Faith Matters: The Church Program

The idea of a pastor living out his vocation on a bicycle may sound eccentric, but Michael Stahl, a German Lutheran pastor, is convinced that it’s fully in line with the gospels. "If Jesus were out and about today,” he says, "I’m certain he’d use a bicycle.” Stahl is not only a man of the cloth but an enthusiastic cyclist.

Ukraine, alongside Russia, is one of the world’s main grain exporters. When Russia attacked Ukraine, regular grain exports stopped. Since July, some cargo ships have been able to sail via Turkey, but none have reached Tanzania’s main port of Dar es Salaam.

Rwanda: A poor, landlocked country of 13 million people. In terms of climate protection this East African nation is a role model for the whole region, a powerful example of how a country that is only minimally responsible for polluting the atmosphere is doing an impressive amount to reduce its CO2 emissions.

Between May and July 2021 Namibia suffered a devastating Covid19 wave. In those three months no fewer than eighty-two of Lorenst Kuzatjike’s parishioners in the poorest district of the Namibian capital Windhoek died of Covid-related illnesses. The Lutheran pastor was conducting funerals almost daily. Like most states on the African continent Namibia had hardly any vaccine stocks.

Max Bode and Chris Schlicht had envisioned Christian ministry rather differently. These rookie pastors wanted to revamp the Lutheran liturgy: A sofa replacing the altar, a hoodie the cassock, and techno music the traditional organ - worship in the guise of a party.

The Cecosesola Cooperative Federation grew out of a practical necessity. Some fifty years ago, when a co-op member died, the other members founded a funeral home. Cecosesola now comprises a federation of more than fifty cooperatives, mainly providing food and medical services to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans.

The small village of Tholey in southwestern Germany is home to the oldest monastery on German soil. Founded in the seventh century, the Abbey of St Maurice was plundered and badly damaged 1000 years later during the wars of the French Revolution, and only re-established in 1949. But local philanthropists have breathed new life into the old walls.

Anyone driving through eastern Germany may be surprised by the number of old churches east of the River Elbe. Almost every small village has one. Many of them are fieldstone churches built more than 800 years ago.

The artist Moritz Götze grew up in East Germany, in an atheistic environment. However, shortly after the collapse of communism in 1989 he helped turn a church ruin into a cultural center and conserved what was left of the historic building.

The first acute phase of the pandemic, in March 2020, resulted in a number of tragic deaths in German hospitals and senior citizens’ residences. To prevent new infections all visits from outsiders were prohibited. People died alone. Families were not permitted to see their relatives, and clergy were often not admitted to console the dying.

Running a monastery these days includes having good business sense. Plankstetten Abbey, in Bavaria, has a community of only twelve brothers, but the monastery is thriving. St Benedict’s motto was "Pray and Work.” Between prayers, these Benedictine monks run a highly successful organic farm.

Stefanie and Ellen Radtke are the Youtube stars of Germany’s Lutheran Church. The two female pastors from Eime, in the state of Lower Saxony, are a same-sex couple. With their Youtube channel "Anders Amen,” which roughly translates as "Different, amen,” they’ve always been controversial ministers. Their aim is to reconcile LGBTQ people and the church.

Wine cultivation is a continuous thread running through both the Jewish and Christian scriptures. No plant is mentioned more times in the Bible than the grape and its products. So it’s hardly surprising that wine is an important symbol for Christians.

Far-right vigilantes have become a familiar sight in many German cities in recent years. They claim to be maintaining law and order, but in reality they are striking fear into the hearts of law-abiding residents.

The history of the Oberammergau Passion Play reaches back to the seventeenth century, when a plague known as the Black Death swept through Europe. In 1633 the residents of this Bavarian village vowed to present a play depicting the suffering and death of Jesus Christ every ten years if they were spared extinction. Oberammergau has kept its word for more than 400 years.

The internationally acclaimed Berlin Radio Choir has joined forces with American theater director and visual artist Robert Wilson for a production that marries Martin Luther’s writings and translations with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Wilson’s image theater conjures both anxiety and hope in a timeless statement that places Luther among the great thinkers of history.

NoonSong has been called “thirty minutes of heaven.” A choral concert but also a church service. Every Saturday, NoonSong features beautiful a cappella singing from centuries of sacred Christian music by the vocal ensemble ‘sirventes berlin’.

Religions for Peace (RfP) is an association of people representing members of diverse religions in more than 100 countries. This independent organization is committed to mediating in religious conflicts worldwide. RfP will be fifty-years-old in 2020. The endeavors of these women is only now receiving international recognition.

It started half a century ago with a campaign to provide vocational training for young Brazilians. Today the Catholic social services association Kolping International is a worldwide network with some 400,000 members in more than 60 countries.

Burial sites in all cultures speak loudly of the prevailing values and beliefs of the societies that design them. Germany’s cemetery culture is unique. But it is currently changing. Many Germans are no longer choosing the time-honored cemetery for their final resting place; more and more people are seeking alternatives to the traditional family grave.