Central Chautauqua (Zoom)

Central Chautauqua

Resiliency: Faithful Endurance During Pandemics and Other Difficult Times

Starting on September 13th, join us for four Sundays at noon during our regular Zoom Fellowship Hour for our 2020 Central Chautauqua series. Understanding that we are not the first people who have lived during difficult times and that we can draw wisdom and strength from those who have gone before us and from God’s presence with us today, we will explore resources that can help us endure during our own difficult times. Click here: https://files.constantcontact.com/545cf81f101/51c0b49b-ade7-4e89-8d9d-01213f623eca.pdf for a program flyer to share with your friends. Please click here https://forms.gle/zcddjhVNGi5hXiES8 to register so that we can send you the Zoom invitation for these presentations. You may register for as many of the presentations as you like. Please register no later than the Friday preceding each session. The sessions will be available on the Central Moravian Church YouTube channel after each presentation.

Our three speakers will offer us historical, psychological, and spiritual perspectives on the following dates. They are:

Sept. 13 Dr. Paul Peucker, Moravian Church Northern Province Archivist
Yellow Fever and the Spanish Flu: How Did Moravians Deal with Epidemics in the Past?

Sept. 20 Dr. Micah Sadigh, Professor of Psychology,Cedar Crest College
How to Find Meaning in Suffering: Lessons through the Lens of Time

Sept. 27 Rev. Maggie Wellert, Spiritual Director and Parish Pastor, Faith Resiliency: Centered in God

Oct. 4
Presenters’ Roundtable and Discussion

Yellow Fever and Spanish Flu: How Did Moravians Deal with Epidemics in the Past?
Covid-19 is not the first epidemic the Moravian Church has lived through. In 1793 there was a large outbreak of yellow fever that affected life in Bethlehem. The 1918 Spanish flu wiped out entire Moravian communities. How have our Moravian ancestors dealt with adversity? The first talk in this Chautauqua series by Northern Province archivist Paul Peucker will examine the way Moravians lived through pandemics in the past and what we today can learn from this history for today.

Faith Resiliency: Centered in God
Musicians work at etudes and scales to develop skills; athletes work-out in a variety of ways to develop muscle strength and stamina; artists hone their skills, teachers take part in continuing education. We people of faith, however, sometimes fall into thinking that our Sabbath rituals are adequate to serve our faith muscle the rest of the week! Over the centuries of Life in God, people of faith have experimented with and experienced “practices” that help us become awake and aware to God’s Presence and Faithfulness within, no matter what is happening in the world without. In this third and last Central Chautauqua presentation, Pastor Maggie Wellert will share spiritual practices intended to center us in God; awaken all our senses to notice God’s presence in all that we do; to fall in love again with our God. Join us to experiment with feeding faith, to develop faith stamina, and strengthen faith muscles.