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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
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