Star, beeswax candles, special services, music and lore all help make up the rich heritage of the Moravian Church. Many of these customs arose from expressions of faith and worship of early Moravians; they continue to have significance in how Moravians live into their love of Christ.
Sunday Worship Services
9:30 a.m. Sunday School (other than the First Sunday)
9:30 a.m. Contemporary Worship (First Sunday only, downstairs in Fellowship Hall)
10:45 a.m. Morning Worship in our lovely Sanctuary
Upcoming
Services
Come and experience some of the familar and more unique forms of worship and fellowship at Calvary Moravian. Please join us — All are welcome!
- February 9:
Next Sugarcake Bake
(call or email by Feb. 7 to order) - February 14:
Ash Wednesday worship, 7 p.m. Ashes will be distributed if you choose at the end of the service. - February 18:
10:45 a.m. First Sunday in Lent, Holy Communion - March 11:
10:45 a.m. Lovefeast, Special celebration of the church's founding in 1939 with Moravian song service and sugarcake.
Lent and Easter at Calvary Moravian:
Mid-Week Lenten Dinners & Program:"A Spiritual Exploration into the Psalms"
6 - 7:15 p.m. Wed., Feb. 21, 28, March 7, 14, 21
Join us for a casual soup dinner and to learn more about the emotions expressed through the book of the Psalms, as we delve into a deeper exploration of study, chanting, and even writing our own psalms to explore our own spiritual journeys.
Holy Week Readings:
7 p.m. Monday, March 26 - Wed. March 28
The Moravian Church's treasured tradition of reading through the Bible's stories about the last days of Jesus with music and meditations.
Maundy Thursday Holy Communion:
7 p.m. March 29
Good Friday:
2:15 p.m. March 30
7 p.m. Tenebrae worship on Good Friday (A service of lights and darkness to quietly reflect on the pain and hope of Good Friday)
Easter Sunday — April 1:
6:15 a.m. Easter Sunrise worship
10:45 a.m. Easter Celebration Worship
Upcoming Church Event!
Color with Us
Adult Coloring Meditation Group, coloring and praying the Psalms as a community.
Every Wednesday at 10 a.m.
Sugarcakes for Sale —
February 9
Sign up now (in church or by contacting the office by phone or email) to order your sugarcake(s) and ask us for information about pick-up. They are $6 each - a delicious way to support Calvary's ministries!
Easter Egg Hunt
Sat. March 10, 1 p.m. (RSVP by March 7)
Roast Beef Dinner
Saturday, March 17, 4:30 - 7 p.m.
A delicious homemade dinner, dessert, sides and dessert for $12
The Calvary Chronicle
published by Calvary Moravian Church
Get all the latest information on our congregation, our community and the larger Moravian church.
Worship, bible studies, music, health, calendar — it's all here!
Click the button below to view the latest issue.
Moravian Traditions
Lovefeast
A simple meal as an act of celebration of community and the presence of Christ in the church. Originally an ancient Christian practice, Lovefeasts were revived by Count Zinzendorf in the 18th century Moravian church, as a way to promote community and encourage relationships in Christ.
We celebrate beginnings and events in our church's history with Lovefeasts at Calvary including:
Advent and Christmas
Beeswax Candles – At our Christmas Eve services, beeswax candles with red paper frill are distributed to worshippers to bring the light of Jesus into their lives and hearts. An 18th century Moravian tradition, these candles represent the purity of Christ and his gift of light into our hearts. We also serve Lovefeast on Christmas Eve.
Moravian Star – A classic symbol of the Moravian Church is the 26 point star and can be seen throughout the Bethlehem community. There is a very large star that illuminates our sanctuary during Advent and Christmas.
Lent and Easter
Lent and Easter are also important times during the church year for Moravians.
Holy Week readings walk us through each evening during Holy Week from Monday onward as Jesus walked closer to the cross.
Maundy Thursday is a time to remember Jesus's last supper with his disciples and his gifts of his body and blood, the bread and cup, for us to remember him and his witness. We celebrate Holy Communion in this remembrance service.
A Good Friday service at 2:15 p.m. remembers the day that Jesus died, and a special Tenebrae service uses light and darkness to tell the story of Christ's light leaving this world and yet entering again through the new life in Easter Sunday.
Easter Sunrise Service welcomes the new day with the promise of Christ's resurrection and possibility of new life for all of his followers. It begins in the sanctuary in the dark and then leaves to watch the sun rise with new life. Easter Worship celebrate this event, with special music and celebration as well.
Music Opportunities
Moravians are often identified by their worship. The spirit of the Moravian Church and their religion of the warm heart are often expressed uniquely in Moravian music, and the liturgies and worship services.
Our Chancel Choir sings every Sunday from September through May. Our rehearsal time is also on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. We have a wide range of anthems from classical to contemporary music. We are a vibrant group of musicians and welcome any child or adult who loves to play and sing, to God's glory. --- Anne Ettinger, Minister of Music
Our Contemporary Worship service is led by Gary Gipson and held on the first Sunday of each month at 9:30 a.m. We welcome musicians and singers to participate! The worship is held downstairs in fellowship hall with praise and worship songs, a message and encouraged participation from our congregation.