04.03.2024

Andar Parlindungan Inaugurated as UEM General Secretary

Rev. Dr. Andar Parlindungan Pasaribu, here after the worship service, leads the UEM Management Team as General Secretary. Photo by: Johannes Schermuly / UEM

With a celebratory service in Wuppertal (Germany), Rev. Dr. Andar Parlindungan Pasaribu has been inaugurated as UEM’s new General Secretary.

The 47-year-old theologian and father of three children comes from UEM member church HKBP*, which is Indonesia's largest Protestant church. Before becoming General Secretary, he was responsible for international education work as head of the department "Global Program I" and member of the UEM Management Team.

During the service on March 1^st, Andar Parlindungan and his predecessor, Rev. Volker Martin Dally, gave a dialogue sermon together. They emphasized trust in God as their motivating power, especially in difficult times like the pandemic, or within discussions about where to go in mission. UEM Moderator Bishop Dr. Abednego Keshomshahara, head of Tanzanian ELCT / NWD*, lead the service and inaugurated the new General Secretary.

Dally is leaving with a strong sense that UEM is capable of facing current and future challenges as an international organization, especially because of its strong member churches in Asia and Africa. He reached his retirement age together with the end of his term of office. He was released from the service of his church EKKW* and from his duties as UEM General Secretary by EKKW Bishop Beate Hofmann.

For Andar Parlindungan, working with UEM is a spiritual journey. His hope is that UEM will continue to develop its internationalizing works and structures. UEM should be a common home, where all people are welcomed equally, leaving no space for discrimination and racism: “My hope is that the mentality of givers and receivers will end, that all of us in Africa, Asia and Germany will be able to give within our capacity and in solidarity with our society.”

*HKBP = Huria Kristen Batak Protestan (Christian-Protestant Church of the Batak)

*ELCT/NWD = Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania, North Western Diocese

*EKKW = Evangelische Kirche von Kurhessen-Waldeck (Evangelical Church of Electoral Hesse and Waldeck)