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Annual Report 2019

2

EVANGELICAL MISSION

IN SOLIDARITY (EMS)

Vogelsangstr.62|70197Stugart

Tel.:+4971163678-0

Fax:+4971163678-45

Email:info@ems-online.org

DONATION ACCOUNT

EvangelischeBankeG

IBAN:DE85520604100000000124

BIC:GENODEF1EK1

IMPRINT

EvangelicalMissioninSolidarity–

ChurchesandMissionsinInterna�onal

Partnership(EMS)e.V.

Editors: UteDilg-Sassmannshausen,

StefanSchaal,

ReginaKarasch-Böcher

Layout: B-FactorGmbH

Printers: MHDDruckundServiceGmbH,

Harmsstraße6,

29320Hermannsburg

Circula�on: 4,500

August2020

Coverphoto:TheTorajaChurchinIndonesia

trainsyoungwomentobecome

excavatoroperators(seep17).

Photo:EMS/Lohnes.

Editorial 3

Communication – key to internationalisation 4

Strengthening togetherness within the EMS 6

“We’ve learnt a lot from you” 7

A bridge between continents 7

Obtaining justice in an unjust world 8

The voice of youth 9

Stop! Together against harassment 10

From the International Communication Network 11

Pinboard 2019 12

Experiencing both international and ecumenical diversity 14

“Children should describe their own experiences” 15

Standing together in need 16

With support from the EMS Fellowship 18

Environmental protection as the church’s mission 19

Acting in solidarity 20

Financial statement 22

United Against Corona 23

Setting a sign of solidarity 24

CONTENTS

IMPRINT

3

“The EMS is an associa�on of

Evangelicalchurchesandmission

socie�esinAfrica,Asia,theMiddle

EastandEurope,allconnectedby

faithinJesusChristandhopeinthe

Kingdom of God. It promotes

mindfulandrespec§ulencounters

acrossculturalandreligiousbound-

aries.Itstandsupforthelivesand

inpar�cular for therightsof the

vulnerable, the poor and the

marginalised.”Thisishowthear�-

cles of associa�on describe the

missionandthetasksoftheEMS.

Its most innermost concept is

therefore interna�onal fromthe

outset.

Ontheonehand,thisinterna�on-

alityisnotself-evident.Manyold

tradi�onsthatarenotbasedonan

encounter between equals s�ll

lingeron,evenintheEMS.Andwe

realiseeventodaythatinterna�on-

alisa�ondoesnotautoma�cally

redress structural and financial

imbalances.

Butontheotherhand,thehistory

oftheEMSchurchesandmission

socie�escontainsamyriadofposi-

tive examples which illustrate

mindfulandrespec§ulencounters

acrossandbeyondallboundaries.

Inmanycases,thishasledtothe

growthofanewcommunitythatis

bornebyacommonspirit.Indeed,

thekeywordstodescribethisnew

“BUT THE LORD LOOKS ON THE HEART”

formofcommunityaremindful-

nessandrespect.Thesetwoterms

reflectthebasicspiritinwhichGod

Himself looks upon humanity:

“Theylookontheoutwardappear-

ance,but theLORD looksonthe

heart.”(1Samuel16:7).So,froma

theologicalviewpoint,interna�on-

alityisamaeroftheheart.When

I start to lookonotherswith the

eyesofGod,somethinggrowsfrom

ourencounter– itgives rise toa

totallydifferentqualityofcommu-

nity–onethatismindful,respec§ul

andconnectedtotheheart.

Youwillfindmanyexamplesofthis

intheAnnualReportontheac�v-

i�esof theEMS in2019.At this

point,Iwouldliketothankallthose

who made their contribution

towardsmakingthispossible.My

special thanks go to thosewho

steeredtheEMSthroughthisyear

of transi�on and realignment. I

assumed the du�es of General

Secretaryon1stApril2020.With

allmyheartIlookforwardtoup-

comingencountersintheEMS.

Reverend Dr Dieter Heidtmann

General Secretary

Mindfulness and respect – the basic spirit for successfully internationalising the EMS

Photo: Ralf Stieber

4

Dr Rima Nasrallah van Saane,

professorattheNearEastSchool

of Theology (NEST) in Beirut,

LebanonandmemberoftheEMS

Women’sNetwork,andDrKers�n

Neumann,HeadoftheMissionand

Partnership Department at the

EMSSecretariatspeakabout the

processof interna�onalisa�on in

theEMSandthechallenges that

s�llliebeforeEMSmembers.

What does internationalisation

mean in the EMS Fellowship

today?

Dr Kerstin Neumann: Webelieve

that we are called upon in the

Missiontobewitnessestothelove

ofGodinandforthisworld.Inter-

na�onalisa�onistheprac�calreal-

isa�on of this convic�on. Since

2012whenthenewEMScons�tu-

�onwasadopted,wehavebeenan

interna�onalorganisa�oninwhich

thechurcheswork together.We

shareour faith,ourfinancial re-

sourcesandourstaff.TheEMS is

likeafamilywhosemembershelp

eachother.

When the Evangelical Mission

Society in South-West Germany

was founded in 1972, representa-

tives of the international member

churches took their seats in the

gallery. They listened while the

delegates of the German member

churches made important deci-

sions. A lot has changed since

then. What do you think of these

developments?

Dr Rima Nasrallah:TheEMShas

really comea longway – it has

become an organisa�on where

peoplefromtheglobalSouthare

appreciatedas fullmembers. In

principleweallsittogetheratone

tableandmakedecisionstogether.

This isabigstepforward–espe-

ciallycomparedtoothernon-gov-

ernmentalorganisa�onsIknow.It

took a lot of courage for the

Germansastheyhadtorelinquish

powerandpres�geandacceptthat

things could actually function

differently.

What structural hurdles still

need to be crossed until the EMS

can claim to be a truly interna-

tional organisation?

Nasrallah: One example is the

legalrestric�ons.TheEMSisregis-

teredinGermanysoitmustcomply

with German laws and have an

address inGermany.At thesame

�me, there is a wide disparity

between the partners.Member

churchesandorganisa�onsarenot

allatthesamelevel–eitherfinan-

cially,demographicallyoracadem-

ically.Thishasaneffectonhow

memberspar�cipate.It’snotonly

theEMSthathasthisproblem–it

The EMS Fellowship has come a long way from a German mission society to an international organisation

COMMUNICATION – THE KEY TO INTERNATIONALISATION

is in factaglobalchallenge.Even

in the same country there are

peoplewhoaremoreinaposi�on

to takepart in interna�onaldia-

loguethanothers.

The Presidium consists of three

men, two of them German. But

this contradicts the EMS aims of

becoming more diverse and more

international.

Neumann:That’scorrect.Andwe

areallveryawareofthis.Firstly,this

hastodowiththestructuralprob-

lemsthatRimamen�oned.Forex-

ample,it ismucheasiertoobtain

thesignaturesneedediftwoofthe

threemembersof thePresidium

comefromGermany.Butwemust

findwayshowtodothingsdiffer-

ently.Thesamegoes forgender

equality.Weareworkingonit.

