Dear Friends of Akebulan,
Once again, a year is coming to its end. Our inner man is getting ready to face the new year together with the challenges it will bring. And while we do this, our thoughts go back to the past months. We thank God and trust in Him that He will never leave us nor forsake us but rather, take us by the hand and guide us into the new time, the New Year 2012.
How were you doing during 2011? For us Akebulan Church, it was a rather untroubled year. The average number of people visiting our services was not that big. This was why in regard of our co-workers and of ourselves we decided to cut back a bit on our outward activities. This means, for this time we didn’t take part in the neighbourhood festival of Borsigwalde or in other street festivities like the one of the International Convent. Instead, we had a very nice highlight within our church which was our first Akebulan Women’s Conference. It took place on the 29th May and it really turned to be a special and very blessed event. Our women had initiated it. They brought in their ideas, gifts and talents and this way made everything a full success. Moreover, they made Pastor Peter and me, Sis. Steffi, feel that after the first years following the foundation of Akebulan when we were doing and instructing many things on our own, we now got back something and just needed to guide and help them from behind. Sister Maureen took time for uncounted hours sewing beautiful dresses for all women (except for Sis. Ines who sewed a trousers for herself). She took our individual measures and designed every dress after our wishes. Therefore, she used a nice cloth which we had selected together and which Sis. Vida had bought for us for a very good price at a factory. Sis. Christine diligently practised with us to learn two songs which we later presented at the conference. In addition, she led the worship and asked on our behalf if the Akwaba Choir could sing at the event. (Sis. Christine also sings in that choir.) The women and some of our men cooked plenty of wonderful international food and Sister Mariam created a perfect catering with her gastronomical knowledge. Everybody invited some friends and Sis. Maureen as our women’s leader led us through the program with joy and excitement. As guest speaker, we had invited Pastor Mrs Dee Ewolu. We had asked her to speak about what a Christian lifestyle should be like. Her preaching was instructional, mature and inspiring. We were truly blessed to have her in our midst.
At that time, no one would ever have thought that Sis. Dee would suddenly die at the end of this year at the age of only 52 years. Our condolence goes especially to her deeply grieving husband Pastor Olu, their five young adult children, and to the members of their church for whom she was a spiritual mother and an example of a true believer. This woman was smart, joyful, lovely and strong in faith. Therefore, her death means a great loss for us. But we are left with a lot of blessings she created and she can view now what she believed; may her soul rest in peace!
Except for the preparations of the conference, our women met in February and in November. Our men didn’t have an extra meeting, this year. They had been involved in the conference and at the church meetings during the week, it’s still so that mostly our men gather there. Our regular meetings including our monthly all-night prayers with Christian movies and our Sunday Family Services with lunch afterwards, continued like before. We were again blessed with regular visits from the members of our guest speakers’ team. In Hennigsdorf, we were able to continue the Thursday Bible studies. For several months, now, Pastor Rey and Minister Thomas Meik were so kind to overtake the main responsibility for it. Thank you! In addition, the Akebulan Church has now been blessed with an enlarged leadership team which we hope will help to make our planning and organising of what we do more democratic.
In our Sunday School, the elder children (at the moment only girls) started the year with the foundations of our faith and learning some Bible verses. (We read a booklet from Heukelbach called “How do I get to know the Bible easily”.) Later, we read together in a Teens Magazine called „Words for Girls“. It contains the New Testament with different categories of explanations, thoughts and tips for their every day lives. (Every girl got one magazine as a gift at Easter.) In addition, we practised to play another drama, called “The Friendly One”, which we presented at our Christmas service. I had re-written it after the idea in a book and the drama illustrated that for Jesus, it is more important that we help one another than only thinking of our own advantages.
