German Evangelical Church Congress 2017

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The Jerusalem Cross - Logo of the German Evangelical Church Congress .
The poster for the 36th German Evangelical Church Congress with the motto "You see me"

The 36th German Evangelical Church Congress took place from May 24th to 28th, 2017 in Berlin and Wittenberg . The slogan for the 2017 Kirchentag was “You see me” ( 1 Mos 16:13  LUT ).

organization

history

After 1951, 1961, 1977 and 1989 ( West Berlin ) and 2003 ( Ecumenical Kirchentag ), the Kirchentag took place for the sixth time in Berlin.

Involved persons and institutions

The event was hosted by the Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia (EKBO) and the Evangelical Church in Central Germany (EKM). Christina from Au Heymann served as President of the 36th Kirchentag . Acting general secretary during the event was Ellen Ueberschär , Church Congress Pastor Arnd Schomerus. The “36. German Evangelical Church Congress 2017 Berlin e. V. "

Preparation and scale

In preparation for the 36th Kirchentag, the slogan “You see me” was adopted in October 2015 by the Kirchentag presidium based in Fulda . The associated marketing campaign started on April 25, 2016. The motif, consisting of large eyes on an orange background and a mouth from the solution, was developed by Scholz & Friends Berlin.

140,000 permanent participants and around 45,000 day participants were expected in Berlin, of which around 60,000 guests were to be accommodated in communal quarters, around 20,000 in hotels, leisure homes or campsites. Approx. 45,000 participants wanted to accommodate themselves, but an additional 15,000 private quarters were sought.

On three days there was an offer of over 2,500 events, which were planned by approx. 50 preparation groups and carried out by approx. 40,000 volunteers.

Helper services

As has been customary since 1981, a total of around 5,000 volunteer helpers were deployed to support the Kirchentag, most of whom came from Christian scout leagues and associations. Among other things, they worked as admission controllers, parking attendants, garbage sorters, information providers and stewards. 

Environmental concept

Since 2007, the Kirchentag has been certified according to the Eco Management and Audit Scheme every two years . For the 36th Kirchentag in Berlin and Wittenberg, the re-use of waste products was expanded, “eco- fair ” catering was strengthened and sustainable cooperation with event locations such as Messe Berlin was announced.

Sponsorship and funding

According to estimates, the major event should cost a total of € 23 million. In addition to subsidies from the State of Berlin amounting to € 8.4 million, the State of Brandenburg provided € 1 million and EKBO with € 3.7 million. There was also funding of € 2.5 million from the federal government. An additional € 7.4 million comes from own funds. This includes donations and the sale of tickets and products from the Kirchentag shop. The sponsor VW provided 250 vehicles in Berlin and Wittenberg.

program

Opening service and evening of meeting

Discussion on May 25th with Angela Merkel and Barack Obama

The 36th Kirchentag began on Wednesday afternoon, May 24, 2017, with three large opening services. Then there was a colorful street festival, the "Evening of Encounters". Here, insights into the diversity of the region were given and at the same time there was an opportunity for the congregations of the hosting regional church to greet the guests in Berlin and to establish contacts.

Events

The program of the Kirchentag included the main focuses of flight and migration, cohesion in Germany and Europe, religious plurality and the Reformation.

Major event on May 26, 2017 with Dr. Eckart von Hirschhausen "Miracles work miracles - An evening about the forgotten healing powers of humor, music and hope" in Hall 25

For this purpose, podium series were designed on the subject of peace policy and international order and on sustainable development goals of the United Nations . There were also events on “Ecumenism and Reformation”, “Theology of Participation” and “Images of Man”. During the three liturgical days, the program was planned on the subjects of “Big City”, “Prayer”, “Escape and Home”. There should also be an evening series “Flirting”.

In addition to the tried and tested centers “Bible and Worship”, accessibility and gender issues, climate protection, target group offers for children, young people and the elderly, the centers “Flight, Migration, Integration”, “Muslims and Christians” and “Church of the Future” have been prepared.

