Newsletter to Members and Friends Global Challenges
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No 14 Christmas 2015 Newsletter to members and friends Thandeka abangame, dear Friends of Partnership, -Chairperson’s Word liebe Mitglieder und Freunde sowie Freundinnen von Global Challenges Dear friends of partnership, This is our Newsletter No. 14, Refugees worldwide – this head- Christmas 2015 line is not from a newspaper from 1945, when the Second World War greet you all in found an end after 6 years fight ing the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. and 12 years racism in the heart of europe. sinakhonza yon- 70 years later, this headline is the ke egameni leNkosi wethu uJesu aktuel challange we face in our Christu. countrys, in Europe and in South We all are preparing for Christmas Africa. Africa, the mother of human to welcome our saviour among us. life, suffers. People don't know Despite all the commercial and dif- how to live in their countries where Photo: Diakonie-Katastrophenhilfe ferent other distractions which are not only in Germany connected they had been born. How to live in bad ones. But who are the good with these weeks before Christmas peace? How to live in economic and who are the bad. Are those we prepare thoroughly for the days autonomy? How to live in God’s who fight with weapons for food, of Christmas. Ten thousands of re- creation which nature is touched autonomy, partizipation, are they fugees from Middle East and Afri- by international companies. the only bad ones? Why do they can countries come to Germany, After the birth of the United Nations, feel that they have to fight for their Christ ians, Muslims and followers life worldwide is far away from all rights? What do they need to feel of other religions. German people aims the United Nations declared that they are part of the humanity welcome them, nevertheless it is a with its foundation 70 years ago. in the world and have the right to huge challenge to host them all. In To live as a human being under live in peace? Matthew 25, 31-46 these days we remind and celebra- the agenda of the United Nations was interpret ed to us from the new te this unique present which God – what does that mean to women, dean of Melle-Georgsmarienhütte gave to all humankind when sending men and children of the world? circuit, Hannes Meyer-ten Thoren, Jesus Christ into this world. Our Who signed that paper? Are the- in his inauguration. The message is Lord himself encountered a hostile, dangerous world. We should never se nations still exixting? Or are easy to understand. But why does forget! they now governed by anarchy, it not work? This is the question personal egoism or religios fana- and the challenge we face in 2016. tism? Borders of states are not any longer existing. World wide web makes new borders: Here are Elke Eilers Heribert Duscha the good ones and there are the 1 News from Friends of Partnership Friends of Partnership Annual General Membership Meeting The annual general membership meeting 2015 was held in the conference room of the Melle- Georgsmarienhütte youth ser- vice in Melle on the 19th of May. The topics of the agenda had been amendments to the Artic- les of the Associations’ consti- tution, elections for the council, cash audit, project-report Bi- shopstowe and annual grant for The new council of Friends of Partnership: the Bishopstowe project. (from left) Susanne Storck, Elke Eilers, Rev. Heribert Duscha, Franziska Hesse The constitution of the Associa- The cash-position of friends of Elke Eilers gave an overview to the tion had been adjusted to the partnership had been by the date work of the association in the mee- new structures of the Evangeli- of the meeting: 7.191,42 €. ting of the circuit council in Bram- cal Lutheran circuits in the region sche. of Osnabrück. Some objectives Rev. Duscha gave a report to the At the end of 2015, the deans of had been revised. For the future, Bishopstowe-project and the first Umgeni, Umfoti and Durban visi- Friends of Partnership will work on steps in the new direction (animal ted the Osnabrück Region to take to encourage the engagement of farming). The members gave a very part in the inauguration of the new the parishes in the Partner circuits positive response to this develop- Dean of Georgsmarienhütte-Melle against racism and poverty. ment. The annual grant to the pro- circuit. Anke Meckfessel invited all ject was defined by the assembly Members of the partnership Com- New following members have to be 3,000 €, transferred to the mittees in the region of Osnabrück, been elected to be the new account of ELCSA-SED Umngeni the partners from Pirna circuit and council for two years: Circuit. friends of Partnership for a mee- Chairlady: