Special Service Marks Leadership Change

During a festive worship service in Laufdorf, Superintendent Dieter Abel installed Christian Hohmann as General Secretary and Director of Church and Peace, a special position in the Braunfels diocese. Abel was assisted by Church and Peace President Marie-No�lle von der Recke and retired Superin-tendent Kurt Bergerhof. Hohmann's combination of responsibilities is unique in the Rhineland Protestant Church.

In his address based on Psalm 31: 9 and Luke 1:79, Superintendent Abel called upon the young minister with ecumenical experience to "try out what is unusual, keep in mind the aim of Church and Peace to serve people, nations and races as a peacemaker and make big steps on the way to peace ".

Then Hohmann spoke to the audience of Protestants, Catholics, Mennonites and Quakers about
Transitions

Photo: Heidi Janina Stiewick

John 15:1-8: "I am the vine, you are the branches; apart from me you can do nothing".

Hohmann explained that "Jesus reminds us with this simple truth that we are confronted daily in church and society with challenges and decisions to which we have to respond as fearless witnesses with the help of prayer, in concrete ways

such as non-violent conflict resolution. We are not looking for moralists and people to set the world aright, but people who can accept others, despite their failures, with the love of Jesus."

Hohmann's predecessor Gordon Matthews stressed in his farewell sermon interpreting Deuteronomy 28 that "only deep spirituality and a living faith can help this world to find a way out of the chaos".

The numerous words of greeting during the celebration following the service gave a hint of how closely related Hohmann sees his work with the international peace network and his responsibilities in the Braunfels diocese. Birgit Dobrinski, translator and secretary for Church and Peace, moderated the celebration.

There were greetings from the parish church, the regional synod, the Task Force for Peace and the Botswana Committee. Hope was expressed as well for new initia-tives in peace activities in Wetzlar and for work in the Laufdorf parish.

Paul Gentner of the Church and Peace Administrative Committee and Mennonite Hans Jakob Galle bade a loving farewell to Matthews and expressed their joy about the appointment of Hohmann.

The importance which the churches must attach to the work for peace was clear from the appeal by Wilfried Warneck, former "peace pastor" in the Braunfels parish. "We must try to find new and vigorous ways to change our death-oriented society to a peace-loving one."

Heidi Janina Stiewink
trans I.C.A. Payne