"Faith in one God unites us"

Olaf Klein, pastor in Wittingen (Gifhorn district), spent three weeks in Ethiopia to familiarise himself with life in Christian congregations and institutions.

I was able to get to know people who were not discouraged. They look to the future with positivity and trust in God. They deal creatively with scarcity and are able to achieve a lot with very little. That shows me respect. Even though I have struggled in many places with the serenity of the Ethiopians, I would like to see more serenity and trust in God here in Germany and in the churches.
Olaf Klein, pastor in Wittingen

"Kirche gibt's auch anderswo" is the name of the programme run by the Ev.-luth. Mission in Lower Saxony (ELM), which makes such stays possible. Church employees from Lower Saxony gain an insight into the everyday life of professional colleagues from one of the ELM's partner churches in Africa, Asia or Latin America. Some time later, the partners from abroad pay a return visit.

Even though this second part could not be realised for Olaf Klein and his exchange partner Getachew Abdila because the Ethiopian did not receive a visa for a stay in Germany, Klein looks back on the three weeks in Hosaina in the South Central Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Mekane Yesus with "satisfaction and gratitude".

"God is present everywhere in people's everyday lives. Regardless of the place and religious affiliation. God is a companion in everyday life. It would be a great wish of mine to bring something of this to our ever-shrinking congregations," summarises the 51-year-old. He was fascinated by how confident, cheerful and friendly the people were, despite the obvious material hardship. "In such a situation, many people here would reject the existence of God," Olaf Klein is convinced. From his time in Ethiopia, he has learnt to "speak more passionately about God". He has become more pious in his language and no longer finds it so important to always think through every theological question down to the last detail.

It took a while before he was able to have real conversations with people: "I received a friendly and sometimes warm welcome. And, although the partners had experience with white Europeans, the ELM staff, in the past, the first two weeks were very distant and conversations and exchanges took place on a very formal level and only on the surface. I had the impression that great care was taken to keep up appearances. Popular answers were, for example, 'It's ok' or 'Everything is fine'.

For example, I was very interested in how the many ethnic groups in Ethiopia live together or whether there is an interreligious dialogue between the Orthodox Church, Muslims and the Mekane-Jesus Church. My counterpart's descriptions were like something out of a picture book. Everything is great! The state decrees peace and everyone abides by it in harmony. It was only later, in concrete situations, that I learnt that the Oromo ethnic group, for example, occupies most positions in administration and politics, which has an impact on coexistence. There are also conflicts between Muslims and Christians. The picture then turned from 'everything is great' to a powder keg in some respects. It took some time before Getachew Abdila was able to show me a different picture."

Olaf Klein also often found the visits to construction projects in communities difficult because the lack of materials and money was usually discussed. "But I didn't have any funds to allocate," says the pastor. "Great", on the other hand, were the experiences in family contexts. For example, the guest from Germany had the opportunity to celebrate the Meskalfest (Feast of the Elevation of the Cross) with a family in the countryside as well as in the city. He also found the encounters in the "German Guesthouse" on the grounds of the synod, where he was accommodated and where Ethiopians also lived, enriching.

The stay in Ethiopia was a great gift, summarises Olaf Klein. The culture, the piety and the interpretation of the Bible (for example on same-sex marriage) were not always easy to harmonise. "But in the end, what matters to me is what unites us and not what divides us. And that is faith in one God."