The younger children first listened to the stories of Moses. During summer time, we again read in the book of funny animal stories with Biblical teachings in which we had read during 2010, too. In autumn, I separated the younger children into two groups, the kindergarten kids and the school beginners of which we now have five. This way, I was able to better challenge them according to their age. The youngest ones now heard some stories about Jesus as well as some of His parables while the school beginners read the book “Tim discovers the Lord’s Prayer” from Cornelia Grzywa, Hänssler Publishing. In this book, the children are being introduced into the prayer by a boy at their age who gets explanations through everyday life situations.
Together we celebrated the Christian festivities in our church and at some of these occasions; we spoke about the stories behind it, extra with the children. In between our activities, we did crafts together and baked cookies before Christmas. I am very grateful for the development of our children. They are open, interested, and they ask questions which let me see that they really think about what I tell them. Special thanks to Sis. Irene and Bro Kobi who helped me taking care of the smaller children while I did the program for the elder ones! (Sis. Lydia moved to join her husband in Heidelberg where she has given birth to her firstborn son during these weeks. Congratulations from our side and may God bless them richly!)
In our church neighbourhood, as I said, we couldn’t take part in the festival, this time, but for the third time, we were actively involved in the Ecumenical Pentecost Service. Again, this was a very special service and a happy fellowship at the refreshment afterwards.
Once more, we were very glad about the interdenominational intercultural work with kids and teens which we regard as an addition to the work of the single churches. This time, we didn’t organise the events only with our Akebulan Church. Rather, we did it together with FIKB (Forum Intercultural Relationships from GfB e.V.- “Together for Berlin”). The first of the events, again, was not organised by FIKB itself. Rather, we organised to travel there: For more than one year by now, the FIKB has started a partnership with Himmelsfels e.V. This is an intercultural and interdenominational association located on a mountain which is at the same time a cultural park. The mountain belongs to Spangenberg nearby Kassel. It is supposed to become a spiritual home for the youth but also for adults from Germany and from all countries of the world. Here, they can encounter God and one another in manifold creative ways. We went there with more than 100 people from Berlin to be a part of the One Spirit Camp at Ascension Day. Afterwards, we stayed with about 30 kids to be a part of the International Youth Camp 2011. Both events were very colourful and unforgettable experiences for us. There were different creative, sportive and thematic workshops (Peter and I led one with the topic “intercultural marriages and families”), cool worship, good food and enough time and opportunities to get to know God and one another either newly or more deeply. The last evening, we held an Agape Meal on the mountain top. Around us were flambeaus and a beautiful sunset. We sat together in our groups and exchanged our impressions from the camps. After this, we got up and formed a huge circle. The leader of Himmelsfels Pastor Johannes Weth told us the story of the mountain which had been raised out of building waste by a Christian couple in 25 years. It was very special to stand on waste and this way understand better that Jesus can create something good and new out of our failures.
On the 20th August, we had an intercultural day for kids and teens called “Youth United” which had been organised by FIKB and young church leaders. It took place in the Joshua Church in Spandau. Here, again, we had many different workshops, a tasty barbeque as well as a youth service with very modern worship and an appealing preaching from Pastor Joshua Lupemba.
The APPA e.V. (African Pentecostal Pastors’ Association), again, organised a conference in October. This time, the guest preachers came from Sweden (Pastor Bengt Wedemalm) and Aachen (Richard Naah, originally from Ghana). It was an uprising, blessed time. Pastor Naah also held a leadership seminar. Through some organisational problems, our guest preachers both couldn’t stay till the end of the conference. So we were grateful for our president Pastor Dr. Jere Aidoo to give us the last preaching by himself.
In December, APPA e.V. together with RACIBB e.V. (African Christian Council in Berlin/ Brandenbourg) and the help of the newly founded association of Nigerian pastors in Berlin organised an obsequies for Pastor Mrs Debbie Ewolu. Afterwards, her corps was brought to Nigeria where she was buried.
