The Evangelical Mission in Solidarity (EMS) is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a Jubilee Year that will formally start on 19 September 2021 with a festive service and an international theological conference.

On 19 September 2021, the Chair of the Mission Council, Rev. Klaus Rieth, and the Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rev. Dr Godwin Nii Noi Odonkor, will open the EMS Jubilee Year at a festive service in Accra (Ghana).

The opening ceremony will be accompanied by the international theological conference "Free for the Future" that takes place from 13-17 September 2021 in Akropong (Ghana). 40 young people from Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe will discuss together the meaning of mission today and for the future of the global community and prepare a position paper. Besides Christian participants, Muslim will also participate and they will strengthen the interfaith dialogue of the EMS.

The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt. Rev. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante will open the conference. The Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem, Hosam Naoum, will introduce the theme of the conference. The conference will take place at a historic location: the Akrofi-Christaller Institute for Theology, Mission and Culture in Akropong (Ghana).

The workship service and the opening of the conference can be viewed live online at https://ems-online.org/launchjubilee:

• Opening of the theological conference on 13 September 2021 at 11.30 am (CEST)
• Worship service with the launch of Jubilee Year on 19 September at 9.30 am (CEST)

With its Jubilee Year, EMS takes up the tradition of the biblical "Year of Jubilee" when the 49th year is celebrated as a year of liberation and solidarity. Jesus himself referred to this Old Testament promise in his first sermon: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” (Luke 4:18-19 (NIV)) The General Secretary of the EMS, Rev. Dr Dieter Heidtmann, explains: "Here we find the three core elements that the EMS already bears in its name: Gospel, Mission and Solidarity. And this is all the more meaningful as they are the guiding principles for the international community in the EMS: a Gospel that sets us free, a community that opens our eyes to see others and solidarity that we feel with the poor."

The Evangelical Mission in Solidarity (EMS) was established in 1972 as the "Evangelical Mission in South-West Germany" with its seat in Stuttgart. 50 years later, the "Evangelical Mission in South-West Germany" has become the "Evangelical Mission in Solidarity": an international association of 23 churches, two guest churches and five mission societies in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Together they connect about 25 million believers across three continents.

Press contact: Dr Dieter Heidtmann, heidtmann@ems-online.org, Tel. +49 711 6367821