Kirchentag Witness

Tuesday June 27 2017

Church of Scotland minister the Rev Klaus Buwert reports on a trip to the German Lutheran Church’s Kirchentag - and a personal journey into his family's refugee past.

WE were sitting on the steps of the French Church in Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin. The evening sun was still hot although it was 8pm. Facing us was the big stage on the other side of the square as the concert was about to begin. It was a concert symbolising much of what this year’s German Lutheran Church Kirchentag was about.

The text for this year’s bi-annual convention, was “You see me”, from Genesis 16:13. Hagar, carrying Abraham’s child was a refugee fleeing his wife and her mistress, Sarah. A central theme of many events and meetings was refugees and migrants.
The concert was the world premier of the Unisono-Symphony composed by Nicola Ruegenberg, who was also conducting. Along with the Berlin Symphonica and Oratioria, were musicians who had come to Germany as refugees. The symphony contained Syrian melodies, Iranian harmonies, and African rhythms. The musicians and singers, and the thousands gathered in the open air, on the steps of the church, the concert hall opposite and standing around the square sang the chorus from Beethoven’s ninth symphony, Alle Menschen werden Brüder, “all men will become brothers”.
This concert was one of 2,500 concerts, services, talks, discussions and events going on all over Berlin, for the four days of the Kirchentag.
A constant theme was also the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg, the spark that lit the reformation fire. The final event on Sunday, an open air communion service, took place in Wittenberg – scene of Luther’s historic moment – when 160,000 people gathered in the heat on the meadows just over the river Elbe. On the other side we could see the spire of the famous church, and further down the street the twin spires of the Stadtkirche, a skyline unchanged since Luther strolled along the banks of the river, praying and wrestling with God and his conscience. The sermon was given in English by the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of South Africa. He concluded with the words of another Martin Luther (King) “I have a dream…”
The scale of this event can’t really be described. When there, it seems as if the Kirchentag has taken over the whole city, with trademark orange scarves are everywhere. A few facts might give an inkling. It ran from May 24 to May 28. Although the numbers were down on those expected, there were still 106,000 who had registered for the full event, with 30,000 day visitors. It cost €20 million to stage. The status of the event nationally can be seen in that Angela Merkel always makes a personal appearance, and this year debated with Barak Obama, in front of 70,000 people at the Brandenburg Gate, once a symbol of Germany’s division, now of re-unification. With the heavy security, the centre of Berlin was the safest place in Europe that morning. 5,500 volunteers, mainly scouts and guides were on hand to guide and help visitors at every event.
This trip to Berlin was also a personal journey for me. I am descended from refugees, who, as Huegenots, fled religious persecution in France and came to Berlin in the 17th century. That is why the church is The French Church. It houses a Huegenot museum and genealogical archives, including part of my family tree. In Rheinsberg, south west of Berlin I met, for the first time, 94-year-old Otto Buwert who still lives in the same house which the Buwerts were given 300 years ago as refugee settlers.

The Rev Klaus Buwert is minister at Muthill, linked with Trinity Gask and Kinkell in Perthshire.