Welcome to Bremen
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A warm welcome to the 32nd German Protestant Kirchentag - in Bremen for the first time! Tens of thousands of people will be coming from all over Germany and the world to this Hanseatic city from 20th to 24th May 2009. Will you be there?
Everyone is invited - not just Protestant Christians. This city, which lies on the River Weser, is expecting 100,000 full-time visitors to join in a great festival of faith and to get involved in open discussions about political issues and in controversial forums about the future of our world. This huge event is diverse and international, thoughtful and joyful - that's how it describes itself. 2009 is a special year. The outbreak of the 2nd World War will lie 70 years behind us. The German Federal Republic - like the Kirchentag itself - will be 60 years old, and it will be 20 years ago that the Wall between East and West fell. Reason enough to engage with bold questions about freedom and responsibility. Kirchentags depend for their existence on people sharing in the preparations. Do you have something to offer which you would like to present on the Market of Opportunities? Have you been rehearsing music, theatre or cabaret which you would like to perform in public? Have you been doing a church music project or preparing a concert, or have you got a good idea for a special service of worship which you could offer? Then you should send in your application saying what you are offering - and so help to create the programme for this Kirchentag. You will find out what you need to do in this leaflet - or on the internet at www.kirchentag.de/mitwirken or here. We look forward to your contribution and to your participation in the 2009 Kirchentag in Bremen. Prof. Dr. Karin von Welck, Kirchentag President Dr. Ellen Ueberschär, General Secretary Forum and Festival - 2009 at the River WeserCoffee from Kenya, tea from India, red wine from Chile... Bremen is a port with worldwide trade connections - and at the same time a compact city where everything is within easy reach. The marketplace forming the backdrop to the statue of knight Roland (1404) is listed as a world heritage site, with its town hall, cathedral and the bronze depiction of the Bremer Stadtmusikanten, a comical band (donkey, dog, cat and cock) featuring in one of Grimm's fairy tales. In the Schnoor, in Böttcher Street, or along the banks of the Weser: there are delightful views wherever you look. Bremen has prestigious universities, a lively arts and cultural scene and an innovative aerospace industry. Bremen is tolerant and cosmopolitan, and was also a stronghold of the 1968 student protests. Bremen's colour is green - not just because of its civic park, its football club and a beer known throughout the whole world, but also because a number of leading lights of the environmental movement lived here in its early days - and they are still around.
Bremen has a long tradition of civic engagement and also of social extremes. It is one of the cities with the highest share of millionaires in the population. But, in 2007, 30 percent of children under 15 were growing up in families receiving income support. The Evangelical Church of Bremen is particularly suited to hosting the Kirchentag. It is basically run by lay people and congregations. Its synod is even called Kirchentag (church assembly) and the president of the synod is a judge by profession. The Evangelical Church of Bremen has no office of bishop: the most prominent member of the clergy is called the 'clerk of the church committee'. The neighbouring Protestant churches are also involved in preparations for the 2009 Kirchentag - i.e. the Evangelical Lutheran Churches of Oldenburg and Hanover and the Reformed Church of Leer. The venues available to the Kirchentag are the trade fair grounds directly behind the railway station, the large Protestant churches in the town centre and the 'Überseestadt' (overseas district) - the site of the former city harbour and its warehouses, which has recently been revitalised through the arrival of colleges, businesses, artists' workshops and innovative start-ups. Everything is very close together - typical of Bremen. Bremen and its environs: an inviting city with an inviting surrounding area and - inviting churches. Just right for the Kirchentag in 2009. |
