Letters from Carol Ann and R. Kevin Seckel
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Greetings in this Lenten season, We have much to share this season about our work in Germany. Perhaps the most exciting is about the new English-speaking fellowship that Kevin has started in the inner city of Frankfurt. This was part of Kevin’s original assignment but we all thought it would be the result of at least a year’s planning and exploration. Instead, from the moment he arrived in Frankfurt, he has been called and asked about whether the United Methodists were going to start an English-speaking worship in the Frankfurt area. He finally met with the persons requesting such a group and, when they offered to share the load of advertising and starting the group, he agreed. On the second Sunday of Advent, December 9, 2007, the New Hope UM Fellowship began its worship services. Over 25 persons have come to worship so far, many of them with families. Most are from the US Consulate in Frankfurt but several Fulbright scholars attend as does one German woman who is working on her English because she is engaged to a man from Nigeria…but also says she comes because she enjoys the fellowship with the group. One woman has come forward and offered her special gifts in Christian Education. Another has offered her services in publicity. One of the students and several of the youth are going to work with Kevin setting up a website. Another student is learning the guitar to help provide music. The host German UMC is very supportive and encouraging. Please pray for this new ministry and its outreach and growth. Carol has continued to visit and learn more about the English-language, Language and Migrant ministries and needs in the Germany Central Conference. She has established a resource library with worship, Christian education and church leadership resources and managed to get the website of the Germany Central Conference a little more user-friendly for those non-German speakers trying to find a place to worship. (Check it out at www.emk.de and send any suggestions for improvement.) Now she is working on The Advance process and the creation of a newsletter to keep the churches and ministries connected. Both of us were “officially” installed into our positions in January in Berlin just prior to the Church Growth Training Seminar for Language and Migrant UM Ministries in Europe. Germany is beginning to feel like home and we have felt very welcomed in both our living and our work setting. We have been impressed with the number of German UMs who are very supportive of this ministry and want to work with the foreigners and migrant in their midst. Bishop Wenner set a wonderful example of hospitality for all to follow. On the personal front, we had a significant learning when we asked about Ash Wednesday services in Germany. We quickly learned that Ash Wednesday is celebrated by the Roman Catholics but not by others. In the same manner fasching – or Carnival/Mardi Gras – is also very popular especially in the Catholic states. In some places not only do school children have holidays from anywhere from two days to a week, but the work force is also given several days off. In Frankfurt we were able to go to the parade through the downtown area on Sunday afternoon. It reminded us of a combination Halloween with all ages in costumes and a parade with candies and all sorts of things being thrown from various floats. We have no idea how long the parade lasted. We lasted from floats 120 until 186. Over President’s Day Weekend another aspect of Carol’s ministry unfolded as she joined the United Methodist US military chaplains for their annual retreat in Ettal in the German Alps. Forty-three of us gathered for 5 days of sharing and renewal. All except one of the current chaplains have served in Iraq. The one exception is being deployed in a month to be gone for 15 months while his wife and 3 children, including 2 toddlers, remain in Germany. For those who know Carol’s feelings about the war, you can imagine this part of the assignment was the most difficult. However, governments declare wars – soldiers follow orders. Carol had trouble holding back the tears as she listened to stories about the experiences the chaplains had and then had another eye-opener as she listened to the stories about the children of the chaplains who had chosen the military path in their lives and now were also stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan in our “extended conflicts.” One chaplain, whose assignment is to hold funerals on base to be taped and sent to the soldiers’ families, broke down as he said, “I just want my son to come back alive.” The tensions and struggles of human life are multiplied exponentially in these families. And yet God has called each of these persons to be present as a witness of the promise of forgiveness, love, life and hope for those in our military. One resource that was shared with us at the retreat from the staff of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry are the worship resources for congregations sending members in the military into conflict and welcoming them home. We encourage you to include this service when appropriate in your worship. For those who may not use it, we encourage you to read the services and then include all who are in this conflict – from all sides – in your prayers. The resource can be found on www.gbhem.org. Go to the section on Ministry, then to the area of Clergy: Chaplains and Pastoral Counselors. After clicking that you will find a section labeled “Worship Resources”. You can find these services there. We