History

A brief account of the beginning

In 1993 Fr. Moses was living in Saint Louis, Missouri and serving as the pastor to Christ the Good Shepherd Eastern Orthodox Church. It came to his attention that large numbers of Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrants who, in seeking asylum from their war torn nations, were relocated to St. Louis from the East African refugee camp they had been forced into. While the move to the United States was necessary for the survival of these peoples, they were often unfortunately relocated into dangerous neighborhoods with violent issues of their own.

Fr. Moses noticed that they, like many other recent immigrant groups, lacked an established cultural community that they could rely on for help with the practical needs of adjusting to life in the United States and the spiritual needs that could only be fulfilled in a supportive environment. The Berrys, with the support of the church congregation, made every effort they could to help these immigrant become comfortable in their new lives. They set up a kind of free store in the church basement. Later, with the help of community leaders, Fr. Moses established the area’s first Ethiopian and Eritrean cultural center.

The first ad hoc meeting of the Brotherhood of Saint Moses the Black, with 20 or so community members, was held in the Berry’s living room. The organization was established with the broad purpose of developing unity and brotherhood in the Ethiopian and Eritrean communities, because even though violence and forced migration had pushed these groups together, they had their own individual histories of war and aggression with one another. Members of the organization began regularly attending church services at Christ the Good Shepherd and Fr. Moses began to become known as the American spiritual father of this growing immigrant community.

As the Brotherhood grew, its outreach extended to diverse communities of African descent in the United States, but its mission of developing unity and brotherhood remains the same.

Source: UnexpectedJoyChurch.org

On May 29, 2020, the Board voted to change our name from the Brotherhood of St. Moses the Black to the Fellowship of St. Moses the Black.