21.12.2022

"You can hear the house breathing."

For 25 years now in service: Gisela Krefta, Team Leader Housekeeping of UEM Wuppertal. © Foto by: Johannes Schermuly, UEM

Gisela Krefta has been with the UEM for 25 years: first in housekeeping at what was then the “Ökumenische Werkstatt” Ecumenical Workshop in Wuppertal, Germany, later at Hester Needham House as housekeeping manager, and finally at what is now Mission House. The initiative came from a newspaper advertisement, which invited her to apply to the UEM - to this day, she thinks it was a good decision.

With the move to the Mission House, she worked less for guests who came to the UEM and more for the UEM staff. She particularly enjoys the wide scope she has in shaping her work. She says in retrospect: "It was great fun for me from the very beginning, especially because of my colleagues."

One of the constants in these 25 years is the strong sense of belonging together among the employees. Later, at a summer party, the term "VEMily" emerged from conversations among the employees, which also stands for the fact that the departments see and appreciate one another.

For her, a good working day is one in which there is a lot going on: There is a lot to organize, for example for a major event with catering, there is a lot to do. But in the end, people go home happy, and peace returns to the house. "At moments like that, you can hear the house breathing," says Gisela Krefta. Then she knows what makes her like her work so much.

We thank Gisela Krefta for 25 years of good cooperation and wish her God's blessing.