Dear Sir,

As Christmas approaches, my thoughts turn to Bethlehem. Not Bethlehem in Israel but Bethlehem in Pennsylvania — the city that was founded on Christmas Eve 1741 by Count Nicholas von Zinzendorf and friends.

The Moravian Church, properly called Unitas Fratrum — Unity of Brethren — began in 1457 in Bohemia, which is now the Czech Republic. John Hus was its greatest leader.

He was burnt at the stake in Prague in 1415 by members of his own Roman Catholic faith. He preceded Martin Luther by 70 years.

The principles of the Moravians are admirable. They are pacifists and believe in equal education for women. They do not exclude because of race, creed, colour or sexual preference. In their missionary work to American Indians, they lived with them and learnt their language before introducing Christianity. They were the first to celebrate Independence Day in the United States, to which they introduced classical music.

I visited Bethlehem one Christmas. On Christmas Eve, it started to snow and by Christmas morning, all was glistening white.

Just across Main Street from my hotel was the Moravian Bookstore, which has been operating continuously since 1745.

ROGER SNAPE