From the President

From November 11-13, CHHSM Board member Ken Daniel and I were honored to represent CHHSM at the Silver Jubilee of Kirchengemeinschaft (full communion) between the UCC and the Union of Evangelical Churches (UEK) in Germany. Sixty delegates—30 from the UCC and 30 from the UEK—spent three days in Berlin, Germany, recalling our common history and preparing for our future as churches united in the ministry of Jesus Christ across the Atlantic. We are especially grateful that the costs of our participation in the event were covered by an unrestricted bequest from a resident of CHHSM ministry Uplands Retirement Village in Pleasant Hill, Tennessee.

During this meeting, I was again reminded of the deep roots of our UCC heritage in the German church and the profound theological gifts this church has to offer out of its struggle in the midst of oppression, anti-Semitism and devastating wars. Peacemaking was the consultation's major theme, and while much of the discussion focused on the churches' witness for peace in the face of global conflicts such as the war in Iraq, we also spend a good deal of time discussing "diaconic" peacemaking: how does the church witness to the presence of Christ's justice and peace through its work of healing and service?

In addition to our formal work, the trip included a trip to Dietrich Bonhoeffer's home in Berlin—one of the trip's highlights for me—and private visits that Ken, my wife, Mary, and I made to the Paul Gerhardt Werk and the Parteiliche Madchenarbeit (home for young girls), both service agencies of the church in the former East Berlin.

At the end of the meeting, delegates adopted a final declaration--available for download here —that speaks to our future work together. I am pleased to note that the document calls for continued consultation on health and human service work.

I am also pleased to report that Ken Daniel and I had several fruitful conversations with the Rev. Hans Fricke-Hein and Dr. Rudolf Weth, the director and former director (respectively) of Neukirchener Erziehungsverein, a child and family service agency of the Church in the Rhineland. In the past, Neukierchener Erziehungsverein had a strong relationship with several CHHSM ministries. As a result of our discussions, we hope to revive exchange and consultation between the diaconal institutions of the UEK, particularly the Rhenish church, and CHHSM. We look forward to welcoming a delegation from Germany to our 2007 Annual Meeting.

Bryan W. Sickbert, President/CEO

This cast bronze sculpture by UCC artist Charles McCollough, was commissioned by the UCC as a gift to the German church in commemoration of the Silver Jubilee of Kirchengemeinschaft.