Where diversity flourishes J
In Europe, international congregations offer a ‘large welcome’
ames and Jana Shepperd and their daughters look for- ward to Sunday mornings. T at’s when the biracial, binational, bicultural family of four attends Bratislava
[Slovakia] International Church. Instead of drawing attention—an everyday experience
in this largely homogenous country—in church they’re just part of the wallpaper. An intricate, colorful wallpaper of folks from Europe, North America and Mexico, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. “Everybody who comes to Bratislava International
Congregation has some element of outsiderness” to Slo- vak society, said Miriam Schmidt, the ELCA pastor and missionary who serves the church. James Shepperd calls them misfi ts. “Finding a place
where any given Sunday you can be in a high concentra- tion of misfi ts—it’s kind of calming,” he said.
Building community For the Bratislava International Congregation and other members of the Association of International Churches in Europe and the Middle East, welcom- ing outsiders and misfi ts is a primary emphasis. “Our congregation off ers a place
for people to see others who look like them, who come from the same mixed background,” said Stephan Kienberger, an ELCA pastor who serves American Church in Berlin. Most members come from North America, Europe and Africa, and many are or have been married to Germans. T e story is the same at
Close friends Anna Kienberger (left),
Kendra Killmer, Keziah
Killmer, Elsa Kienberger and Ali- na Müller pose for a photo after Elsa’s confi rmation in Berlin. The Killmers are members of American Lutheran Church in Oslo, Norway, and Müller is a member of the Lutherkirche in Wiesbaden, Ger-
CLAUDIA MANN 32
www.thelutheran.org By Anne Basye
American Lutheran Church in Oslo, where the nearly 30 nationalities include many worshipers from the Indian subcontinent. “Everybody except for the Norwegians is on somebody else’s turf,” said Timothy J. Stewart, an ELCA pastor who served the congregation until fall 2014. “In a way, we are all a little off balance.” T at feeling extends to worship—while the liturgy
is Lutheran, many worshipers are not. Stewart said the congregation is united because they “are in Oslo” and “believe in the Triune God and want to worship in Eng- lish”—oſt en a second, third or fourth language. To live out what Schmidt calls “a very large welcome”
for people who can be isolated by language, culture, race, immigration status or transiency, the congregations are intentional about building community. T ey also pay careful attention to cross-cultural dynamics. In Berlin all visitors are greeted and their presence
acknowledged during the service. Staff and lay leadership are intentionally diverse, and worship life includes “the full face of the community,” Kienberger said. T e traditional choir is led by an American, the contemporary choir by a
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52