Photo: EMS/Lohnes

5

Internationalisation and equal-

rights cooperation across conti-

nents places high demands on

EMS member churches. This must

certainly lead to many conflicts.

How can they be overcome?

Neumann: I remember discus-

sions about evangelisa�on and

missionthatIfoundwerenoteasy.

It’sdifficulttobeopenandlisten

totheopinionsofothersalthough

onemaypossiblynotsharethem.

It’s just as difficult not to force

one’sownposi�onontheother.

Communica�on is therefore ex-

tremelyimportant.Networksplay

a very important role here.We

havenetworks foryoungpeople,

forwomen, forprojectsponsors

and there is also a network for

communicators.

Nasrallah:Iadmitit’snoteasyto

challengeoneselfands�llrespect

oneanother.S�ll, Iwouldbede-

lighted ifpeoplewouldstandup

andsay‘Idon’tagree!’Weshould

changethewaywethinkaboutnot

reallychallengingtheotherjustto

preservethepeace,harmonyand

friendships.

Colonial thinking and racism are

deeply rooted in people and soci-

eties. They don’t just disappear

like that. How “colonial” and

“racist” is the EMS still – perhaps

without even wanting to be?

Nasrallah:Overcoming colonial

mindsetsisalongprocess.Forboth

sides!We in the formercolonies

sufferfroma“colonialmentality”.

Thatmeanswehavealwayslooked

uptothe“West”.Andviceversa,

western countries tend to look

downonus.TheEMShasproved

tobeaveryhelpfulpla§ormto

reflectonthewaywelookatour-

selvesandateachother.Itisafact

that racism, sexism and certain

hierarchicalproblemsalsoexistin

ourowncommuni�es.

Neumann:Wehavetobepa�ent.

Itneeds�metounlearnsomething

that isdeeply rooted inus. I re-

membermyfirstMissionCouncil

mee�ngin2015.OnlytheGermans

spoketheiropinions.Nowwhen

we meet, discussions are very

lively.Everyonepresentshisorher

issues.That’sjustgreat.

What are the plans for the

coming years?

Neumann: We are working on

several different concepts. For

example,onthe issueofstaff.So

far,weonlyhadaso-called‘liaison’

staffmember in India–aperson

from themember church. Now

there isanotherpastor inKorea

andweareintheprocessofse´ng

upthesamepostinIndonesia.This

strategyispartoftheinterna�on-

alisa�onoftheSecretariat.Another

newstepiscoopera�onwithinthe

EMSunit“InterculturalLearning”

forchildreninthefellowship.Inthe

pastyear,wehaveconcentratedon

thelifeofchildreninSouthKorea

–with the support of a Korean

pastorandthememberchurches

there. This is howwe intend to

promote intercultural learning

withintheEMS.

The interview was conducted by

Ute Dilg-Sassmannshausen

Photo: EMS/Lohnes

6STRENGTHENING TOGETHERNESS WITHIN THE EMS

Ecumenical co-workersmake a

vitalcontribu�onto the interna-

�onalisa�on of the EMS.While

GregsonErasmusfromSouthAfrica

was hired at the Mission, Ecu-

menismandDevelopmentDepart-

ment (DiMOE) in Stugart, Ralf

Rohrbach-Koop fromWuerem-

bergarrivedinCapeTownandwas

integratedasanequal in theco-

workercommunity.

“We are part of the international-

isation of the EMS.”

Newrela�onshipsbetweenEMS

member churches replace old

asymmetries.Thisisalsowhatwe

experience as ecumenical co-

workers.SinceMarch2019,Ihave

been lecturing at theMoravian

TheologicalCentre inCapeTown

onanintroduc�ontoBiblicalGreek

andthetheologyoftheNewTesta-

ment.Ialsoassistaspastorinthree

congrega�ons of the Moravian

Church inSouthAfrica (MCSA). I

preach insermons,conductholy

communion at home and teach

confirma�onclasses.Iwasnotsent

byamissionsocietyasaone-way

Germanpastorasinformer�mes.

Inmycase, twochurches in the

EMSFellowshipagreedtodoan

exchange.Bytheway,manychurch

leadersoftheMCSAhaveworked

asecumenicalco-workers inGer-

many.MypredecessorhereinCape

Town came from an Indonesian

sisterchurch.Thanks to thisand

otherpersonalcontacts,theinter-

na�onal fellowshipof theEMS is

growingcloserandclosertogether.

Reverend Ralf Rohrbach-Koop

Ecumenical co-worker

in South Africa

Mission as a bridge

Atmyhomechurch,theMoravian

Church in South Africa (MCSA),

wepastorsworkalmostexclusively

incommunityservice.The tasks

assigned tome by theMission,

Ecumenism and Development

Department (DiMOE)havegiven

methechanceto learnallabout

Swabia (region in southern

Germany) and many different

congrega�ons.

Ifindthatmissionisabridgethat

can be walked both ways. The

diversityoftopicsIhavelearntat

theDiMOEhavechangedmyway

ofthinkingaboutmyresponsibility

in theworldandalsoabout the

development of the whole of

humanity.Aµer I returntoSouth

Africa,Iwillcarryondreamingof

aworldwhere jus�ceandpeace

espouse each other, where

churchesworldwidestandbyeach

other, give each other support,

pray for each other and help

eachotherwheneversomething

happens.

Reverend Gregson Erasmus

Ecumenical co-worker at the

Evangelical Lutheran Church in

Wuerttemberg

Ecumenism and internationalisation flourish from the exchange of ecumenical co-workers

Photo: privat

Photo: EMS/Heiligers

7

TheEMSFellowshiphadagood

causetocelebratein2019:45years

ofpartnershipwiththePresbyte-

rian Church in the Republic of

Korea(PROK)and40yearsofpart-

nership with the Presbyterian

ChurchofKorea(PCK).“TheKorean

churcheshavemadeanenormous

contribu�ontowardstheinterna-

�onalisa�onoftheEMS,”declares

SolomonBenjamin,LiaisonSecre-

tary forAsia. “Forexample, the

newecumenicalcons�tu�onofthe

EMSin2012.”Benjaminaddsthat

theKoreanchurchesarealsovery

ac�veinNorth-South,South-North

andSouth-Southexchanges.

Peace and democratisation as core

issue

KoreanChris�ansarepar�cularly

ac�ve in theareasofpeaceand

democra�sa�on. The two EMS

memberchurchesare influenced

bythemilitarydictatorshipofthe

1970sand1980sandthecon�nuing

tensionsbetweenthetwoKorean

states.“Despitemanyinstancesof

oppression, theKoreanchurches

startedacivilrightsmovementand

showthattheystandinsolidarity

withthedisenfranchised,”empha-

sised Kers�n Neumann, former

Ac�ngGeneralSecretaryoftheEMS

attheannualgeneralmee�ngcele-

bra�ngtheanniversaryinSeoulin

September2019.“We’velearnta

lotfromthechurchesinKorea!”

Hope of reunification

Representatives of the EMS

handedovergiµsof silvercoins

commemora�ng the fall of the

BerlinWall in1989totheirhosts

asasymbolofacommonhistory

ofdivision.Theyalsohonouredthe

effortsof theKoreanchurchesto

reunify the two states on the

Koreanpeninsula.