Elke Eilers ting with the Deans from South Af- Deputy Chairman: Heribert Duscha Further more the meeting decided rica in Buer. In this meeting, Elke Secretary: Susanne Stock that Eckhard Eilers will install and Eilers, as the new Chairlady, gave Treasurer: Franziska Hesse. design a homepage of Friends of a positive vote for the cooperation Partnership in the internet. First of Friends of Partnership with the results are visible at circuits in the future and embodied www.friends-of-partnership.net or her hope, that friends of partner- http://friends-of-partnership.net ship will be also named with its (depending on the type of browser supply in the new contract of the you are using). circuits partnership work in 2016. The Council of Friends of Partner- Activities of Friends of Partner- ship discussed in its last meeting ship council in 2015 and 2016 in 2015, how to support the pari- To prepare the amendments to shes in the partner circuits in their the constitution of the association efforts to the help for refugees in it was necessary to clarify, if the their regions. This Theme is viru- circuit of Osnabrück would like to lent in Germany as well as in Sou- join the association. The conduc- th-Africa. tions of conversation, which Rev. With the beginning of 2016, Elke Duscha had with the partnership Eilers is asking all parishes to send committee of Osnabrück circuit ideas to Friends of Partnership came to the conclusion, not to how the association may assist. contract yet. However, Bramsche E-Mail: [email protected] circuit renewed its contract and 2 News from Friends of Partnership Friends of Partnership The project site is developing strongly With joy the members of Friends of Partnership saw these photos and heard report about the progress of the project, which is now called "Farming Project – Churches Agape Foods". The donation of 3,000 € (see page 2) will be invested to renovate the second cot- tage for the project workers (see photo left bottom). FARMING PROJECT "Churches Agape Foods." I was impressed by the good conditions in the site. They grow onions, spinach (mangold), cab- bage and potatoes in the fields with the help of a tractor spent by the department of agriculture. Higher up in site you will find a piggery where they feed 50 pigs until butcher. There is as well a temporary stable for ducks. Two women and a man take care of the project. They sell the products on private level and on the market. Monika Schlonski 3 Church life: News from Umngeni circuit Mtulwa parish Mpumalanga parish Help from Sweden? Kindergarden reopened 19th of May, after the visit of Bi- May and he had some news from shop Buthelezi to eMtulwa, self Sweden that he has to take rounds supporting Pastor Sbongile Nxu- checking the condition of all chur- malo reported: Sawubona, Baba ch buildings that were built by Duscha, I have some good news them so that they can be repaired. though there's no promise yet. The So the Dean tried to introduce the Bishop visited us on the tenth of issue of Ekhamanzi church. Bishop explained that Sweden people are concerned about stone houses Due to many supporters in Melle they built, not any house - and will Oldendorf Parish, the Kindergarten only do repairs if needed. But he in Mpumalanga could be renovat- went to Ekhamanzi with the Dean ed. Melle Oldendorf partnership to see how it looks like & to take workers say, it is wonderful to ex- somes pictures. We are therefore perience that the long grown part- waiting to hear what they gonna nership enabled again to realize say. this project – of course empow- God bless you. ered by Pastor Keding's involve- From Sibongile ment. It is true, that especially this kindergarden reminds us all of the Nhlangakazi Parish beginning of partnership in 1973 Lutheran Heritage under the guidance of the Pastors Ms Lungile Nathikazi, Dalton, re- nary from Sweden, Rev Ljungquist, Bhengu and Meier. 4th of October, ported 10th of October about the who founded the Appelsbosch Lu- the kindergarden was officially reo- Lutheran Heritage in Nhlangakazi theran Church found sanctuary. pened by Bishop Buthelezi in the Parish. ”This is where the missio- People at the time were against presence of Pastor Keding. Christianity because they asso- ciated it with the White men who had come into “their” country to “take their land”. People who had converted into Christianity would “disappear” every Sunday mor- ning to go worship in secrecy at these caves. A young girl who had also converted to Christiani- ty was among these people. Her own father, Qanana Nsele, on fin- ding out about what his daughter had been doing, hunted her down Communion service was celebra- and killed her with a knobkerrie in ted there in the cave.” these caves.