The Detroit area is home to a number of German companies. Over the last decade many of these companies have given their German employees instructions on how to meet Americans- join a health club or go to a church. As a result several German families over the years (particularly in the Daimler/Chrysler era) became regular attenders of Detroit area GLC churches.
Each family, though only here for a few years, was impacted by the GLC churches. The first ones to return to Germany worked through their home FeG (Freier evangelischer Gemeinden) denomination and local Stuttgart FeG church to plant 2 new churches in the Stuttgart area. The GLC as a group, with Faith Cov., Farmington Hills, MI and Christ Cov. Church (C3), Wixom, MI in particular, partnered with the “mamma” Stuttgart FeG church to help start and coach the new churches.
The GLC and the Stuttgart area FeG churches in partnership have raised money together, have had Skype prayer and planning meetings (about every 6 weeks- these meetings continue today), and have sent folks back and forth on mission and ministry trips. Please read through the “Highlights” below and consider if your church might wish to take an active part in this partnership. Call the GLC Conference office with your questions: 734-451-4670.
Highlights from the partnership:
-
2005 – trip from FeG denominational and local Stuttgart FeG leaders to Detroit area
-
May 2006 – 40 pastors and spouses from FeG churches came to the Detroit area to learn about ECC methods of church planting and church vitality
-
June 2006 – 26 people from the Detroit area went on a mission trip to the Stuttgart FeG church to reach out to World Cup soccer fans during the weeks surrounding the World Cup games in Stuttgart
-
Fall 2006 into early 2007 – C3 took on Rene Muehe from Germany, as an intern to help prepare him to be the planting pastor for one of the new churches.
-
Fall 2006 into Spring 2007 – Stuttgart area Feg churches raised over $17,000 for the children’s ministry of Hope Community Church, Detroit, MI
-
2007 – two new FeG churches opened in the Stuttgart area: FeG Renningen and FeG Rems-Mur
-
July 2008 – 25 Germans came to partner in mission and ministry with Detroit area GLC churches
-
Oct. 2009 – A two-part mission and ministry trip to the Stuttgart Area FeG churches and other FeG churches: week 1- Miss America 2008 spoke to teens about self-image and basing that image on Christ; week 2- Detroit area business men held workshops on being Christian men in the workplace.
-
Nov. 2010 – GLC staff trip to Stuttgart FeG church to experience the FeG’s Lego City, the inspiration for the GLC’s Lego City Ministry
-
July 2011 – 22 Germans came to partner in mission and ministry with Detroit area GLC churches
-
Aug. 2013 – 12 Americans went for a two-part mission and ministry trip: week 1- “American Days” for the kids of Winnenden, Germany; week 2- English Camp
-
Sept. 2014 – Aug. 2015- 2 teens from FeG Renningen spend a year volunteering for the GLC churches
-
March 2015 – Rene Muehe came back to the Detroit area to request the widening of the GLC/FeG partnership to include his church planting efforts in Melle, Germany
-
Aug. 2016 -12 Germans came from FeG Stuttgart, FeG Renningen and FeG Rems-Mur to work with a variety of GLC folks to bring a soccer camp to Covenant Mountain Mission Bible Camp
-
Summer 2019 – It will be the GLC’s turn to go to the Stuttgart area for a mission trip!
