Encounter, Cooperation and Partnership with Africa and Asia

The most important work of the German Region of the UEM is to further encounters and cooperation between congregations, church districts, regional churches and groups in the African, Asian and German member churches, for example through arranging visiting groups and guests, theme-orientated events, intercultural communication training and language courses. The German Region supports the existing partnership relations within the UEM in particular by offering further training for those active in partnership work, by linking up partnership groups and offering assistance in the preparation and evaluation of delegation visits and visitors’ programmes.

Competence-Networks

The UEM provides competent information and resources for the German member churches as regards the current church, political, economic, cultural and social situation of its member churches in Africa and Asia. It also informs competently on mission, ecumenism, development and special subjects connected to these, such as human rights and HIV/AIDS. Our high degree of competence stems from long-term direct contacts with the member churches in Africa and Asia. Our country secretaries and programme secretaries, as well as the staff from Africa and Asia working here in Germany, provide us with information and have long years of experience, as do people returned from North–South exchange programmes and volunteers. The UEM gladly passes on such experience – for example in the training courses and seminars at our educational institutions, the Ecumenical Workshops in Wuppertal and Bethel.  

Exchange of Personnel

Experiences and new ideas collected during international exchanges of personnel strengthen the relations between the churches and the vBA Bethel within the UEM and help each member church in its own development.  The UEM offers a wide range of opportunities to work in the African and Asian member churches (North-South exchange). At the same time the UEM supports church districts and regional churches in employing staff from Africa or Asia (South-North exchange). The exchange of young adult volunteers is a special focus of this work.

Missionary work through support of evangelism and commitment to Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation

All the churches in the UEM are facing great missionary challenges. The German Region of the UEM helps its German members to face these challenges and to be aware of new ideas and suggestions from the African and Asian member churches.

The German Region communicates the current mission-theological developments in Africa and Asia to the German churches, supports missionary activities and introduces the German churches to practical approaches from the member churches in Africa and Asia. It is not only the African and Asian member churches who play an important role in evangelistic projects, but also the non-German speaking congregations and migrant congregations in Germany. Through the programme “Cooperation between German and non-German speaking congregations”, the German region of the UEM supports German congregations and migrant congregations in their attempts for better cooperation in the long-term.

The German Region of the UEM supports the German member churches in their commitment to Peace, Justice and the Integrity of Creation, especially in cooperation with the African and Asian member churches. To this end the Region is involved in lobby and advocacy work and cooperates in various German and international networks. 

The German Region of the UEM works at various levels:

the Regional Coordination with its headquarters in the mission house in Wuppertal is responsible for putting what has been decided into practice. The team of the German Region of the UEM consists of the Regional Coordinator, the Partnership Secretary, and the staff member in the programme “Cooperation between German and non-German speaking congregations”, three office staff and the teams in the ecumenical Workshops Bethel and Wuppertal.

The German Region Assembly (DRV) is made up of delegates from the member churches and the vBA Bethel and is responsible for deciding on the subjects and aims for the work of the German Region. The work is also supported by members of the committees of the DRV and the German members of the Council of the UEM. The regional church department heads, officers, institutions and those commissioned by the German member churches work in close cooperation with the German Region of the UEM, as do those who work in the field of planning coordinating and implementing work in the fields of mission, ecumenism and development. In particular:

• the Desks for Education for Mission and Ecumenism in the EKiR
• the Office for Mission, Ecumenism and World Responsibility of the EKvW
• the Ecumenical Centre and  those with special job descriptions in the EKHN
• EKKW
• the representatives for ecumenism and mission in the Evangelical Reformed Church
• the Church of  Lippe
• and the v. Bodelschwingh Diaconal Centre Bethel
  

The work in the German Region of the UEM is carried out together with these groups and their regional staff, regional working groups and ecumenical committees etc. as well as the partnership groups and other interested people at congregation or church district level.  This work could not continue without the commitment of the many voluntary workers who support the work and the aims of the UEM with their time, their prayers and their money.