First Chapel Service

My nerves were soothed when I held my first chapel service with Greg and Dawn and their kids Phineas and Abby. They are from Kentucky. We sang and prayed and they helped me read scripture. We were a small congregation but we praised God together!

The chapel services are held in the Corpus Christi Kapelle next to the Town Church. The chapel was built in the 1300s. During Luther's time it was mostly used for baptisms and funerals because of its size. It seats about 60, if they are cozy!

The Kapelle is maintained by an order of Lutheran Nuns. I learned about them today. Their order was started in 1949. There are about 120 women in the order and 6 men. Most of them live and work in the Order House and Nursing Home in Selbitz, Germany. There are a few other locations where the sisters live in city communities like Wittenberg. And there is also a convent on sisters in South Africa whose principal work is with AIDS relief.

The order is called The Community Christisbruderschaft Selbitz, which means "Christ our brother."

Below I am pictured with Sister Elizabeth who heads the convent here in Wittenberg. And below that is their mission statement. Check them out: www.christusbruderschaft.de

Jesus Christ

is our brother

who binds us together

as brothers and sisters.

He lives in our midst.

Our promise and our mission 

is to be a dwelling of

God's love in the world. 

A birthday greeting

http://youtu.be/zcoEx5tya-4

A link to my birthday greeting for Warren Loberg! More of today's Wittenberg to come...

I finally made it!

After a car, 3 planes (2 of them delayed), a bus, a high speed train and a 1 km walk, I finally made it! 

It was rainy and cold when I got to Berlin but the sun came out just as I arrived in Lutherstadt Wittenberg. It was a beautiful walk to the hotel, but I am arriving a little late because my bag went to Amsterdam while I went through Paris. That means Warren's Elbe River birthday wish will have to wait until morning. Happy Birthday today, Warren Loberg!

The town is really green and lovely. Trees are starting to bloom and the town is bustling with renovations and tourists.

My hotel is wonderful and I am looking forward to a good night's sleep and a big German breakfast. Until then, good night!

Lutherstadt Wittenberg

The town of Lutherstadt Wittenberg is a quaint village with a beautiful town square. The building on the left is the Town Hall. And the church in the center of the picture is the Town Church. This is the church where I will preach the entire time I am in Wittenberg because the Castle Church is still undergoing renovations to prepare it for 2017 (the 500th anniversary of Luther nailing the 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church).

The town itself is located on the banks of the Elbe River. In 2013 when we were there, the Elbe was flooding causing the cancellation of the Luther Wedding Festival held in June each year. Think Renaissance Festival with real Medieval buildings!

I will have much more information about Luther and the town of Wittenberg once I arrive there. But for now a few facts. It has a population about the size of Grand Forks (46,000).

Lutherstadt Wittenberg was founded in 1180 by Flemish settlers. During World War II, the center of town was spared, but a munitions factory located on the edge of town was bombed by allied forces. At the end of the war, Lutherstadt Wittenberg became a part of East Germany and was under the control of the Soviet Union until 1990. It has been democratically governed since then.

Last time I was in Wittenberg, I had a long conversation with a man about what it was like to live there during the time of the Soviet control. He was a tour guide who was blacklisted because he was a Christian. He told a fascinating story about the end of the Soviet control. To them, it seemed as if the military just vanished into the landscape. All of a sudden, there were no soldiers at the train stations or border crossings.

My first order of business when I get to Wittenberg and drop off my luggage is to head to the banks of the Elbe River and sing Happy Birthday to my friend, Warren Loberg. He will be 91 that day. During World War II, he fought in Germany and spent time along the Elbe River. If you see Warren on April 28, wish him Happy Birthday!

The Plan

The days are counting down very quickly for my departure from North America and my arrival in Europe. I am making lists and checking things off and trying to get all my ducks in a row!

As part of my preparation, I have planned for all my worship services while I am in Wittenberg, and our gracious office staff has made copies of the many, many bulletins I need to bring along with me. The cost of copying them in Wittenberg is prohibitive. Therefore, we copy them here and bring them with us! I bet that is an interesting item when my bags get searched.

I will lead three chapel worship services on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of the weeks I will be in Wittenberg. I will also lead a Saturday service that is held in the Town Church where Luther preached. I figured that I will get to sing "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" at least 12 times! It has to be a part of every worship.

My first worship will be Wednesday, April 29, and then it's off and running.