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Bangladesh Baptist Church Sangha (BBCS), local evangelical church association.
The Liebenzell Mission is an international missionary organization and has been active in Bangladesh since 1974, cooperating there with various local partner organizations.
Liebenzell Mission International operates non-denominationally around the world for over 110 years. We spread God’s love amongst people of all nations, plant churches, provide training, provide aid in emergencies and help people to become self-sufficient.
In 1974, three years after the state formation, the first Liebenzell missionaries traveled to Bangladesh. They included the Rechkemmer family and two deaconesses. The two nurses, Sister Charlotte Andres and Sister Gertrud Endlich from the Elim Social Welfare Motherhouse (Diakonissenmutterhaus) worked at what was then the PG hospital. Later, co-workers worked at the local evangelical church association ‘Bangladesh Baptist Church Sangha’ (BBCS). The latter has its roots with William Carey (1761 – 1843), an Englishman who came to the Bangladesh area as the first protestant missionary in 1793. The BBCS, consisting of 349 parishes, is one of the biggest church associations in the country and the Liebenzell Mission helps to support its social welfare and Christian mission projects. In this capacity the Liebenzell Mission supports two community development projects in the villages of Shantikutir (since 1978) and Mallikbari (since 1979) applying an integrated approach whereby the missionaries work together with the villagers to improve the development of their social, financial, health and spiritual situation.
At times of natural disaster, the Liebenzell Mission provides valuable aid as, for example, when a tsunami hit the area in 2004, followed by a cold spell in December, or after the tsunami in the summer of 2007 and the devastating effects of cyclone ‘Sidr’ in November. In these cases the Liebenzell Mission provided aid quickly and unbureaucratically and will continue to do so in the future.
In collaboration with the organization ‘International Needs’, over 50 boys have been given a home in the ‘Baptist Children’s Village’ in Khulna and a further 60 boys and girls are cared for and educated at a children’s village in Savar. These projects are financed by sponsorships arranged by the Liebenzell Mission. The Liebenzell Mission also supports the schooling of disadvantaged children in various Bangladesh regions (see projects). Liebenzell missionaries support Christian churches by offering programs for children, young people and women, as well as providing training opportunities for lay people and pastors via the mission’s TEE program (out-of-school theological training). In this way parish members are trained, encouraged and motivated to lead lives as conscious Christians in a minority situation.
Social Health & Education Development (SHED)
The SHED Board (‘Social Health & Education Development Board’) is the registered social work branch of ‘Bangladesh Baptist Church Sangha’ (BBCS). The community development projects in Mallikbari and Shantikutir are amongst some of the projects run by SHED. Through SHED, the Liebenzell Mission provides financial support to a children’s village in Khulna, where there are currently 60 boys, and to a village in Rangamati which accommodates …… boys from the hill tribes. In addition, Liebenzell Mission Bangladesh and SHED both operate the Carey Memorial School in Dinajpur which accommodates 450 children from nursery school age up to grade 10.
The Liebenzell Mission also provides aid during disasters by supporting the aid programs offered by SHED.
Further information is available at http://shedboard.org.
International Needs
In cooperation with the relief organization ‘International Needs’, 60 boys and girls are cared for and educated in Savar with the aid provided by the Liebenzell Mission. This children’s village was founded in 1986 by ‘International Needs’. A total of 300 orphans and children from very poor families live here. Primary school education is provided. For their further education the children attend local state schools. A training center offering training in practical skills is also available on the village compound.
The aid we provide for the children at the village enables them to complete both their schooling and a professional training. Our workers in the area regularly visit the village to check on the proper care of the children.
Joyramkura Christian Hospital
Dr. Megumi Kondo has been working at the ‘Joyramkura Christian Hospital’ since the end of December 2010. This hospital, near Mymensingh in northern Bangladesh, provides 100 beds and registers many births. Dr. Megumi Kondo on the surgery ward in endoscopic surgery, and also as a general practitioner where required.
College of Christian Theology Bangladesh (CCTB)
Founded in 1968, the College of Christian Theology (CCTB) in Dhaka offers both classroom courses as well as distance learning courses. Academically oriented Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees may be taken here and the students can live on campus. The CCTB also plays a key role in out-of-school theological training. It offers regular training courses for mentors and compiles training material. Two-week intensive courses are offered locally or at the college itself. This give students the opportunity to complete a course in just a couple of weeks that would normally take three months.
Further information is available at http://cctb.org.bd