Podcast: Download (Duration: 8:51 — 6.1MB)
We live in a time of great change. Not only in the world and in our country, but also on the mission grounds of CDH Stephanus. Here we present some of these major changes.
Storage space solution
Following the devastating floods of July 2021, we received a surge in donations of goods originally intended for flood victims in Germany. We urgently sought a solution for storing these donations safely and in a dry environment until they could be shipped.
The old warehouse was put into operation in 2000. However, only the upper floor was used. The basement of the warehouse was then used as a dining hall for conferences, the Bible school, and mission meetings. When parts of the warehouse in the adjacent building were converted into a new conference room in 2008, the problem became more acute. It was decided to establish a dining hall on the ground floor next to the conference room.
To utilize the basement (formerly the dining hall) and thus the entire warehouse as storage space, a heavy-duty elevator was initially planned. However, the costs exceeded the available budget, necessitating a search for alternative solutions. The best solution was ultimately a large, covered shaft at the rear of the warehouse. After the space was cleared, an opening was created on the left side, and a concrete platform was installed. This allows donated goods to be transported on pallets to the basement storage area using a forklift, which acts as a freight elevator. The shaft and the roof covering the entire area behind the warehouse significantly increased the available storage space. This simple solution provided an additional 228 m² of storage area. Furthermore, there is another 165 m² under the roof behind the warehouse, extending to the existing roof. In total, this adds up to 393 m² of new storage space!
A spacious kitchen as a generous gift
Through God's grace, we experienced a great blessing regarding our new commercial kitchen. It was donated to us complete with all necessary equipment and assembled by volunteer professionals. The kitchen is now located in the old building, right next to the conference room. This allows us to provide meals for our guests immediately after an event. We were able to donate our old kitchen to brothers and sisters abroad.
Conference room newly equipped
When our conference room was put into operation in 2008, we also installed a heating system. Over time, however, we realized that it took a very long time for the large room to warm up. As a result, it often happened that the room was still very cold even after several days of heating. During events, we couldn't even run the heating because it was too loud. The lighting was another problem. The room felt dark and cold. To our great delight, the conference room was brought up to date inexpensively by volunteer specialists. Now it's bright and warm, just like the hearts of our helpers!
Currently, the conference room is being used as a testing center. The separate entrance makes this possible without disrupting our usual workflow. The testing center is a great privilege for us. It serves not only our staff, the Tabea House, and numerous visitors to the Free Evangelical Christian Church, but also all those who wish to be tested. Numerous volunteers at the testing center support our work and help to raise awareness of our charitable work.
In the long term, the room can be rented by our siblings for their own events and private celebrations.
New paving in the courtyard and around the warehouse
For many years, our courtyard paving had been a persistent problem. From the beginning, it lacked a suitable sub-base, preventing rainwater from draining away. Over time, the trucks forced the puddle deeper and deeper, creating a small lake of mud and dirt that became a real nuisance. The numerous volunteers left countless footprints on the ground and in the stairwell. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we used the downtime to completely renovate the courtyard. Heavy equipment was used to remove the old, unsuitable sub-base of the paving. New gravel was brought in, properly compacted, and the old paving stones were reused. Volunteers, including young people and teenagers, helped to thoroughly clean the paving and relay it according to the latest regulations. This large and messy job was completed quickly and to our complete satisfaction by our volunteers. Many thanks to the brothers who lent their own company machinery and equipment and selflessly laid the paving stones.
New front door with security lock
Our offices have been located in the Bruderzentrum Speyer building since 2003. During this time, the Bruderzentrum was used extensively, as it previously housed the Bible school, conductor training courses, meetings, and other events. At times, all the rooms were occupied during meetings and conferences, with participants even sleeping in the conference room and offices. In 2021, further renovations were carried out at the Bruderzentrum. The most frequently used door was the entrance door, so it was decided to replace it. To our great surprise, we received no invoice for the new door. After it had already been installed, we were informed that the entire cost had been covered by donations.
Adaptation to the new data protection law
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the increased prevalence of working from home due to the pandemic led to the adaptation and modernization of our IT infrastructure. Some data needs to be managed differently to ensure full data protection. Our volunteer specialists have done excellent work in this area, protecting the data from unauthorized access.
Online Mission Conference 2021
The new situation regarding COVID-19, along with new laws and regulations, is prompting us to change some of our mission procedures and traditions. After many churches began offering their services online, we also decided to hold our annual mission conference online. The first online conference took place on June 12, 2021, in Speyer, Germany. The usual organization of the conference had to be completely rethought and changed. Information that normally lasts for three days was condensed into a single evening. This situation was highly unusual for the speakers and conference participants. Conducting the conference required enormous concentration and presented our newly formed information team with significant challenges. Instead of the usual donations received at mission services, there were additional expenses, as some equipment had to be purchased to ensure the conference could be properly recorded and broadcast. Even in this unfamiliar situation, God bestowed His blessing and support. Thus, even in this new format, we were able to experience God's presence and trust that our viewers were blessed by it.
“Then he [Jesus] said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest’” (Mt 9:37-38).
We would also like to ask this based on Jesus' words. Please pray for our project, that the Lord may send workers into His vineyard.
Thank you for that!
With love and gratitude
CDH-Stephanus
More information about the history of the mission:
https://cdh-stephanus.org/geschichte/
An office for the organization of the mission work
The training room was also able to be newly furnished.
The old dining hall is now used as a storage room.
The loading ramp to the basement of the warehouse
The roof over the warehouse provides new storage space.
Access to the new kitchen
The new high-quality kitchen was donated.
The entrance door to the main building has been upgraded with improved security features.
The earthworks were carried out using heavy equipment.