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This, We Believe - Moravians in Walnut Cove using Christmas parade float as a way to explain their beliefs
Journal photos by Lauren Carroll
Jack Phelps, 7, has his own special way of coloring a poster for Fulp Moravian Church’s Christmas parade float.
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Published: December 5, 2009
On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, when many people are zonked out on turkey leftovers and football, members of the Fulp Moravian Church gather to plan their float for the Walnut Cove Christmas parade.
Church members said that their float isn't a Tournament of Roses extravaganza. But it is a homegrown effort that takes the form of community outreach.
This year's parade is Dec. 12, and the float's theme is "What is a Moravian?"
The effort is different from the usual Christmas Eve love feasts -- Fulp does two of those as well -- but it suits the needs of a church in a rural area where few people outside the denomination are familiar with Moravian beliefs or traditions.
In nearby Forsyth County, Old Salem acts as a reference point for people to understand the Moravian faith. But in Stokes County, which has fewer Moravians, church members can't assume that people are familiar with their faith, said Christina Queen, the church's director of youth and church ministries.
People often confuse Moravians with Mormons, she said. Church members try to make sure that Christian imagery is prominent on the float and that people get a good feeling from seeing the design.
"I hope they see that we're a nice, family-oriented place," she said.
In small towns such as Walnut Cove, word-of-mouth and person-to-person contact still count for more than snazzy Web sites and fancy advertising, said Pastor Dan Nelson. Participating in community events is seen as part of small-town life, and many of the churches in Stokes County put together floats.
"People more or less know who we are," he said. "We're not weird. We're pretty much normal."
The church, which was established in 1893, has about 100 active members, he said. The church started entering floats in the parade about eight years ago.
This year's float will feature traditional Moravian dress, as well as Moravian candles and Moravian buns. Queen said she begins soliciting ideas for the float from church members in the fall.
One year the float's theme was "Keeping Christ in Christmas," and another year it was the "Legend of the Candy Cane."
The idea for this year's theme came from a church member. Participation in the float is open to anyone, she said. One year the church had a group of older members sitting in rocking chairs to represent the Rocking Seniors Group at Fulp.
The day before the parade, church members gather at Queen's house and do a dress rehearsal to make sure that everything fits on the float.
Last Sunday, they started making the posters that will decorate the sides of the trailer and discussing what would go where.
Amanda Shamel, the church's pianist and secretary, said that the float has been popular with church members because everyone from toddlers to older church members can participate.
And she knows that the church's outreach works because she has heard of people attending the church after seeing the float.
"It's a good chance for us to reach out to the community and show people who we are," she said. "You reach a lot of people who don't normally go to church --
but they come to the parade."
mgiunca@wsjournal.com
727-4089
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