Report from the Secretary

My name is Anke Frickmann and I am in this time the secretary of DIAKONIA-DRAE. I live in the northern part of Germany, in a city called Bielefeld. There is a big diaconal institution, the biggest in whole Europe, the “von Bodelschwingh´schen Anstalten Bethel”.

We offer schools, hospitals, homes, active cultural work and much more for the more than 2000 handicapped people, who live here.

The work of Bethel transcend Bielefeld and from Berlin to Düsseldorf are more than 15,000 workers active.

My work is to manage the “motherhouse/ house of silence” and also a sisterhood called “Sarepta-sisterhood” with about 600 sisters.

The “motherhouse/ house of silence” is the center of the sisterhood and also a retread center with 30 guestrooms for individuals and groups. If you would like to know more about us, visit our homepage: www.sarepta.de

We connect in our sisterhood the spiritual life with the practical diaconical work and a diaconical theological education.

Because of many different cultures in Germany the interreligious dialogue is very important and our sisterhood makes also a contribution to it. Our sisters live in whole Germany and work in different professions. They live in different styles of living: married, as singles, divorced or in a living community.

In Germany we are all over in a refom - movement in motherhousediakonie.

The name of our head organisation is the “Kaiserswerther Association of German Motherhouses”. The organisation includes more than 60 Motherhouses. The main and important theme this year is the social change in Europe.

There is also the ”Kaiserswerther Generalkonferenz” in which the motherhouses are connected international. About 20 Motherhouses and communities are spread on the globe. In 2011 the organisation will celebrate its 150th birthday. I am in the border of this organisation and in November we will have our next meeting in Bern/Switzerland.

Many sisters and brothers of motherhouses and communities meet 3 times a year to the DIAKONIA-meeting in our region. We also prepare us always for the regional- or world conference. In some weeks we will meet again and inform us about the world conference 2009 in Atlanta, USA. We are all looking forward to it and we will travel to Atlanta with many brothers and sisters from our region.

The most important thing is that the heart of the community of DIAKONIA burns and we fill the fire. God bless you all.

Sister Anke Frickmann, autumn 2008