A West Salem Congregation Built on Lovefeasts, Music, and Neighborhood Mission
Christ Moravian Church sits at 919 West Academy Street in the West Salem neighborhood of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a short walk from Salem Square and the historic heart of the Moravian settlement. The congregation's motto, "Loving to Serve - Serving to Love!", and its mission statement, "Christ Church seeks to be a caring congregation, worshipping God and encouraging one another, as we serve outside the walls of our congregation in the name and spirit of Jesus Christ," point to a parish that takes both its neighborhood and its global Moravian family seriously.
Sunday Mornings: Sunday School at 10, Worship at 11
The weekly Sunday rhythm is straightforward and welcoming. Opening devotions and a band prelude begin at 9:45 AM, followed by Sunday school for all ages at 10:00 AM and worship at 11:00 AM. Nursery care is provided on Sunday mornings, with babies and young children welcome to be dropped off in the nursery on the basement level at 10:50 AM. Godly Play is available during the worship service for children aged 5 and up.
Worship includes music, prayer, a sermon, and the giving of tithes and offerings. Holy Communion is celebrated periodically, including a January 2026 service with guest preacher Rev. Tony Hayworth. Audio recordings of the previous Sunday's service are posted each week, and a sermon archive stretches back many years. When weather or other circumstances cancel in-person services, a video sermon from Pastor Reed Lawson is shared on the church's Facebook page.
The Lovefeast Tradition
A signature part of Moravian worship at Christ is the lovefeast, a service of shared song, prayer, and simple refreshments. The congregation gathers for several lovefeasts a year. Children's Lovefeasts are held in August. The Day of Prayer Lovefeast takes place on the first Sunday of Lent and is hosted each year by the Women's Fellowship. There is a Thanksgiving Lovefeast in late November, an Anniversary Lovefeast in late October, Christmas Eve Lovefeasts at both 7:00 PM and 10:00 PM, and a Good Friday Lovefeast at 7:00 PM. Matt Pace, the Congregational Acolyte, has preached and led worship on several Sundays.
A Generational Music Ministry
Music has long been central to life at Christ Moravian. Choir Director and Bell Director Jeanie Rothrock has sung in the church's adult choir for more than 60 years and has held a variety of leadership roles, including Adult Choir Director, Band Director, Children's Choir Director, Handbell Director, and Hussite Bell Ringer. In 2012, the Moravian Music Foundation awarded her the James V. Salzwedel Award for her leadership and contributions to music in a local congregation. She also directed a "Shaggy Brown Donkey" reunion song with former youth choir members at the close of 2025.
The Music Ministry welcomes participation in several groups: the Band, Adult Choir, Handbell Choir, Orchestra, and the Grateful Choir for youth. Laura Barnes Hayworth serves as organist. A graduate of Salem College who grew up in the Friedland Moravian congregation, she is the granddaughter of Sam and Edith Tesch and the daughter of Alan and Betty Tesch Barnes. The Band provides prelude music each Sunday at 9:45 AM, and a special handbell arrangement, "Patriotic Medley," is a regular feature in the rotation. Members Adam Conrad (clarinet) and Zack, Sarah, and Matt Pace (handbells) are among the musicians sharing special music throughout the year.
Christian Education for All Ages
Sunday school at 10:00 AM offers classes for everyone. Adult classes include the Endeavors Class, the A.R. Carr / Sam Marx Class, the G.I.F.T. ("Growing in Faith Together") Class, and New and Prospective Members classes offered throughout the year.
For children, Sunday school is divided by age: Nursery through Elementary School, Middle School, and Senior High. The curriculum focuses on the basics of the Christian faith, and confirmation is offered as needed. Children's interactive lessons are a hallmark: the Congregational Acolyte recently used a real apple to teach about the Trinity on Trinity Sunday, and during Advent the children put on a Christmas program and light candles each week.
Youth Ministry
The Youth Ministry at Christ Moravian is growing, with mission trips, service projects, fellowship events, and special activities throughout the year. The youth maintain a Facebook group that is updated weekly. They pack cleaning buckets for Church World Services, decorate paper lunch bags used to feed people in the West Salem neighborhood, and host a luncheon after worship on selected Sundays.
