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LOVEFEAST CELEBRATES NAZARETH'S ANNIVERSARY

Morning Call - Allentown, Pa. Author: LORNA WEIL, The Morning Call

Copyright Morning Call Jul 2, 1990

Several hundred people singing old-time Moravian hymns gave fair competition yesterday to the rumble of thunder and spurts of rain that failed to deter the anniversary lovefeast in Nazareth.

Dark clouds began to gather minutes before the start of the lovefeast on the lawn of the Whitefield Tract, but as the Nazareth Brass Ensemble and Nazareth Moravian Brass Choir began to play more people arrived, umbrellas in hand, and the service began.

Sponsored by the Moravian Historical Society, the lovefeast -- coinciding with Nazareth's 250th anniversary -- also commemorated the 250th anniversary of the Whitefield House and nearby Gray Cottage.

The Rev. Arthur Nehring of Bethlehem, president of the society, described the significance of the lovefeast, which originated in the first gatherings after Pentecost. He explained, "Early believers met and broke bread together in fellowship, thereby signifying their union and equality and fulfilling the law of Christ toward the poor and cherishing the remembrance of the Last Supper with His disciples.

"We have as a society invited you to eat with us. For 250 years, God's presence has been felt in this place and town and we celebrate His presence for the future. A bun and lemonade will be the symbols of our celebration. -- the first day after 14 days of celebration."

Nehring said that the Moravian church, in its simplest form, introduced lovefeast on Aug. 13, 1727. "What is used in a lovefeast service is not uniform throughout the Moravian Church," he explained, describing it as a simple service of song, prayer and explanation, and distributed drink and bun.

"It is not a sacrament, but a simple meal, in which all partake. It also helps us today to express our family ties as people who live here in Nazareth," he added.

The Rev. Henry Williams of Bethlehem, a past president of the society, spoke of the founding of Nazareth and the first years of the settlement.

"In 1740," he said, "the first lovefeast was held in the Gray Cottage. It was a small affair; a little lovefeast with the spare things they had. Now, 250 years later, we are holding a lovefeast in the same place and I think it is very appropriate that we do so.

"I expect there are few cities and towns who would know as much about their beginnings as Nazareth does. It was here under a great Black Oak that three Moravians -- Peter Boehler, Anton Seiffert and Henry Antes -- first set foot. They had been sent up to scout out the area by George Whitefield and if you want to get an idea of what it looked like, take a walk to Black Rock (in Nazareth) or Henry's Woods (in Bushkill Township). That's how all the country was at the time."

Describing the many uses of the Whitefield House through the years, Williams said it was used as a residence for furloughed missionaries from the 1860s to the 1870s. "It brought to this community all types of people it would not have known otherwise. People from Labrador and Alaska and others brought their cultural understanding here."

The lovefeast was served by dieners (servers) and sacristans of the Moravian Church, staff and volunteers, under the direction of Darryl and Linda Crooks. The brass choir, directed by William S. Kleintop, accompanied the hymns during the serving.

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