Peace Church

Peace United Methodist Church

We are fortunate to live only about twenty minutes away from the only English-speaking Methodist Church in Bavaria.  The facility is shared with the German Methodist Church.  The minister is Christine Erb-Kanzleiter, and when we first arrived, her husband was the Pastor of the German church, but he has since become a hospital chaplain in Munich. Christine is German and speaks English very well.  She is personable, a good speaker, and loved and respected by the congregation.

Pastor Christine Baptizing Amara

The service is fairly traditional, very similar to our church service at home, and there is a good mix of traditional hymns and contemporary music.  Lay leaders participate often and frequently lead the service and preach.  A variety of people play the piano, the organ, and the guitar.  There is one African young man (the father of Amara, above) who aspires to a music career and does a great job improvising on the piano and plays and sings some of his own compositions.  There are usually about 60-80 in the worship service each week.

The Sanctuary

It is an interesting church for several reasons.  First of all, since it is one of the few English-speaking Protestant churches in Bavaria, there are about 300 members who consider it their church home and come from all over Bavaria, but may only attend once in awhile when they are in Munich on holiday or for work.  It also attracts the many English speakers, primarily Brits and Americans, who work in Munich for several months or several years at a time.  It is very telling of the constantly changing congregation, that along with introducing visitors each week, those who are leaving are also asked to acknowledge their departure.

The church's primary mission focus is to help asylum seekers from Africa who come to Germany.  They are generally from west Africa - Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Ghana.  Therefore, about half the congregation each Sunday is from Africa.  They tend to be young and have children which adds a large population of young people to the mix.  The church provides a variety of support services to them - fellowship groups, aid in navigating the German immigration system, language help, homework club for the children, mother's groups, and more.  They are also very supportive of the church by assisting with the worship service, helping with coffee hour, serving on Boards, and providing a great African choir.  Below is a sample of the choir singing during a recent service.

Illustrating the Story of the Parting of the Red Sea

Coffee Hour After the Service

One of the differences between an American Methodist congregation and a German one can be seen in the kitchen  - cupboards of wine glasses and beer glasses!  Only in Germany!

Wine Glasses in the Kitchen Cupboards!

Beer Glasses!

Peace Church is a very friendly and welcoming congregation, making it easy for newcomers to feel at home.  We have made several friends and have actually had a social life the last couple of months with a number of very welcome invitations for dinners and excursions.  We will miss the friends we have made and pray that Peace Church continues to meet the needs of so many in Munich.