Randy and Katy Smelser

Americans living in Germany but citizens of heaven

Why we are still here

Last Sunday we had a visitor. Let me tell you a bit about the situation. She has come to English services and is in my English class. But she appeared unexpectedly. She normally goes to a Lutheran church but the Pastor died and they have found no new Pastor. Her village has about 900 people and the church is together with 4 other villages (populations 100, 900, 1300, 500). So one Pastor has 5 churches to deal with. There is no other church in the village and the next one has a Pastor who does not believe in the death and resurrection of Christ.

As she was telling me this she asked what is the worth of preaching if you do not believe those basics? Her granddaughter is signed up for conformation with that Pastor and she is a bit skeptical what she will learn.

She told her husband she wanted to go to church and so she decided to come to us. He said, “But that is 10 miles away! A long way just to go to church!” She came anyway. She asked how many usually attend (she has only ever been to a special service) and I answered about 25. She was surprised and replied, “Wow that is a lot, at our church we are usually about 6 or 7 on a normal Sunday. She was thankful that she could attend and was blessed by the service.

Do you know of any town in the USA with 900 people with only one church and that one does not open its doors? That is why we are here.
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There are a lot of big beautiful but empty church buildings in Germany