Sunday #2

I finally got to go to church in Berlin!

I didn't decide until this morning which one I was going to visit. There are dozens of Lutheran churches very close to my apartment! I wanted a SELK church, since this a Lutheran subsection that is partnered with the LCMS church at home. (If you aren't Lutheran, those acronyms are confusing probably, sorry). There were three SELK churches that would take me about 20 minutes to get to via public transportation.

I chose the one to the north, simply because they were having their once-a-month "coffee and breakfast" gathering after church. I thought it would be really good to have a chance to sit and get to know people.

Berlin is really a dead city on Sunday mornings. I know church attendance is really down here, but I wasn't expecting it to be so utterly deserted! I was the only person on the bus.

Augustana-Gemeinde Berlin-Wedding, the church I chose, was nestled in a neighborhood between apartments. I hesitantly wandered into the door and was greeted by several older couples.

"Hallo... Mein Name ist Katie Ortstadt. Ich komme aus Amerika..."
"Hello, my name is Katie Ortstadt. I'm from America."

Immediately their faces lit up. The pastor took me upstairs to the sanctuary. It was very pretty. Not ancient cathedral pretty, but it had a big golden stained glass window behind the alter. I stood by the entrance with an older woman who talked with me until the service started. She didn't know much English, so I mostly listened while she told me about the church in German. Her brother actually helped design it!

As the service began, there were probably 20 people tops in the sanctuary. One family with little kids, and everyone else was much older. I got the feeling that this was the normal attendence.

We followed a very old Lutheran service book. I was a bit lost, especially since the older woman I befriended knew the whole thing by heart. She apologized to me later, explaining that they weren't used to visitors, and she'd forgotten that I might need extra help navigating the service. Luckily, the hymns were pretty much the same, and I recited the creed and Lord's Prayer in English. (I could tell by the cadence of voices what we were saying).

((Picture from their website - I didn't have my phone out in church!))

Lutheran services may not be as universal as Catholic mass, but they are pretty similar!

I was so proud of myself for following along with most of the readings. I think my 21 years of Lutheran church attendance helped a lot. I've heard the story of the rich man and Lazurus enough times to recognize it easily! They even had someone come read the gospel in Arabic. There's a very large middle eastern immigrant population in Germany, so I thought it was really cool that the church was catering to that.

The sermon went over my head, but during the announcements, the pastor pointed me out. I guess visitors really are a big deal.

An hour and a half later, it was time for coffee. There was a wonderful cherry cake. One of the old ladies handed me a plate with a smile saying "Iss nicht zu wenig!" "Don't eat too little!" I really enjoyed myself, listening to the German and enjoying coffee. The pastor told me about how he and his family had lived in St. Louis for a year. One of the other members explained the church history. I felt at home.

I headed back to the apartment after, feeling a bit conflicted. I wasn't in love with the church. It was okay, but I really would have liked to meet someone my age. However, those old ladies were so sweet to me... Ugh, I have to go back! They'd be so sad if I didn't!

That afternoon, Victoria, Christine, and I went to Tiergarten (Animal garden). It's a massive park in the middle of Berlin (not five minutes from our apartment). This used to be where the royal family went hunting, hence the name. The place is huge! Almost as big as Central Park in NYC.

We had a picnic consisting of fresh bread, fruit, and wine. It was wonderful. We proceeded to spent the rest of the afternoon wandering in circles through the park. Unlike most American parks, Tiergarten is not well-manicured and full of playgrounds. It's a lot more overgrown and natural feeling. There are also dozens of statues and monuments around.

Somehow we walked for two hours and ended up just a few blocks away from where we started. The combination of the hot sun and our lack of progress left us all feeling pretty drained. There was a big Umwelts (envoirnment) festival going on, so we left the park and wandered through that for a bit. The Brandenburg Gate seems to be a very popular spot for festivals (and protestes).

After all this, we needed an Eiskaffee. No, not an American iced coffee. German Eiskaffee (pronounced ice coffee) is coffee + ice cream. It's basically man's greatest invention. Unfortunatly, the place we picked was not great quality, but it was nice to sit in the shade and have a cold drink. I think tensions were running a little high, so I was grateful for a break.

One Eiskaffee later, we finally made it back to the apartment. I think we all crashed. It had been a super long day! I did stay awake long enough to Skype home, which was so nice. I always Skype home on Sundays in college. (Love my family!) Another salami and spinach sandwhich, and I was in bed. I had work the next day, so it was good to get to sleep.

Below are some pictures from Tiergarten! The statue guy is Goethe, a famous German writer.