Friedel Birker

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Friedel Birker also Alfred Emil Birker (born July 31, 1907 in Langensalza ; † July 3, 1969 in Schmallenberg - Dorlar ) was a Lutheran pastor , church founder and founder of a youth welfare organization.

Life

Friedel Birker, as he was called and wanted to be called all his life, was the son of Emil and Emma Birker. He moved with his parents to Dorlar in the Sauerland in 1919 and to Siegen in 1925 . In 1929 he passed the Abitur in Siegen, after which he studied theology in Tübingen, Münster and Bonn. As a result of the church struggle, Birker, who was on the side of the Confessing Church , had to take several exams: 1934 in Münster, 1937 at the Confessing Church, 1940 in Detmold. In 1941 he had to pass another extraordinary exam in Münster. The vicariate in the diaspora parish of Gleidorf ( Wittgenstein parish , Evangelical Church of Westphalia ) followed. So-called auxiliary services in Dorlar, Arnsberg and Krombach rounded off the training. In 1938 Birker was ordained in Krombach.

Services

In 1932 Birker founded the youth home "Martinshof" (today " Martinswerk ") on his parents' Mühlenhof in Dorlar . During the time of the Third Reich, the Martinshof also housed a country school home, facilities for women’s work, and later also a reserve hospital, a children's home and an old people’s home. In the post-war period, refugees from the east found shelter here. From 1943 to 1945 Birker was drafted into the German armed forces as a medic . During this time he worked in the reserve hospital of the Westphalia defense area in Oeventrop . Afterwards he was assistant preacher in Dorlar for two years, where the Protestant population had grown noticeably due to the influx of refugees from the former eastern regions. His official duties there also included pastoral care at the police school in Fredeburg .

Birkers initiative is thanks to them that Dorlar 1947 for independent parish was raised. In the period from 1947 to 1951 he had the Petrikirche built in Dorlar. It was probably the only church in Westphalia that was built as the private property of its pastor. Today it is owned by the Martinswerk. In 1953, Birker also acquired properties in the Swiss canton of Ticino and later in Corsica . A children's and recreation home was also built in Switzerland. Friedel Birker died at the age of 62 after a serious illness. On July 6, 1969, he was buried next to his parents in the cemetery that he himself inaugurated.

Honors

  • In Dorlar the Pfarrer-Birker-Straße was named after him.

Works

  • Evangelical home booklet for the Meschede district. Meschede 1949.

literature

  • Johannes Burkardt: On the genesis of the Sauerland diaspora communities Dorlar, Gleidorf and Winterberg in the Wittgenstein church district. In: Yearbook for Westphalian Church History 95 (2000), pp. 176–178.
  • Johannes Burkardt: Birker, Alfred Emil ("Friedel") Art. ( Memento from June 13, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), in: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon, Vol. XIX (2001), Sp. 52–54.
  • Werner Philipps: Pastor Friedel Birker - life and work. Lecture in Dorlar on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his death on July 3, 1979 (28-page machine manuscript in the possession of the Dorlar parish and the Wittgenstein church district).
  • Wolfgang Schultz: Friedel Birker - a picture of life. In: 65 years of 'Martinshof'. Contributions to the history and development of the Ev. 'Martinswerk' children's and youth home in Dorlar, town of Schmallenberg. Compiled by Wolfgang Schultz, Dorlar 1997, pp. 24–35.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Martinswerk-dorlar.de: History of the Martinswerk / Friedel Birker - pastor, founder and entrepreneur , accessed on October 11, 2014.
  2. ↑ Homepage of the Ev. Parish Dorlar
personal data
SURNAME Birker, Friedel
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Birker, Alfred Emil
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Lutheran pastor, church planter and founder of a youth welfare organization
DATE OF BIRTH July 31, 1907
PLACE OF BIRTH Langensalza
DATE OF DEATH 3rd July 1969
Place of death Dorlar