The abbreviations “RSO” and “PSO” stand for the EMS job titles “Regional Support Officer” and “Programme Support Officer”. Four co-workers from EMS member churches who have recently taken up these positions are meeting in Stuttgart this week for an inaugural visit.

They are Boneta Neethling from the Moravian Church in South Africa (MCSA), Christopher Dharmaraj from the Church of South India (CSI), Gustina Saruran from the Indonesian Toraja Church and Sunyoung Huh from the Presbyterian Church in South Korea (PCK). The aim of their stay is to form an international team and to get to know the work of the EMS Secretariat.

Their schedule is full: on Monday morning, they will meet with the staff of the EMS Secretariat for breakfast and an informal exchange of ideas. The new North-South volunteers of the Ecumenical Youth Volunteers Programme have also been invited. Meetings with the various EMS departments and divisions are scheduled through Friday.

The RSOs and PSOs support the work on the ground in the EMS member churches. They facilitate direct contact with the projects and the member churches of the international community. Their work is vital for the successful implementation of projects and for smooth communication within the EMS. As bridge-builders, they connect people, projects and cultures - building trust, promoting dialogue and making global partnership a tangible experience in everyday life.