Huge crowd at the ecumenical service at the Lohhofer Volksfest!

Huge crowd at the ecumenical service at the Lohhofer Volksfest!

On Whit Monday, a day that is traditionally considered the founding day of the church, a lively ecumenical service took place in Unterschleißheim. The large crowds in the festival tent showed how much interest there was in this special celebration. Already in the morning it was a real challenge to get a place. Under the motto “Send out your spirit and the face of the earth will be new,” the celebration was led by the two committed clergy, Pastor Johannes Streitberger and Pastor Theresa Schmidt. Protestants and Catholics celebrated together a harmonious coexistence and thus set a sign of unity.

The service was accompanied by a cross-denominational project choir led by Matthias Berthel. Members of Protestant and Catholic choirs as well as many interested people who joined the musical community could be heard. Even though the sky wasn't quite right in the morning, the mood in the tent was still positive. The initiator of the service, Lissy Meyer, was proud of the revival of this tradition.

A new format for the little ones

The introduction of a children's service led by Pastor Mirjam Pfeiffer and Katrin Wendlinger was particularly pleasing. The little participants learned in a playful way what community and solidarity mean through a parable about Jacob and Esau. This idea of ​​integrating the children's service into the folk festival was very well received and shows that younger generations can also take part in ecumenism.

The ecumenical service in Unterschleissheim is part of a growing trend in Germany, in which more and more congregations have discovered the longing for ecumenical celebrations at Pentecost. This development is not just a local phenomenon, but is reflected in many regions, such as on the Laurenziberg, where another service took place that had to be moved into the church due to bad weather, but still received a positive response. Initiatives like this show that it is on such important days that a connection between different denominations is considered particularly valuable.

Resources for a living ecumenism

In order to give such events an even broader framework, the Diocese of Speyer and the Evangelical Church of the Palatinate have created a comprehensive working aid for ecumenical services. This brochure, which includes a variety of worship models, aims to encourage people to experience the diversity of liturgical traditions. It offers numerous suggestions for celebrating together for different age groups, from children to seniors. Diocese of Speyer reports that the print edition is already sold out, but the templates are available digitally.

The ecumenical service in Unterschleissheim is a shining example of how community, tradition and mutual tolerance can come together in a festive setting, and once again makes it clear that religion also has a unifying character in people's hearts. It remains to be hoped that such celebrations will continue to be popular and bring many more people together.

For more information about the service in Unterschleißheim, you can read here: Mercury.