St. Thomas Church in Leipzig (Germany) Finds Private Sponsor for German-American Reformation Project
2017 Reformation Jubilee: Dr. Jochen Friedrich Kirchhoff, 89, one of Germany's outstanding family business owners from Iserlohn, supports the joint project of the City of Leipzig and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
Dr. Jochen Friedrich Kirchhoff, 89, one of Germany's outstanding family business owners from Iserlohn, supports the joint project of the City of Leipzig and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), which is being led by reformation ambassador Dr. Robert Moore who will, over the next three years, give visitors from the U.S. an understanding of the Reformation as well as the work of Luther and Bach on the original sites in Leipzig and Wittenberg. The project, called "The 2017 Reformation Jubilee – Faith, Education, Music as a Source of Reformed Life in a Globalized World," was launched by the City of Leipzig, the parish of St. Thomas, the Chorherren zu St. Thomae Foundation, and the Leipzig Bach Archive.
Dr. Kirchhoff, whose family also has roots in Leipzig and who currently serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board and the Board of Shareholders of Kirchhoff Group, a manufacturer of automotive components and tools, says, "Historically speaking, it was time for Protestantism to achieve a breakthrough in the person of Martin Luther. An evangelical Christian myself, I am excited by this notion to this day, and it was clear to me; I want to shape the 2017 Reformation Jubilee in one way or another and try to make a contribution."
"We greatly appreciate the generous support from Dr. Kirchhoff," commented Reverend Dr. Moore. He continued, "It is our goal to create synergies between private individuals, the church and politics. Dr. Kirchhoff's donation certainly represents an outstanding example for this. In addition to the historical events of the Reformation, the Reformation triad of believing, singing and learning is very important to us." Reverend Dr. Moore also explained that his work over the next few years not only includes a major education project but also "honoring the impetus and impact which are not only part of German society but also have left footprints in different parts of the world where Martin Luther's Reformation has been a major influence."
Reverend Dr. Moore would like for Wittenberg and Leipzig to be perceived as an extension of each other. "Although Wittenberg is the smaller of the two, it also, in terms of the Reformation, the better known of the two cities, it requires additional infrastructure to host the tens of thousands of visitors who will arrive in the next few years. From my own experience in Northern America I know that, beyond Bach, people do not necessarily know Leipzig. For Leipzig, this represents a whole new opportunity to introduce itself to Americans and other English-speaking members of the church from all over the world. They all want to visit the Reformation sites and take something home for themselves personally as pilgrims," comments reformation ambassador Reverend Dr. Moore.
Dr. Kirchhoff's generous support of the project was met with great joy by Britta Taddiken, Pastor of St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, Christian Wolff, retired Pastor of St. Thomas, as well as Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart, Dean of HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management, and U.S. Consul General Scott Riedmann. The latter as representative of the United States has been a supporter of the Reformation project as well as the Houston-Leipzig paring since he assumed this post two years ago. Riedmann states, "Particularly the Reformation and the anniversary next year show the close connections between the USA and Germany. Crucial factors are not only the Christian faith or the association with the Lutheran Church but also the history of the immigration from Germany into the USA, which explains the great interest of my fellow countrymen in the 2017 Reformation Jubilee."
HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management supports the initiative in a non-material manner, seeing it as an opportunity to further expand and deepen its partnerships with other university, scholars, and students from the U.S. which were established since the school's re-founding in the 1990s. Prof. Dr. Pinkwart comments, "This showcase project now being sponsored by a real showcase entrepreneur is a strong signal for Reverend Dr. Robert Moore, who will be in Leipzig together with his wife Kathy for the next three years and guide groups from North America to the most important sites of the Lutheran Reformation as well as Johann Sebastian Bach's places of activity in and around Leipzig."
About HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management
HHL is a university-level institution and ranks amongst the leading international business schools. The goal of the oldest business school in German-speaking Europe is to educate effective, responsible and entrepreneurially minded leaders. HHL stands out for its excellent teaching, its clear research focus, its effective knowledge transfer into practice as well as its outstanding student services. The courses of study include full and part-time Master in Management as well as MBA programs, a Doctoral program and Executive Education. HHL is accredited by AACSB International. www.hhl.de
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http://www.thomaskirche.org
http://www.hhl.de
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