ABOUT US

Who We Are

We are a welcoming Protestant congregation with an active group of Christians seeking God’s presence, healing, and guidance in our lives. Our congregation is diverse with Christians from Europe, the Caribbean, South American, China, Indonesia, and North America. Our worship is at 11:00 a.m. on Sundays except for July and August when we worship together at 10:00. During the school year, we have an active Sunday School for infants through sixth grade, youth fellowship, an intergenerational choir, a preschool, and a Music Class for children and youth. We also host three mission projects for the larger Staten Island Moravian Community. They are our community garden which grows produce for Project Hospitality’s soup kitchen and food pantry, a clothing project which provides clothing to families in need, and a cooking ministry which provides supper once a month for the HIV/AIDS clients at Project Hospitality. We seek a simple, heart-felt relationship with Jesus Christ and a rich community life with one another. We also seek to live by our motto: In essentials unity, In non-essentials, liberty, In all things love.

Mission Statement

Moravian Church History

A Brief History of the Moravian Church

Now spread around the world in 15 different provinces, the Moravian church began 550 years ago in Czechoslovakia. In the early 1400’s John Hus, a Catholic priest and professor at the University of Prague, spoke out against the sale of indulgences. Hus was burned at the stake in 1415 and his death set off a nationalistic and religious revolt in Czechoslovakia. Several different groups emerged from that revolt, one in 1457 which was called the Unitas Fratrum or the Unity of the Brethren. Members of the Unitas Fratrum sought to continue many of Hus’ ideas. Hus believed that the bible should be the final authority in deciding matters of doctrine. Member of the Unity translated the bible into Czech. They also produced hymnals in Czech and German in order to involve the laity in worship. Like other reform groups born out of the Hussite revolt, they insisted on serving the laity both the bread and the wine during communion. By 1517, the Unitas Fratrum grew to include at least 200,000 members and over 400 parishes.

Throughout its early history, the Unitas Fratrum experienced periods of persecution. The worst was the defeat of the Protestants in Bohemia at the battle of White Mountain in 1620. Members of the church were forced to go into exile or to go underground with their faith when the region again came under Catholic control. Bishop John Amos Comenius, known for his innovative educational theories, led the church through this difficult era, called the period of the “hidden seed.”

In 1722, a group of refuges from the old Unitas Fratrum came out of Czechoslovakia and settled on the estate of a Lutheran pietist, Count Nicholas von Zinzendorf. Nicknamed the Moravians because many of them came from Moravia, the group gradually reclaimed and redefined its identity. Feeling a call to missions, the Moravians began to send missionaries to the West Indies in 1732. Settlements in Bethlehem, PA. and Salem, NC were begun to provide economic support for missionaries serving Native Americans. By and large, the Moravians felt called to send missionaries where no one else would go. This mission movement spread so that today there are more Moravians in developing countries than in Europe and America.

Today the Moravian church is a small Protestant denomination known primarily for its history in education, music, and missions. As in its past, there is a strong emphasis on education both in local congregations and in institutions of higher learning, on the involvement of the laity in worship especially through music, on participation in ecumenical work, and on missions. “Mission work” has now come to mean cooperative exchanges between all the provinces of the Unity. It also means striving to assist people with basic needs such as of food, shelter, and clothing. Respect for diverse viewpoints is also an important value which the church seeks to foster. It attempts to live by its motto, “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, and in all things love.”

Staff

Co-Pastors

Lynnette Delbridge and Andrew Meckstroth serve together as the Co-Pastors of Castleton Hill Moravian Church. Lynnette is originally from North Carolina and became a Moravian while attending Salem College in Winston-Salem. Andy is from Allentown, Pennsylvania and grew up going to Midway Manor Moravian Church and Central Moravian Church. Both Andy and Lynnette earned their Master of Divinity degrees from Moravian Theological Seminary in Bethlehem, PA. Andy has served as Pastor at Tremont Terrace Moravian Church in the Bronx and Oakland (California) First Baptist Church. Lynnette earned a Ph.D. in New Testament Studies from Union Theological Seminary in New York Seminary and a Certificate as a Kodaly Music Specialist from Holy Names University in Oakland, CA. She was the Assistant Pastor at Clemmons Moravian Church in North Carolina,1984-1988. They are married and have two daughters, Helen and Carol. They have been serving as co-pastors of Castleton Hill Moravian since June 2003.

Andy and Lynnette share equally in preaching, worship leadership, pastoral care, and administration. Lynnette works most closely with our children’s ministries and active mission projects. You’ll often find her singing with kids or working in the community garden. Andy is our resident writer and artist. He takes care of weddings and funerals, new member classes and assists with Youth Fellowship. You’ll often find him writing skits for family friendly worship services or painting sets for VBS. You can reach Lynnette and Andy at pastorchmc@si.rr.com.

Lynnette and Andy believe that God loves us just as we are, that God has vision and hope for what we can become, and that God encourages and nurtures us as we grow toward that vision. In a busy and frantic world, they are seeking more calm and peace, more of a sense of God’s presence in their own lives. It is their hope that the ministry of the Castleton Hill Congregation will offer others a chance to settle calmly and gently into God’s love and care.

Preschool Director

Betty Jane Bullen serves as the director of the Castleton Hill Moravian Preschool. She is a graduate of Wagner College and has a masters in Early Childhood Education.  In addition to her work with our preschool, she serves as an adjunct faculty member at the College of Staten Island. She ably leads our committed and creative staff of preschool teachers and assistants.

Administrative Assistant

Karen Canoro began serving our congregation in October of 2006. She is typically in the office from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Monday through Fridays and can be reached at officechmc@si.rr.com. Give her a call and enjoy her warm willingness to assist you with your questions and needs.

Sexton

Tom Jones takes cares for our building and grounds. 

Nursery Worker

Links to Other Moravian Sites

Moravian Church, Northern Province