Through the commitment of the chairman of RACIBB e.V., Dr. Tobbit, it was possible to employ our Senior Man Alimamy Sesay for three years. In addition, there were some changes with the other work to share: Sabrina Baumann got her first child and therefore couldn’t come to the office any more. Pastor Peter Mansaray got a very attractive job offer in Hambourg where he can make a use of the relationships which he built over many years as well as of his studies and experiences in the intercultural church work to help churches in Hambourg to connect themselves and to reach people from different nationalities. Pastor Mansaray moved there in November. Dr. Roswith Gerloff celebrated her 50th Pastoral Ordination Anniversary. Despite her old age and her decreasing health, she diligently continued her manifold projects. Unfortunately, she had to undergo several operations and other treatments which caused her to stay in hospitals and recreation centres for weeks and months. At the end of this year, she couldn’t come out of the hospital any more, but we hope for her better in the near future. She really needs our prayers and is very happy to receive phone calls and visits. Pastor Peter and I are especially grateful to her concerning the opportunity to take part in the book project from SSIP e.V. (Social Scientific Study Circle for Intercultural Perspectives), which she and Dr. Triebel are mentoring. The book is about to be printed, soon.
Our church application to become a part of the Mühlheim Association was continued, this year. The process takes two years; this is why we need to be patient until it is finished. Apart from this, we are grateful for the contact with the members of the association. At the end of September, Pastor Peter took part in one of their conferences which he enjoyed much. In addition, he continued to engage himself in the work of the Ecumenical Council, took part in two conferences of the Mission Academy Hambourg (one time as a speaker, one time as an attendee) and was sent as a representative of FIKB to take part in two conferences of the Evangelical Alliance. He was a speaker at a conference in Wetzlar about intercultural church work and attended another conference in Essen called “Jesus Unites”. In the Evangelical Fellowship Eben- Ezer e.V., Pastor Peter visited a seniors’ group and spoke about the reasons for migration and how to help people in their home countries. In January, he had also lectured about the discrimination of people with dark skin at a meeting of the Committee I, International Politics, Peace and Development of the SPD.
In September, I, Steffi, could take part in a seminar for internet counselling held by Thomas Gerlach from “God in Berlin”. It was very interesting and instructive. In May, a reporter from the Evangelical Church called Gabriele Kammerer had interviewed Pastor Peter for a program of the Evangelical Radio.
At the beginning of this report, I mentioned the slightly decreasing average number of people visiting our services. But I don’t want to miss to say that we had several babies born in our church this year: Three girls plus two more girls in Hennigsdorf. We thank God for this blessing and are looking forward to the upcoming child dedication in February! The last special events of the past year in our church were the celebration of my 40th birthday (thanks to all who made it possible!), our intercultural Christmas Service with intercultural refreshment afterwards on the 25th December and our Crossing Over All-night on the 31st of the month. Thanks be to God and to all our dear helpers!
Last but not least, we want to say our full heartedly thanks for any kind of support of our work, beginning with all your prayers, all practical help (special thanks to Dr. Ansgar Sander and his chambers for the repeated help to register our constitution changes and to Michael Fleischer for his continuous, energetic help with the administration of our finances and applications for financial supports), all giving of natural things like every tasty intercultural food, the drum kit with which our women surprised us at the conference, as well as every small and big offering! This year, we received two more supports from Aktion Mensch for our children’s work and from the edg- Kiel- Foundation for buying new tables. Many thanks to all of you! And many thanks, too, to our good God Who carried us through the year and blessed us more than abundantly!
We wish all of you a happy and blessed
New Year 2012!
Yours Pastor Peter and Sister Steffi Arthur
and Akebulan
Räuschstr. 37, 13509 Berlin, Tel.: 030/ 773 28 489
e-mail: info@akebulan-gm.org; Website: www.akebulan-gm.org
Tax No: 27/ 656/ 55070; District Court No: VR 25928 B;
Chairman: Pastor Peter Arthur, Bahnhofstr. 4a, 12207 Berlin
Bank Account Akebulan:
Ev. Darlehnsgenossenschaft, Bank No: 210 602 37, AccountNo: 743534