Located on the corner of Stockkampstrasse and Prinz-Georg-Strasse George's Street in Pempelfort district of Düsseldorf, the exterior facade of the building of the Seventh-day Adventist Church has been redesigned. With a bird's nest graffiti, the Düsseldorf artist Kolja Kunstreich would make the terms of faith, love and hope more vivid to passersby.
You can see a little bird in a nest, surrounded by the three words "Faith, Hope, Love", in troubled waters. "The people from the area and the many passersbyes would be reminded and inspired by the contemporary and friendly nature of the supporting power of faith," said the artist. The idea of the surrounding design with water refers to the Düssel River which flows directly by the church and linking it to the birds' nests in the trees on site. The little bird is deliberately colorful to point to the diversity of people who find themselves in difficult situations. Kolja Kunstreich is a freelance and graffiti designer and his art has been desplayed nationally and internationally for the past 20 years.
Place of safety and security
The task of the Church is to provide people in need protection and help, said Marc Trautvetter, the pastor of the Dusseldorf Adventist Church. "We want to give them a place where they can find safety and security in the midst of the storms of life as it is represented by the graffiti." For people of different origins, cultures and generations, the church should be a place where they experience care, connection and allows active participation.
"We are happy," said Pastor Trautvetter, "when we, the Düsseldorf Adventist Church can help in an efficient practical way.” He referred to the participation of ADRA Germany, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency in the "Action of Children Helping Children", a packet-action for children in Eastern Europe. It has been organized for many years by the Dusseldorf Adventist Church every fall for kindergartens, schools, businesses and individuals. Other initiatives were supported by the Adventist church, for example this spring, the Aid Convoy initiative to Calais and Dunkirk called "Refugees Welcome to Dusseldorf”.
Cooperation between generations and cultures
As harmony between all generations is important in a parish, youth pastor Marcus Jelinek thanked the artist for a very successful rendering of the mission statement for the Adventist Church. Love is shown by Kolya Kunstreich in the design of the exterior façade of the Church representing a constant support as shown under the bird's nest.
The Advent church was built in Dusseldorf in the 1960s. There have been Adventist Christians in the city since the late 19th century. They met in up to three different locations, therefore, in the late 1980s the Adventist Church on Stockkampstrasse became the only center for Adventists in Dusseldorf.
There are many congregations meeting in the Adventist Church. There is a German speaking and a Ghanaian Adventist congregation. In addition, there are 14 Saturday-afternoon church services in the Russian language. The Seventh-day Adventist Church launched an initiative in Europe called "Inter-generational and Inter-cultural Church of Refuge" (iCOR - broadcasted: "Building a spiritual home: common values living together") which aims to raise awareness for all members that the Church is a refuge for many generations and cultures.