wfn.org | Northern Irish pastor fills empty German pulpits

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

Jan. 11, 1999        Contact: Linda Bloom*(212)870-3803*New York
10-71B{014}

By Kathleen LaCamera*

CHEMNITZ, Germany (UMNS) -- When the Rev. Barry Sloan answered the call to
serve three churches in the former East Germany, he confesses he didn't know
what to expect.

Coming with his wife and two small children from rural Northern Ireland to
urban Chemnitz, he is one of a handful of Westerners helping to fill the gap
left by clergy shortages in East German United Methodist churches.

Sloan said he is amazed by the opportunity to share the Gospel with people
who have had little or no contact with the church.     

"Northern Ireland is all about religion, religion, religion," he explained.
"Everyone knows about Christianity. ... Nearly all children go to Sunday
School; ministers go into the schools every day.  But here I keep thinking
how many there are who don't know anything about the Bible."

Shortly after arriving last October, for example, Sloan had a visit from a
couple who wanted their baby daughter baptized. Originally from Kazakhstan,
they knew nothing about Christianity.  

"You'll never see us again" he remembered them saying through a translator.
"We just want our child baptized and we are willing to pay for it." 

Sloan told them that God already blessed their child and he would do all he
could for them, but he explained that baptism involved Christian faith.  

"It was a really tough situation," the pastor added. "I asked them to go
away and think about it and get back to me. I'm still waiting to hear from
them."    

It was 10 years ago, while at Bible college, that Sloan and his wife,
Gillian, first discussed serving in mission in Europe. Back then, they
treated the idea as something of a whim. When United Methodist Bishop Walter
Klaiber of Germany approached the British and Irish Methodist Church about
eastern Germany's clergy shortage, the whim became a real possibility.

After nine intensive months of mission and language training, Sloan took up
his post in the town known during communist times as Karl Marx Stadt.

The clergy shortage dates back to before 1989 and the end of communist rule
-- a period Germans call "Die Wende" or "The Change," according to Klaiber.
Seminary enrollment had slowed, and concern had been rising over how future
pastoral vacancies would be filled.

Since "The Change," it has been a bit easier to fill the pulpits with clergy
from the West, Klaiber said. Although pastors' salaries are marginally
smaller in eastern conferences, he does not believe that factor contributes
significantly to the shortage. He welcomes outsiders like Sloan.   

"Barry is a great enrichment for his (East German) churches," the bishop
said.

Sloan is paid by the Irish Methodist Church, officially making him a
"mission partner."  It is a concept he likes because it means his ministry
in Chemnitz is a two-way street.

"I've experienced things here I've never come across before," he explained.
"East German spirituality is vibrant.  Faith means a lot more to people
here. They depend on it. It cost them to be Christian in communist times,
and people here seem more committed."

Sloan also sees the effect of the low profile that church members maintained
under communism.  More than a few of his parishioners raised a curious
eyebrow after he papered his neighborhood with more than 300 fliers
promoting Christmas services.

But a church steward encouraged Sloan to keep pressing for more church
outreach among Chemnitz's 350,000 residents. "He told me, 'We are a little
bit timid,'" the pastor recounted. "'You can do this for us. Help us to be
more outward looking.'" 

Sloan is sure that God has a purpose in bringing him from Northern Ireland
to eastern Germany. Growing up in a community with deep tensions, he
understands the challenge of reconciliation for people who have lived
divided.  

"Here in Germany, there are still leftover feelings of suspicion and
mistrust from the past," he said. "That's something I understand, coming
from a place like Northern Ireland."

Sloan said he still feels like a beginner, especially since he struggles
with language -- unlike his 3-year-old daughter, who speaks flawless
idiomatic German. However, he hopes that with time, prayer and the
generosity of his parishioners, his ministry will help spread the Gospel to
those who have not heard it.   
# # #        
*LaCamera is a UMNS correspondent based in England.

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