Sebastian Heck writes:
Dear friends, brothers and sisters,
I briefly want to inform you of some recent developments concerning an item many of you have asked about. I know many of you have prayed – and are still praying – that in God’s providence, we would be able to worship in the Church of the Holy Spirit in Heidelberg once we start with public worship. I still do not have an answer and probably won’t until after I get back home to Germany.
However, I did receive a letter of recommendation from the superintendant of the regional state church for use of this historic church. This letter is now also with the session of the Church of the Holy Spirit. Please pray that these people would be moved to say yes!
Also part of that letter was the desire of the superintendant to see a city wide celebration for the 450th anniversary of our beloved Heidelberg Catechism (1563-2013) in about three years. This is something of an opportunity for us to “get situated” and recognized in the city of Heidelberg as a “Reformed presence.”
Along these lines, I have developed a vision for a project that is much too big for us as a small church plant – namely, the formation of a small exhibit or “Museum of Reformed History” in Germany and in Heidelberg particularly. For this, I am currently trying to obtain permission to also use the same church building. The Church of the Holy Spirit has galleries that are perfectly suited for that very purpose.
We are hoping to obtain some first editions of works surrounding the origin of the Heidelberg Catechism and the Reformed faith in the Palatinate. We are working with a Dutch foundation but we will need sponsors or bequests or endowments for this project. What a great way to invest money in! Like with any other museum, these historic items could be loaned to the museum. We are currently in process of constituting a council or board for the museum.
This whole project would do at least three things: (1) it would conserve and perpetuate the history of the Reformed faith in Germany; (2) it would provide a “point of identification” for Reformed believers in Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, etc. (3) it would pitchfork the work of Reformation2Germany in Heidelberg into the public and this -so we hope- with great effect and a great boost to the Reformed cause in Germany.
Please consider this big project prayerfully, spread the word, and may the Lord provide people with a heart for this and those who are willing and able to invest in such a unique opportunity as this. Please let us know if you would like more information or support this project.
As always, thank you for your prayers! They are much appreciated and well-needed!