Checking Out Church in Wittenberg!

When the SPIG gang and I first got off the train to see the city of Wittenberg, the first thing I noticed was how quiet the city was. Sure, it was the morning, and yes, Sundays are the day of rest. However, aside from almost getting hit by a bike, the first 20 mins of walking in the streets felt like stumbling upon a ghost town.

We went to an old Protestant church in the heart of downtown. Inside was beautiful and colorful. We were all handed a hymn book and a pamphlet of the service program. The message and songs were in German, which obviously makes engaging a small American audience difficult. The pastor’s monotone voice didn’t make things anymore interesting. Eventually, I made peace with the idea that, while I couldn’t completely understand what was happening, I could look around and admire the architecture.

The church had a curved ceiling and was acoustically very nice. There were also spiraled platforms that the speaker stood on, which was interesting. The bathrooms were not very accessible from my seat, so from a less glamorous, more practical standpoint, that could be improved.

Church attendance in Wittenberg and in Germany as a whole was generally low. I noticed that many attendees were old people or those who seemed extremely devout. I did not see any groups of people, aside from us, who looked college aged.

My professors have told us that the Berlin contributed to decline in European religion. Under communist rule, East Berlin residents were not allowed to attend church. That created a habit that lasted even after the wall was taken down.

To improve church attendance for today, I would recommend balancing old tradition with new. For example, more contemporary music, not just hymns, could make the service more upbeat and engaging. It might also engage and inspire younger generations. Aside from music, maybe the service could be slightly shorter. The church could also be more hospitable by offering free coffee or having “greeters” like many American protestant churches do. The Wittenberg church didn’t strike me as very friendly.

Even though the service didn’t engage me like many in the U.S. do, I really enjoyed and am grateful for the opportunity to visit such a beautiful place. Attending churches in Europe has been its own very enriching journey.

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