Friedensau on the road in NRW

Friedensau Community Meeting Day in North Rhine-Westphalia

This year, on 25 January 2025, it was once again ‘Friedensau on the road’. This time, North Rhine-Westphalia was the destination. The individual professors and lecturers from the School of Theology preached in various congregations on Sabbath morning: Johannes Hartlapp (Duisburg), Roland Fischer (Essen), Stefan Höschele (Gelsenkirchen), Igor Lorencin (Velbert-Neviges), Rolf Pöhler (Düsseldorf), Alexander Schulze (Bochum), Goran Živković (Velbert) and Bojan Godina (Dortmund). They teach at the university and pass on their knowledge and commitment to the students. Two people from the university administration also preached: Steffi Wießner (Duisburg-Ruhrort) and Jochen Streit (Oberhausen).

In the afternoon, there was a varied programme in the congregation in Essen with two lectures on ‘Fulfilment, success, development’ and ‘Can Christians be happy?’, music and reports from Friedensau and the opportunity to exchange ideas with the Friedensau group.

Not only the host churches are happy about so much commitment and attention. Friedensau students are just as enthusiastic about being part of this trip to the communities. I asked various fellow travellers about their impressions.

Student Lina Bammann, who is studying theology for her Bachelor's degree, took part in ‘Friedensau unterwegs’ for the second time and reflected that it was enriching for her to be in a local church and experience what she is studying for, what she spends hours in the library for, and that she was able to show how interesting and varied studying theology in Friedensau can be.

Theology student Elijah Okrah, who is studying for a Master's degree in English, is also enthusiastic: “My contribution to ‘Friedensau unterwegs’ was to move the hearts of the brothers and sisters through my testimony of faith and pictures from Tanzania. I enjoyed the fellowship in the congregations I visited.”

Nant Lily Myat Noe and Chit Phyu belong to a group of Adventist students from Myanmar who are enrolled in the Development Studies programme. Nant Lily Myat Noe: “It was a great experience to see how the church services are organised in Germany and to get in touch with the brothers and sisters. We were both able to delight the congregation with our singing and praise God.”

Chit Phyu: “I am really grateful that I met people who have the same faith as I do, and I feel privileged to be able to visit another Adventist church as an international student from Friedensau.”

Theology student Ali Akkouch, who played guitar: “It was not only that you get to know the lecturers and other regions a little better on such trips, but that you can also realise again and again why you are studying here in Friedensau. ... ‘Friedensau unterwegs’ is therefore not only a project through which Friedensau is brought to the outside world, but also one through which the inner Friedensau is rediscovered.”

Jochen Streit, Head of Academic Administration at the university, who coordinated the trip for this large group and the ten preaching locations, and did so once again, summarises: “Every tour of ‘Friedensau unterwegs’ is unique. Regardless of whether large or small congregations are visited, whether younger or older worshippers, every visit connects the university and congregations. It becomes clear everywhere – Friedensau is above all people, faces, lecturers and students from all over the world. I experienced the encounter with the congregations in the Ruhr region as a great blessing.”

Now this Friedensau Community Meeting Day for 2025 is already history again. Getting to know each other, celebrating services together, singing, worshipping and praising together, discovering similarities and differences – this can be the start of a wonderful partnership. Friedensau? I'd love to go there ... (Andrea Cramer).