hope as you journey through this Lenten season that you are experiencing a sense of forgiveness and renewal. As we watch CNN International and BBC we see that the campaign trails are blazing away, that conflicts are still erupting around the world, and that economics are shaky. But we know that God is in our midst – opening our eyes to the presence of the Holy Spirit in all persons, calling us to faithful and just witness for God’s work of Love. This season we are humbled again as we see the path Jesus and the disciples walk towards Jerusalem and the final days. And we know with assurance that Resurrection is coming. Thank you for all your support – your prayers that sustain us, your gifts that support us and your thoughts that go with us in our daily work. We value your sharing in our work. Blessings and peace, Kevin & Carol Carol Ann Seckel Advance #014285-5AZ
Dear Friends, Greetings from Germany! Fall arrived here early and we have been blessed with good weather, cool temperatures and colorful leaves. As we travel throughout the country as well as back and forth to work we enjoy the changing seasons and thank God for these ministries to which we have been called. We finished language school in August. The classes in the summer were less intensive and our classmates were much younger – two of the six were only 18. We did not learn as much as we had at Bochum but we learned the language of dating and falling in love. Not real helpful for work, but it comes in handy when trying to understand many advertisements. We are far from being able to understand long conversations in German but we can get by in stores, traveling, and with basic communication. Sometimes we are better at language, sometimes worse – but most folks have been very understanding and encouraging. Carol especially likes it when she is told that her pronunciation is good although that tends to make her forget the rest of what she is saying. We are settled into our apartment in Friedrichsdorf – close to the foot and bicycle paths and the grocery store – which is good since we have no car. The train station is about 15 minutes away and Carol can get to work in less than an hour. Kevin is working from home for now. We have almost completed our first visits to the International Churches. Our itinerary sounds like a travelogue – we have been to Munich, Vienna, Hamburg, Berlin and Cottbus. We still need to visit Dusseldorf and Stuttgart. Each church has its own unique ministry. In Munich the worship service had to be changed at the last moment because the woman and child for Nigeria who the church was sheltering while they sought asylum in Germany was being transferred to another part of Germany. She wanted her 3-month-old daughter baptized before she went and she wanted the two members of the congregation to be the Godparents. This is normal for this congregation which regularly offers shelter to asylum seekers. The current German law states that if a woman gives birth to a child in Germany she cannot be deported. The church vestibule is full of baby carriages. In Vienna and Hamburg we found churches which are getting established – many folks have married Germans or have chosen to stay in the country for a longer period of time. These churches are struggling with becoming fully integrated UMCs while being unique in their ministries. In Cottbus, which is located in former East Germany, the pastor and we encountered police in full riot gear at the train station. We learned there was to be a football (soccer) game and the two sides often hurl rocks and other things at one another. By the time we returned after worship the street was blocked off and the crowds had gathered. In Berlin we found a Drop In Center where folks from all over the world can gather for conversation, a cup of tea and perhaps some food if it is around lunchtime. A Bible Study is offered as well. The day we were there a man from Poland had come just to hang out with friendly folks and share in conversation. The International Congregation in Berlin meets next door to the Center and has folks from all walks of life, from around the world and those on the margins of the community. We have also been involved in the Ghanaian UMCs. In Hamburg we gathered at the dedication of the Africa Center which will house both the Ghanaian Lutheran and the Ghanaian UM congregations. About 400 folks joined in this celebration. Kevin will begin to share in the leadership of the Ghanaian UMC in Frankfurt this month. Carol has been in contact with one of the UM military chaplains from Manheim Army Base located near Heidelberg. There is great enthusiasm for some connections being made so we are all beginning to explore what direction this part of the job will take. The learning curve for this new assignment is pretty steep but we are enjoying learning the new ropes. The people have been wonderful as we have traveled. We look forward to providing support and connections between the churches, pastors and laity and the inclusion of the military. Welcoming the foreigner in a foreign land is a biblical concept that one can see personified in much of this ministry. And the German UM churches are trying to expand their outreach to many of the new migrants found in the country. We feel blessed to have been called to be a part of this mission. Thank you for all your support – through your prayers, your gifts and your e-mails and notes. You are truly part of this work with us and we look forward to our continuing relationships. In loving partnership,
Carol Ann Seckel Advance #014285-5AZ
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