Men's, Women's, and Marvelous Moravians Fellowship
The Men's Fellowship gathers for a Wednesday morning breakfast at Cagney's on Cloverdale at 8:00 AM, a Monday golf outing to local public courses, occasional golf fellowship trips, and assistance with church workdays.
The Women's Fellowship is active in supporting the ministry of the congregation and the Southern Province. Each year, the women host the Day of Prayer Lovefeast service on the first Sunday of Lent. The fellowship offers different Circle groups and special fundraisers and projects to support mission and outreach.
The Marvelous Moravians group welcomes all adults for special trips, monthly fellowship gatherings, and seasonal meals and festivities, with sign-ups announced in advance.
Mission and Outreach in the West Salem Neighborhood
The Mission and Outreach Committee anchors the congregation's presence in the surrounding neighborhood. The committee hosts a free chili and sandwich lunch in early February and a hot dog bag lunch in late July, both in the Fellowship Building from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM, with to-go bags available. The youth decorate paper lunch bags used in the West Salem feeding effort, and the congregation has also raised money for mission work, including an all-you-can-eat breakfast fundraiser for the Tesh family and their work in Kenya. The church regularly welcomes guest speakers, including Brother Michael Tesh, who shared about his mission work in Kenya in fall 2025.
Holy Week, Easter, and Advent
Holy Week at Christ Moravian is a full schedule of reading services, communion, and lovefeast. The week typically includes reading services on Monday and Wednesday evenings, a Maundy Thursday communion, a gravestone cleaning at God's Acre, a 2:00 PM Crucifixion service, a 7:00 PM Good Friday Lovefeast, a Saturday morning grave decorating by the Women's Fellowship, an Easter egg hunt, and a Great Sabbath Service held jointly with other Moravian congregations. Easter Sunday morning worship is at 11:00 AM, and the community also gathers for the Easter Sunrise Service in Salem Square, broadcast on WXII Channel 12, aired on WSJS AM 600, and livestreamed at moraviansunrise.org.
Advent is marked by candle lighting each Sunday. Christmas Eve brings two Lovefeasts, at 7:00 PM and 10:00 PM, with guest musicians often joining the regular band, organ, and choir. A candlelight service on the lawn is also part of the Advent tradition.
The Pastor and Staff
Rev. Jeffery Reed Lawson ("Reed") has served as pastor of Christ Moravian since being installed on October 10, 2021. A graduate of Campbell University (Biochemistry and English) and Wake Forest School of Divinity (Master of Divinity), with a Certificate in Moravian Studies from Moravian Theological Seminary, Pastor Reed previously worked as a research scientist at Wake Forest Biotech Place before following a call to Moravian ministry. He lives in Winston-Salem with his wife Elizabeth and their three children, Emmett, Virginia, and Lilah.
Connie Miller is the Administrative Assistant, with office hours Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. A graduate of Wake Forest University, she grew up in the Bethesda Moravian congregation and previously taught preschool. She plays clarinet in the Moravian band and is passionate about teaching music to children.
Moravian Heritage and Beliefs
Christ Moravian is part of the Moravian Church in America, Southern Province. The congregation holds to the Moravian Covenant of Christian Living and the Moravian Ground of the Unity, the doctrinal statement adopted by the Unity Synod of the Unitas Fratrum in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in 1995. The Moravian Watchword tradition guides the congregation's devotional life: for 2026 it was "I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth" (Psalm 34:1), paired with the hymn "What God's Almighty Pow'r Has Made" (#537).
Visiting and Getting Connected
The church office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and visitors are warmly welcomed at worship each Sunday at 11:00 AM. Sunday school at 10:00 AM is open to all ages, including children in their own classes. Nursery care is provided. Tithes and offerings can be given through the church's online giving portal, and audio of recent services is posted weekly. Christ Moravian is part of a wider network that includes the Moravian Theological Seminary, the Moravian Music Foundation, the Moravian Board of World Mission, the Moravian Ministries Foundation, Salem College, Moravian College, and Laurel Ridge Camp and Conference Center, where members of the congregation serve on boards and mission teams, and where the youth attend summer mission camp.