Kirchentag - Fragments

If, like Down to Earth over the last few days, you have a stand at a major event such as the Kirchentag, you only catch glimpses of the event itself; yet, taken together, these glimpses paint a new picture.

– Café Himmelsthür

A café run jointly by people with and without disabilities at the Kirchentag. Delicious latte macchiato and a project that gives meaning and offers hope.

– Reconciliation

I was moved by a woman’s request asking if I could support her as a coach in reconciling with a family member. When I agreed, she had tears in her eyes.

– Amazement

Many people reacted with surprise to our products: „I’ve never seen these before. They’re really great.“

– Feedback

Others who were already familiar with our work gave us feedback: „The Impulse booklets are really brilliant. I’m always giving them as presents. Other people have told us about my new book, „The hut and me“It moved her deeply: „I found myself crying time and again whilst reading it. That never usually happens to me. The book didn’t completely dispel my disappointment in God, but it did ease it considerably.“”

– Cold

The damp, cold weather (only 5 degrees on Sunday morning!!!) dampened the mood a bit. What a shame.

- Thinking with your whole body

During a talk on thinking, I realised that we don’t think with our brains alone, but that our brains, bodies and environment all work together to process information. It makes sense, really. Still, it was an „aha“ moment.

– Sabbath

A Sabbath service organised by the liberal Jewish synagogue really moved me. As a „service“ for non-Jews, they explained the individual parts of the service. That gave me a good insight.

– Language

For Protestants, the Quadros are „modern devotional booklets“; for Catholics, they are known as „Inspiration for Daily Retreats“. I tried to work out which tradition the visitors to the stand belonged to and then address them in their own language.

- Snakes

Queues for the toilets, queues at the entrance, queues for food, queues for the underground… at the Kirchentag there were queues of all kinds and lengths. Whilst waiting in a queue for a coffee, I heard someone say: „In the East, they always used to say: „No paradise without a queue.“’