Pastor Anne Detjen is the Bishop’s Secretary for Missional Congregation Development in Germany. She recently attended a Missional Church Consultation Initiative (MCCI) weekend at Rapid City First UMC in South Dakota.  As part of the MCCI experience she connected with Bea Stucke, Administrative Assistant to the Director of Ministries for the Dakotas Conference.  Bea was born and raised in Germany and her parents and siblings still live near Bremen, Germany. Pastor Anne and Bea have kept in contact after connecting in Rapid City.  They recently have been sharing thoughts about Bishop Ough’s 2015 Thanksgiving Appeal.  Here is a note for Pastor Anne about the current situation of refugees entering her community in Germany. Photo courtesy of Sue Nilson Kibbey: Pastor Anne Detjen, surrounded by MCCI pastors and assistants in Rapid City, SD in May 2015.

In Germany you hear a lot about a ‘refugee crisis’. But how can people be a crisis? These are people who come to us asking for help. And there are many. In Berlin/ Eberswalde not many are used to seeing women with the traditional headscarf or people from African countries and I was always delighted to go to other places in Germany like Hamburg where there was a more ‘colorful’ picture of our society.

About three weeks ago I received a phone call from a man who works for the Lutheran Diaconal Services here. He said that in five days an emergency shelter for refugees will be established across the street. The building is an old school, established in 1905, which was empty for a while. Now there are 213 people living in the different classrooms until they can find a better place to stay.

It is really heartbreaking. Our night temperatures right now are around freezing and the refugees just own flip flops or sandals! Laundry machines were installed in the school but they cannot wash their clothes because they do not have a change of clothes. Mothers with children have come and the children have been wearing the same clothes for days. An older woman from our congregation started crying because she was reminded of her own escape 70 years ago.

And in the ‘midst’ of all of this are the ‘rich’ Germans. Some from our congregation don’t have much themselves, they are either out of work or only have temporary jobs. But they give their five loaves of bread and two fish. They share with the people at the school. They share their time and their attention. They play with the kids or serve food. They teach for the first time the laungauge, German for Beginners, although they are nurses or come from many other occupations. They bring clothing and other things.

A 74 year old from our congregation has taken over the responsibility for the kitchen, although that is not a paid position. The caterer delivers the food but there needs to be someone to give it to the people. A friend of mine from Hong Kong heard about our new neighbors and asked what she could do. I told her, she could perhaps order socks from Amazon in Germany and have them sent to me. A few days later 80 pair of socks and 20 boxer shorts arrived. It is very moving to see how much readiness to help there is!

Now we are starting in our congregation with a project called ‘warm winter’ and I ask all elderly women who may not be able to help otherwise to knit socks and scarfs and hats. We have to make sure that they all get through the winter with warm enough clothes.

You see there is so much to do and at the same time I am pushing forward on the Missional Church Consultation Initiative (MCCI) as well! My Bishop (Bishop Rosemarie Wenner) is very hopeful that we can use this program for our congregations as well!

Many heartfelt greetings to the people of the Dakotas Conference!

Anne Detjen, Pastor, Eberswalde Germany (by Berlin)

(Courtesy Photo: Anne Detjen, left, is inducted to her position as Secretary for Missional Congregation Development by Bishop Rosemarie Wenner of the Evangelical Methodist Church of Germany)

Click here to read a statement from Bishop Rosemarie Wenner on migrants

Click here for more details on Bishop Ough's 2015 Thanksgiving Appeal