“WE’VE LEARNT A LOT FROM YOU”

EMS Fellowship celebrates forty years of partnership with Korea

Photo: EMS/Benjamin

A BRIDGE BETWEEN CONTINENTS

The Presbyterian Church in the

RepublicofKorea(PROK)andthe

MoravianChurch inSouthAfrica

(MCSA)concludedanagreement

onbilateralpartnership in2019.

Thefirststepof thecoopera�on

focusedonprovidingaidto“Elim

House” inSouthAfrica,a facility

forchildrenwithdisabili�es.The

firstdeliveryofreliefsuppliesfrom

SouthKoreancongrega�onshas

alreadyarrived.“Geographically

weliveontwocon�nentsbutspir-

ituallyonone,”saidJae-CheonLEE,

GeneralSecretaryofthePROKat

the signing in September 2019.

GodfreyCunningham,Presidentof

theMCSA,wasdelightedthatthe

interna�onalisa�on of the EMS

hadbecomemoretangibleasthe

resultofthispartnership:“It’s�me

thatpartnersstartconnec�ngup

withoneanotherdirectly.”

Photo: EMS/Schaal

8OBTAINING JUSTICE IN AN UNJUST WORLD

EMS Mission Council convened for the first time in Lebanon in 2019

Members of the EMS Mission

Councilconvenedtheirmee�ngin

June2019.Whatwaspar�cular

aboutthismee�ng is that it took

placeinLebanonforthefirst�me

sincetheEMSwasfounded.Who

wouldhavethought thatamere

four months aµer the mee�ng

there,nothingwouldbeasitwas

before?Thepopula�onrevolted

againstacorruptpoli�calsystem;

followedbyaneconomicandbank

crisis;the inabilityofthestateto

pay its loans;devalua�onof the

currency from 1,500 pounds to

7,000 pounds for one dollar; a

massive increase in consumer

pricesandanexplosion inunem-

ployment. Many family fathers

commiedsuicidesincetheywere

nolongerabletofeedtheirfami-

lies.Andasifthatwasnotenough

already,thecoronaviruspandemic

struckatthebeginningof2020.For

the Lebanese people, life since

October2019hasbecomemore

andmoredifficult.Wasitalready

foreseeablehowclosethecountry

wastotheedgeoftheabyssatthe

MissionCouncilmee�ngattheend

ofJune?Wasitprophe�cthatthe

themeof“jus�ce”seemedtobe

the common thread running

throughtheprayerservices?“The

righteous flourish like the palm

tree, and grow like a cedar in

Lebanon”(Psalm92:12).

Code of Conduct against sexual

harassment adopted

Themain itemontheagendaat

theMissionCouncilmee�ngwas

theCodeofConductagainstsexual

harassment.Thisdocumentwas

adopted unanimously by the

mee�ng (see p10). In addi�on,

discussions took place on the

futureorienta�onofyouthworkin

theEMSanditsmemberchurches.

Thevenue–theSchnellerSchool

inLebanon–servedasanexample

ofhowyoungpeoplefromdifferent

religionsand familybackgrounds

learn together and receive fair

opportuni�es in life.TheMission

Councilalsoextendedthefundsto

finance a pre-school for Syrian

refugeechildrenforafurtheryear

un�lthesummerof2020.Thehead

of thepre-school travelled from

Syriatothemee�ngjusttoreport

ontheprojectintheValleyofthe

Chris�ans. Since then, this suc-

cessfulprojecthasfinallyendedin

amovingceremonyaµer las�ng

sevenandahalfyears.Meanwhile,

allpupilshavefoundplacesatre-

gularschools.Alilebitofjus�ce

–inanextremelyunjustworld.

Photo: EMS/Conzelmann

Photo: EMS/Conzelmann

9

WhenJudithDamianandJoongho

LEElandedinBeirutinJune2019,

theydidn’tknowexactlywhat to

expect.Theywouldbeac�ngas

youthadvisorsattheannualmeet-

ingof theEMSMissionCouncil–

somethingunprecedented in the

historyoftheEMS.“Theylistened

and tooknoteofouropinions,”

saysJudithDamian,summarising.

JoonghoLEEwishesthatinfuture,

youngadultscouldaendnotonly

asobserversbuttheywouldactu-

allybeen�tledtovote.

Climate change – an important

theme

Themostimportantissueforthe

two youth delegates is climate

change. “The EMS should focus

moreaen�on to this theme in

theiragenda,”explainsLEE.The

KoreanisamemberofthePresby-

terianChurchofKorea (PCK)and

spentsixmonthsasavolunteer

THE VOICE OF YOUTH

Members of the youth network express their views at the Mission Council meeting

withthesocialwelfareserviceof

theLudwigsburgchurchdistrict.

LEEstronglysupportstheaimsof

the “Fridays for Future” move-

ment.Only talkingaboutclimate

changewouldonlydownplay the

problem,hesays.Thecrisisisnow

affec�ng thewholeworld. “The

MissionCouncilmee�ngdiscussed

howtheEMScancontributemore

toclimateprotec�on,forexample

by introducingvideoconferences

and reducing air travel,” adds

JudithDamian.Sheishopefulthat

the members of the Mission

Council will regard the climate

crisis not only as a specifically

youthtopicbutasamain theme

for the EMS Fellowship. The

theologystudentfromthePala�-

nate inGermanysaw itasavery

posi�ve move for the Mission

CounciltoadoptaCodeofConduct

topreventsexualharassment in

EMSprogrammes.Shehopesthat

thetopicisnotdismissed.Onthe

contrary,shehopesitwillcon�nue

tobediscussed:“It’smainlyyoung

femalevolunteerswhoareoµen

exposedtosexualassaults,”reports

Damian,whospentayearatan

integratedschoolinJordanaspart

oftheEcumenicalYouthVolunteers

Programme.

Translating church language for

young people

Inprinciple,Damianseesdeficitsin

communica�onwithyoungpeople.

“Thelanguageofthechurchmust

be ‘translated’ foryoungpeople

togive themaccess toanunder-

standingofliturgicaltradi�onsand

rituals,” shesays.Notonly that.

Theywould thenunderstandthe

Christian message better. This

wouldhelptomaketherelevance

ofthechurchmoreapparenttothe

nextgenera�on.

JoonghoLEEalsoseeshisaend-

anceattheMissionCouncilasan

opportunityto learnmoreabout

decision-makingstructureswithin

theEMS.“I’veneverseenthistype

ofmee�ngbefore,”hereports.“It’s

importanttounderstandtheculture

oftheMissionCouncilandseehow

thebodyreachesitsdecisions.”

Photo: EMS/Conzelmann

10STOP! TOGETHER AGAINST HARASSMENT

TheEMSFellowshipacceptsno

formofsexualharassmentwhat-

soever.InaCodeofConductwhich

themembersoftheMissionCoun-

ciladoptedunanimously in2019,

the church fellowship defines a

zero-tolerancepolicyagainstha-

rassment,abuse,sexualexploita-

�onandthemisuseofpoweratall

EMSac�vi�es.“Wewereinagree-

mentbeyondallbordersandcon�-

nents that theCodeofConduct

setsaclearsignal,”saidtheformer

Ac�ngGeneralSecretaryDrKers�n

Neumann, commen�ng on the

adop�on.

