06.09.2023

...but with ecumenism I go on!

Rev. Ursula Thomé (left) with Angelika Veddeler, Team Leader of the Regional Service. Photo by: Johannes Schermuly, UEM

For 20 years she worked for international ecumenism, networking people, contexts and perspectives: Now Rev. Ursula Thomé has retired from her ministry at the United Evangelical Mission.

In 2003, she had started at the then Community Service for Mission and Ecumenism of EKiR* Church. Here she was able to put her passion for ecumenical cooperation to full use: Ever since her student days, when she was a steward at an international anti-racism conference and studied in Bossey / Geneva, ecumenism had been one of her greatest concerns. When the Regional Service of the UEM was created in 2022, she was part of the team there and was responsible for the region "Western Ruhr Area".

In an interview with Annika Lante from the Church District at Ruhr River, she says about opportunities to learn in ecumenism: "We have to put aside our thinking of dominance. We in Germany and Western Europe often have the tendency to 'know how to do it'. We think we are good at organising - the Christians from the global South think this is typically German and ask me, 'Do you think we wouldn't organise big conferences here?' But most of the time we only mean well and want to do everything as right as possible. And then we overlook the fact that there is more than just our way of doing things."

She has now retired with a worship service in the Church District at Ruhr River and a farewell celebration at the UEM. However, she will continue to work on ecumenism: for example, a book project on formative women of the ecumenical movement is coming up: "With Love and Compassion".

We thank Ursula Thomé for her service in ecumenism and wish her all the best for her retirement.

*EKiR = Evangelische Kirche im Rheinland (Evangelical Church in the Rhineland, Germany)