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The Licence to Trade
In Business for Mission - WEM celebrates 50th anniversary
How do you move X-ray-machines to Africa, seeds beyond the Carpates, or 10 000 gallones of petrol to Cambodia? At the lowest costs, at the right time, to the right destination? The first choice for parishes, churches, missions and NGOs is WEM, the "Purchasing Agency of Protestant Missionary Societies" - Wirtschaftsstelle Evangelischer Missionsgesellschaften G.m.b.H. This organisation was founded in 1952 "in order to serve Mission Societies with general supplies, equipment for those who want to go abroad and to provide them transport ... to their destination" as it reads in the statutes.
At the beginning missionaries, their families and their possessions had to be sent out to the "missionfield". By ship, of course. Later, when church personnel travelled by air, WEM bought and transported vehicles, generators and medical equipment overseas. After the founding of organisations like "Bread for the World", business boomed. WEM is not only in the business for brand-new products. Since donors want used devices shipped, the Hamburg-based firm sends all kinds of machinery. "X-ray-machines, incubators for premature babies, trucks for church businesses ... we forward any donation from any church to their partners abroad", says Claus-Rüdiger Ullrich, WEM Director and in charge of 20 employees.
Times have changed: less European church workers are being send abroad. WEM's core-business has changed. Missions are no longer the main partner; most business is done with aid organisation. No longer is it necessary to purchase everything in industrialised countries. Some business is done within Africa, South America or Asia. In order to provide better service, six branches have been founded in India, Africa and Central-America.
"Our personal is highly qualified", says Mr Ullrich and explains some facts of every-day business: Speaking at least three languages, the crew has to bargain with Japanes car manufacturers, has to know about taxes and fees, has to handle logistics over three continents, and deal with corrupt employees while checking on a delay due to a revolution and changing a schedule of one shipment. "Because we do business with people we have to keep our sence of humor in the midst of all the problems we face", Mr Ullrich stresses
As the sole shareholder of WEM is the Association of Protestant Churches and Missions in Germany (EMW), whose members include the Evangelical Church in Germany, the Free Churches and the regional mission departments of the Lutheran, Reformed and United Churches, the agency doesn't have to make a profit. With its revenues WEM advises churches abroad in organizing their purchasing departments.
Gone are the "golden times" were business simply came in on its own, Mr Ullrich says. "We have to find new partners in Germany and abroad. Only if the quality of our service is maintained we can keep up with the competition." To create a higher demand for WEM's service the internet homepage is now being improved. the director says: "In every respect we have to stay up-to-date. Because we do world-wide business, we are using modern means of comunnication. We want globalisation to serve the churches worldwide, improve the living conditions of all the people and to glorify God."
More information: http://www.wem-hamburg.de
