Berlin – One of Germany’s best-known Baptist sisters has returned to her Maker. Following a brief, serious illness, the Baptist sister and medical doctor Dr. Mechtild Schröder died in Berlin on 14 January at the age of 77. She had once served as head sister of the Baptist-affiliated “Bethel” health-and-welfare society. She had also been active within the European Baptist Federation (EBF) and European Baptist Mission (EBM). She served as Bethel’s head sister from 1981 until her retirement in 1997.

Following medical studies, this young Baptist doctor from Kassel had joined the Bethel sisterhood. From 1969 to 1971, she served as missionary doctor under EBM-auspices in North Cameroun. From 1975 until 1981, she headed Bethel’s clinic in the south-west German city of Welzheim. She was also active within Germany’s “Federation of Evangelical-Free Churches”. She was a member of its General Board from 1975 until 1987. Following her retirement in 1997, she accepted various tasks both within and without her sisterhood. With a mandate from the EBF, she supported for ex.
the creation of Baptist grassroots-level, health-and-welfare services in Georgia as well as in the Polish city of Lodz. Dr. Angelika Voigt, the sisterhood’s present leading sister, described the deceased as a “very creative and active person”, who joyfully expressed her faith and deep trust in God. The Federation’s obituary noted that Sister Mechtild’s efforts had increased “esteem of the Baptist movement” in circles outside of the Federation.

This health-and-welfare society and community stem from the Baptist “sisterhood home” (Diakonissenmutterhaus) Bethel, which was founded in Berlin in 1887. The community today consists of celibate sisters as well as non-celibate sisters and brothers with a total membership of 90. The society runs 17 hospital and care centres in the provinces of Berlin, North Rhine-Westfalia, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.