Cherokee Moravian Connection
From Peace Warrior by Alison Muesing, to be published in 2021
Moravian Falls, North Carolina, is named after the Moravians who were persecuted for their Christian beliefs and fled their country (present-day Czech Republic) as refugees for religious liberty. These courageous believers refused to compromise even when faced with death. They were warmly welcomed to the land of Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf, a nobleman in southeastern Germany where they established a Christian community, Herrnhut, meaning watch of the Lord.
In 1727, a visitation of the Holy Spirit ignited revival in the community with fresh passion for the Lord. They initiated an intercessory prayer meeting which continued 24/7 nonstop… for 100 years! Soon many of them sensed the call of the Lord to the nations and became the answer to their own prayers, selflessly committing their lives to the Great Commission in many nations and islands. Within seven years, Herrnhut had sparked the largest Protestant missions program, reaching souls around the globe.
A group of Moravians felt the call to reach out to the Cherokee with the Gospel in the colony of North Carolina. In 1752, they founded a new community, Salem (now Winston-Salem), in the northern part of the state. After Salem was established, they turned westward to make contact with the Cherokee tribe.
Although by this time few white settlers were trusted by the Cherokee, the Moravians exhibited the fruits of the Spirit and patiently earned the trust of the chief. By the early 1800s, he invited them to establish a mission school to train his children and the other Cherokee children on their homelands in north Georgia – Springplace School.
After the 1838-39 westward removal of Cherokee and other Southeastern tribes from their homelands in the notorious Trail of Tears, some Moravians relocated with the Cherokee to Indian Territory (later the state of Oklahoma). After helping the Cherokee get settled on the new land, the Moravians established another school for the children in the town of Oaks in northeastern Oklahoma. They named it New Springplace.
Moravian Falls is named after these committed Christians who prayed and settled for a time in this town. During an Annual Cherokee Day of Prayer in Oaks, Oklahoma, a Cherokee intercessor received a word from the Lord: “The Lord will restore the Moravian lampstand to the Cherokee.”