Sunday in Eisleben

It was just another Sunday for the 82 pilgrims on this tour. We began in worship. We worshipped at the church of Saints Peter and Paul, seen here. This congregation is served by two ELCA pastors, Claudia Bermann and Scott A. Moore (husband and wife). The liturgy, of course, was the same, and many hymns were familiar (Morning Has Broken, Now Thank We All our God, and Abide with Me, among others), although sung in German. We were privileged to witness a baptism of twins, Christian and Oliver, and to welcome them into the family of God. And in the church where Martin Luther was baptized, we shared in the sacrament of Holy Communion, not only in the presence of our German brothers and sisters but also with another group of pilgrims, a group of Taiwanese Lutheran seminarians. It was just another Sunday morning, but it was so much more.


It was here at St. Andrew's that Luther preached his final sermon. In the next photo you see the larger than life statue of Martin Luther in the market square, with the clock tower of St. Andrew's in the background.

In an afternoon session with Pastors Bermann and Moore we discussed the role of women in the German church today. The rolls of most congregations would reflect a 50/50 split between the sexes, Pastor Bermann said, but most of the volunteers are women. At Sts. Peter and Paul, she said, between 80-90% of the volunteers are women. This congregation has several groups of women who come together for Bible study and fellowship. The event that draws the greatest participation of women from the congregation is the observance of World Day of Prayer, something they've been doing for 30 or 40 years.

Interestingly enough, the biggest issue for which Bermann and Moore provide pastoral care is a woman's issue. Women were the first to lose their jobs after reunification. Most women had defined themselves by their work, and now self-esteem issues surface since they have no jobs. They ask, what is my purpose in life?


Eisleben is both the place of Luther's birth in 1483 and also the place of his death in 1546. Long known for its mining industry (Luther's father was a miner here), Eisleben today remains a beautiful town but suffers from significant unemployment. Official and unofficial unemployment numbers vary; we heard upwards of 25% unemployment. The guide on our walking tour half jokingly asked us to encourage U.S. companies to invest in Eisleben's future by bringing jobs to this small town.

Our sabbath day ended quietly back at the Kloister Helfta. You'll read more about the cloister in another post.