8/8/2003 News media contact: Tim Tanton · (615) 742-5470 · Nashville, Tenn.
This report is a sidebar to UMNS story #396. Photographs are available.
By Kathleen LaCamera*
The
state-of-the-art "EmK Mobil" (Methodistmobile) mission bus travels to
conferences, festivals, shopping centers and other places to spread the
Gospel in Europe. The EmK Mobil sets up as a cafe where people can relax
and explore questions of faith. It was on site at the European
Methodist Festival in Potsdam, Germany. A UMNS photo by Kathleen
LaCamera. Photo number 03-270 Accompanies UMNS story #397, 8/8/03
No Long Caption Available for this Story
The
state-of-the-art "EmK Mobil" (Methodistmobile) mission bus travels to
conferences, festivals, shopping centers and other places to spread the
Gospel in Europe. It was on site at the European Methodist Festival in
Potsdam, Germany. A UMNS photo by Kathleen LaCamera. Photo number 03-271
Accompanies UMNS story #397, 8/8/03
No Long Caption Available for this Story
POTSDAM, Germany (UMNS) - As a boy, Martin Kienle dreamed of one day driving a bus or a truck.
Now
29, he is living that dream, driving the state-of-the-art "EmK Mobil"
bus (loosely translated as "Methodistmobile") for the German United
Methodist Church. The $1 million bus is the church's rolling mission in
Europe, traveling to conferences, festivals, shopping centers and other
places to spread the Gospel.
"We
want to go to the people," explained Kienle, who is also a trained
carpenter. "We make tea, coffee, we serve juice, whatever. In Bulgaria,
we had the young people up on the second level watching a video while
the mothers were downstairs outside drinking coffee."
The first
EmK Mobil rolled out for mission in 1990. The newest bus is the
Methodistmobile's third incarnation and is financed 95 percent by the
64,000-member German United Methodist Church. The other 5 percent comes
from other European Methodist churches the bus serves.
Summer is
the busiest time. In addition to Methodistmobile's trip to the European
Methodist Festival in Potsdam, Kienle has driven the bus to Croatia,
Slovenia and Bulgaria. Soon the bus will be off to Estonia, Finland and
other destinations north.
The other bus team members include
34-year-old Monika Orandi, a native of Romania. She is taking a
five-week vacation from her job in Stuttgart as a technical illustrator
to accompany a fellow Bible school student on the Methodistmobile.
"This
is very new and it is very interesting to meet so many from other lands
and to hear about their different opinions and experiences," Orandi
explained. "This bus is for evangelization, and in the future, I want to
be open for God's way. … I begin here with the bus."
Kienle
admitted that when people find out that the bus is church-sponsored,
some say "no thanks" and keep going. But many stick around.
"Most
people are interested and ask, 'What is this? What are you doing?'"
Kienle said. "Most say they are pleased that the bus has come to them."
Kienle
also said that moving constantly from place to place, always starting
over in a new town or city, can be hard. Still, he is glad for the
chance to do it.
"With this project I can drive a bus, do something for God and meet a lot of new people."
More information about the EmK Mobil is available at www.emkmobil.de.
# # #
*LaCamera is a United Methodist News Service correspondent based in England.
Korean News
