Partnership Silindung

Exchange of youth-professionals 2010

A delegation from the Ev. Kirchenkreis Kleve went on a 10.000 kilometer trip to the Silindung valley in october/november 2010. They visited the partners in Silindung, one of the goals was to get to know more about youth and youth work in the parishes overthere. Youthworker Bert Walther, Pfarrer Ralf Streppel (Geldern), elder Michael Leuthen (Kevelaer), elder Rebecca Heimes (Goch), Claudia Rothenburg-Alway (Weeze) and communication officer Stefan Schmelting were impressed by the warm-heartedness of the people, enjoyed the warm temperatures and saw also less opportunities of young men and women to get to work.

The majority of the people in Indonesia work as a farmer the women mostly weave "Ulos", the biggest proof of friendship someone can recieve in Indonesia (and we also get it). Everywhere we came, people were interested to get to know „the germans“. The protestant believe and the traditions play a bigger role in daily life as we are used to in Germany. Also the members of the delegation had to get used to the spicy food in Indonesia, the "seating" on the floor while eating with their fingers. Every meal consisted of cooked rice and vegetables, pieces of different meat at lunch and dinner. Normally Indonesians dont eat that much meat, because it is simply not affordable every day. On the contrary to us, young Indonesians dont have much opportunities to choose between different freetime activities. Youth work in the parishes means mostly singing in the choire, divided by age. Their impressive songs we like to hear every day and have to admit, that we in Germany dont reach that level of singing usually.

100th meeting of the comitee

Last week the partnership comitee „Silindung“ came together in Geldern. It was a special meeting because it was the 100th meeting of this comitee. First, Superintendet Hans-Joachim Wefers thanked all members of the partnership-comitee for their work during the last 28 years. Also former-members were invited, so the discussion began very lively about the first travel to Indonesia in 1988. Dia-pictures showed the experiences of that journey. Further on, many people in Kirchenkreis Kleve worked on the partnership, most of all, Ursula Wessels, Klaus and Mechthild Schlimm and Elisabeth Unger. In october a delegation from Kleve travel to Silindung for a period of three weeks.

Partnership Sunday in 2010

The picture shows all the congregation of GKPI Dr.I.L. Nommensen in front of the church after finishing their worship on Silindung-Synday, 31th of january 2010. They hold a binder "Partnership-Sunday of Silindung Kleve" (Minggu persahabatan Silindung Kleve), with the partnership-theme of 2010: "We are one house".

A visit from Indonesia

Marice Sitorus visited Geldern and Goch and also the protestant church-district (Kirchenkreis) of Kleve for six days. On September 8th she introduced herself to the Kirchenkreis-employees and was welcomed by superintendent Hans-Joachim Wefers. Miss Sitorus spoke about her life and work in Mamre, a home for poor children, belonging to GKPI, but financially also supported by Kindernothilfe, Duisburg. She said, that children will be sent to this asylum only when they have a letter written by their pastor. At the moment, 72 children live there and have to follow a strict daily program: They get up between 4 and 5 o’clock in the morning and prepare the food (rice, fish and vegetables) for breakfast which starts at 6 o’clock. After breakfast, they get ready to go to school. Then, after a short break, everybody has to do fieldwork or housekeeping. Exercises for school have to be done round 7pm,which is 19:00 in our system, until it is bedtime. Marice Sitorus gets to know the work in Mamre for several months, later she will become the director of the asylum and will be responsible for its residents, who are between 7 to 27 years old. “We don’t differentiate between social work and evangelization” said Sitorus, “religion, singing and praying are rooted in our daily life.”

Selamat siang! With these words began the Silindung-service last Sunday morning. Communities in Silindung and the Evangelischer Kirchenkreis Kleve held their services each on
februari 8th, having the partnership in mind and praying for each other.

Wether the partnership with Silindung startet in 1982, the connection between Germany and the valley in the north of Sumatra is much older. One person stood in the middle of the service on last Sunday: German missionary Ingwer Ludwig Nommensen had travelled more than 142 days to reach Silindung in 1864. The partnershipcomitee of Evangelischer Kirchenkreis Kleve had prepared a guide for the 19 communities, how they could celebrate the special Silindung-service. Pastor Ralf Streppel, head of the comitee, led an fictive interview with the well known missionary from Nothern Germany. A member of the presbyterium in Geldern answered the questions as Nommensen would have done. Read more HERE.

Indonesian and German partners during the exchange in 2008.

Read the full report HERE.