Confidential advisors

TheCodeofConduct laysdown

clear rules toraiseawarenessre-

gardingsexualharassment.These

rulesarebasedon interna�onal

standards and are intended to

prevent harassment from hap-

peninginthefirstplace.Italsode-

scribes precise procedures for

dealing with infringements. All

participants attending an EMS

eventorac�onwillbehandeda

leafletinformingthemofthisEMS

policy. Two ombudspersons of

differentgenderwillalsobeap-

pointed.“Theywillactascontact

personsandconfiden�aladvisors

duringaneventifanincidentwere

broughttotheiraen�on,”explains

DrGabrieleMayer,Headof the

EMSGenderDesk.Corresponding

guidelineshavebeenpreparedfor

the conduct of the ombudsper-

sons.“Theimportantthingisthat

confidentiality, protection and

respectareensuredonallsides,”

saysMayer.

An imbalance of power

TheCodeof Conduct expressly

statesthatthedefini�onofpower

lieswiththevic�m.Inanintercul-

turalcontextinpar�cular,thereare

alwayssitua�onswhereconductis

interpreteddifferently–whatone

personregardsasa friendlyen-

counter is an infringement of

anotherperson’spersonalbound-

aries. However, in many cases,

sexualharassmentisalsotheresult

ofan imbalanceofpowerand is

expresslydealtwithintheCode.It

occurswhenpeopleinposi�onsof

power discriminate or exploit

others,especially thosewhoare

dependentorvulnerable.

Instilling confidence

“With the Code of Conduct we

wouldliketoencourageallvic�ms

toreportacaseofharassment,”

GabrieleMayeremphasises.She

reportstherehavebeenmanycases

in the past. Nearly one female

volunteerintwopar�cipa�nginthe

Ecumenical Youth Volunteers

Programmehasdescribedassaults

orsitua�onsinthehostcountrythat

could have sparked feelings of

distress.Manyfinditdifficulttotalk

aboutitoreventoreportit.There-

fore,itisallthemoreimportantto

ins�lconfidencethateveryreported

incidentwillbetakenseriouslyand

treatedconfiden�ally.“Here, the

CodeofConductisastepintheright

direc�on,”saysMayer.

EMS Mission Council adopts Code of Conduct against sexual harassment

Photo: EMS/Reimold

11

Whichcamerase´ngdoIchoose

toshootindoorphotos?HowdoI

getthepersonportrayedtorelax?

HowdoIdooriginalgroupphotos?

Theseareques�onsthatareoµen

asked–andnotonlybybeginners.

Perspectives, exposure, focus

18 press officers from EMS

member churches in Indonesia

aendedaphotographyworkshop

inDenpasaronBaliattheendof

November2019. Incoopera�on

with the EMS, Thomas Lohnes,

professionalphotographer from

Germany,assistedintheworkshop.

The par�cipants included inter-

estedbeginnersaswellasjournal-

istswhobackuptheirar�cleswith

theirownphotos.Theoryandprac-

�calworkalternatedonanumber

ofdifferentthemes,amongthem

portrait photography, project

reportsandspecialgroupphotos.

Par�cipantsalsoexchanged ideas

andwereabletolearnfromeach

other.

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

International photography workshop in Indonesia

“Committee for communication”

founded

Itwasthefirst�methatthepar�c-

ipantsatthethree-dayworkshop

onBalihadmet.Attheendofthe

workshop,theysetupa“commiee

forcommunica�on”toactasaplat-

formfor furtherexchangeto im-

prove coordination for their

practical work. Reverend Stevi

WoworfromtheEvangelicalChris-

�anChurch inMinahasa (GMIM)

was elected coordinator. He is

supportedbyNondyRoyandyfrom

theIndonesianProtestantChurch

inDonggala(GPID)andbyMarella

OndafromtheRegionalCouncilof

Churches(PGIW).Forthechurches

inIndonesiaaswellasfortheEMS

Fellowship, this commiee sets

another milestone aµer similar

associa�onswereestablished in

India,GhanaandSouthAfrica.

DARUM-JOURNAL IN ENGLISH!

PR WORKSHOP IN GHANA

The“darum-journal”publishesthe

latestnewsfromtheEMSFellow-

ship.Sincethebeginningof2019,

it isalsoavailable inEnglishand

can be downloaded as a free

e-book:

bit.ly/darum-journal

Athree-dayfurthertrainingcourse

forPRofficersofthePresbyterian

ChurchofGhana(PCG)tookplace

inMay2019.Itwasorganisedby

thePublicRela�onsdepartmentof

thePCG.Itsaimwastoupdatethe

knowledgeofPRofficersinmodern

trends inchurchpublic rela�ons

workandprovidetrainingineffec-

�vewri�ngskillsforchurchmaga-

zines.“NowIknowhowtoactas

administratorforthewebsiteand

social media platforms of the

Presbytery,” said Rev. Ebenezer

AhenkanOwusufromtheAsante

Presbytery.“Itwouldbehelpfulto

organise trainingworkshops like

theseonaregularbasissothatwe

can keepour knowledgeup-to-

date!”

Photo: EMS/Lohnes

Photo: PCG

12

Phot

o: E

MS/

Benj

amin

The EMS at the “Kirchentag” in DortmundThe37thGermanProtestantChurch

Congress(“Kirchentag”)tookplaceinDortmundinJune2019.Asatpreviouschurchcongresses,theEMSwasagainrepresentedonthejointstandofthe

Associa�onofProtestantChurchesandMissioninGermany(EMW).Aspecialhighlightwastheconcertgivenbythe

well-knownacappellagroup“VivaVoce”whoaractedanaudienceofabout10,000peopletotheFriedensplatzin

Dortmund.Theconcertwasco-organisedbytheEMS.

Dortmund.Theconcertwasco-organised

Phot

o: E

MS/

Hes

sel

Photo: EMS/Richter

Photo: EMS/Richter

Photo: EMS/Richter

Asia: EMS churches work more

closely together

Infuture,E

MSmemberchurche

sinSouthKo

rea

andIndiaw

illaddressim

portantissu

estogether.

Atamee�ng

inChennai

,IndiainAu

gust2019,

theyreache

danagreem

enttocoop

eratemore

closelytoge

ther.Theyst

atedthatth

eirspecial

challengesr

angedfrom

themessuc

hasrising

unemploym

ent,theinc

reasingpres

surefrom

dynamicforc

esonthefr

eemarket,viole

nce

againstwo

menandchil

drenorgend

erminori�es,

humantraffickin

gandenvir

onmentalpollu�

on

throughto

thepoli�cal

situa�onin

Korea.

