One of the most significant German theologians of the 20th century, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, briefly preached and worked in the Zionskirche (Church of Zion) congregation. Between autumn of 1931 and spring of 1932 he led a confirmation group and headed church services and baptisms. At the end of 1931, describing his impression of the neighborhood, he wrote to a friend: “This is just about the greatest Berlin neighborhood with the most problematic political and social backgrounds.”
From the mid-1930s onward, Bonhoeffer was active in the opposition-“Confessional Church” (Bekennende Kirche) and consequently executed in the concentration camp Flossenbürg in 1944 after his active role in the resistance was proven.
The Zionskirche (Church of Zion) will be organizing an international Bonhoeffer symposium this coming August. Accompanying the symposium will be an exhibition of ten stained-glass windows designed by pupils of the vocational school “Trade and Technology” (Berufsbildende Schule Gewerbe und Technik), Trier.
Completing the design, individual windows will be captioned with excerpts and statements by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, i.e. “a church is only then a church if it is there for others”.