Christian Days of Encounter 2024
Meeting in Frankfurt(Oder) and Słubice.
From June 7 to 9, 2024, the Christian Days of Encounter, an international church event, took place in Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice. This event is a continuation of meetings that began in 1991 in Görlitz, followed by gatherings in Prague (2005), Bratislava (2008), Dresden (2011), Wrocław (2014), and Budapest (2016). The planned 2020 meeting in Graz was canceled due to the pandemic.
This year’s Christian Days of Encounter was held under the theme: “Nothing Can Separate Us.” The event was open to everyone, regardless of denomination or worldview. The program included activities for families and youth, covering biblical and socio-political topics. There were joint prayers, worship services, concerts, and workshops.
The opening worship service for the Central and Eastern European Christian Encounter was broadcast from the main square in Frankfurt. Sermons were delivered by Bishop Christian Stäblein of the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia and Bishop Jerzy Samiec of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland.
Due to the event’s location and organizers, which included both the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia and the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland, some program points focused on Polish-German relations and cooperation between the two countries. Many program elements were translated into Polish, Slovak, Czech, German, and Hungarian.
Numerous parish groups from all over Poland participated in the meeting. Diakonia Polska and the Church had information booths at the Market Squere. The Wrocław Diocese and the Office of the Church Bishop from Warsaw were co-organizers of the meeting.