Patchwork Centre Church Planting

The 'Dreesch' is a typical GDR-housing estate in the southern part of Schwerin with about 24,000 inhabitants. Decades of unemployment and poverty have created many social problems and left people without hope. It is also a very atheistic part of Germany. In cooperation with the FEG Church (Freie evangelische Gemeinde), a team of missionaries has started a missional community in this neighbourhood.

Activities in the district

What is most important is the daily life in the neighbourhood – as neighbours. Together with friends and neighbours, the team organises open air events, celebrations, children programms, etc. The focus is on all the people in this neighbourhood, especially the poor. The emphasis is on 'together': not for the people, but with them, sharing tasks, responsibilities and leadership.

The Patchwork Centre

In 2016, the team started renovating a disused post office building, along with local residents and friends. The renovation work was completed in spring 2018: the 'Patchwork Centre' opened its doors. The building is used as a community centre, with a wide range of activities and purposes. This includes a café, workshop space, music and function rooms as well as a second hand shop. Everything is managed together with the local people.

The purpose of the Patchwork Centre is to offer a place where everyone is welcome, where anyone can participate in a practical way and where everyone can encounter Jesus at their own pace, in short: fellowship, work and discipleship. Fellowship offers an alternative to social isolation and conflicts, work to unemployement and resignation, and discipleship to atheism and materialism. Within this dynamic, almost the daily life of the Patchwork Centre, the new church emerges.

Whilst the Patchwork Centre is now up and running, the team is still looking for:

• People who want to pray for this project and the local district
• Churches where ECM could promote to this project
• People who want to support the work financially, through one-off or regular giving (click on 'Donate to this Project')

Interested? Email: christiaan.kooiman@ecmi.org or leitung@patchworkcenter.de

We hope you will become part of this great project, bringing light into a very atheistic part of the world!