Reconciliation Church (Berlin-Biesdorf)

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Reconciliation Parish Berlin-Biesdorf
View from the west
address Berlin-Biesdorf , Maratstrasse  100
Denomination evangelical
local community Evangelical Church of Reconciliation
Current usage Parish church, culture
building
Year of construction (s) 1986-1988
style Modern

The Evangelical Reconciliation Church in the Berlin district of Biesdorf in the Marzahn-Hellersdorf district is a church building erected in the late 1980s . The construction was financed from a church building program of the GDR and is related to the Marzahn development area .

Around 3500 members live in the catchment area of ​​the parish. Since 2004 the Reconciliation Church has been a branch of the Evangelical Reconciliation Church Community in Berlin-Biesdorf. This also includes the Gnadenkirche and the Evangelical Community Center at Köpenicker Strasse 165 in Biesdorf-Süd. The reconciliation parish belongs to the parish of Lichtenberg-Oberspree and thus to the Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia . The house in Maratstrasse (Biesdorf-Nord) is also used by the United Methodist Church in Berlin-Marzahn for its services.

history

Planning and construction

The strong population growth due to the new housing estates in today's districts of Hellersdorf and Marzahn also brought numerous Christians to this previously rather rural area from 1977 onwards. The GDR approved the construction of new church buildings in connection with the emergence of large new building areas in many cities of the GDR. As a result, the Federation of Evangelical Churches in the GDR launched a special construction program in 1976, the financing of which was largely taken over by the Evangelical Church of the Federal Republic . One of the churches in this program was the community center in the Marzahn district, Biesdorf district. First of all, house groups were formed in the new building area, which were looked after by pastors. At the suggestion of Bishop Joachim Rogge, the new community was named the Reconciliation Community . It was not intended to replace the Weddinger parish of the same name, because their church in Bernauer Strasse had been destined for demolition by the GDR superiors at that time. The church building authority wanted to give the new congregation the historic altarpiece from this church as well as some sacrament implements for their new building . The parishioners prevented the installation of the altar, but agreed to the proposed name because the following church mandates were connected with it: reconciliation between Christians and atheists , reconciliation between the various denominations , reconciliation between Poles , Russians and Germans, reconciliation between the victorious and the vanquished and finally reconciliation between the generations as well as between the victims and the guilty . The ceremony of the name Evangelical Reconciliation Church Community Berlin-Marzahn took place on January 1st, 1981.

Representatives of the new congregation, including the pastor family Tietsch, visited the Eisenhüttenstadt congregation center that was being built at this time to prepare their own place of worship . The architects had designed a building with glass walls and a lot of reinforced concrete. The Marzahners did not want this transparency, however, in the discussions in the church building committee with the team of architects they pushed through a simple building that provided for a square church space of 10 m × 10 m. In addition, an expandable community room (also 10 m × 10 m), a modest foyer and a few functional rooms to the west were planned - a total of around 460 m² was taken up.

Construction and inauguration

The building site on Maratstrasse / Buschiner Platz in the Biesdorf district was transferred to the municipality in 1980. Because of tight finances and the meager financial donations from the old Federal Republic within the framework of the state program for new church buildings, Gundula Tietsch and Bishop Albrecht Schönherr could only lay the foundation stone in October 1985 . The community celebrated the topping-out ceremony on January 10, 1986, and the church consecration took place on the 1st of Advent of the same year. The ZDF also broadcast this event. Because joint use by the Protestant community and the Evangelical-Methodist community had already been agreed during the construction phase, Bishop Gottfried Forck of the Evangelical Church and Methodist Bishop Rüdiger Minor spoke at the inauguration . In addition, other bishops, elders and parishioners moved into the new house of God, the Bible and the altarpieces were handed over.

use

In addition to the actual service to people by the Christian community, organ concerts, choir concerts and book readings take place in the three sites of the Biesdorf Reconciliation Church.

architecture

Architecturally, the single-storey house is not particularly conspicuous; its shape and choice of color fit into the surrounding villa-like buildings. There is no belfry or tower, only a gold-plated metal cross tells of the existence of the church. The ceiling above the two main rooms is clad with wood.

Nave

Glance into the worship room

The main wing of the church building consists of two adjacent rooms of the same height and decorated with a window frieze of the same type. They are separated from each other by a glass wall that can be opened if necessary. This creates space for several hundred visitors. The altar is erected on the north side of the main room of the church, to the east of it there has been an organ since 1991 . To the west of it is a copper-driven baptismal font, which - as the only piece of equipment - comes from the Reconciliation Church in Wedding.

Community room

Glance into the community hall

The community room, which is directly adjacent to the main church room, is simply furnished with a table and a few chairs. The high-lying church windows with stained glass are repeated here symmetrically.

