#I AM project launched with theological competition

"I am the bread of life ...", "I am the light of the world ...", "I am the door ..." or "I am the resurrection and the life ...".

Jesus reveals the core of his being in the "I am words". These words are now at the centre of a project by the Ev.-luth. Mission in Lower Saxony (ELM). "We want to emphasise our rootedness in faith and show why it leads to action," explains Hannah Rose, ELM international poverty and peace work officer. Together with her colleagues Bradn Buerkle and Waldemar Rausch, she has launched the "#I AM" project.

It is set to run for several years and includes various formats in which the "I am words" are interpreted and discussed by people from Evangelical Lutheran churches around the world. Are they to be seen primarily as a metaphor, or do they signify a concrete call for diaconal action relating to the supply of water, food or energy? Do they perhaps even have a political component?

Nine FIT students have now analysed these questions scientifically. As part of a competition organised by the #I AM team in cooperation with Prof. Dr Johannes Weth from the University of Applied Sciences for Intercultural Theology Hermannsburg (FIT), they were asked to write an essay on one of their chosen "I am words". Academic Bible studies were related to a specific context in their respective home countries. These works were honoured with an award ceremony at the FIT's end-of-semester service on 8 July 2025.

Bradn Buerkle, ELM consultant for theological education and training, gave the worshippers a brief insight into the content of the essays, which dealt with the living situation of people in Myanmar, Rwanda, Pakistan and Ghana, among others.

Three of the participants received a special award for their work as "the best of the best":

Anmol Monisha from Pakistan wrote about the verses from John 10:7-9 ("I am the door ..."). She sees Jesus here as "a powerful symbol of protection, community identity and resistance against socio-political oppression". At the same time, she emphasises the empowerment of marginalised believers in various contexts through Jesus' words.

Jean Pierre Hakizimana has taken up the verses . "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25) and interprets them in the context of a "theology of trauma healing" in post-genocide Rwanda. From this, he develops project ideas for pastoral care and mental health.

Joel Kushunu Ddrisu examines the verse "I am the light of the world ..." (John 8:12) in relation to the significant role of the church in the lives of the women head-wearers in Kumasi/Ghana. They have an extremely hard life. The starting point of the reflection is the light of God that is already in these women and that they can let shine through security and empowerment.

The next event of the #I AM project is already in preparation. From 30 November to 7 December 2025, a presence workshop will take place in Hanstedt (Lüneburg Heath) and Hamburg in cooperation with the Missionsakademie Hamburg. Twelve international participants from the ELM's partner churches will talk about what Jesus' "I am words" mean from their perspective. Ultimately, this project will also produce materials that can then be used for sermons, home groups, confirmation work and other occasions.