25.10.2012

Moderator Regine Buschmann confirmed in office

Diaconess Regine Buschmann was re-elected as the moderator of the United Evangelical Mission. Mrs. Buschmann, representing the UEM member v. Bodelschwingh Foundations, got 57 out of 59 votes at the General Assembly today. She now serves as moderator - chairwoman of the council, the supervisory board of UEM - for another four years. The General Assembly also elected the thirteen other Council members and the Vice Moderators. Vice moderators are: Florence Mukabano Gasatura (Anglican Church of Rwanda, EAR) for Afrika, Willem Simarmata (Batak Protestant Christian Church, HKBP) for Asia and Barbara Rudolph (Evangelical Church in the Rhineland, EKiR) for Germany. In addition to the elections, the General Assembly decided on future focus areas of UEM work: e.g. Evangelisation and Popular Culture, Inclusion and human rights for differentially abled people, Climate justice and Environmental protection, Interreligious dialogue, Ageing, HIV/Aids or believe in demons and witchcraft in different cultures. Additional programmtic focus areas will remain the partnership, youth and women work. The Westphalian, the Rhenish and the Lippe Church also invited UEM member churches in Africa and Asia to discuss about the importance of reformation for the worldwide oikumene on the background of the 500 years of reformation jubilee 2017. Finally, the UEM admitted the Pakpak Dairi Christian Protestand Church (GKPPD) as its 36th member. The members of the new UEM Council: Africa

• Benson Bagonza (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, Karagwe Diocese, ELCT-KAD)
• Victoria Kisyombe (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, Eastern and Coastal Diocese, ELCT-ECD)
• Kakule Molo (Baptist Church in Central Africa, CBCA)
• Florence Mukabano Gasatura (Anglican Church of Rwanda, EAR)

Asia

• Elvira Makuba (Evangelical Christian Church in Tanah Papua, GKI-TP)
• Dulce Pia Rose (United Church of Christ in the Philippines, UCCP)
• Willem Simarmata (Batak Protestant Christian Church, HKBP)
• Petrus Sugito (Christian Church of Northern Central Java, GKJTU)

Germany

• Ahlerich Ostendorp (Evangelical reformed Church, ErK)
• Helga Rau (Evangelical Chruch in Hesse and Nassau, EKHN)
• Barbara Rudolph (Evangelical Church in the Rhineland, EKiR)
• Annette Salomo (Evangelical Church of Westphalia, EKvW)

Youth delegate

• Chintani Abeysinghe (Methodist Church of Sri Lanka, MC-SL)