Furnishing

Altar and lectern

Altar area with lectern, table, picture and candlesticks, created by Rüdiger Roehl

First the church received a wooden altar table from the Protestant community of Karlshorst and a wooden lectern from the village church of Biesdorf. However, the parish church council soon made contact with the artist Rüdiger Roehl , who gradually made an altarpiece , a table with an iron antependium , a lectern, evening meal implements (candlesticks, goblets, bowls) and a baptismal bowl . Roehl had chosen iron as the basic material for all of these parts because it has "gone through a lot" and thus better symbolizes the serving parish than other materials. The altarpiece hangs freely in the room and depicts the crucified Christ in a modern style.

organ

Renewed organ, August 2011

As early as 1987 the new congregation could begin with church music work, Johannes Otto Küstermann acted as cantor . A church choir, a children's choir as well as guitar and flute groups and a five-piece wind ensemble initially formed the basis. In 1989 the partner congregation in Handschuhsheim donated a small organ from a church in Frankfurt am Main to the congregation for the church in Maratstrasse . This was an organ built by the Swiss organ builder Erich Frey in Lucerne around 1960 and it served there as an interim instrument. Above all, it lacked a register to achieve a full sound. For this completion and the transfer to Berlin, donations have now been successfully collected in Marzahn as well as in Handschuhsheim, Heidelberg and other parishes. First of all, the organ in Handschuhsheim was completely set up and the additional register installed. With the photos and information from this action, the instrument arrived in Biesdorf on November 12th, just three days after the border was opened . The organ consecration took place here on November 14th, attended by representatives of all partner congregations. This first organ had seven registers, but its appearance, construction and sound did not particularly fit into the church in Biesdorf.

In the course of time, the defects emerged, which could ultimately only be eliminated by a complete conversion or an extensive repair. In 2004, an organ building commission was formed which, by 2010, had drawn up reconstruction plans, at the same time obtained offers and was able to collect most of the required money, around 30,000 euros, by means of "begging letters", donation boxes and public calls. Benefit concerts also did their part to increase donations.

The organ builder Ferdinand Stemmer with employee Barbara Dutli convinced the community with their offer. They run a training and teaching workshop for organ building in Hărman in Romania, the S. C. Constructi de orgi si templarie SRL So - after Stemmer had submitted a prospectus draft that also matched the altarpiece - the "old" organ in Biesdorf in January 2011 dismantled and transported to Romania. There the instrument received a case made of solid oak and additional registers, it was re-tuned, a historically valuable calcareous bell from a Brandenburg church was built into the cymbal star and new register plates were specially made by the Royal Porcelain Manufactory Berlin .

In May 2011 the converted instrument came back to Berlin. After the construction under the direction of Stemmer, it was inaugurated with a concert on June 19, 2011.

The current disposition :

Manual C – g 3

1. Principal 8th'
2. Salicional 8th'
3. Reed flute 8th'
4th Principal 4 ′
5. Pointed flute 4 ′
6th octave 2 ′
7th Mixture 2-fold 1 13
8th. oboe 8 ′ (divided at a 0 / b 0 )
Tremulant
Pedal C – f 1
9. Sub bass 16 ′

Baptismal bowl

The original baptismal bowl from the Weddinger church was returned to the local community after the political change . Until the completion of the new bowl by Rüdiger Roehl, the Marzahn community received its temporary baptismal bowl in return.

Parish life of the 2004 merged Evangelical Reconciliation Parish

Since the merger in 2004, Pastor Pfeiffer and Pastor Geiger have been responsible for the entire community. The first pastor of the former reconciliation church was Ernst Gottfried Buntrock, he was followed in 1984 by Marie Vogel and the current managing pastor Claudia Pfeiffer. Since its inception, the merged municipality has expanded and built up a wide range of care and employment opportunities.

Community groups and events (selection)

  • Parents meeting, senior meeting
  • Creative circle, blind circle
  • Singing (choir, GB singers, senior singing group)
  • Senior gymnastics
  • Thanksgiving

day care center

The childcare facility in Biesdorf-Mitte, which is run by the Evangelical Reconciliation Church, is financed by contributions from parents and a regular grant from the Marzahn-Hellersdorf district office. Under the name Schneckenhaus , 52 children in the age groups of one year, two years and three to six years are educated and looked after.

Handbell choir

The members of the Biesdorf Nord congregation received a set of handbells as a gift in the 1990s after Cantor Roland Münch from the Biesdorfer Gnadenkirche had performed on a tour in the USA . Nobody had a precise idea of ​​how to play them, and suitable compositions were also missing. First there were players who accompanied the choral music with the bells. It was not until 2001 that the bells, accompanied by the church organ, were used for self-composed pieces of music that were musically successful. Soon there were concerts in other parishes and also international appearances in Poland , Romania and Estonia , also together with such a choir from Pennsylvania. The result was a better way of playing with the help of a table.

Partnerships

In the years 1988 to 2010, the formerly three parts of the parish maintained official partnerships with the following Protestant parishes:

The long-term relationships gave the Biesdorf community a lot of help and support, both ideally and materially. The highlights were the mutual visits. In 2011 the municipality board decided to end the partnerships with Vlissingen and Hüllhorst because it "... is no longer really growing". Above all, the numerous personal relationships will continue to be cultivated. The Marzahn / Telgte Circle of Friends will be retained.

See also

literature

  • Evangelical Reconciliation Church Community Berlin-Biesdorf (ed.): Festschrift for the inauguration of the organ in the Protestant community center in Maratstrasse. June 19, 2011.

Web links

Commons : Church of Reconciliation Berlin-Biesdorf  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Festschrift for the inauguration of the organ ... p. 14/15.
  2. Festschrift for the organ inauguration ... p. 15.
  3. Festschrift for the organ inauguration ... p. 24.
  4. Festschrift for the inauguration of the organ ... pp. 20/21.
  5. ↑ Congregational Letter September / October 2001 Gnadenlicht , p. 7

Coordinates: 52 ° 31 '27.4 "  N , 13 ° 33' 0.7"  E