Hope Moravian Church's Hisotry
In 1829, Martin Hauser of Salem, NC, and several of his families migrated to Indiana and its promis of rich farm land. The Hope Moravian Church was started by Martin Hauser on June 17, 1830. The first service held in the church was the fruit of more than 10 years of work, prayer and faithful dedication on Hauser’s part.
The community grew quickly, outgrowing its sanctuary in the first 6 years. Construction began on another, larger sanctuary in 1837, and yet again in 1875.
Later additions to the church included the Fellowship Hall and basement in 1952. Most recently, the congregation has completed the Moravian Outreach Center which houses the Morningstar Preschool and hosts a wealth of other ministries.
The Moravian Motto
In
essentials, unity;
In non-essentials, liberty;
In all things, love.
God's
Acre Moravian Cemetery - Hope, Indiana
The
history of our Cemetery
God's Acre is Unique...
God's Acre, the historic section of the Hope Moravian Church Cemetery, has 1,070 graves. Burial is by the choir system where burials are by gender. There is a section for boys, unmarried men, married men, girls, unmarried women, married women, and paupers. This follows the early Moravian custom of burial as done in Herrnhut, Germany, the place in Saxony where Moravians found sanctuary from religious persecution on the estate of Count Nicholas Von Zinzendorf.
First Grave: William Reich, 8 months old, died July 10, 1833.
You needn't be a Moravian to be buried in God's Acre; this is a community cemetery. A plot was free to Moravians, to others, it cost $12. Gravestones are flat, a symbol of Moravian belief of equality in death.
Several gravestones have a flat slab with a footer area suitable for flower planting. This style of gravestone, a mix between a box tomb and cradle, is unique to Hope, Indiana.
Stories the Stones Tell...
• Rev. Edwin T. Senseman, the only Moravian Minister to die in Hope during his pastorate, is buried with his infant son, Transou.
• The unusual "backward" Bible gravestones.
• A scarlet fever epidemic claimed Henry - 8, Jeremiah - 7, Jacob - 5, Thomas - 4; sons of T. and C. Reed. The boys died within six days in May, 1848.
• Mary (Hauser) Houser, mother of town founder Martin Hauser, earliest born of any in God's Acre (born December 26, 1761 in Stokes County, North Carolina.
• John Henry Kluge whose stone reads "First white child born in Indiana".
• Berthold Menke, gardner for the Seminary for Young Ladies, a firls' school operated by the Moravian Church from 1866-1861.
Easter Sunrise Service...
Since the 1830's, Hope Moravians gather in God's Acre, weather permitting, for the Easter Sunrise Service. This custom originated in Herrnhut, Germany, in 1732 when young men greeted dawn in a burial place, as disciples did in Matthew 28.
At 4 AM, the Trombone Choir travels from street corner to street corner in Hope playing Moravian chorales and awaking sleepers for the Sunrise Service.
At 6 AM, we gather in the church where our pastor proclaims "The Lord is Risen!" We respond "The Lord is Risen, Indeed!" Then, the Choir sings "The Earthquake", an anthem only sung in Hope. Organist Eugene Regannas composed this anthem in 1916. Next, our pastor and the Trombone Choir leads the congregation through the Avenue of Spruce to God's Acre. Singing, we face the East to greet the new dawn.
Here is a link of who is buried in "God's Acre", courtesy of "Moravian Church Genealogy Links"