“Reading the Bible through the eyes of another” Forthepast15years,theEMSBiblereadingprojecthasconnected

groupsfromdifferentculturesandcountriesinthesharedreading

ofBiblicaltexts.The148-pagebook“ReadingtheBiblethroughthe

eyesofanother”,publishedin2019,documentsthewiderangeof

experiencesemana�ngfromtheproject.Italsopresentsin-depth

andprac�callessonslearnedfromtheseexperiences.Itisavailable

ontheEMSOnlineShopinGermanandEnglishandcosts€15.

hps://shop.ems-online.org

The EMS at the “Kirchentag” in The EMS at the “Kirchentag” in

13

Photo: EMS/Schaal

The EMS at the Landesmissionsfest

in HeilbronnThe Landesmissionsfest (mission fes�val) of the Eva

ngelical

LutheranChurch inWürembergwasheld inHeilbronn in June

2019.Undertheeventslogan“Lebenschmecken–weltweit”(A

tasteof life–world-wide),over20missionsocie�esandchurch

ini�a�vespresentedtheirwork.TheEvangelicalMission inSoli-

darity (EMS)alsoaendedwithan informa�onstand.“Weare

delightedwithallthosewhocametovisitandtalktousdes

pite

theheat,”saidUweGräbe,MiddleEastLiaisonSecretary,

whowas

presentontheEMSstandtogetherwithcolleaguesandvolunteers.

Middle East conference in

Göttingen and Höxter

TheEMShostedaninterna�

onalconfer-

enceattheUnivers

ityofGö́ngenan

d

attheCop�cmonastery

ofHöxter-

BrenkhauseninAp

ril2019.Theconfer

-

encefocusedonth

eSyrianconflictan

d

itsimpactsontheMiddleEast

.The

conferencethemewas:“T

heimpactsof

currentpoli�calan

dsocialdevelopments

onthewitnessoft

hechurches:�mefor

spiritualrebuilding

?”About50theolo

-

giansandstudents

aendedfrom

Lebanon,Syria,Arm

enia,Pales�ne,the

USA,Germany,Austr

iaandtheNether-

lands.

The EMS at the Landesmissionsfest The EMS at the Landesmissionsfest

Phot

o: E

MS/

Dan

iels

Regional youth group constituted in

South Africa

NowSouth

Africaalso

hasaregio

nalgroupo

ftheEMSYou

th

Network.I

tmetforthefi

rst�meinJ

une2019t

oagreeon

itsfutures

tructurea

ndaims.Am

ongother

things,itp

lans

tomakeregula

rvisitstolo

calyouthg

roupstoin

formthem

aboutthe

workofth

eEMS.The

regionalgr

oupalsoin

tends

tosupport

Germanvo

lunteersfr

omtheEcumenica

lYouth

Volunteers

Programme(EY

VP)during

their stay

inSouth

Africa.

Phot

o: E

MS/

Grä

be

14EXPERIENCING BOTH INTERNATIONAL AND ECUMENICAL DIVERSITY

YOU+ME:FRIENDSAROUNDTHE

WORLD is an EMS educa�onal

programme for children at chil-

dren’s services and at primary

school.Childrenget toknowone

anotherworldwideateyelevelin

anecumenicalcontext.Andthey

areopenforwhattheyshareand

wheretheydiffer.Throughthechil-

dren’sprogramme,theEMSFellow-

shipgains importantexperience

abouthowtoachievesuccesswith

interna�onalisa�on.

Contents and structural basis of

the educational programme

Interna�onalisa�ontakesplaceat

severallevels.Firstly,thecontents

oftheeduca�onalmaterialsallow

thechildrentodiscoverdifferent

cultures.Akey factorhere is the

“Diversity” workbook that was

published in 2018. It has been

printedbymanymemberschurches

“The Friends Programme helps

childrento learnmoreabout the

EMS, itsmissionand itsworkall

over the world. When children

learnabouttheEMSFellowshipat

anearlyage, ithelpsourchurch

strengthenourecumenical rela-

�ons.”

Reverend Mega Kamase Sambo

Toraja Church, Indonesia

“TheFRIENDSprogrammeandits

themes such as “Diversity” and

“GlobalCi�zenship”havebecome

partofmyministry.Sharing this

duringchildren’sservicesencour-

agesourchildrenaswellasour

staff.TheEMSprogrammeshows

us�meandagainhowimportant

globalcoopera�on is in thework

ofchildren’sservices.”

Reverend Heekyung Jeong

Presbyterian Church of Korea

“Ithinkthateduca�onalmaterials

showingpeoplefromothercoun-

triesateyelevelareveryimportant

todevelopanapprecia�ve image

ofmankindandtodistributere-

sourcesfairlyinthisworld.”

Reverend Urd Rust

Protestant Church of

the Palatinate

allovertheworldandisavailable

inGerman, English, Korean and

Indonesian.

Secondly, the interna�onalityof

YOU+ME:FRIENDSAROUNDTHE

WORLD is also reflected in its

structures.Programmemul�pliers

withinthememberchurchesstay

inclosecontactwiththestaffatthe

SecretariatinStugart.In2019,a

volunteerpostwascreatedandit

isplannedtorotatethepostamong

theEMSchurches tosupport the

educa�onalprogramme.Thework

is supervisedbyan interna�onal

advisorycommiee.Exchangealso

takesplaceonvariouscommunica-

�onpla§orms,forexampleablog

orsocialmedia.

YOU+ME: FRIENDS AROUND THE WORLD is an educational programme for children and a building block in the

internationalisation efforts of the EMS Fellowship

Photo: EMS/Jeong

15“CHILDREN SHOULD DESCRIBE THEIR OWN EXPERIENCES”

DrHyunSunOH ispastorof the

PresbyterianChurchinKorea(PCK)

andlecturesintheologyandeduca-

�onatthe“SpaceElizabeth”ins�-

tutenearSeoul.Sheworksasa

volunteer for theEMSchildren’s

programmeandholdsworkshops

withchildren’sserviceco-workers

inSouthKorea. In this interview

shedescribeswhat thisentails in

prac�ce:

How do people in South Korea

respond to the EMS’ offer to work

with children internationally?

Theyappreciatethefactthatthe

topicofdiversitynotonlyincludes

differences but also similari�es

amongchildrenallovertheworld

andthat thebooklet“Diversity”

inviteschildren

tomakecontactwithotherchil-

drenlivingindifferentpartsofthe

world.Theyalsofindtheprac�cal

linktotheBibleveryhelpful.Itisa

goodthingtostartwiththethoughts

andstoriesthechildrenthemselves

talk about and then read about

themtogetherintheBible.

What are your workshops all

about?

Since Korean society sets great

emphasisonsocialsuccess,chil-

dren’s lives are geared towards

compe��on.Childrenareusedto

thinkingwhatotherswouldsayand

consideringwhethertheiranswers

arerightorwrongbeforetheygive

theirownopinions.The“Diversity”

Interview with Reverend Dr Hyun Sun OH about the EMS YOU+ME children’s programme

bookletshowsthatsimpleques-

�onshelpchildrentodescribetheir

ownexperiencesanditencourages

themtosharetheiropinionswith-

outcompe��onorpressure.Ithink

these are strong points in this

programme.

Who attends your workshops?

Mainlypastorswhoareinvolvedin

educa�onalworkfortheirchurch.

