Dozens of people - Germans, Syrians, Iraqis, Afghans and emigres from across Europe - meet here each Wednesday for Meet 'n Eat, a project that brings them together to cook and eat with the aim of fostering a sense of community between newly arrived asylum seekers and other residents of the neighbourhood. [...]
Jens Hanke, a 34-year-old member of the church's council, says that contributing a space to Meet 'n Eat and other projects, such as the establishment of an interfaith preschool, are part of the Christian community's efforts to prevent the rise of the anti-refugee sentiment that has taken root in some parts of German society. [...]
"The middle of society doesn't have answers to all the questions, so it's important that the church creates platforms for a dialogue toward a better understanding between citizens, immigrants and refugees," he explains.
"We especially invite people who have no relation to refugees and who have questions [to participate in such dialogue]," he continues, adding that Meet 'n Eat has been so successful that its weekly participation of around 60 to 80 people is "more people than the church has on some Sundays". [...]
Gesticulating, and pointing the occasional accusatory finger, she decries far-right groups like Alternative for Germany (AfD), an anti-refugee political party expected to enter the German Bundestag later this year.
For Radosh-Hinder, the AfD, which claims to fight for "traditional" Christian values, doesn't believe "that people are equal, [and is] denying the truest values of our faith and Biblical scriptures".
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