(06.06.2009) At the end of the German Regional Assembly of the United Evangelical Mission (UEM) taking place yesterday and today in Wuppertal, the about 50 delegates of the six German member churches and of the von Bodelschwingh Institutions Bethel proposed several resolutions to be adopted by the UEM General Assembly.
Like the regional assemblies in Africa and Asia, the German Regional Assembly is preparing its contribution for the next UEM General Assembly which will take place in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) in October 2010 under the theme of “culture, violence and the response of the churches”.
This theme also includes the “use and misuse of state power in different cultures”. In this context, the German Regional Assembly recommends inviting both victims of human rights violations and advocates of human rights from the UEM member churches to attend the General Assembly. Likewise, the delegates want the question to be discussed of how the capacity building of church workers in the area of human rights and peace work may be continued and extended. In addition, the question shall be addressed of how the members of the UEM could cooperate even more closely in these areas to act externally.
In order to “overcome domestic violence”, the German Regional Assembly recommends the compilation of existing measures both from the region of Germany and from Africa and Asia. These compilations should be presented at the UEM General Assembly and be a basis of the discussion of further measures. The delegates also discussed other aspects of the theme, such as “dealing with power in the UEM” and “discrimination in intercultural encounters”.
After in June 2008 the previous Chairwoman of the German Regional Assembly, Mrs. Regine Buschmann (von Bodelschwingh Institutions Bethel), had been elected Moderator of the UEM General Assembly, Mr. Ulrich Möller (Evangelical Church of Westphalia) had assumed the chairmanship temporarily. The new Chairman elected is Ahlerich Ostendorp, pastor of the Evangelical-Reformed Church; his elected deputy is Barbara Rudolph, official of the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland.
The German Regional Assembly started on Friday with an opening service taking place in the Wuppertal Prison. In addition to the delegates, more than twenty prisoners attended the service, which had been prepared together with the Evangelical prison chaplain.
