Am Anfang - In the Beginning

I've been thinking for a few days about how to introduce the American Church in Berlin (ACB). Or even just Berlin in general. And I don't know how to do it. It is the church. It is Berlin.

That being said, this year is my third year of seminary in preparation for being a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). It's a year of internship, and since mine is an international one, I am technically considered mission personnel for the ELCA. For more information on the ELCA or Global Mission click on those words, or on the links in the sidebar.

ACB is a church that is made up of people from more than 30 different countries and 20 different denominations. It's an English-speaking church, but I would guess that about 1/3 of the members speak German much better than English, if they speak English at all. They were located in a building that was in the heart of Berlin, but it was destroyed in the bombings during WWII. They moved to another church, but 5 years ago they moved again to their current church, which is again in the middle of Berlin. It's a beautiful building, but it houses only the sanctuary, a small kitchen, and a sacristy. So the church offices are in a completely different building 10 minutes away, and even Sunday school is held across the street.

The church has provided me with an amazing apartment about half an hour away. It came fully furnished; complete with a plethora of plants that are unknowingly on their way to death. So far I haven't had anyone over, but the young adult group generally comes twice a month for a potluck dinner of fellowship and Bible study (yay for a young adult group; who has ever really seen one of those?!?!).

In just a week and a half there is already so much to tell, but here's a short rundown:

The church is part of a city-wide program called Laib und Seele (body/bread and soul). They provide fresh fruit/vegetables and bread for people in the area who are unemployed. This happens every Friday and is COMPLETELY run by the laity. The pastors show up for the actual distribution, but there are many, many people who show up at 8:00AM to get ready to give out food at 5:00PM.

I am now part of the church's collection of women who knit prayer shawls. I haven't knitted anything in many years, and what I have done has accumulated only to piles of half-finished projects. But maybe this will keep me on track. Plus, it's fun to just be with this rather diverse group of women - as far as age, heritage, profession, etc.

Every Thursday night there is a group of us who go to watch a movie. There's an English-language theater that plays a sneak preview on Thursdays. So they show a movie that will come out soon, but they never tell you what it is ahead of time. And, for those of you movie-goers in the States - you are missing out. They sell beer and ice cream at the theaters here. :)

Prayer and Praise happens on Saturday mornings. There is a semi-continuous group of people who meet to read and reflect on the lectionary texts for the next day. There are always some fascinating thoughts that come up, and it's also a great way to come to know where the people in the congregation are in terms of their faith and theology and life understanding.

Well, I suppose this is more than enough for you for now. Bis dann.