Moravian

Moravian refers to a Protestant religious movement that originated in the Moravia region of the Czech Republic, and which was brought to the United States by immigrants in the early 1700s, which immigrants originated from the German Anabaptists. The original attempt to found a Moravian community was in Georgia, but that attempt failed. The Moravians later found a home in Pennsylvania, where the colony provided some of the greatest religious freedom to be found in the world. The towns of Bethlehem, Nazareth and Emmaus, Pennsylvania were founded as Moravian communities. Later, colonies were founded in North Carolina, starting with Wachovia[?], and later Bethabara[?], Bethania and Salem (now Winston-Salem). Bethlehem became the headquarters of the northern church, and Winston-Salem became the headquarters of the southern church. The Moravian denomination persists in America to this day, with congregations in seventeen states. There are also congregations in two Canadian provinces.

The establishment of the Moravian church as a Christian church occurred outside of the hegemony of the Roman Catholic church, but was eventually forced to be subject to that church, although the Czech subjects never completely accepted its authority. The Moravians were some of the earliest Protestants, rebelling against the authority of Rome years before Martin Luther.

The motto of the Moravian church is:

In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; and in all things, love.

The American Moravian church website is at:

http://www.moravian.org/