125 years of Diakonie Freistatt: a festival full of history and music!

125 years of Diakonie Freistatt: a festival full of history and music!

in Freistatt, a small town in the Diepholz district, an impressive anniversary was celebrated. The history of the Diakonie Freistatt, which started building the Moorstadt house in 1899, now has a proud age of 125. On Wednesday, numerous guests gathered in the Moorkirche, which serves as a communication center to celebrate this special occasion.

Among the guests of honor was the chairman of the board of Bathel, Pastor Ulrich Pohl, and the newly sworn district administrator of the district of Diepholz, Volker Meyer. The latter took the opportunity to point out the serious problem of hunger in the world at the Thanksgiving Festival: Eleven percent of the global population is currently suffering from malnutrition. Pastor Pohl described Freistatt as a "small paradise" in which a variety of animals and plants thrive.

The achievements of the Diakonie

Freistatt has established itself as a place over the years that helps those who cannot find their place in society. Claus Freye and his colleague Thorsten Nolting reported on the progress in the support of people in emergencies and emphasized the responsibility of learning from mistakes and dealing with the past. The feature film "Freistatt" was mentioned as an impressive example of this review.

The facility has also committed itself to the goals of sustainability and nature conservation. In particular, the protection of bogs is considered important because they have considerable potential for CO2 storage, provided they remain wet again. Another sustainable project includes the connection of all buildings in Freistad to the local heating network of the Energiehof Strange, which will significantly improve the ecological balance of the facility.

theological considerations and the present

A highlight of the event was the lecture by Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schmid from the University of Münster. He devoted himself to the question of how Christianity rose in the first 300 years after the birth of Christ despite persecution and a small supporter for the state religion. Schmid explained the social conditions of the Roman Empire and the advantages that the Christians benefited from times such as epidemics. While the Romans often left their sick and left it to die, it was the Christians who took care of the weakest, which led to higher survival rates.

In addition, Schmid treated the role of women in antiquity, especially in the church community, which, in contrast to the patriarchal Roman society, took an important position. These aspects contributed to the fact that Christianity grew and finally prevailed.

The celebrations ended with Pastor Thorsten Nolting's request to jointly reflect on the current challenge of loneliness. He invited those present to a small snack in which products from sustainable Freistätter Agriculture were offered, and concluded with the words: "More organic is not possible!". This invitation reflected the connection to the region and the values that are of central importance for setting up.

The celebration of the 125th anniversary of the Diakonie Freistatt not only shows the long history and tradition of assistance, but also the commitment to a sustainable and socially responsible future. Such events are not only a sign of review, but also the view of the further development of Freistatt.