What is particularly important

to you when you describe the prin-

ciples of the children’s programme

in a South Korean context?

Chris�anchildren inSouthKorea

needtobeencouragedtoexperi-

enceJesusastheirfriendandnot

astheir judgeorpunisher. Ihope

thatKoreanChris�anchildrenlearn

aboutpeace inthewaythispro-

grammeexplains it. Inadivided

countrysuchasmine,adultsand

childrenareusedtohearingmany

discussionsaboutpeace.Butwhat

we need is real peace in our

everydaylives.

The interview was conducted by

Anna Kallenberger

and Annette Schumm

Photo: EMS/Lohnes

16STANDING TOGETHER IN NEED

ForsomeEMSmemberchurches,

2019wasayearwhentheirvery

founda�onswereshakenbycatas-

trophes.FortheEMSFellowship,it

meantstandingtogetherfirmlyin

solidarity,praying foreachother

andcollec�ngmoneyandexper�se

foremergencyaidandrebuilding.

Herearethreeexamplesofemer-

gencyaidprojectsintheyear2019:

SOUTH AFRICA: REBUILDING

AFTER A MAJOR FIRE

Atthebeginningof2019,amajor

fireguedtheformermissionary

selementofWupperthal.Today,

the selement belongs to the

MoravianChurch inSouthAfrica

(MCSA). The fire destroyed the

historicalcentre,alargenumberof

Examples of lived solidarity in 2019 project work

thatched-roof houses, the

parsonageand the“RedCedar”

rooibosproduc�oncentre. The

boarding school which teaches

pupils from remote selements

wasalsodevouredbytheflames.

Fortunately, theresidentsof the

selementsurvivedbut they lost

their livelihoods.Leµto fend for

themselves, thepoor inhabitants

wouldhavebeenunabletorebuild

theselement.TheMCSAbacked

by funds fromtheEMSfirstpro-

vided food, clothing and emer-

gencysheltersforallthevic�ms.In

themean�me,schoolhasrestarted.

Workonrebuildingthehouses is

s�llinprogress.

INDIA: EMERGENCY AID AFTER

FLOODING

In2019,thesouthernIndianstates

of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil

Naduweredevastatedbyviolent

monsoonrains. In2018,flooding

hadalreadyforcedmanypeopleto

leave or abandon their homes.

Theylostalltheirpossessions.The

ChurchofSouthIndia(CSI)provided

thoseaffectedwithvitalnecessi�es

anddryshelters.Asintheprevious

year, theyoungchurchmembers

helpedtofindmissingrela�vesby

organisingamajor socialmedia

ac�on.

INDONESIA: HOPE AFTER THE

TSUNAMI

InSeptember2018, theground

shook for twentyminutes in the

northof the Indonesian islandof

Sulawesi,followedbyadevasta�ng

tsunami.The IndonesianProtes-

tant Church in Donggala (GPID)

con�nues to struggle with the

aµermathofthisnaturaldisaster.

In2019,theypiedalltheirefforts

tocon�nuerebuilding(seep18).

Photo: MCSA/Engel

17

CONTINUOUS GROWTH IN

PROJECT SUPPORT

Inaddi�ontoemergencyaid,our

long-termprojects–nearlyfortyof

them–con�nuedtoadvanceand

weremodifiedtosuitthecircum-

stances.

Herearesomeexamples:

Formanyyears,theTorajaChurch

(GT)onSulawesihasbeentraining

youngpeople,manyofthemearly

school leavers, at the Technical

TrainingWorkshop“VTCTagan”.

Theyoungadultstraintobecome

carmechanics,mechatronictech-

nicians,heavymachinerydrivers

andITtechnicians.In2019,some

students tookpart inana�onal

technologycompe��on.For the

first�me,twoyoungwomenwere

alsotrainedtobecomeexcavator

operators(seecoverphoto).

ThePresbyterianChurchofGhana

(PCG)offersaPoorandSickFund

tosupport900women,menand

childrenwhocannotaffordhospital

treatment.In2019,theyreceived

medical care at oneof the PCG

healthcarecentres.

NEW FOCUS: PROTECTION OF

NATURE AND THE ENVIRON-

MENT

In2019,Indiaaddedanimportant

projecttopreservethecrea�on–

“Environmentalprotec�onas the

church’smission”.Climatechange

andthe irresponsiblehandlingof

nature result in regular natural

disasters inSouth India.Drought

followedbyheavymonsoonsand

cyclonesdevastatewholeareasof

land,destroyingthelivelihoodsof

thousandsofpeople. TheCSI is

engaging schools and church

co-workersasmul�pliers tostart

Photo: EMS/Edwards-Raudonat

prac�calenvironmentalprotec�on

projects.This isa futuris�cpro-

grammedescribedasexemplary

byUNESCO(seep19).

EMPOWERING WOMEN,

PROMOTING GENDER

EQUALITY

Empoweringwomenremainsone

ofthemainprojectssupportedby

theEMS.Forexample,thePresby-

terian Church of Ghana (PCG)

supports themothersofchildren

suffering fromcerebralpalsyby

providing them with practical

knowledgeonhowtheycanbeer

understand, care for and give

movement therapy to their sick

children.Thewomentraintoearn

their own income by aending

handicraµcoursesandreceiving

microcredits to set up a micro

enterprise.Undertheumbrellaof

thePCG,womenalsorunasmall

animalrearingprojectontheirown

togivethemgreaterfinancialinde-

pendence.

TheChurchofSouth India (CSI)

heldcoursesforyoungwomento

makeupforlostschoolknowledge,

learnself-careandprovidetraining

sothattheycanbecomecounsel-

lorsforfamilyworkandministryin

theirparishes.

18WITH SUPPORT FROM THE EMS FELLOWSHIP

When the earth trembled in

September2018, itwas followed

by an enormous tsunami that

sweptoverthecoast.Thechurch

centreofJono’ogeinPalu,atown

innorthSulawesi,sankunderthe

waters.Atotalofthreequartersof

all churchbuildingsbelonging to

theIndonesianProtestantChurch

inDonggala(GPID)weredestroyed

or damaged. Only one in four

churches survived the disaster

withoutsignificantdamage.

Progress in rebuilding

Inthemean�me,manychurches

havebeenrepaired.Butevenatthe

endof2019,manycongrega�ons

were still celebrating services

underplas�ctarpaulinsandbible

circlesandothereventsweres�ll

beingheldintentsorintheopen

air.Nearlyeverywhere,communi-

�esareworkingon repairingor

rebuildingtheirchurches.Suchas

in theKeselamatan (“Salva�on”)

parish in the villageofMataue,

about30kilometressouthofPalu.

Theoutsidewallsandpartofthe

roofhadtobereplaced.

In2019,justunder450,000euros

wereprovidedforemergencyaid

andrebuilding.Thismoneycame

from the overwhelming help-

fulnessofmanyprivatedonors,

church communities and EMS

memberchurches.Communi�esin

theaffectedregionknowtheyare

supportedbythesolidarityofthe

EMSFellowship.

