Germany

Berlin, Germany

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and its largest city with a population of more than 3.7 million people. It is filled with important historical sites and monuments pertaining to World War 2 and the Cold War. Some portions of the infamous Berlin Wall remain from the time when the Soviet Union separated Berlin into East (Communist) and West (Democratic). It is also the most culturally diverse city in Germany with over 190 different countries represented.

[Hear all about God opening the door to preach the gospel to a group of guys on the train in Berlin in the June 2023 newsletter. Praise Him for the opportunity!]

We believe that God will reach the nations in Berlin!

• Berlin became Germany’s capital in 1871.
• The Brandenburg gate stands in downtown Berlin. It is the sight of US President Regan’s 1987 speech in which he boldly said, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” The wall did indeed come down just over 2 years later.
• Berlin is the largest city proper by population in the European Union over which it exercises much political clout since Germany is, by far, the largest European Economy.
• Monocle Magazine ranks Berlin as the 6^th most livable city in the world.

Greifswald, Germany

Greifswald is a small city on the coast of the Baltic Sea in Northeastern Germany. The people seem very down-to-earth. The food is tasty and economical. The former East Germany, after decades of Communist rule, is still statistically one of the most Atheist areas in the world.

We met with a local Pastor one afternoon. He said with surprise, “But how did you end up in Greifswald? It is at the end of the road.” His point was that it is a forgotten city in Germany. I explained how the Lord had laid it on my heart years ago. He seemed blessed and impacted by our testimony. Time and time again we have seen how the Lord leads us to the places where the least has been done. We believe this is one of our roles as the church prepares for the Lord’s return.

Greifswald is quite isolated, so we found that very few people speak English. This limited what we were able to do, however we did notice the Lord specifically lead us to certain people. He also seemed to put a strong emphasis on ministering around the main square and library in the old town.

• Because of its unique development, the historic “downtown” of Greifswald is on the northern edge of the city.
• Greifswald has a population of 60,000 people of which 12,000 are students and 5,000 are employees of its university.
• Greifswald University, founded in 1456, is one of the oldest in the world.
• Greifswald is considered the youngest city in Germany with the highest percentage of heads of household under the age of 30 in the country.
• The now damaged and inoperable Nord Stream II natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany comes to land in Greifswald.