United Methodist congregation finds home amid former Soviet barracks
9/25/1998 NOTE: Information for this story was provided by the Rev. Heinrich Meinhardt, a United Methodist pastor in Berlin. A photo is available for use with the story. by United Methodist News Service Until 1994, the "White City" of Oranienburg, Germany, 12 miles north of Berlin, was occupied by Russian Air Force soldiers. Today the community is home to a newly-formed United Methodist congregation.
Standing out amid the white former Soviet barracks is a bright red and yellow United Methodist building dedicated Sept. 15. The facility will house the 35-member congregation and a pilot project related to the churchwide "Shared Mission Focus on Young People."
The refurbished barracks are home to 1,200 residents, a population that is projected to reach 5,000 within the next three years. Only 16 percent of the current residents are members of a church. Unemployment rate among teenagers and young adults is nearly 25 percent.
The congregation was started under the leadership of Berlin pastor, the Rev. Heinrich Meinhardt, as a "House Circle" four years ago when people from the German capital, including some United Methodists, began moving to the suburban community.
Among those present for the dedication of the new building were Bishop Woodie W. White of the church's Indiana Area; Bishop G. Lindsey Davis of the Atlanta Area; Meinhardt; Berlin District Superintendent Hans Michalski; and Ramona Funk, director of the "Shared Mission Focus on Young People" project.
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