Diakoniewerk Bethel

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The Diakoniewerk Bethel gGmbH based in Berlin, is a social enterprise that works closely with the Federation of Evangelical Free Churches (BEFG) is connected. The Diakoniewerk operates the Bethel Berlin Hospital in Lichterfelde and numerous social institutions in Berlin and other parts of Germany.

history

In 1887 the Berlin Baptist pastor Eduard Scheve and his wife Berta founded the Bethel Deaconess House in Friedrichshain . The Diakonissenhaus moved to Moabit in 1899 and was registered in 1904 as the Diakonissenhaus Bethel eV . In 1932 the deaconess house moved again to Dahlem . From 1939 to 1945 the deaconesses ran a clinic and sanatorium in Neuruppin. They were also active in Hanover and Königsberg. There were plans to found a hospital as early as the 1920s, but these could only be implemented after the fall of National Socialism: initially from April 1945 for a few months in Dahlem, then in Lichterfelde.

For a short time after the Second World War, the later Colonia Dignidad founder Paul Schäfer worked for Bethel as a youth educator. In 1947 he was dismissed without notice because of homosexual relationships with his underage protégés.

The Diakoniewerk Bethel eV was registered in 1976 and was under the control of the deaconesses. In 1986 Karl Behle was commissioned to "bring the diaconal mandate and economic requirements back into line". In 1989 he joined the board.

Current developments

In 2011 the Diakoniewerk changed its legal form and became a non-profit GmbH .

In 2014 the deaconess community expelled three long-term deaconesses by giving notice because they would no longer participate in the communitarian life of the sisters. It was the seriously ill Gabriele P. who had been living in a sanatorium for five years; 85-year-old Rosemarie M., who was looking after her sister in need of care; and 79-year-old Jutta W., who wanted to stay with the poor in Nepal that she had cared for for the past 40 years. The BEFG Secretary General Christoph Stiba distanced himself from this exclusion on behalf of the church. According to Stefan Süß (a) , a deaconess mother house is responsible for the care of its deaconesses until their death. As part of a legal settlement with the parents of Gabriele P., who died in 2015, Bethel retroactively withdrew her exclusion in 2017. In return, the parents waived reimbursement of the sanatorium costs.

In 2016 the deaconess sisterhood merged with the Diakoniegemeinschaft Bethel gGmbH into the Diakoniewerk.

In the summer of 2017, serious allegations were made against the Diakoniewerk. The leader of the Evangelical Free Church in Leverkusen spoke of "a massive governance (control) problem of the Bethel Group". The journalistic portal Correctiv reported that Karl Behle had brought the Diakoniewerk completely under his control. Behle draws an annual salary of 700,000 euros, which could endanger the charitable status of the Diakoniewerk. The responsible Diakonie umbrella organization Diakonisches Werk Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia was shaken and made four demands on the Diakoniewerk Bethel if it wanted to remain a member of the Diakonisches Werk. The Diakoniewerk let the set deadline for the fulfillment of these demands pass. January 2018 the umbrella organization decided to exclude Bethel. The Diakoniewerk disputes this decision.

