The Team
Our ministry is led by a team consisting of eight people. We are four married couples from three generations who are all yearning to serve the Lord together each one individually and all of us together. The Lord has been weaving our paths together in the last couple of years. What started with the “Gespräch at the Aufzug” (conversation by the elevators) has grown into this ministry. This conversation took part at the last of the Wittenberg 2017 meetings. As George and Hanna decided to give up their flat in Gemünd, the Eifel, it fell on the Benecke’s hearts to invite them to make Trieb their base whenever visiting Germany. From this the friendship has grown deeper and the idea and desire to serve together developed into creating a Discipleship Week and found a ministry together. The Eifel Fellowship ministry that George and Hanna had previously started and Ryan and Noleen had long been walking along side with them grew into this new work that now includes the eight of us.
About Hanna & George
Hanna (1932) was born into a Jewish family who lived in the Eifel region of Germany. As Nazi violence against Jews escalated, her parents, Markus and Amalie, sought ways to escape. In July 1939, they placed 7-year-old Hanna on a Kinder Transport to England and safety. Unable to leave, Markus and Amalie were ultimately deported to the ghetto in Lodz, Poland, and gassed to death in Chelmno on May 3, 1942.
Hanna’s search for a personal relationship with Israel’s God culminated when she placed her faith in Yeshua (Jesus) as her Jewish Messiah as a young adult. She and George (from the US) met in Belgium and were married in India. The Mileys have spent over 50 years ministering. Their work has taken them to some 100 countries.
George was one of the foundation laying leaders for the work of Operation Mobilization (OM) in India in the 1960s. He was subsequently the pioneer leader of the OM ships Logos and Doulos from 1971 to 1985. In 1987 he founded Antioch Network, a still-expanding relational fellowship of Christian leaders, the ministries they lead, and the networks to which they relate.
The Mileys have been active in the ministry of reconciliation, residing part of each year in Germany. Some of their closest friends are Germans, but their ministry has extended beyond this to wherever divisions among individuals and groups are entrenched. Their special passion is to cultivate unity among the Christian traditions through confession (acknowledging how we have wronged each other), repentance and asking for and extending forgiveness. Now in their later years, George and Hanna are focused on committing their life-teaching to writing, and imparting it to the generations who follow them.
About Cecily & Ludwig
Ludwig (1986) and Cecily (1989) met in their teenage years. They were married in 2012 at Cecily’s home church, which is Catholic. A Protestant Pastor married them with the assistance of two Messianic Jewish Rabbies. The service was accompanied by organ music and modern worship music. It included all the aspects of their faith and desire for unity among the denominations. The first years of their marriage were spent in Berlin. During that time they were both part, as Ludwig had already been, of the Messianic Jewish Congregation in Berlin.
Ludwig worked on completing his lawyer’s degree and started his first job at a lawyer’s office. Cecily underwent some medical training and worked as a secretary before their first son arrived. With two sons in the city they decided that they wanted to move to the countryside and were thankful to be invited to move to Trieb. They now have three sons and one daughter and live together with Ludwig’s grandmother in the Schlösschen. Ludwig works at his father’s law firm and Cecily works part-time for the ministry and cares for their children and the house.
Together they have been involved in the Yad’b’Yad Programme, which took them to Auschwitz together with a group of German believers and Messianic Jewish students from Israel. Through this experience the understanding for the deep need for repentance and forgiveness was placed in their hearts. Initiatives like TJCII, Repentance of the Nobility for the First World War, Wittenberg 2017, and now, Quellen enable them to share this understanding and provide for places of reconciliation.
About Hubertus & Dorothea
Hubertus (1960) and Dorothea (1961) Benecke, have been married for over 35 years. They have 10 children together, 9 of which are alive and 3 grandchildren. Family is a big part of their lives as they have both been born into large families and place a great value in creating an open house for all those that feel connected to them. They have been living at the Berghof for over 25 years and express their gift of hospitality wonderfully in creating room for fellowship, connection and growth.
Dorothea is a preacher in the Lutheran Church of Bavaria and part of the synod in the Deanery of Michelau. Hubertus is a practicing lawyer with his own firm, based in Hof and Lichtenfels. Their desire is to have their house be a “Jesus-House.” Faith in Jesus is what has carried them through life together and enabled them to successfully navigate trials and tribulations.
They both care deeply for the house and property they have been entrusted with and use their gifts in gardening, forestry, and agriculture to sustain and cultivate the land.
Hubertus and Dorothea have walked and worked alongside other Christian ministries and organizations and served them for a long time. Among these are the Jesus-Community of Gnadenthal, TJCII, the local church, city council, and community prayer groups. They are connected and committed to unity in the body of Christ and cultivate friendships with Catholics, Free-Chruch Protestants, Orthodox and Messianic Jews. All the while carrying a deep yearning for revival in their land.
About Ryan & Noleen
Ryan (1975) and Noleen (1982) have been married since 2003 and live in Phoenix, Arizona with their four children. Noleen works as a birth doula and birth photographer and is passionate about serving women throughout pregnancy, labor and birth. Ryan has been serving in ministry since 1994 and is currently the International Director of the Antioch Network.
