wfn.org | United Methodist congregation finds home amid former Soviet

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

barracks

Sept. 25, 1998	Contact: Thomas S. McAnally*(615)742-5470*Nashville,
Tenn.       {546}

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.

United Methodist News Service
(615)742-5470
Releases and photos also available at
http://www.umc.org/umns/