Solidarity concert on May 27, 2017 with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra and refugees - "Music knows no borders" - stage on the Gendarmenmarkt

400 concerts were held as part of the Kirchentag; among the contributors were a. Schandmaul , Wise Guys , Max Giesinger and Yvonne Catterfeld .

Festival service

On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, the closing service of the Kirchentag took place on May 28, 2017 as a festive service in Wittenberg on the Elbe meadows in front of the city gates. The first guests arrived on Saturday, celebrated a “Night of Lights” with brothers from Taizé and then spent the night in the open air. According to the organizers, 120,000 people took part. However, based on aerial photographs and independent estimates, this number is questioned as being far too high.

500 years of the Reformation

Church days on the way and anniversary of the Reformation

As part of the Reformation anniversary in 2017 , in addition to the Kirchentag in Berlin and Wittenberg, six Kirchentag were held on the way in Erfurt and Weimar / Jena in Thuringia , in Magdeburg , Dessau-Roßlau and Halle / Eisleben in Saxony-Anhalt and in Leipzig in Saxony .

Furthermore, on May 27 and 28, 2017, a festival weekend took place in Wittenberg as part of the Reformation anniversary with a final church service. This was followed by a “Reformation picnic”, which led to a musical conclusion.

To plan and implement the Reformation anniversary, the association “Reformation Anniversary 2017 e. V. “ (short: r2017) was founded jointly by the German Evangelical Church Congress and the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) .

criticism

Criticism of the Kirchentag funding in public space.

It is criticized that the Kirchentag, as a religious event, was financed to a large extent with public funds. When selecting sponsors, attention should be paid to compliance with the sustainability goals supported by the churches . For example, the closeness to the VW group that resulted from sponsorship could have "watered down ethical principles" through its involvement in the emissions scandal .

See also

Web links

Kirchentag visitors
Commons : Deutscher Evangelischer Kirchentag 2017  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Evangelical Church Congress 2017 in Berlin and Wittenberg. In: Berliner Morgenpost from October 30, 2012.
  2. ^ German Evangelical Church Congress: Church Congress Berlin-Wittenberg. ( Memento of the original from May 17, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.kirchentag.de
  3. ↑ German Evangelical Church Congress: The slogan for the 2017 Church Congress in Berlin and Wittenberg “You see me (1. Mos 16:13)”. Press release from October 12, 2015.
  4. ↑ You see me. German Evangelical Church Congress, accessed on September 13, 2016 .
  5. ↑ The campaign starts with a smile. German Evangelical Church Congress, accessed on September 13, 2016 .
  6. ↑ Register now for the 2017 Kirchentag. German Evangelical Kirchentag, accessed on September 19, 2016 .
  7. ↑ Help. German Evangelical Church Congress, accessed on September 29, 2016 .
  8. ↑ Environmental statement published by the Kirchentag. German Evangelical Church Congress, accessed on September 26, 2016 .
  9. ↑ Senate decides to finance the 2017 German Evangelical Church Congress in Berlin. In: press release. Senate Chancellery Berlin, March 31, 2015, accessed on September 19, 2016 .
  10. ↑ a b Why Berlin puts so much money into the Kirchentag. rbb-online.de, May 24, 2017, accessed on May 25, 2017 .
  11. ↑ a b Financing of the Kirchentag Between Sponsoring and State Coal. deutschlandfunk.de, May 17, 2017, accessed on May 25, 2017 .
  12. ↑ Contents. German Evangelical Church Congress, accessed on September 19, 2016 .
  13. ↑ Evangelical Church Congress: From the heat and the hearts in Wittenberg. mz-web.de from May 29, 2017, accessed on May 30, 2017.
  14. ↑ Hannes Leitlein: Kirchentag: Wittenberg, 11.02 a.m . : How did it become 120,000? In: The time . May 31, 2017, ISSN  0044-2070 ( zeit.de [accessed June 7, 2017]).
  15. ^ Church days on the way. Reformation anniversary 2017, accessed on September 29, 2016 .
  16. ↑ Festival weekend. Reformation anniversary 2017, accessed on September 28, 2016 .