Licht im Osten (Light in the East)

Licht im Osten (Light in the East) is a German Christian mission organization founded in 1920 by Jakob Kroeker and Walter Jack in Wernigerode, Germany. Initially focused on ministering to Russian prisoners of war and internees in Germany, it later expanded its work across the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. The organization is headquartered in Korntal-Münchingen near Stuttgart and operates as an independent non-profit funded solely by donations. It distributes Bibles and Christian literature in about thirty languages, publishes magazines such as 'Glaube und Leben' and 'Tropinka', produces radio programs and digital media, and provides humanitarian aid. During the Cold War, it became known for smuggling Bibles into the Soviet Union. Today, it supports local missionaries and children's camps, and works with eleven partner organizations.

Licht im Osten was founded in 1920 by Jakob Kroeker and Walter Jack in Wernigerode am Harz, Germany. Its initial mission was to evangelize among the approximately 2.5 million Russian prisoners of war and internees still in Germany after World War I. The organization was based at Kaiserstr. 4 in Wernigerode until the end of World War II. From 1934, Joachim Müller served as mission inspector. In early June 1945, when Red Army troops replaced the British occupation forces in Wernigerode, Licht im Osten staff burned all documents and relocated to southwestern Germany, resuming activities in Stuttgart-Mühlhausen in 1946. In 1956, the organization moved to nearby Korntal, and since 1984 it has been located in its current building. Throughout its history, Licht im Osten adapted its focus to the political circumstances of the time, including National Socialism, World War II, and the Cold War. It distributed Russian Bibles in the Soviet Union through various means and published a wealth of mostly small writings and tracts through its own publishing house. In 2017, several congregations in Armenia founded the association 'Licht im Osten Armenien'. The organization has been a literature mission, distributing magazines, books, and Bibles in 80 countries, especially in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, including materials in Braille. Since 1974, it has published the magazine 'Glaube und Leben' and the children's magazine 'Tropinka', which is distributed throughout Eastern Europe. During the Cold War, Licht im Osten gained prominence for successful Bible smuggling operations, supplying Christians and churches in the Soviet Union and other communist countries with Bibles and Christian literature; this work is now legal. Since the mid-1990s, the organization has also supported local workers, currently about 45 men and women. Additionally, Licht im Osten staff translate the Bible into language groups that do not yet have their own translation. In its ninety-year history, Licht im Osten claims to have published Christian literature in approximately 30 languages.

• 2017

  Association 'Licht im Osten Armenien' founded in Armenia.

• 1993

  Starts publishing quarterly 'Licht im Osten' magazine.

• 1990

  Starts publishing 'Tropinka' children's magazine.

• 1984

  Moves into current building in Korntal.

• 1974

  Starts publishing 'Glaube und Leben' magazine.

• 1956

  Moves to Korntal.

• 1946

  Activities resume in Stuttgart-Mühlhausen.

• 1945

  Staff burn documents and relocate to southwestern Germany as Red Army takes Wernigerode.

• 1934

  Joachim Müller becomes mission inspector.

• 1920

  Founded by Jakob Kroeker and Walter Jack in Wernigerode am Harz, Germany.

Independent non-profit Christian mission organization funded by donations, focused on evangelism and humanitarian aid in the former Soviet Union.

• Glaube und Leben

  Russian-language bimonthly magazine with a circulation of 96,000 copies, published since 1974.

• Tropinka (Der kleine Pfad)

  Evangelistic children's magazine published bimonthly since 1990, appearing in nine languages and reaching over 1.5 million readers in 65 countries.

• Licht im Osten magazine

  Quarterly magazine with news from the mission in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia, published since 1993.

• Dein Reich komme

  Periodical published 1920–1941 and 1947–1993.

1. 1Home - Licht im Osten - enlio.org
2. 2Light in the East - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Licht im Osten - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org