On November 19, 2023, a special evening took place at EFG Altona.
The topic: "Anabaptist life in everyday life".
At the invitation of Hamburger Verband,Professor Dr. Andrea Strübindas a guest. In her research work, she focuses on the history of the Anabaptists.
After a short introduction by the speaker and a general introduction to the topic, the visitors were able to immerse themselves in theHistory of the Anabaptist Movement.
This was not done by a lecture, but by aSermon on Romans 12:1+2.
The sermon was held by two historical persons and one person living in the present.
Ella Jo Baker, Jakob Huterand Anke Ratjen thought together about what'Divine Service in Everyday Life'andnon-conformist Christianitymeant in their respective times and still means today.
Ella Jo Baker and Jakob Huter briefly introduced themselves with the following words before they dealt with the Bible text:
Ella Jo Baker:
"I am an activist – in the truest sense of the word. I have activated people to stand up against racial discrimination: students, community members, African-American women from the South. Activist for 50 years. I used my potential and my good education to encourage the grassroots of the civil rights movement to build and network effective organizations and forms of protest. My faith – my spiritual home in Baptist churches – inspired me to do so. I fought together with Martin Luther King and the many others. Quite unusual for a woman, a Baptist at that time. A female Gandhi – I was called."
Jakob Huter:
"I am the Jakob keeper; sometimes people also call me Jakob Hutter.
Today I am actually in Hamburg for the first time.
The north is rather unknown to me overall. My sphere of activity was in the very south:
I come from Tyrol. I died at the stake in Innsbruck in 1536.
But I've always been on the road all my life – especially in Moravia. There, in the southeast of today's Czech Republic, Anabaptists were not persecuted and I built up churches. They still exist today – the Hutterites; named after me."
The manner of the sermon, which was held by the three people, brought history to life. Following the sermon, there was a lively exchange with Andrea Strübind.
Visitors also had the opportunity to ask questions. This was followed by an engaging and touching discussion on many topics.
The evening was co-organized byMelli WandelandHeike Will, whichMusic by Mendelssohn and Vivaldiand who inspired the visitors with their professional and at the same time approachable presentation.
You could also see theTravelling exhibition on the 500th anniversary of the Anabaptist commemoration, which will be celebrated in 2025.
At the subsequent cozy get-together in the roundabout of the community, all visitors agreed that the evening was an all-round success and extremely stimulating in terms of content. However, the number of visitors was disappointing.
With about 20 people, the evening was only poorly attended.
