Faith+Values: Bishop helps to mark the fall of Berlin Wall

Bishop Craig Johnson of the Minneapolis Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America was back on the job this week with a dandy "what I did on my vacation" story.

He was invited to Leipzig, Germany, to deliver a sermon commemorating the 20th anniversary of the "peaceful revolution" that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall. He preached in St. Nicolai Evangelical Lutheran Church, where in 1982 a small group of people launched a prayer mission aimed at ending the division of the country.

"For seven years, pastors and people prayed and talked and sang, and then a vast wave of humanity looking toward freedom emerged," he said in his sermon. On that fateful night in 1989, "The people spilled into the street. Guns and violence and sharpshooters held their fire as the candles were lifted up and hymns were sung."

Johnson said that delivering the sermon in the ornate sanctuary "was a humbling experience. Bach and Mendelssohn conducted music there."

The sermon was the last event on a trip that involved 18 people from Minneapolis, including Paul Pribbenow, president of Augsburg College, and Mark Peterson, president and CEO of Lutheran Social Services. It was an outgrowth of a sister relationship formed in 2002 between the Minneapolis Area Synod and the Leipzig District of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony.

Between the two organizations, "we've had 20 exchange trips," Johnson said. "This time, each person met with their counterpart in Germany: education with education, social services with social services and so on."

Johnson delivered his sermon in English and paused after every paragraph so it could be translated by the Rev. Paul Rogers, who also made the trip from Minneapolis. The interludes gave him a chance to appreciate his surroundings.

"It was absolutely breathtaking," Johnson said of the sanctuary. "It's gorgeous."

Wheeler dealers The Roadkill Cycling Club of Minneapolis has come up with a great slogan for a great program: "Good wheel to all" is their way of promoting their effort to provide needy youngsters with bicycles.

It started a year ago when club members were talking about the old bikes gathering dust in their garages. They figured that if they had unused bikes, other people did, too. They sent out the word to relatives, friends and fellow bikers that they were looking for bicycles that could be donated to young riders who would give them a good home.

Since then, they've cleaned, oiled, tuned up and, if necessary, repaired 200 bicycles that have been given away. The next giveaway is from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday at Otten Brothers Nursery, 2350 Wayzata Blvd., Long Lake.

Don't need a bike but want to help those who do? You can donate bikes, helmets or money to be used to buy parts for repairs. The club also is looking for volunteers with mechanical know-how to help fix up donated bikes. Check out www.freebikes4kidz.com.

A break from the holidays While the greeting card image of the Christmas season is of carefree carolers, shoppers rushing home with armfuls of gifts and joy abounding for all, the truth is that this can be a very difficult time for some people.

To help these folks cope, two Presbyterian churches in the Twin Cities are holding "blue Christmas" services. Described as healing services, they promise to replace the bustle of the season with "a time apart, a time of acknowledgment and calm."

Lake Nokomis Presbyterian, 1620 E. 46th St., Minneapolis, is holding a service at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, with First Presbyterian, 535 20th Av. N., South St. Paul, offering its service at 4:30 p.m. next Sunday.

Jeff Strickler • 612-673-7392