by Josephat from Tanzania

What I cannot forget about my first month in Germany is the Kirchentag. To me it has a verspecial meaning and it met more than my expectation. I was being overwhelmed by the last service at the Signal Iduna Park. Leave aside the fact that it took place in the Home Stadium of my favourite German football club and it was my first time to get in there. The service has more features to make it special and I can’t really tell it all.

Well, it was a morning of 23rd June; 2019 at Strobelallee. Many people gathered around the stadium with their tickets at hand. I was one of those many people. I finally got a place to seat with my colleagues from Evangelische Kontaktstelle and my housemates at the international volunteershouse in Dortmund-Wickede, and other International guests.

I sensed a special feeling from the beginning. The decoration of balloons around the stadium carried by young people who walked all around the stadium every time made the stadium be filled with life. All the scheduled songs that created the atmosphere of harmony and spiritual togetherness. Each moment of singing was kind like opening the gates of Heaven, filling us with joy and meaningfulness of our faith. The sermon was also astonishing, with the emphasis on firmness of our faith and concern on the welfare of other people’s livings. This soundly gave the meaning of Christianity; living like Christ, who gave his life for us. Christianity gives more meaning if we get into thinking about others and offer the best we can for them. Christianity brings us to the sense and feeling that, we are one before God, same with his image and likeness.

The Kirchentag has hence far more than the event for Germans only, but for the whole world and an example to the rest of the World that through faith we can be one, strongly bound together. There was the atmosphere of oneness in the stadium, as far as I could feel, the feeling was so special. The smiles of hope and faith, and the energies that everyone walked away with from the service will always be a memorable mark in our hearts.