Klettham - After the general renovation of the Church of the Redeemer in Klettham, the Protestant community center has now also been inaugurated after its renovation.
The church is currently under construction.
Not all of them can be finished with mortar, bricks, and paint.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church has now achieved this for the second time in less than two years.
In December 2019, she celebrated the completion of the extensive general renovation of the Church of the Redeemer.
Pastor Christoph Keller was once again able to welcome regional bishop Christian Kopp from Munich - for the rededication of the also completely renovated community center next to the church, which is known to be a post-war monument of national importance.
The church has invested 600,000 euros here since construction began in March, including its own funds, donations, but also generous grants from the Bavarian regional church, the district and the city.
From now on, the parish hall is to be much more than a church building, even if the Diakonie on Friedrichstrasse is opening its advice center again and the pastor Dorothea Zwölfer, who is expected in November, will have her office here.
The clinker brick building is located in the center of Klettham-Nord, and thus in the middle of the district management initiated by the city with its own office next to the church and from next Saturday with its own weekly market.
And so it was a matter of course for Pastor Keller to announce the opening of the rooms not only for church purposes, but also for other groups - regardless of their orientation and religion.
“I'm happy that you made it,” praised Regional Bishop Kopp in the Sunday service. Now a whole ensemble has been completed. The local people had “worked with love”. He is also pleased with the variety of future uses. Kopp compared life and society to a (patch) carpet, where many things are interwoven. “It is the mission of the Church to take everyone with her and leave no one behind”. This is also what the community center stands for.
Keller reminded of the impetus for the renovation - a non-barrier-free toilet in the basement.
The church council then decided to renovate the entire building.
Now there are several group rooms and, above all, a smaller hall with a built-in kitchen - next to the Diakonie counseling center and the parish office.
And a handicapped accessible toilet.
He thanked the regional church, which was bearing a good half of the construction costs of 600,000 euros.
Architect Jörg Rehm let it be known that coordinating all construction companies was not always easy.
Likewise, many needs had to be brought under one roof.
Rehm compared the project to a beehive and an anthill.
The dean of Freising, Christian Weigl, took up this picture.
He would like the community life in Erding to remain as lively and diverse as in an anthill or beehive.
The church must ask itself what it can still afford.
The investment here was "exactly the right step" - as a new center in the district.
Vice District Administrator Franz Hofstetter said that the district was happy to contribute 25,000 euros.
“Because the churches play an important role when it comes to ensuring that everyone has a place in society”.
Mayor Max Gotz spoke of a “nice day on which something important was finished”.
Church and citizenship would come together here.
“Now the offers are there and people just have to take advantage of them.” Many did that - at the open house on Sunday afternoon.