People are now standing on their

own feet again

And this aid is now benefi�ng

otherpartsofthepopula�on.For

example, in thePalu region,not

onlyhaveelevenmotorboatsbeen

donatedtofishingfamilies.Agricul-

turalequipment,seedsandfer�l-

isershavealsobeendistributedas

well as 30 pregnant sows, 100

piglets,20goatsandabout100,000

youngfishtosecure incomes for

farmingfamilies.Thefirstharvests

werebrought inat themiddleof

2019 – partly maize and sweet

potatoes where rice once grew

beforetheirriga�onchannelswere

destroyed.Bytheendoftheyear,

thepeoplehadrepairedsomeof

theirriga�onsystems,allowingrice

tobeplantedandfishtobereared

againinthericepaddies.

Church communities in Donggala, Indonesia rebuild their churches

Photo: EMS/Lohnes

Photo: EMS/Lohnes

19ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AS THE CHURCH’S MISSION

Theprogrammefor sustainable

environmentaleduca�onby the

Church of South India (CSI) is

targeted at church co-workers,

teachers, studentsandchildren.

The central theme of the pro-

grammeisclimateprotec�on.

Preserving the creation as a Chris-

tian duty

TheCSIistheonlychurchinIndia

whichhasadoptedenvironmental

protec�onasitsmissionaiminits

cons�tu�on,stressing thatChris-

�anshavethemoraldutytopre-

serve God’s crea�on. As a con-

sequence,theCSISynodpublished

itsGreenProtocolforGreenDisci-

pleship in November 2018 – a

12-pointplanwhichcallsuponits

parishestodomoretoprotectthe

environment.

Practical environmental protec-

tion at schools

AspecialfocusistheCSI’sGreen

Schoolprogrammethatwasstarted

in2015.Studentslearnhowtolive

sustainablyandsharethisknowl-

edgewithmembersoftheirfami-

liesandintheircommuni�es.They

areencouragedto learnhowto

thinkcri�callyanddevelopinnova-

�vesolu�onstopromote further

sustainability. Since 2015,more

than2,100schoolshavetakenpart

intheprogramme.

“The430pupilsand17teachers

at the CMS primary school in

Vechoochira(Kerala)arededicated

to saving energy and water,

harvesting rainwater, avoiding

wasteandgrowingvegetablesand

herbsorganically,”reportsProfDr

MathewKoshy Punnackadu,Di-

rectoroftheDepartmentofEcolog-

ical Concerns at the CSI. “The

schoolisamodelforallothersin

thedistrict!”

Pupils audit their environment

Animportantpartoftheprogramme

isaneco-audit thatthestudents

conductthemselvesfortheirschool.

Itformsthesolidbasisforenviron-

mentalmanagementattheschool

and ac�vely involves the en�re

student body. Normal school

subjectscanbetaughtduringthe

audit,forexamplethechildrenhave

tocalculatethevolumeofwaste

produced(mathema�cs),produce

compost (biology),write reports

aboutthisinEnglish,typethisinto

acomputeranddesignaneffec�ve

publicrela�onscampaignonthe

subject of waste management

(languages,computer,socialstud-

ies). Schools canonly call them-

selves“GreenSchools”whenthey

reducewaterconsump�on,op�-

misetheirenergyefficiency,produce

lesswaste,collectandrecyclewater

andofferahealthy learningenvi-

ronment.AccordingtoPunnackadu,

thewelfareofhumanityandthe

environment and the efficient

func�oningof theeconomyul�-

matelydependontheresponsible

handling of the planet’s natural

resources:“Wenolongerwelcome

guestswithflowersorgarlandsbut

withaliletree!”

Green School programme teaches sustainable ways of living

Photo: CSI

20ACTING IN SOLIDARITY

Perseveranceandtenacityarethe

rules thatwere imposeduponus

allovertheworldin2020.Itismy

dutyandwishtoreportontheyear

2019.Admiedly,wehaveallbeen

markedby theeventsof2020,a

yeardominatedbythecoronavirus

pandemic. Itwas triggeredbya

virus that causes respiratory

diseaseswhich,intheworstcase,

mayresultinseriousillnessoreven

death.Sofar,thereisnovaccineor

healingmedicines.Theworldhas

goneintoshutdown.Peoplemust

distance themselves from each

other toreducetheriskof infec-

�on. And what we have never

known before: churches and

housesofGodmustremainclosed.

Worshipservicestakeplacevirtu-

ally–asdopartsofworkinglife.

More solidarity is needed with less

financial means

Whatisexpectedofusallnowis

especially perseverance and

tenacity.AtEaster2020–when I

waswri�ngtheselines–wewere

rightinthemiddleofa�mewhen

wewereaskedtostayathomeand

minimisepersonalcontacts.“Jesus

Christ has arisen!” That is the

messageweproclaimatEaster.It

isamessagethatnowtakesona

new meaning for every single

personinthisworldwidecrisis.But

mostofall,itisalsoachallengefor

thefutureworkoftheEvangelical

MissioninSolidarity.

Duetothecoronaviruspandemic,

ourMissionmust transformthis

challengeintosolidaritywithinthe

interna�onalcontextofitschurches

andmissionsocie�es–ata�me

when the financial basis of the

churchesandtheirorganisa�onsin

Germanyhasdwindled.

The historical background

Perseveranceandtenacitywere

alsoexpectedfromthefirstmission-

aries who travelled to different

con�nents to sow the seeds of

Chris�anfaith. In theuMzinyathi

region inZululandabout80kilo-

metres inland from the eastern

coastofSouthAfricathereisafarm

thatwasstartedbytheHermanns-

burgmissionariesandcalled“Perse-

verance”. In the early 1850s, a

groupofmissionariesandcraµsmen

fromtheregionbuiltaselement

whichtheycalledHermannsburg

aµertheplace intheLüneburger

Heide (Lueneburg Heath) from

whencetheystarted.Aµertheyhad

triedunsuccessfullytoseledown

in Ethiopia, they sailed further

alongtheAfricancoastun�l they

reached Port Natal on the east

coastofSouthAfrica,nowcalled

Durban.Theysetoffonastrenuous

trek to the vast area of frui§ul

rollinghillsofZululandwherethey

started toworkwith thepeople

there.Theyneededperseverance

toenduretheharsh livingcondi-

�onsandthetendershootofChris-

�an iden�tygrewveryslowly.Of

course,theseweredifferentchal-

lengesthatrequiredperseverance

andtenacity.Nevertheless,itisonly

throughexperiencessuchasthese

willwe face the challenges that

havenowbeenimposedonus.

Ministry and mission – the foun-

dations of the churches

Weallrealisethatthe�meAFTER

Covid-19willalsobea�meWITH

Covid-19. Itwill changeour lives

and thewaywe live. Itwillalso

bringchangesinhowweconduct

ourselvesatworkandinourdu�es.

Wecanalsoregardthisasanop-

Seeking a new future from deep inside a pandemic

Photo: EMS/Lohnes

21

portunity.Thechurchwillhaveto

reconsider itsdu�esofministry

andmission–theyaresubstan�al

partsofitsfounda�on.Theorgan-

isa�onswhichexecutethesedu�es

inandwiththechurchwillhaveto

beregroupedandrestructuredto

maintainastablefounda�on.The

EMSwillbepartofthis. Its inter-

na�onal standingandproclama-

�onofsolidarity–infullawareness

of itsmissionary responsibility–

willbeable tocontribute to the

stabilityofthisfounda�onincoop-

era�onwithothermissionsocie-

�es.This iswhereweneedper-

severanceaswellasclearaims.

