German connection flourishes as volunteers seek alternative to military service

Mennonite Central Committee
Wednesday, 20 December 2000

WINNIPEG, Man. -- Inside a rambling three-storey house on Langside Street in Winnipeg, the flow of lighthearted conversation is sprinkled with German.

This is the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Manitoba house for voluntary service workers. And it has a decidedly German flavour. Germans Kornelius Penner and Simon Schlepphege are currently two of the three full-time residents here.

On this frigid winter evening, the house is warm and the atmosphere relaxed. Peter and Lilli Penner, also from Germany, have trekked over from their nearby apartment to join the conversation about their service with MCC.

The three young men volunteer at Winnipeg Harvest, a food bank that each month distributes food to approximately 40,000 people in Winnipeg.

Instead of performing a required stint of military service in Germany, the guys signed up as conscientious objectors to do alternative service. Through Christliche Dienste, the German Mennonite Voluntary Service Agency, they were connected with MCC, and are in the midst of two-year voluntary assignments.

Lilli volunteers for MCC at the Family Community Centre, an inner city drop-in centre for mothers and children.

They are not alone. Christliche Dienste places volunteers with partner organizations throughout the world. In 2000, it placed 19 volunteers with MCC, of whom 14 were conscientious objectors performing alternative service.

Kornelius, Peter and Simon said they already knew about Winnipeg Harvest back in Germany. Others came before them, and word spread back home that Winnipeg Harvest was a good choice for service.

"At Harvest you can help some other people instead of going in the army," said Peter, who started his assignment in January, 2000.

Working at the main distribution centre, the men fill food orders every morning. They also pick up donated food, make deliveries to other food banks, sort food, and supervise volunteer groups.

"I like it. Nice people. Good communication. I enjoy going there," said Kornelius, who started in September, 1999.

The feeling is mutual. "We love them. We just love them. They're good workers. They have great attitudes," said Linda Postma, volunteer services coordinator at Winnipeg Harvest, about the volunteers from Germany. "I can't say enough about them."

Most workers at Winnipeg Harvest are volunteers--some regular, many occasional. Postma said being able to count on volunteers like Peter, Simon and Kornelius is invaluable. "They get a lot of work done that wouldn't otherwise get done," she said.

Kornelius, Peter and Lilli all have their roots in the former Soviet Union. Kornelius, 21, was born to Mennonite parents in Kyrgyzstan and moved to Detmold in northwest Germany when he was nine.

Lilli, 22, was born in Kazahkstan, and moved to Detmold with her family in 1988. Peter, 23, from Russia, landed with his family in the same town two years later. Like many Mennonites there, they all attended the Baptist Brethren Church. Lilli and Peter were married in May, 1999.

Simon's story is different. He grew up near Karlsruhe in southwest Germany, where he was raised in the Lutheran church. He joined the youth group at the local Mennonite church a few years ago, and eventually began attending church there too. "So now I'm Mennonite," said Simon, 20.

German men need to fulfil eight months of military service as young adults, but a conscientious objector can instead do 11 months of civil service within Germany, or 13 months of alternative service with an approved organization outside the country.

Debbie Enbrecht, who coordinates placements for Christliche Dienste, said her organization requires them to serve at least two years. "This is because we want them to really do 'voluntary service,' not just fulfill their required 13 months as conscientious objectors," she wrote from Germany.

Kornelius and Peter both knew another conscientious objector, Andreas Harms, from their home church, who volunteered at Winnipeg Harvest in the mid-'90s. "So we knew quite a bit what jobs we would get," said Peter.

They all agree they were drawn by the adventure of living in a foreign country, as well as a desire to improve their English. But their motives went deeper too. "One reason is I don't believe in killing people. I don't believe anyone has the right to take another life," said Kornelius.

They say their decision prompts a mixed reaction back home. Some people are mocked for not joining the military, but others are mocked if they do join. "Some people say you have to be crazy to go to the army," said Simon.

They say they'll do their part to let other German Mennonites know the alternatives available, especially Winnipeg Harvest. "I would tell them it's a good place to work," said Kornelius.

For more information, or to contact Mennonite Central Committee, see their website at: www.mcc.org