Social affairs - Bishop Fehrs visits Diaconia center for the homeless
On Christmas Eve, Hamburg Bishop Kirsten Fehrs visited the Diakonie center for homeless people in the Hanseatic city and encouraged those in need. Even in difficult times like these, hope and confidence should not be lost, she said, referring to the Christmas story. With the birth of Christ, which is celebrated on Christmas Eve, people are given hope. Fehrs took part in the traditional Christmas dinner to which Diakonie invites homeless people every year. She sought personal contact with those affected and distributed small gifts.
The Diakonie day shelter in Hamburg's city center offers homeless people comprehensive advice and the opportunity to eat, warm up, shower and do laundry. "Homeless people feel particularly lonely these days," said Melanie Mücher, head of the Diakonie center. The Christmas dinner is therefore a conscious effort to create an opportunity to spend time together. The midnight bus then brings hot drinks and some festive cheer to the sleeping places of the homeless in the evening.
According to Mücher, volunteers have once again agreed to drive the midnight bus through Hamburg's city center over the Christmas holidays and on New Year's Eve. "We share the quiet and the noisy hours with the people who live on Hamburg's streets," explained Sonja Norgall, project manager of the midnight bus. There is a special and familiar atmosphere on the bus during the holidays. According to Diakonie, the Christmas dinner and the midnight bus are financed exclusively from donations.
Under the motto "More than a warm meal", more than 450 homeless people and other Hamburg residents in need had already celebrated a Christmas party in the Fischauktionshalle in mid-December. In addition to a three-course meal with drinks, there was also a show program and singing together. The Hamburg Social Association estimates that there are around 2000 homeless people in the city. It had only renewed its call for more day shelters at the end of November.
Diaconia Center
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- Kirsten Fehrs, the Bishop of Hamburg, believes that even during challenging times like these, homeless individuals in Hamburg should not lose their hope and confidence, drawing inspiration from the Christmas story's message.
- Every Christmas Eve, Kirsten Fehrs participates in the Diakonie center's tradition of inviting homeless individuals to a festive dinner, engaging in personal interactions with them and distributing small gifts.
- The Church in Hamburg, led by Bishop Kirsten Fehrs, has been actively involved in supporting the city's homeless population by organizing events such as the Christmas dinner and the Midnight Bus, which provides hot drinks and festive cheer to those living on the streets of Hamburg.
Source: www.stern.de
