Friedensau church musician takes over function in AÖL

In August 2022, Karola Vierus, Friedensau church musician, was appointed to work in the "Arbeitsgemeinschaft für ökumenisches Liedgut" (AÖL). Now she took part in a first meeting in Basel. In her function, she succeeds Prof. Günter Balders from the Federation of Evangelical Free Churches, who until now worked in the AÖL on behalf of the Association of Evangelical Free Churches (VEF).

Karola Vierus, born in 1959 in Zschopau (Erzgebirge), first worked in a commercial profession and then from 1981 to 1986 in the hymnological field in Friedensau near Magdeburg. After studying church music in Halle (Saale), she was a lecturer at Friedensau Adventist University from 1989 to 2010 and an employee at Saatkorn-Verlag Lüneburg from 2011 to 2015; she is currently a freelancer. Karola Vierus has been active in the hymnal work of the Seventh-day Adventist Free Church for over 40 years.

The "Arbeitsgemeinschaft für ökumenisches Liedgut" (Working Group for Ecumenical Hymns), founded in 1969, sees its task in promoting common ecumenical singing in worship through standardised hymn versions. It is supported by the Catholic and Protestant churches in Germany, Austria and German-speaking Switzerland, the Old Catholic and Christian Catholic churches respectively, as well as the Association of Protestant Free Churches, to which twelve member churches and three guest churches belong. They each send representatives to the working group of the AÖL. For years, this group has accompanied the process of creating new hymnals - also in churches that have not sent permanent members. The focus of the work is on determining and working out uniform versions of texts and melodies which then find their way into the hymnals.

FAU congratulates Karola Vierus and wishes God's blessing on her work in the church music committee.