Christian ministries
Christian Services is an international volunteer program run by the German Mennonites . It was created in 1986 under institutions such as the Peace Committee and the Mission Committee of the Working Group of Mennonite Congregations . Internationally, there is also a Mennonite Voluntary Service ( Mennonite Voluntary Service known). The program is a member of the Action Group Service for Peace and in the Evangelical Forum for Voluntary Development Policy . It is recognized as the sending organization for the development project weltwärts of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development . The Mennonite Voluntary Service also has recognition according to §14b of the Civil Service Act , so that the volunteer program is also possible instead of civil service. The guiding principle of the volunteer program is go there and learn .
In 2009 around 80 volunteers were involved in 14 countries. They worked in children's, care or handicapped institutions, in disaster relief , in fair trade and in the food banks . The projects thus include both small-scale initiatives by individual groups and parishes as well as larger regional projects that are also supported by other church organizations. The duration of an assignment can vary between one and three years. The volunteers from Christian Services receive pedagogical support in the preparation phase as well as in the service itself and on return. The missions are financed through donations from individuals, church communities, companies ( social sponsoring ) and in some cases also through government grants. To finance the service itself, each volunteer contributes € 150 per month through his or her home community or a support group to the volunteer fund. The other costs are covered by the volunteer program itself.