During his work with the Antioch Network Ryan has been able to get to know and connect to various ministries in five different continents. Deepening relationships and investing in leaders and their teams is his main motivation for serving and also a gifting that he shares with Noleen. Together they have been serving in the Antioch Network Council for the past ten years. Their heart also burns for their local community and they have been leading a prayer community for many years in Phoenix, called Apprenticeship to Jesus (A2J).
Through their talents in photography and in depth prayer study they have created and compiled beautiful resources that glorify the Lord. They also love hiking, traveling, the company of good friends, and sharing a cappuccino together at local coffee shops.
Together with their children they have taken much time to travel the world, experience different cultures and ministry streams. This is how they also connected to George and Hanna Miley early on and later met both Hubertus and Dorothea and Ludwig and Cecily through the Wittenberg 2017 Initiative.
Hanna & George Miley
Hanna (1932) was born into a Jewish family who lived in the Eifel region of Germany. As Nazi violence against Jews escalated, her parents, Markus and Amalie, sought ways to escape. In July 1939, they placed 7-year-old Hanna on a Kinder Transport to England and safety. Unable to leave, Markus and Amalie were ultimately deported to the ghetto in Lodz, Poland, and gassed to death in Chelmno on May 3, 1942.
Hanna’s search for a personal relationship with Israel’s God culminated when she placed her faith in Yeshua (Jesus) as her Jewish Messiah as a young adult. She and George (from the US) met in Belgium and were married in India. The Mileys have spent over 50 years ministering. Their work has taken them to some 100 countries.
George was one of the foundation laying leaders for the work of Operation Mobilization (OM) in India in the 1960s. He was subsequently the pioneer leader of the OM ships Logos and Doulos from 1971 to 1985. In 1987 he founded Antioch Network, a still-expanding relational fellowship of Christian leaders, the ministries they lead, and the networks to which they relate.
The Mileys have been active in the ministry of reconciliation, residing part of each year in Germany. Some of their closest friends are Germans, but their ministry has extended beyond this to wherever divisions among individuals and groups are entrenched. Their special passion is to cultivate unity among the Christian traditions through confession (acknowledging how we have wronged each other), repentance and asking for and extending forgiveness. Now in their later years, George and Hanna are focused on committing their life-teaching to writing, and imparting it to the generations who follow them.
Cecily & Ludwig Benecke
Ludwig (1986) and Cecily (1989) met in their teenage years. They were married in 2012 at Cecily’s home church, which is Catholic. A Protestant Pastor married them with the assistance of two Messianic Jewish Rabbies. The service was accompanied by organ music and modern worship music. It included all the aspects of their faith and desire for unity among the denominations. The first years of their marriage were spent in Berlin. During that time they were both part, as Ludwig had already been, of the Messianic Jewish Congregation in Berlin.
Ludwig worked on completing his lawyer’s degree and started his first job at a lawyer’s office. Cecily underwent some medical training and worked as a secretary before their first son arrived. With two sons in the city they decided that they wanted to move to the countryside and were thankful to be invited to move to Trieb. They now have three sons and live together with Ludwig’s grandmother in the Schlösschen. Ludwig works at his father’s law firm and Cecily works part-time for the ministry and cares for their children and the house.
Together they have been involved in the Yad’b’Yad Programme, which took them to Auschwitz together with a group of German believers and Messianic Jewish students from Israel. Through this experience the understanding for the deep need for repentance and forgiveness was placed in their hearts. Initiatives like TJCII, Repentance of the Nobility for the First World War, Wittenberg 2017, and now, Quellen enable them to share this understanding and provide for places of reconciliation.
Hubertus & Dorothea Benecke
Hubertus (1960) and Dorothea (1961) Benecke, have been married for over 35 years. They have 10 children together, 9 of which are alive and 3 grandchildren. Family is a big part of their lives as they have both been born into large families and place a great value in creating an open house for all those that feel connected to them. They have been living at the Berghof for over 25 years and express their gift of hospitality wonderfully in creating room for fellowship, connection and growth.
Dorothea is a preacher in the Lutheran Church of Bavaria and part of the synod in the Deanery of Michelau. Hubertus is a practicing lawyer with his own firm, based in Hof and Lichtenfels. Their desire is to have their house be a “Jesus-House.” Faith in Jesus is what has carried them through life together and enabled them to successfully navigate trials and tribulations.
They both care deeply for the house and property they have been entrusted with and use their gifts in gardening, forestry, and agriculture to sustain and cultivate the land.
Hubertus and Dorothea have walked and worked alongside other Christian ministries and organizations and served them for a long time. Among these are the Jesus-Community of Gnadenthal, TJCII, the local church, city council, and community prayer groups. They are connected and committed to unity in the body of Christ and cultivate friendships with Catholics, Free-Chruch Protestants, Orthodox and Messianic Jews. All the while carrying a deep yearning for revival in their land.
