Credit: Courtesy of the Moravian Archives
Erected in 1741, the Gemeinhaus is the oldest structure in Bethlehem. The massive building served as a school, house of worship, and a workspace for the growing Moravian community. Like worship and prayer, education was a vital activity in the everyday life of the Bethlehem community. In Nazareth, Lititz, and in the Oley Valley, the spread of Brethren piety throughout eastern Pennsylvania was closely linked to the expansion in schools that nurtured practical and pietistic values in service to the community.
