A new sub-foundation has now been established under the umbrella of the EMS Foundation “Mission in Partnership”: the Ernst-August Hesse Foundation honours the long-standing commitment of the Protestant pastor Ernst-August Hesse (1955 - 2018).

Justice, peace and the integrity of creation were central concerns for Ernst-August Hesse throughout his life. He worked as a hospital chaplain in Wiesbaden for almost 20 years and was involved in parish work for over 15 years, as well as volunteering as an emergency chaplain. He was also active in mission and ecumenism, including support for communities threatened with forced relocation in South Africa and partnership work with Nicaragua. His commitment to the environment was evident not only in the church but also in local politics. He was also involved in the peace movement for many years and volunteered at Frankfurt airport to help refugees.

The founders, Ulrike Schmidt-Hesse and Lisa Hesse, set up the foundation in memory of their husband and father and to support causes that were close to his heart. “My father took great pleasure in bringing different people together. Different ages, characters, cultures,” says Lisa Hesse. “He was interested in individuals, listening to them and at the same time paying attention to their interactions with others and their environment.” Ulrike Schmidt-Hesse adds: “Yes, my husband had a good eye for individual people and at the same time for social processes and structures. He supported people in need and was actively involved in preventing and overcoming hardship. He was committed to participation and democracy and took a firm stand against right-wing extremism.”

The Ernst-August Hesse Foundation is committed to keeping these values alive. It promotes the commitment to justice, peace and the integrity of creation by supporting EMS programmes and projects as well as educational events and publications or campaigns in this field. Hesse's world of hope and guidance from the Book of the Prophet Micah – “But they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid” – remains an inspiration and a motivation.

The EMS Foundation “Mission in Partnership” invests in the future of disadvantaged people around the world. It was established in 2008 to provide a secure, long-term financial basis for the project work of the Evangelical Mission in Solidarity (EMS). In addition to the Ernst-August Hesse Foundation, there are currently two other sub-foundations under its umbrella. They benefit from an established network and many years of experience in global church cooperation.

Applications for funding can be submitted to the Ernst-August Hesse Foundation via the EMS.

Press contact: Ulrike Schmidt-Hesse, schmidt-hesse@dont-want-spam.gmx.de, Tel. +49 176 824 484 89