|
We
celebrate and strengthen our German-American partnership |
| Ten
years ago the Ohio Conference and the Indiana Kentucky Conference
established a partnership with the Evangelical Church of Westphalia in
central Germany. This partnership grew out of the 20-year-old commitment
of the United Church of Christ and the Evangelical Church of Union
(which in 1980 was in both East and West Germany) to Kirchengemeinschaft,
or full communion.
During the first two weeks of September 2000, a team of seven persons from the Ohio Conference and seven persons from the Indiana Kentucky Conference traveled to Germany to meet with our German partners and develop goals for the relationship between the three entities into the future. This is the story of that trip. |
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| The
UCC
group from Ohio flew into Munich, boarded a bus with a group of
Germans from Isselhorst, and set off on a sightseeing tour. On
such a trip, you might expect communication problems and
hesitant mixing of the groups. But these people who live an
ocean apart greeted each other warmly, talking and laughing like
old friends—which they were.
"If you didn’t hear their accents, you couldn’t tell which were Germans and which were Americans. The people from Isselhorst and Oak Creek know each other better than they know some of the people in their own congregations," said John Long, pastor of Oak Creek UCC in Kettering. The Rev. Long and members of his congregation visited Oak Creek’s sister church, the Evangelical Church of Isselhorst, in September, continuing a 7-year relationship between the two churches that embodies the spirit of Kirchengemeinschaft, or full communion, that the UCC and the Evangelical Church of the Union (EKU) established in 1980. In 1990, the Indiana-Kentucky Conference (IKC) and the Ohio Conference (OC) strengthened the relationship by forming a partnership with the Evangelical Church of Westphalia, a group of EKU churches similar to a UCC Conference. The Oak Creek members were part of a delegation of 15 from the OC and IKC that visited Germany for two weeks in September. The purpose of the visit was to celebrate and renew commitment to the relationship between the denominations. Delegates from each country shared stories of common mission projects, visits between congregations, and exchanges of pastors, students, choirs and members over the past ten years. The group made plans for the future and renewed their commitment to their relationship as part of the worldwide Church. Both sides are committed to developing exchange programs that will involve laypersons as well as clergy. After the delegations’ leaders signed a formal covenant, the Americans spent a week visiting local EKU parishes, developing personal relationships between people from the two cultures. Sam Schroeder, pastor of St. John UCC in Defiance, said that his parish hosts were "simply delightful and gracious." Rev. Schroeder had a particularly deep immersion in German culture. "On Tuesday I discovered that the pastor thought it would be a good idea if I preached in German on Sunday. This was my most anxious moment during the visit, but the pastor and congregation were tolerant of my imperfections," said Pastor Schroeder. Rev. Leslie Taylor, Ohio Conference moderator, does not speak German but found ways to communicate with the young daughter of the family with whom she stayed. "We ‘spoke’ by pointing to words in a German-English dictionary," she said. "One of the most exciting moments was to see people coming together from different cultural traditions, celebrating our unity through faith," said Laurie Hafner, pastor of Pilgrim UCC in Cleveland.
Two experiences were especially meaningful for Pastor Hafner. The first was a visit to the Bethel care center for people affected by mental retardation or developmental disabilities, which was the model for the UCC’s Emmaus Homes. "I have known about Bethel since I was a child," Hafner said. "It is an incredible area of ministry in Germany. It was inspiring to see what they do to support people who are disabled on many different levels." The second highlight for Rev. Hafner was getting to know a young woman pastor who is also a wife and mother, trying to raise three young children while maintaining a struggling church. "She is creative, spirited and committed," said Rev. Hafner. "We share common problems, joys and challenges as women in parish ministry." The trip allowed the Oak Creek group to strengthen their friendships with members of the Evangelische Kirche in Isselhorst. This was just the latest in a series of exchange visits between the two congregations that began in 1992 with a visit to the U.S. by several German pastors. The Rev. and Mrs. Long became friends with one of the pastors, Reinhard Koelsch, and his wife Heike. The couples have since traveled together in the U.S. and Germany. Between 1996 and 1998 three group visits were exchanged. There were also individual visits. In April 2000, Mary Long attended the baptism of the Koelsch’s son in Isselhorst. Between visits, letters and many emails flow between the two cities. John Long expressed a feeling that is likely shared by all the travelers. "The greatest thing about this partnership is getting to know people in another culture as individuals," he said. These are the relationships that will make it possible to carry out the mission of Kirchengemeinschaft: In response to God’s call, our mission is to build upon our common heritage to learn from one another what it means to be Christian faced with the challenges in our respective countries and in today’s world. |
| The Ohio Conference
representatives on the trip to Germany were:
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Rev. Leslie Carole Taylor, Columbus, Moderator of the Ohio
Conference