Home Moravian Church is an active Christian congregation whose mission is fulfilling Christ's call to love God, live in community, and serve its neighbor, and it welcomes all visitors to join in worship. Before its construction, the Moravians of Salem worshiped in the Second House and then the Congregation Hall. As the population grew and more space was needed, Br. Frederic William Marshall designed a new church, with plans completed by May 1798 and the sanctuary and belfry consecrated on November 9, 1800. Moravians trace their spiritual ancestry to Jan Hus, a Czech priest martyred in 1415, whose followers formed the Unity of the Brethren. After persecution and near destruction in religious wars, descendants of the Unity came in 1722 from the Czech province of Moravia to Saxony, Germany, seeking refuge on the estate of Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, where they formed a community that later became the Moravian Church. Moravians built religious communities worldwide; in North Carolina they purchased a large tract of land called Wachovia, with Salem as the central settlement. The Moravian Church continues its work and worship in many parts of the world. Moravians are known for distinctive worship traditions including lovefeast, a service emphasizing Christian community whose origins are found in the agape feasts in the book of Acts. At Home Moravian Church, coffee and buns are served while hymns are sung, and lovefeast often marks special occasions such as Good Friday, Christmas Eve, anniversaries, and Moravian festival days. Another tradition is the Easter Sunrise Service, which in Salem begins at dawn on the steps of Home Moravian Church, after which worshipers process to God's Acre, the Salem Moravian Graveyard, for the conclusion of the service as the sun rises.