Joint Christian collaboration
Quick Definitions
Church World Service (CWS)
Primarily dominated by Lutherans, the Church World Service (CWS) emerged as the recognized relief agency of the Protestant churches in America on May 8, 1946. By April 1947, CWS began its relief operations in Germany under UNRRA auspices. CWS cooperated with UNRRA in three areas: immigration to the U.S. under Truman’s Directive, resettlement to other countries carried out by the Ecumenical Refugee Commission (ERC) of the World Council of Churches (WCC), and welfare programs for DP camp residents in the U.S zone. Its welfare programs included child welfare, vocational training, education and personal counseling. CWS also took care of many cases from the The American Christian Committee for Refugees which liquidated in July 1947. However, by May 1948, its welfare program was liquidated due to the drastic financial crisis.
World Council of Churches (WCC)
The World Council of Churches was based in Geneva and was established in the summer of 1948. However, its divisions and agencies had already been operating in postwar relief. Note that the WCC was NOT a CRALOG member.
Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA)
YMCA is non-governmental organization with local affiliated YMCAs.
During WWII, YMCA-USA developed War Prisoner’s Aid Program, working with prisoners of war on camps in more than 30 countries.1 Dr. Howard Hong, who worked for Lutheran World Federation Service to Refugees as well, worked with War Prisoners Aid of the World’s YMCA both in the U.S. and Europe from 1943 to 1946. He went from a field secretary to the director of war prisoners’ aid of YMCA in Denmark, Norway, and the British zone of Germany.2
Cooperations in between
Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) & YMCA
The YWCA and the YMCA both operated on DP camps. However, the YWCA supplied the recreational and spiritual activities, e.g. sport supplies, drawing competition, toy shops, theatrical groups, and cinema projects. Meanwhile, the YMCA organized the summer camps for children, introduced a training program for youth leadership. The YMCA had sent 111 persons in Germany by the end of 1946 with 63 persons in the US zone including the DP assistants by July 1947.
YMCA & LWF
YMCA agreed to having workers sent by the Lutheran World Federation but to work on the YMCA staff as special Lutheran representatives. This was crucial in the beginnings of LWF-SR work, since LWF did not have an agreement with IRO and the occupying powers to have a staff in Germany until 1947. 3
Apart from the cooperation in the agreements, each of these agencies had different focuses:
WCC and YMCA were more interested in religious rehabilitation and spiritual aid, while LWF and CWS leaned more towards relief and immigration services.
CWS & LWF
LWF was responsible for the Lutheran DPs in Europe. Yet given the Lutheran-majority in CWS, there were a lot of misunderstandings and disagreements between CWS and LWF. To avoid too much overlap, a coordinating committee was established in the summer of 1948 composed of representatives of WCC, CWS, and LWF. LWF received complaints that they were actually doing their own independent service for Lutherans and disregarded other Protestant refugees from the other two agencies.
LWF & WCC
Most of the LWF members were also members of the WCC. The World Council of Churches-Refugee Division (WCCRD) and LWFSR combined staffs to secure the maximum coverage of the field and the minimum area for each man. For instance, Dr. Howard Hong served as LWF senior field representative and as senior field officer of WCCRD. Both programs were coordinated also with CWS, through the coordinating committee (LWF, CWS, WCCRD) meeting in Geneva.
The three organizations had common planning and staff meetings, sharing and exchanging supplies until 1948 when they separated staffs. Although coordinated planning and cooperation still continued in very real and practical ways.4
CWS & WCC (ERC incorporated)
CWS nominated some of its members to the Department of Reconstruction under WCC and transferred its cases to other Protestant agencies. In summer of 1948, CWS seriously curtailed its operations.
During its operation, CWS worked closely together with WCC and ERC, a committee of WCC. They had cooperated with each other since March 1947 under the cooperation policy by the Department of Reconstruction(WCC) which was 80% funded by CWS. However, this is not to say there were not conflicts over overlapping work.
The ERC and CWS were sister agencies but experienced controversy about the direction of the services. The CWS leaned towards material aid, while the ERC, as a committee of WCC, focused more on spiritual ministry.
Agreements Between WCC, LWF, and YMCA/YWCA
Below is a collection of different agreements demonstrating the collaboration between these many Christian organizations working in post-war Europe. To learn more about where they were found or make the image larger, be sure to click on whichever interests you!
Endnotes
1. “Our History,” ASYMCA National Headquarters (blog), accessed August 1, 2023, https://asymca.org/about/history/.
2. Hong, V. Howard (biography file), ELCA Archives, Chicago.
3. Kenneth C. Senft, “The Lutheran World Federation and the Displaced Person” (PhD diss., Lutheran Theological Seminary, 1952), found in Kierkegaard Library Rare Books Room
4. Kenneth C. Senft, “The Lutheran World Federation and the Displaced Person” (PhD diss., Lutheran Theological Seminary, 1952), found in Kierkegaard Library Rare Books Room
***A majority of the information on this page comes from the book: Haim Genizi, America’s Fair Share: The Admission and Resettlement of Displaced Persons, 1945-1952 (Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press, 1994).
Click the button below to view the complete bibliography for this digital exhibition.
Photo Credits
1. (Heading) The front page of a statement issued by a Conference of representatives of the World Council of Churches, Church World Services Inc. (representing more than twenty Church bodies in the U.S.A.) the Lutheran World Federation, the World’s Alliance of Y.M.C.A., and the World’s Y.W.C.A. on October 19, 1947 in Geneva, Switzerland. used with permission of the Lutheran World Federation Geneva Archive and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
2. The Preamble of an agreement signed between WCC, CWS, LWF, and World YMCA and YWCA on October 17-19, 1947 in Geneva Switzerland. Used with permission of the Lutheran World Federation Geneva Archive and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
3. An agreement signed between WCC, CWS and LWF, used with permission of the Lutheran World Federation Geneva Archive and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
4. An agreement signed between WCC Refugee Commission and YMCA/YWCA, used with permission of the Lutheran World Federation Geneva Archive and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
5. Working arrangements according to the agreements signed between YMCA and WCC, used with permission of the Lutheran World Federation Geneva Archive and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
6. An agreement signed between the NLC and CWS, used with permission of the Lutheran World Federation Archive and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
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