Aaron and Anne Bowes

Aaron grew up on Manitoulin Island in Canada, Anne in Nierstein, Germany. They met in 1983 at Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio. After getting married in 1987 they went to Germany in 1988 to work as church planters in several ministries in Augsburg and Berlin until 2019. They have four grown children.

Our compassion/mercy ministries in Halle-Neustadt

In 2019 we moved to Halle-Neustadt in Saxony-Anhalt – this area of former East Germany has the lowest percentage of church affiliation in all of Germany (around 13%). Halle-Neustadt was built in the 1960s and 70s as a socialist city – without planning for a single church! Today around 44,000 people live in this district, made up mainly of elderly, low income and refugees. There are various social problems like high unemployment and crime. We serve here together with German Christians in various projects that meet needs and also provide good opportunities to share the gospel and the hope we have in Jesus Christ:
– Soup Kitchen and Sunday Fellowship: Every Sunday we offer a meeting with songs, a short gospel message and a free dinner and fellowship time together. Around 40 to 50 people attend – many are elderly and live alone in this apartment block district.
– Train Station Mission: A Christian Mission that is open every day and provides food for the needy and homeless. Aaron volunteers there once a week. On German holiday weekends we can also offer a church service right in the Mission. A number of guests from the Mission also attend our Sunday afternoon Fellowship.
– Kids’ Club Outreach: This is an after-school Kids’ Club for girls and boys offering exciting Bible stories, games and snacks together.
– Christian Family Center: Once a week Anne teaches a German language class to refugee ladies and develops good friendships with ladies mainly from a Muslim background.