EMS EVS Visit May 2013

Rev. Dr. Jürgen Reichel, the New General Secretary for EMS (Evangelical Mission in Solidarity), and Rev. Dr. Uwe Gräbe, Middle East Liaison Officer of EMS who is also the EVS (Evangelischer Verein für die Schneller-Schulen) Managing Director, visited Johann Ludwig Schneller School from Saturday 18 till Monday 20 May 2013. This was the first visit for Rev. Dr. Jürgen Reichel to our school. It was wonderful to have them both in JLSS.
Both Rev. Dr. Reichel and Rev. Dr. Gräbe attended the Monday gathering of all JLSS students (Salutation of the Flag) and Rev. Dr. Gräbe addressed the students and concluded with prayer after which all students sang the Lebanese national anthem (regulation of Ministry of Education).

They later visited the various departments and met our teachers, trainers, educators, members of staff, and students. While visiting Grade 1 Rev. Dr. Gräbe had a surprise for our children when they all received a Wichtel and were delighted with it.

Rev. Dr. Reichel and Rev. Dr. Gräbe were both able to see the fruits of the wonderful partnership the National Evangelical Church in Beirut has with EVS and EMS, and the wonderful education and care our school is providing to underprivileged children thanks to the main support it receives from them. 

Rev. Klaus Schmid, Chairperson of EVS who was recently re-elected for another five-year term, arrived to JLSS on Wednesday 22 May 2013. Rev. Schmid is at home in our school having served it for over fifty years in various capacities, starting as an educator, then Head of the Boarding Department, and later as a member and chairperson of EVS.
He also visited the various departments, met his old and new friends from the JLSS team, and was able to follow up on the work and recent developments in our school.
He returned to Beirut on Saturday 25 May to attend with Rev. Dr. Reichel and Rev. Dr. Gräbe the meeting of the JLSS Board of Trustees. The meeting was a very important one as the board had on its agenda major challenges facing JLSS including land issues and the negative impact of the continuous increases of teachers' salaries that are threatening the future of private schools in Lebanon.

The National Evangelical Church in Beirut hosted a dinner in honor of our distinguished three guests attended by all the members of the Schneller Board of Trustees and the NECB church council.
Rev. Dr. Habib Badr, President of NECB and Chairperson of the Schneller Board, introduced the distinguished guests to members of his church council. There was a unanimity of gratitude to EVS and EMS for their wonderful partnership and support. Above all, everyone was delighted and grateful to God for the ideal cooperation and partnership between NECB on one side, and EVS and EMS on the other, which truly makes NECB under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Badr, the first church in our region to reciprocate to the pioneer full partnership granted by EMS to NECB, making it a wonderful and trusted partnership both ways.

This is a historic development in partnership, initiated by EMS and reciprocated by NECB. Partnership in mission in the distant past was first in one direction, from the West to the East. This developed in the seventies to a new level when all churches and institutions started and developed by Western mission-work in the East, were handed over to the local churches. And now EMS and NECB are making history by bringing their partnership to that of equals both ways, working fully together across geographic and cultural boundaries, in complete Christian fellowship, that truly brings glory to the name of our one, eternal, and loving God.