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Board

by | Jun 5, 2017

Church and Peace’s Board oversees the network’s business and manages its finances. It reflects Church and Peace’s denominational, geographic and membership diversity. Its members are elected for three-year term, the next elections will be in the year 2027.

The next meetings will take place:

December 2025 – in Kehl, Germany

Anja Vollendorf – Chair

Anja is 58 years old and a member of the Laurentiuskonvent. She lives in Laufdorf near Frankfurt am Main in Germany. She works as a deputy dean and town church pastor in Herborn in the Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau (EKHN). Anja is a founding member of the Ecumenical Institute for Peace Theology and moderates the online discussions ‘Under the Fig Tree’. Intersectional and development policy issues have been an important topic for her since her time as a peace expert in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In eastern Congo (Bukavu), Anja worked in educational work with young adults in a peace centre, among other things. Networking and facilitation are Anja’s strengths.

Maria Biedrawa – Vice Chair

You see the face of Maria, a white woman with glasses, short grey hair and wearing a scarf. She is smiling into the camera, the sun is shining on her face.

Maria Biedrawa is a retired social pedagogue, logotherapist and peace specialist. She is Austrian, has lived in France for over 30 years and is a Catholic. Maria’s main commitment to peace and non-violence has taken her for many years to areas in sub-Saharan Africa that have been shaken by armed conflict. She supports groups and people on the ground in reconciliation work, interfaith dialogue and training in non-violent conflict resolution. Maria’s work in Europe has been closely linked to Church and Peace for many years. The six years she has been on the board are not only a source of strength for her personally, but also a mission to keep bringing the message of Jesus and the Christian practice of peace into our churches.

Mike Zipser – Treasurer
Mike's head rests on his hand. He is a white man with short grey hair and glasses.

Mike is 66 years old, married and lives near Freiburg im Breisgau. Before recently retiring, he worked as a special school teacher in a private special school for pupils with complex disabilities. Mike has been an individual member of Church and Peace for 21 years. As a young man, he refused military service for reasons of conscience and did his civilian service with the Evangelical Church in Germany. Among other things, he worked as a volunteer for the Mennonite Central Committee in Honduras, studied theology, speaks over four languages and, as a Quaker, has found his spiritual source in this community.

Salomé Richir-Haldemann Upper body of Salomé, a white woman with blond hair pulled back and a blue long-sleeve-shirt. She is smiling.

Salomé Richir-Haldemann coordinates the Stop Poverty campaign, the Swiss branch of the Micah Network. In her spare time, she co-moderates the blog of Servir Ensemble, a Franco-Swiss association that promotes comprehensive co-operation between men and women in the church. She also works as an English-French interpreter for the Mennonite World Conference. At home, she enjoys life with her partner, two very nice teenagers and a rather demanding cat.

Étienne Chomé

Étienne Chomé is a Catholic theologian from Belgium and an individual member of Church and Peace. He wrote his doctoral thesis in theology on ‘The non-violence of the Gospel and the challenge of ways out of violence. Practical theology and conflict management.’ As someone who is involved in conflict management and active nonviolence, he has been an enthusiastic board member of Church and Peace since 2021.Étienne Chomé describes himself as a Belgian disciple of Jesus, born in Rwanda, doctor of theology, trainer, coach and therapist.

Martin Tiller
Martin is standing next to a rock memorial in hiking gear. He is wearing a red shirt, a cap and blue pants.

Martin has recently taken early retirement from the railway industry, partly so that he can devote more time and energy to the peace movement. He has been involved in the Christian Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CCND) since 2015 and has been on the leadership team for most of that time, currently he is one of the co-chairs and representative for CCND as a member of Church and Peace. He would like to see more Christians and their churches working for peacebuilding and disarmament. He attends a Baptist church in Rugby, UK.

Siniša Klem

portrait of a man in his 40s smiling into the camera. he is wearing a red shirt and short hair with a bit of a beard.

Siniša Klem serves with Youth for Christ Croatia in Šibenik, where he works with children and teenagers through sports and faith-based mentoring. With over 20 years of experience in peacebuilding initiatives across Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, he is passionate about following Jesus’ way of nonviolence and reconciliation. He earned a Master’s degree in Christian Ethics and pursued PhD studies in nonviolence, violence, and reconciliation under the mentorship of Dr Glen Stassen, whose vision of just peacemaking continues to inspire his work.
He and his wife Vlatka are blessed with three daughters.