On Sabbath, 28 January 2023, over 50 Friedensau university members travelled to Hanover, the capital of Lower Saxony, and other cities in the wider area to preach in the congregations there and to get in touch with the local people. This travelling of Friedensau teachers and students has a long tradition. It is called "Friedensau on the road". Some members of the congregation have not yet had the opportunity to visit Friedensau, know little of its history or have no personal contacts there.
This kind of day needs a lot of preparation
So it makes sense that "Friedensau" visits Adventist congregations in different regions to enable Adventist training centres and congregations to get to know each other. Rolf Pöhler, professor of systematic theology at the ThHF and member of the congregation in Hanover, has prepared this day intensively: "Services in 12 congregations in the morning, a total of about 800 service visitors and another 100 guests at the central event in Hanover in the afternoon - behind these figures are not only numerous hours of preparation, but also many personal encounters and impressions among those involved. 'Friedensau on the Road' is a great opportunity to maintain and deepen contact between the congregations and 'their' university."
Of personal experiences and fateful encounters
Five students, including the two theology students Itje Zepnik and Lina Bammann, gave very personal statements on the day. They talked about how they came to faith and how they decided to become pastors. "In the congregations, the Friedensauers held the Bible reflection, the sermons, the youth hour and impulse talks in the afternoon. In the Hanover-Fischerstraße congregation, for example, Alexander Schulze, dean of the theology department, spoke about his fateful encounter with limiting pillars on the street and those in our faith. His sermon text from Micah 6:8 is displayed on the front wall of the Advent House. How fitting!", Itje writes about this day in a blog that can be read on the university website.
It was a fulfilling and blessed Sabbath in the Hanseatic Conference, which once again brought Friedensau into the field of vision of young and old.
To read the original article, please go here.
