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German
Exchange Ministry |
REQUIREMENTS
FOR PARTICIPANTS:
German and American Youth who participate
must be active in their congregations and must be confirmed or attending confirmation
class. Church families volunteer to be "Host Families" and provide a home environment
for the youth and adult chaperones to enjoy.
WHAT
IS SPECIAL ABOUT THIS PROGRAM?
This program is a life changing experience
for all of the participants. We have learned that interpersonal-international
relationships are the key difference between this program and regular travel.
Our fellowship with the Christian families in Spenge-Lenzinghausen has reaped
rewards far greater than we could have imagined and has sparked friendships and
relationships between people that are still strong today.
NEW
ADULT PROGRAM
This program has been so successful with the youth,
the adults want to share the excitement and see and experience what their children
have been talking about for 10 years, so an Adult Exchange program will start
in October 10, 2009.
HISTORY
The program was started by Pastor Kenneth Homer, Pastor Heinrich Schleuter and
Christian Hanel and has grown significantly from the small groups that initially
traveled to and from Germany.
More than 150 of our youth have traveled
to experience an intense 15 day period of learning, fellowship and leisure time
with our sister congregation St. Pauluskirche in Lenzinghausen, Germany. During
this time, they see and experience first hand not only the roots of the protestant
faith in the homeland of Martin Luther, but also a complete immersion in the daily
life of small town Germany. We spend our family time in Spenge-Lenzinghausen which
is located the Nordrhein-Westfalen state of Germany. It is considerably "off the
beaten path" and distant from typical German tourist destinations. It is because
of this that the program provides such a unique perspective on German culture.
The
exchange has included visits to historical places such as: - Wartburg,
Erfurt and Wittenberg (Martin Luther related sites)
- Berlin
- Bremerhaven
- Cologne
- Potsdam
(Sans Souci)
As
well as visits to regional centers of German life such as: - Paderborn
- Bielefeld
- Herford
- Hannover
- Osnabruck
This
is a very structured program that incorporates both historical and fun activities.
The youth are engaged in a formal program every day of the trip, except for "Host
Family Day" when they spend time with their Host Family participating in activities
they schedule for them. This may be hanging out at the pool, taking a bike ride
or traveling to a site not on the formal tour, to name a few.
The American
youth travel to Germany on even years and the German youth travel to Bel Air on
odd years. The German youth try to be in the United States for Independence Day,
as there is no celebration comparable to this in Germany and it is a very special
experience for them. We make it more special by having an "old fashioned July
4th" picnic with 3 legged races, tug-of-war, watermelon eating contests, wiffle
ball and traditional food - including homemade ice cream. |
| The
German Youth Exchange celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2009!
Mission
of this Ministry: To give the youth of Good Shepherd the opportunity to learn
about their Lutheran heritage through intercongregational fellowship and immersion
in German culture and open our homes and hearts to our German neighbors in Christian
fellowship and to proudly share our American heritage.
PROGRAM
FUNDING
The program has been underwritten by a grant from the German
government; however, the funds have begun to shrink over the last several years
and this past year, for the first time, the congregation at St. Pauluskirche held
a fund raising event to help support the program. When we travel to Germany, the
cost is mainly airfare - meals, lodging, and program activities are covered while
in Germany and the grant pays the airfare for 2 American adult chaperones. Additional
money is needed for some evening activities, snacks and souvenirs. When the German
youth are in the US, the grant pays for the German participants' portion of transportation,
entrance fees and group activities and allows each person $10/day for lunch or
dinner(when we are in Germany, we receive 10 euros/day as well). When the German
youth visit us, the costs for American youth are paid by their families (as is
the case for the German youth when in Germany) and include transportation, entrance
fees and meals.
To help minimize the costs for the American families
and achieve our goal of fully funding the program in the USA, we have an annual
German Exchange Ministry Team (GEMT) Bull Roast, Pancake breakfasts at Applebees,
sell fresh Christmas greens and LCGS Cookbooks. Please contact any member of the
Ministry team for information on the fund raisers.
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