 In our last parish we had a link with a parish in Dortmund, Germany which involved annual exchange visits by one church to the other which always included the celebration of Easter, which highlighted its significance – it is not usual for ministers to be absent from their regular congregations on Easter Day….(Sometimes people ask at this time of year are you going to be away for Christmas? and I have to say no, for me it’s a working day!) I remember on one occasion a group from the German parish coming across for the summer and attending a Proms in the Castle in Rochester – Brits able to let their hair down, wave national flags and join in the singing of national songs – and the German group loved it. They have not been able to do it since the rise of National Socialism. So it was a joy to join with the German community for their celebration of National Unity at the german Ambassador’s residence, to meet a variety of people and to enjoy a glass of German beer and some wurst. The image of the hammers being taken to knock the Berlin wall down is one of the iconic moments of the twentieth century. |
In our last parish we had a link with a parish in Dortmund, Germany which involved annual exchange visits by one church to the other which always included the celebration of Easter, which highlighted its significance – it is not usual for ministers to be absent from their regular congregations on Easter Day….(Sometimes people ask at this time of year are you going to be away for Christmas? and I have to say no, for me it’s a working day!) I remember on one occasion a group from the German parish coming across for the summer and attending a Proms in the Castle in Rochester – Brits able to let their hair down, wave national flags and join in the singing of national songs – and the German group loved it. They have not been able to do it since the rise of National Socialism. So it was a joy to join with the German community for their celebration of National Unity at the german Ambassador’s residence, to meet a variety of people and to enjoy a glass of German beer and some wurst. The image of the hammers being taken to knock the Berlin wall down is one of the iconic moments of the twentieth century.