43rd General Conference 2018 in Bielefeld

From June 14 to June 17, 2018, the 43rd Kaiserswerth General Conference took place at the von Bodelschwinghschen Stiftungen Bethel in Bielefeld, Germany.
The topic was "Community - now more than ever! The potential of togetherness in turbulent times". More than 100 participants from Europe, Africa, Asia, North and South America attended.
The keynote speakers were two internationally renowned personalities: Prof. Dr. med. Kjell Nordstokke from Oslo talked about "Church and Health". Prof. Dr. Christina aus der Au from Zurich gave a lecture on "The Learning Community: Community and Education - Passing on Values".
In the opening service, Dr. Matti Repo, Bishop of Tampere Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, preached the sermon. Heather Roy, General Secretary of Eurodiaconia in Brussels, and Prof. Dr. Beate Hofmann from the Institute for Diaconic Science and Diaconic Management in Bielefeld held a Bible study. Bethel board member Pastor Dr. Johanna Will-Armstrong was the preacher for the closing service.
Best practice examples from member houses addressed current developments with regard to the topic of the conference. Excursions to learn about the work and the history of the Sarepta Sisterhood and the von Bodelschwinghschen Stiftungen Bethel, and a concert in the Zionskirche, completed the program.