Photo credit: Friedemann Düring - the group at the Church of Reconciliation, built on the site of part of the Berlin Wall.
A group from the Diocese of Canterbury visited Germany between 11 and 14 October to meet with groups from our diocese’s link churches in the Protestant Church of Germany. The group, led by the Archdeacon of Canterbury, Dr Will Adam, included teenagers from Whitstable and Canterbury and adults from Canterbury, Whitstable, Sittingbourne and Aylesham.
Our German links go back to the later years of the Cold War and were forged in the light of the ground-breaking Meissen Agreement between the Church of England and the Protestant Churches of East and West Germany. Germany was reunited in the early 1990s but we still maintain our relationships with church districts in Baden (South-West Germany) and Brandenburg (close to Berlin).
This year’s visit was based on the theme of the role of the Church in the contemporary world. The group visited the Bundestag (the German Parliament) and remnants of the Berlin Wall; joined in worship in a village church in Baruth, south of Berlin and enjoyed fellowship and discussion on the common issues that face us as disciples of Christ in present day Europe. The young people have begun to forge friendships over the course of the last few years.
The visit was supported by grants, including a grant from a trust to enable young people to experience the church overseas.