Many thanks to all congregations

and private donors

Despite everything that has

happenedin2020,weshouldnot

losesightofourretrospectofthe

year2019.Asinpreviousyears,the

annual financial statement is

balancedbya further increase in

necessaryreserves.Wewouldlike

toextendourspecialthankstoall

congrega�onsandprivatepersons

for theirofferingsanddona�ons

whichwereagainpleasinglyhigh

in2019.Thishasallowedustoback

manyprojects andprogrammes

andalsoprovideemergencyaid.In

2019,asignificantamountofdona-

�onswenttoprovidingextensive

supporttotheDonggalaregionon

Sulawesiwhichwasbadlyhitbythe

earthquakeandtsunamiandalso

forreliefsenttotheflooddisaster

in Kerala, India. A special aid

package went to the people in

Wupperthal,themissionarysta�on

in the Cedar mountains in the

WesternCapeofSouthAfrica.The

townwasalmostdestroyedbya

majorfireattheturnoftheyear

2018/2019.Thepeopleaffectedby

theseincidentsmustalsosummon

upperseveranceandtenacity.Our

financial as well as moral and

spiritualhelpshouldgoalileway

towardshelping them return to

normality.Forthisreason,theaid

providedbytheEMS;inpar�cular

between itsmembers,cannotbe

regardedprimarilyasemergency

aid.Itservesasimmediatereliefto

createthecondi�onstobringlife

backon track. This is lived soli-

darity.Thereportsfrompeopleand

churches in theaffectedregions

areproofof this. It ispleasingto

seeandknowthattheaidsentalso

helped tochange things for the

beer.

Closing ranks while maintaining

social distancing

Solidarityandcollec�veac�onwill

require �me, especially in the

future.Inorderforustocarryout

ourmissionandour responsibili-

�es in futureaschurchagencies

andorganisa�ons,wewillhaveto

closeranks,especially in�mesof

“personaldistancing”.Thedoorfor

thisopportunitymayonlybeopen

foralimitedperiodof�meandit

requirescourageousdecisions to

con�nuewithourChris�anvalues

and ecumenical andmissionary

work.Wehavethemoralreserves

to do this. But we s�ll have to

summon up perseverance and

tenacity.

Rudolf Bausch

Executive Secretary

22

Revenues 2019: € 7,690,212.00 (2018 € 8,125,520.04)

Expenditures 2019: € 7,690,212.00 (2018 € 8,125,520.04)

Contribu�onsfrommemberchurches

€4,116,428.96(2018 € 4,009,650.73)

Dona�ons,offerings

2,885,124.77€(2018 € 3,100,146.03)

Projectrefundsandsubsidies

€379,115.32(2018 € 454,131.14)

Withdrawalfromfreereserves

€95,000.00(2018 € 213,000.00)

Interest,dividends

€106,047.12(2018 € 107,919.83)

Reversalofprojectaccruals

€8,486.00(2018 € 99,988.96)

Rentalrevenues

€95,327.10(2018 € 96,991.42)

Salefromprojects

€4,468.93(2018 € 42,874.92)

Annualsurplus

€213.80(2018 € 817.01)

Projectdona�onstopartners

€3,173,577.85(2018 € 3,325,682.73)

Staffcosts,programmes

€1,648,080.70(2018 € 1,730,795.31)

Staffcosts,administra�on

€971,429.07(2018 € 878,956.77)

Materialcosts,programmes

€582,087.71(2018 € 842,865.96)

Materialcosts,administra�on

€509,158.89(2018 € 739,359.16)

Alloca�ontoreserves(pensions)

€300,000.00(2018 € 300.000,00)

Staffcosts,ecum.co-workers

€250,205.96(2018 € 240,208.60)

Write-offs

€46,666.95(2018 € 41,292.42)

Costsofproductsales

€209,004.87(2018 € 26,359.09)

FINANCIAL STATEMENT 2019: OVERVIEW OF REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES

23

UNITED AGAINST CORONA

Thecoronavirusholds theen�reworld in itsgripanddoesnotstopat thecountriesof theEMS

memberchurches.Mostofall,thepandemichashittheweakestandthepooresttotallyunprepared.

Thelocalchurchesandcommuni�esaremakinganindispensablecontribu�ontoalleviatethosewho

areinneed.Inthemean�me,manyofthehelpinghandsarenowrelyingonsupportthemselves.

“Thehealthandeconomic impactsofthecoronaviruspandemicaredrama�c in India, Indonesia,

SouthAfricaandtheMiddleEast.Thereisenormousdemandforprotec�vecoveringsandmedical

care.Duetothelockdowns,manypeoplehavelosttheirjobs,”saysEMSGeneralSecretary,Reverend

DrDieterHeidtmann,describingtheurgencyofthesitua�on.

Ontopofall that, thecoronavirus is severely tes�ngthespiritual lifeofEMSmemberchurches.

Worshipserviceshavestoppedinmanyplacesbecauseoftheriskofinfec�on.Socialworkandministry

arealsoattheirlimits.Nowthatthechurcheshavelosttheirincomefromcollec�ons,theycannot

maintaintheseservicesanylonger.

Donate now! With every Euro you make a vital contribution towards empowering people during

the Covid-19 crisis – and beyond. Thank you for your help!

God’s spirit can be experienced wherever people stand by one another in times of need. The

Evangelical Mission in Solidarity (EMS) has launched an appeal for donations under the slogan

“Living. Solidarity. Worldwide. United Against Corona” to support its member churches.

DONATION ACCOUNT

Evangelische Mission in Solidarität e.V.

Evangelische Bank – IBAN: DE85 5206 0410 0000 0001 24

Purpose: “United Against Corona”

Living·Solidarity·Worldwide

UnitedAgainstCorona

Phot

o: P

ixab

ay/C

anic

eus

ThememberchurchesoftheEvangelicalMissioninSoli-

darity(EMS)inAfrica,AsiaandGermanyarecommiedto

proclaimingtheGospel�edtodiaconalandsocialministry.

Through itsprojects, theysetvisiblesignsofsolidarity,

charityandpeace.Theygiveavoicetothedisadvantaged,

promotedialoguebetweenreligions,carefortheelderly

andthesickandopenuplifeopportuni�estochildrenand

youngpeople.

Do you want to share in this valuable work? Then discover

the EMS Foundati on for Mission in Partnership.

Anendowmentintheformofabequestorlegacyallows

youtomakealong-terminvestmentinprojectsoftheEMS

Fellowshiptohelpshapeamorepeacefulandrighteous

worldofthefuture.

YOUR CONTACT

Dr Dieter Heidtmann

General Secretary

Tel.:

+49(0)71163678-21

Email:

heidtmann@ems-online.org

SETTING A SIGN OF SOLIDARITY

Photo: EMS/Karasch-Böttcher