Close to people | Stories from Bethel
Golf helps him switch off
He takes a very slight swing with the club and a gentle nudge sets the ball in motion. As if pulled by a string, the white ball rolls over the short-mown green until it is suddenly out of sight. Tufan Sirmagül has holed out and is smiling broadly at his perfect putt. Golf is his passion. And at the same time a valuable balance to his work as head of House Mamre in Bielefeld-Bethel.
"Golf only works if you fully commit to it on the course and push all other thoughts away," says Tufan Sirmagül. That's exactly why he decided to take up this sport. When he plays golf, he switches off from his job and enjoys time for himself before returning to work with renewed energy. In 2023, he signed up for a taster course at Bielefeld Golf Club and obtained his licence to play. He has since improved his handicap - a figure that expresses a player's theoretical and actual playing potential - from 54 to under 30. "I'm just very ambitious," he says almost apologetically.
This characteristic also helps him at House Mamre. The 35-year-old is one of the youngest heads of department at Bethel and leads a multi-professional team of full-time staff and volunteers. This team looks after severely disabled children and young people who fled Ukraine shortly after the start of the war. Taking good care of the clients, doing justice to the staff, keeping the place under control: It's exhausting and often goes beyond the working hours. "Especially at the beginning, I took a lot home with me," he admits, "the fate of the children doesn't leave you cold." An 18-hole round can then do you good - although the work mobile phone remains switched on even on the golf course.
"I'm passionate about this job. My motivation is to help the children."
Tufan Sirmagül was working for Bethel.regional as an area coordinator when he visited House Mamre for the first time. He felt just as overwhelmed by the suffering of the Ukrainians who had suddenly come to Bethel as he did by the lack of structures in the previously empty house. At first, he could not imagine taking over the management. But this was followed by a change of heart. "I realised what development opportunities there were there," he says. A lot has happened at House Mamre since then. Initially, the motto for the people entrusted to his care was "clean and full", but the programme has long since expanded to include individual support. Today, he says: "I'm passionate about this job. My motivation is to help the children."
Tufan Sirmagül gets support for his work from a coach and supervisor. He also receives inspiration from the Bethel Protestant Training Centre. "Getting to think and building a theoretical foundation also helps me in my work," he says. Tufan Sirmagül had already completed further training to become a specialist counsellor for mental health and an epilepsy specialist assistant while studying at the Diakonie University of Applied Sciences.
Having grown up in a Muslim home and with a Christian childminder, he now feels connected to the Christian faith. Tufan Sirmagül would like to attend further seminars at the Protestant training centre. He can imagine becoming a deacon. "But it's not about the title, it's about the content," he emphasises. It's similar with golf. Having a low handicap is nice. But for Tufan Sirmagül, it's even more important to have found an oasis in the sport where he can be completely at peace with himself.
Text: Philipp Kreutzer | Picture: Oliver Krato / Matthias Cremer
This story simply told
Tufan Sirmagül loves playing golf. He is happy when the ball rolls into the hole. In Bethel, Tufan Sirmagül runs House Mamre. There, he and his colleagues help sick children and young people from Ukraine. They have fled the war. It is sometimes exhausting work. But it is also beautiful work.
