| |
 |
 |
|
| Comment on this report, or find other reports. |
|
| Our Mystery Worshippers are volunteers who warm church pews for us around the world. If you'd like to become a Mystery Worshipper, start here. |
|
| Find out how to reproduce this report in your church magazine or website. |
|
|
| 2616: Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche,
Berlin, Germany |
|
 |
|
Mystery
Worshipper: The Kid from Brooklyn.
The church:
Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche (Kaiser
Wilhelm Memorial Church), Berlin, Germany.
Denomination:
Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland (Evangelical
Church in Germany).
The building:
The cornerstone for the original Gothic structure was laid
in 1891, and the church had a spire 370 feet tall. Almost
the entire building was destroyed during the bombing of Berlin
in World War II, but the portion that remained is being preserved.
Today the church consists of four buildings: the original
ruins, the new sanctuary (a hexagon on the outside but an
octagon inside), a tower with a chapel, and a foyer. The new
church is a fascinating modern structure that includes walls
partially consisting of over 2,000 stained glass inlays. When
we visited, only the top of the steeple was visible; the rest
was covered by some sort of structure probably meant to protect
the tower.
The church:
There are two services on Sunday (morning and evening) and
three "short services" each weekday. The church
offers a variety of music programs.
The neighbourhood:
Located near the beautiful Berlin Zoo, the church is at the
edge of Charlottenburg, a very upscale neighborhood with many
expensive shops and eateries. Across the street from the church
is a large transportation complex that is a little seedy,
albeit safe.
The cast:
An unnamed male led the service, and an unidentified woman
read the gospel and gave a slide show about the church.
The date & time:
22 September 2013, 10.00am. [Editor's note: This report was
filed on 20 October 2013.]
What was the name of
the service?
No name was given. It appeared to be a standard worship service.
How full was the building?
The sanctuary holds about 1,000, but when we attended it was
only about one-quarter full. We suspected that many in attendance
were tourists.
Did anyone welcome you
personally?
Yes. A woman said "Morgen!" (Good morning) and handed
us prayer books.
Was your pew comfortable?
Individual chairs – very comfy!
How would you describe
the pre-service atmosphere?
We came just as the service was starting.
What were the exact
opening words of the service?
Missed those.
What books did the congregation
use during the service?
An evangelical hard-cover combination prayer book, hymnal
and psalter. It was well-worn.
What musical instruments
were played?
A magnificent organ, an opus of the Karl Schuke firm of Berlin.
There was also a choir up in the loft who were superb.
Did anything distract
you?
The Frau from Brooklyn, who can sight-read German, found the
hymnal very difficult to sing from. They printed the music
for part of each hymn only. Also, throughout most of the service
you could not see the preacher or his assistant.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip,
happy clappy, or what?
Very serious and quiet. The altar was illuminated by many
candles, and the preacher spoke very softly. The hymns sounded
rather somber, and only a handful of people in the congregation
joined in. Interestingly, the choir didn't sing the hymns
either, but did render some beautiful unaccompanied pieces.
Exactly how long was
the sermon?
25 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10,
how good was the preacher?
4 – I can only rate the preacher as to his speaking style,
since my German is not sufficiently good to assess his content.
He spoke almost in a monotone. Before the sermon proper there
was a 20-minute slide show about the church given in German
by the woman who read the gospel. She also spoke in a virtual
monotone. The old structure is being rehabilitated, and I
believe she was talking about that.
In a nutshell, what
was the sermon about?
Can't comment on that. The Frau from Brooklyn didn't understand
it either – in fact, we both fell asleep during it!
Which part of the service
was like being in heaven?
The beautiful blue stained glass inlays were awe-inspiring.
The organist was also wonderful, and the choir were heavenly.
And which part was like
being in... er... the other place?
The almost total lack of participation by the congregation,
and the flat delivery of the sermon.
What happened when you
hung around after the service looking lost?
Nobody came up to us.
How would you describe
the after-service coffee?
No coffee was served, but they did have some fresh fruit.
The two of us were suffering from acute jet-lag, so we didn't
stay, but rather headed to a wonderful cafe nearby for a sugar
high.
How would you feel about
making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 =
terminal)?
1 – Even if I were a native Berliner and spoke perfect
German, I would want a more involved congregation and a better
preacher. I would, however, come to the church for music events.
Did the service make
you feel glad to be a Christian?
Yes.
What one thing will
you remember about all this in seven days' time?
The choir.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| We rely on voluntary donations to stay online. If you're a regular visitor to Ship of Fools, please consider supporting us. |
|
 |
|
| The Mystery Pilgrim |
|
| One of our most seasoned reporters makes the Camino pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Read here. |
|
 |
|
| London churches |
|
| Read reports from 70 London churches, visited by a small army of Mystery Worshippers on one single Sunday. Read here. |
| |
|
|
|
|
