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‘Gamechanger’: Bethlehem, Moravian officials in India as Moravian Church Settlements added to World Heritage List
July 26th, 2024 | In The News
Written by Priscilla Liguori
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Bethlehem is getting recognized on the world stage.
Moravian Church Settlements, including the Bethlehem location, has been added to the prestigious World Heritage List.
The designation includes several historic structures in the heart of the city.
The mayor says this has been decades in the making and took the hard work of hundreds, if not thousands, of people.
Bethlehem’s mayor, Moravian University’s president, representatives from the faith community and members of the U.S. State Department were all in India Friday as Moravian Church Settlements was added to the prestigious World Heritage List.
“It was a special feeling to be surrounded by people from throughout the world, who were there to talk about, to share, to have conversations about those shared qualities and shared values of humanity,” said Bethlehem Mayor William Reynolds.
One single World Heritage site now includes the historic Moravian locations in Bethlehem, Northern Ireland, Germany and Denmark.
The list is made by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
“It’s those values of community and inclusiveness and equality and fairness that are central to who we are,” said Reynolds. “It’s going to be something that we’re constantly going to have the ability to self-reflect on, to ask ourselves, ‘are we upholding those values?’ and now we can say the world’s counting on us to do that.”
Back in the states, Central Moravian Church’s Associate Pastor Josh Follweiler says preaching at a World Heritage Site is an honor.
“It really is a representation of our history, of our legacy and of the continuing work in ministry that the church continues to do,” said Follweiler. “It’s a pretty historic moment to be put on a list of places that include sights like the Pyramids of Giza or the Statue of Liberty.”
Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure considers this a “gamechanger” for the region.
“This is one of the most significant things that has ever happened in the Lehigh Valley for tourism and for cultural preservation,” said McClure. “There are people all over the world that vacation at World Heritage Sites.”
The U.S. interior secretary released a statement saying the country is honored by this listing.