Web links

Remarks

(a)Pastor Stefan Süß, rector of the Naëmi-Wilke-Stift in Guben , a deaconess institution of the independent Evangelical Lutheran Church .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Daniela Martens: HeilSTÄTTEN: Flat screens in the house of God . In: Der Tagesspiegel . No. 22242 , December 1, 2014, p. 11 .
  2. ↑ a b Controversy about the free church Diakoniewerk Bethel comes to a head. In: idea.de . July 17, 2017, accessed August 15, 2017 (restricted access).
  3. ↑ Berlin Lichterfelde Bethel Hospital. Retrieved August 26, 2017 .
  4. ↑ a b c Bethel Deaconess House. In: Baptist Places in Berlin and Brandenburg. State association Berlin-Brandenburg in the Federation of Evangelical Free Churches in Germany Kdö.R, March 25, 2016, accessed on August 20, 2017 .
  5. ^ Emdener Strasse 15. In: Baptist Places in Berlin and Brandenburg. State association Berlin-Brandenburg in the Federation of Evangelical Free Churches in Germany Kdö.R, March 25, 2016, accessed on August 19, 2017 .
  6. ↑ After almost ten years the boss of the Colonia Dignidad was caught: the end of a long hunt . In: The world . Volume 60, No. 60 , March 12, 2005, p. 6 : "As early as 1947 [...] [...] Schäfer from Diakoniewerk Bethel was dismissed without notice for homosexual relationships with his underage protégés."
  7. ^ Leonard Kehnscherper, Jonathan Sachse, Frederik Richter: God's work and Behles contribution. In: Correctiv.org . July 5, 2017, accessed on August 18, 2017 : "[The deaconesses] also formally formed the highest body of the Diakoniewerk Bethel and were responsible for all fundamental decisions."
  8. ^ Bethel: Change in the chairmanship of the board . In: The hospital . No. 1 . Kohlhammer , 2013, p. 98 .
  9. ^ Diakoniewerk Bethel non-profit GmbH, Berlin . In: Federal Gazette Commercial Register entries . June 24, 2011.
  10. ↑ Claudia Keller: Termination despite illness: Bethel-Diakoniewerk excludes three long-time sisters. In: Der Tagesspiegel . May 28, 2015, accessed August 15, 2017 .
  11. ↑ Claudia Keller: Late Justice: Diakoniewerk reaches an agreement with parents in court . In: Der Tagesspiegel . No. 23031 , February 17, 2017, p. 10 .
  12. ^ Diakoniewerk Bethel non-profit GmbH . In: Federal Gazette Commercial Register entries . 11th August 2016.
  13. ↑ Claudia Keller: Next blows: Gabriele Piel was a Bethel deaconess. Then she fell ill and was later excluded . In: Der Tagesspiegel . No. 23030 , February 16, 2017, p. 10 : "In 2016 the community of sisters merged with the Diakoniewerk Bethel."
  14. ^ Klaus Rösler: Conflict of Interest in Diakoniewerk Bethel? Leverkusen community leader sees "a massive governance problem". The Oncken Foundation , June 2, 2017, accessed on August 20, 2017 .
  15. ^ Leonard Kehnscherper, Jonathan Sachse, Frederik Richter: God's work and Behles contribution. In: Correctiv.org . July 5, 2017, accessed on August 18, 2017 : “Basically it is about the fact that managing director Behle has not only brought the Diakoniewerk Bethel with an annual turnover of more than 75 million euros under his control - but apparently even as his property has incorporated. "
  16. ↑ Frederik Richter, David Wünschel: Are 700,000 euros an annual salary appropriate for the head of a social welfare organization? In: Correctiv.org . July 21, 2017. Retrieved August 19, 2017 .
  17. ^ After allegations against the managing director: Diakoniewerk Bethel is threatened with exclusion from the umbrella organization. In: Rbb-online.de . July 21, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2017 .
  18. ↑ Hannes Heine: Diakoniewerk Bethel under pressure: managing director is said to have enriched himself personally. The umbrella organization has set a deadline for declarations . In: Der Tagesspiegel . No. 23192 , August 1, 2017, p. 7 .
  19. ↑ Jonathan Sachse: After the Diakoniewerk Bethel has not accepted demands of the umbrella organization, there is a risk of exclusion. In: Correctiv.org . August 1, 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2017 .
  20. ↑ 700,000 euros salary for the Diakonie board . In: Berliner Morgenpost . August 2, 2017, p. 11 .
  21. ↑ Silvia Perdoni: The business with the public benefit: Opaque finances: umbrella organization wants Bethel exclusion . In: Berliner Zeitung . No. 179 , August 3, 2017, p. 16 .
  22. ↑ Jonathan Sachse: Diakonie excludes charity Bethel: A manager turned the company into his private property. In: Correctiv.org . January 31, 2018, accessed April 18, 2018 .
  23. ↑ Diakonie excludes controversial work. In: idea.de . January 29, 2018, accessed April 18, 2018 (restricted access).
  24. ↑ Naëmi-Wilke-Stift: Imprint. Retrieved August 28, 2017 .