“LORD my God, great are your wonders and your thoughts toward us; there is nothing like you! I will tell of them and speak of them, though they cannot be counted” (Psalm 40:6).
On April 22, 2020, Gustav Siebert was bid farewell into retirement in a small gathering of mission staff from the "Stephanus" aid organization. He had been committed to the mission's work since its founding and was elected its first chairman on June 16, 2001. During his 19 years of service, he visited many poor families and people suffering hardship, delivered countless donations, undertook numerous trips, and organized thousands of transports for those in need.
During a trip to India, he suffered a life-threatening, acute respiratory distress, leaving him with no option but to pray. God showed him mercy and brought him back to life. God's grace and help are truly immeasurable, as it says in Psalm 40.
Brother Gustav is a welder by trade and is repairing the mission truck here.
From left: Paul Fast (civil service), G. Siebert, A. Steinbrenner,
W. Akulenko and A. Panchina with employees of the clothing bank in Walldorf
The history of missions is written by people who dedicate all their strength, abilities, time, and lives to God and their neighbor. Missions are a part of these people's lives, and each of them has left their mark on mission history.
In his farewell address, Brother Gustav Siebert spoke of love in service. He said it plays a vital role in the work of the mission. Many decisions have to be made daily. One must distinguish between what is important and what is most important, and often these decisions are incomprehensible to outsiders and may even seem wrong. But the main motivation should and must be love, and it must be lived, Brother Gustav emphasized.
In closing, Brother Viktor Folz, presiding bishop of the Free Evangelical Christian Churches of Germany, thanked Brother Gustav Siebert sincerely for the excellent cooperation and presented him and his wife Lidia with a small gift as a token of appreciation. He also gratefully acknowledged the staff members who have already completed their service.
Brother Eduard Buchmüller, for example, who lost his life during a humanitarian mission for Armenia, once said: “There are no irreplaceable people.”
Brother Alexander Konradi, founder of the mission and bishop of the Free Evangelical Christian Churches, left behind the advice: “Preserve friendship.” His friend and servant of the congregation in Zweibrücken emphasized the importance of obedience in service to God. We will find the central idea of Gustav Siebert’s farewell address—namely, love as the primary motivation for missionary work—repeated throughout the history of the mission.
Brother Viktor Folz thanked Bishop Peter Fast of the Speyer parish for his support of the mission and requested continued good and close cooperation in the future. Until the new election, the second chairman, Nikolaus Wall, will continue the work. The farewell celebration concluded with a heartfelt prayer and a small gathering.
Mission Stephanus