Ryan & Noleen Thurman
Ryan (1975) and Noleen (1982) have been married since 2003 and live in Phoenix, Arizona with their four children. Noleen works as a birth doula and birth photographer and is passionate about serving women throughout pregnancy, labor and birth. Ryan has been serving in ministry since 1994 and is currently the International Director of the Antioch Network.
During his work with the Antioch Network Ryan has been able to get to know and connect to various ministries in five different continents. Deepening relationships and investing in leaders and their teams is his main motivation for serving and also a gifting that he shares with Noleen. Together they have been serving in the Antioch Network Council for the past ten years. Their heart also burns for their local community and they have been leading a prayer community for many years in Phoenix, called Apprenticeship to Jesus (A2J).
Through their talents in photography and in depth prayer study they have created and compiled beautiful resources that glorify the Lord. They also love hiking, traveling, the company of good friends, and sharing a cappuccino together at local coffee shops.
Together with their children they have taken much time to travel the world, experience different cultures and ministry streams. This is how they also connected to George and Hanna Miley early on and later met both Hubertus and Dorothea and Ludwig and Cecily through the Wittenberg 2017 Initiative.
Heart of the Ministry
At the heart of our ministry is the desire for more Christlikeness in our lives and works. Beyond that we have formulated what we want to do and be. It is to help define and focus our work and interactions with each other.
Vision
Our vision and purpose is to impart the life and teachings of Jesus to this world, so that:
1. The wounds of the past may be healed and damaged relationships may be restored.
2. People, by finding their relationship to God and to others being restored, become transformed as our present is transformed.
3. Generations to come can look into a future not damaged by the brokenness of the world but filled with the glory of the Kingdom of God.
Our goal is to equip people of all generations and cultures so they can (re)discover more of the life-changing power of Jesus and can become like him. We want to search and work toward becoming the kind of person that does what Christ did for the world. It is in Jesus’ life that we see the power to transform our society and each individual. We see Discipleship to Jesus as the key to the transformation that is needed in our world. We trust in his power to transform each individual profoundly.
For us this transformation is a life-long journey, that often starts with reconciliation. We see areas of reconciliation all around us. Husband and wife, father and son, daughter and mother-in law, the generations, German and Jew, Catholic and Protestant, Messianic Jew and Christian, slavery and Americans…the list can go on and on.
What is the remedy for love and reconciliation in the brokeness of humanity? We believe it is Christlikeness above everything with Christ as the source (Quelle) for a reconciled life.
So our vision is to see God in Jesus:
1. Healing the Past
2. Transforming the Present
3. Guiding the Future
“…so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” (John 17:23)
Values
Quellen has a foundation. This foundation is Jesus Christ. “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:11)
Contemplating Jesus’ life and work on earth and in scripture we developed key values for our ministry which we love to share with you to give insight into the principles we strive to live by. We all commit and aim to align all our work to these principles.
- Pray without ceasing – 1 Thessalonians 5:17
- Isaac, not Ishmael – Genesis 17:18-19
- Grow the Kingdom – Psalm 127: 1-2
- Take it Deep – Acts 1:8
- Discernment with Others – Ephesians 5:21
- Do Everything in Love – 1 Corinthians 16:14
May they all serve to shape us into Christlikeness.
Germany Base
We are an international ministry with a base in Phoenix, Arizona and Trieb, Lichtenfels in Germany. The German base through its space and facilities gives opportunity for many activities and events.
The Berghof
The Berghof was part of a former cistercian monastery in the nowadays town of Klosterlangheim, and called Langheim Abbey. The estate was built to accomodate for the agricultural activity of the monastery and to house monks and workers. It was built by order of the then abbot, Gallus Knauer, in 1727 by architect Johann Georg Brückner from Coburg.
The estate consisted of the main wing for housing, a brewery, a garden house, and several barns. It also housed the local school building and a chapel, in which the daily prayer times and Sunday services took place. As a monastic building it was a house filled with constant prayer.
After the resolution of the Abbey during the secularisation in Bavaria in 1803, the Berghof was sold several times to private owners until, in 1867, the Benecke family (coming from Great Britain at that time) bought the house to make it their main place of residence for the family.
The Berghof allows through its space and capacity the valuable opportunity to become a place for gathering and fellowship. In the past it has served as a wonderful home for the Benecke family and often extended beyond that. At the same time, coming from its original monastic background, there is a calling of being a house for the presence of the Lord.
We feel that it has been able to be used in its best capacity while hosting retreats. Through the living space, garden, and storage places it gives a variety of opportunities to live, work, treasure, and gather.
The Schlösschen
The Schlösschen (little castle) was also built from the Langheim Abbey to house the abbot of the monastary for the summer months. It was once surrounded by water and gave a beautiful and nice retreat for its inhabitants. It came into the Benecke family at the beginning of the 20th century and since then has been inhabited by the older generations of the living relatives.
Ministry Friends
As a ministry we do not stand alone, but have benefitted and been blessed by the work of other people and their ministry. We share a few here and pray that you will be also blessed, as we have been.