Berlin, Germany - UPF-Berlin hosted a Christmas celebration on December 12 that featured wonderful decorations, food, and musical performances to create a happy and joyful atmosphere for Jesus' birthday celebration.

Pastor Lo-Lowengo from an African Christian congregation opend the service with a moving prayer about the meaning of Christmas.

Fritz Piepenburg spoke about the traditions in the five major religions for celebrating the birthdays of their founders - Moses, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus, Mohammed. The title of his talk was "The prophet in his native land and in his time." It helped everyone to broaden their understanding of these faith traditions.

Dr. Hedwig Raskob, a peace activist and Ambassador for Peace, offered a closing prayer lamenting the suffering in the Middle East conflict and that of innocent civilians among the Palestinians in particular. It was a passionate prayer for peace to come in this region where Jesus Christ had been born.

Special recognition was given to Mr. Nam Sool Oh, who came from Korea to Germany in 1977 and has actively supported our work.

The second part of the day was dedicated to traditional Christmas songs accompanied by flutes, guitar, and piano and of course Christmas presents for young and old.

01/11