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After the conference had to be held online only for the past two years due to the Corona pandemic, the joy was all the greater to see so many like-minded people from a wide variety of places and countries in person again and to give glory to the Lord together. The conference was based on the following verse:
“My children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18).
The conference was opened on Friday afternoon by Bishop Viktor Folz. He spoke about the origins of the mission, which dates back to 1989 when Alexander Konradi said the following at a meeting of brothers in Cloppenburg: "I have received from the Lord that we will establish a mission." He was certain that the idea of founding a mission came from the Lord.
Viktor Folz was grateful that several brothers had dedicated themselves to this task and obeyed God. The Christian Diaconal Relief Organization Stephanus has existed for so many years. The founders of the organization, Alexander Konradi, Rubin Firus, Eduard Buchmüller, and Gustav Siebert, are now with the Lord, but the work continues. Just as the devil fought against the apostles and the church then, so he fights against the mission today. Brother Viktor called for vigilance, because a living organism is always under attack.
The chairman, Brother Nikolaus Wall, opens this year's conference.
In the following church services, attendees were edified by blessed sermons, reports on aid efforts and projects, hymns, and prayers. The services encouraged greater involvement in the Lord's work and giving Him one's best, not least in financial matters, for which there were opportunities through appeals for donations. Many sermons expressed gratitude to God for the opportunity to meet one another and glorify Him in fellowship.
The pastor of the Speyer congregation's statement will likely remain particularly memorable. He spoke of how the devil begins to tremble when the congregation unites in prayer. This is the most powerful weapon the devil wants to take away from Christians. He fears the influx of the Holy Spirit.
Numerous guests from Ukraine shared wonderful testimonies of God's work and His miraculous support in their difficult situation. It is especially gratifying that, despite the challenging circumstances, the amount of aid delivered to Ukraine has more than doubled. All the glory belongs to God, and a heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed.
While several guests from different countries spoke about the aid work of CDH Stephanus during the church service, there was also an opportunity to learn about CDH Stephanus projects in various exhibitions. The youth of the Speyer congregation presented numerous projects and their goals in a vivid, varied, and creative way in the community center.
Presentation of the project in Uganda with a model of the school and home, traditional instruments and other aid projects on site.
Uganda:
The projects included missions, education, water wells, orphanages, and schools. The exhibition featured a miniature model of the completed school, complete with palm branches, traditional instruments, and local fruits.
Bulgaria:
The community center in Krivodol, which is still under construction, was depicted in miniature. The model made it clear that every helping hand is welcome.
The trunk of a truck, filled with wrapped gifts, pointed to the Christmas campaign in which gifts are distributed to children in need.
India:
Most homes and village development projects resumed operations after the second lockdown in 2021 and settled into a new routine. Some of our sponsored children have moved away with their families. The COVID-19 crisis has hit the poorest hard, exacerbating their hardship. In this situation, the mission is undertaking additional practical aid missions to provide the families of the sponsored children with food, clothing, and medicine. These missions are having a significant impact, as they are leading to conversions to Christianity among the villagers. Through baptism, they then become part of the local church community. The government and the Hindu movement are strongly opposed to Christianity. The government would like to see it dissolved if possible. This pressure is felt in our projects, which is a great concern for us. We want to continue supporting our neighbors to the best of our ability through every effort and prayer.
Ray of hope:
The countries participating in this project are Ukraine, Latvia and Kherson.
In Kherson, for example, hot meals are distributed twice a week to over 100 people in need. Evangelistic events are also held in the city center.
In Latvia, daycare centers are being renovated. Many children there are unfamiliar with the normal living conditions we are accustomed to. Their parents are often alcoholics, unemployed, and neglectful. Through these daycare centers, the children experience community, receive affection and love, and can participate in church services by singing and performing music. The goal is to tell the children about God's love and to provide them with a warm and welcoming environment.
In the exhibition space for this project, a boat bearing the name "Rescue" was set up. A lifebuoy lay inside the boat. Outside the boat, on a blue blanket meant to represent water, lay slips of paper labeled with the word "sin," along with related objects.
One reason to support the project is to be a fisher of men and win others for the Kingdom of God. A poster read the following exhortation: “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
The Ray of Hope project presents its work in Ukraine and Latvia.
Sri Lanka:
The exhibition featured a girl's room meant to represent the girls' home. Currently, 22 girls of different ages live there. They are like a family and help each other. At school, they learn basic skills. On the grounds, they have a large space for games and activities.
Fund for children in need:
At 16 distribution points, the fund provides a total of 480 children with Christian instruction and hot meals. Eight schools house 380 children, a prayer house accommodates 35 children, and seven Christian families provide care for 75 children. The fund's goals include spreading the Gospel, supporting orphans from Christian families with food, providing medical care to seriously ill children, offering assistance to Ukrainian refugees from eastern Ukraine, and providing financial support to Christian camps.
Evangelization House Tabea:
This is a Christian hostel in Speyer that supports people struggling with addiction in beginning a new life with Jesus. The hostel's goal is for people to gain freedom and experience physical and spiritual healing. Above all, it fosters the ability to live responsibly within the community.
Currently, only men are being accepted. The rehabilitation patients come from all over Germany. The support team consists of 15 brothers from the Speyer congregation. They act on the basis of the Bible and therefore believe that Jesus is the only one who can provide lasting liberation from addiction. The exhibition symbolized that we are freed from sin through grace.
There were also exhibitions on other projects such as "Mercy for the Severely Disabled", "Fund for Children in Need", "Women's Rehabilitation Center Fund Ruth", "Persecuted Christians", "Philippines/Togo" and "Romania".
The exhibition illustrates the situation in the Philippines.
In the basement of the community center there was information about the conductor's school and about "SCHMECK 58", where coffee and pastries were also offered.
Inside the rooms, posters provided information about different experiences of fellow believers, showed pictures and Bible verses that encouraged reflection.
Many members of the Speyer congregation contributed their diverse talents to the success of the conference. Some sang in the choir or played in the orchestra, others hosted guests in their homes, served them during the lunch break, prayed for a blessed day and a smooth event, while still others were responsible for organization, preaching, and much more. Everyone was encouraged to participate. All of this served the purpose of gathering imperishable treasures for heaven, treasures that neither moths nor rust can destroy.
Many helpers were active in the kitchen to ensure the conference was a successful event.
Special thanks go to the chefs who invested their time from early morning until late evening to ensure everyone was well fed.
An evangelistic service was held on Saturday evening. The congregation clearly felt that the Holy Spirit touched the hearts of those present and worked within them.
The mission conference served to encourage us to serve the Lord even more fervently afterwards, to show through our works how genuine our love is.
Brother Viktor Folz speaks at the end of the conference.
Dear Reader, God has given us another wonderful opportunity this time to hold the mission conference. We don't know what the future holds, but we want to be active while it's still today. Even if you weren't able to attend the mission conference, God's call applies to you as well: "While it is day, we must do the works of God who sent me. Night is coming soon, when no one can work" (John 9:4).
May the Lord bless us so that our hearts are open to His glory.
Jenny König
Municipality of Speyer
More pictures and audio recordings from the conference: