Advent Festival in Stuttgart

Advent Festival in Stuttgart von Karl-Christian Hausmann We had our Advent Festival at 2 p.m. on the 9th of December 2018 instead of a Sunday Service. The purpose was to give our guests the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the providential time in which we are living, according to a recent statement by True Mother, “The people of today must know True Parents in order to attend God.” The title of the speech was “Christmas then and now”, which chal- lenged the audience to think what Jesus could have done if had lived a whole life on earth instead of only three years of public mission. Fur- thermore, they were asked to imagine what the Messiah would do to- day in order to unite the world.

The whole congregation was encouraged to bring a new guest, as well as, asking their guests to bring guests. Even if they couldn’t bring a guest they were there to support the festival. The blessing toast with our new guests made it very meaningful. As a result, we had over 120 participants and our hall was filled to the last place – 25 of the 65 guests were visiting us for the first time.

Our young adults and youth were active in all the preparation and helped to create a good enter- tainment program. Coffee and cake was served at the intermission and topped all expectations. Additionally, we raised 500€ through our tombola for an organisation that helps children in Yemen threatened by cholera and famine. All our guests were very inspired and felt that they received so much from us. Many asked us to not forget to invite them again for upcoming events. Our conclusion: we know how to do big events. If we work harmoniously together for a good pur- pose, we can create a wonderful atmosphere that can be felt by everyone.