From May 13 to 16, the 3rd Ecumenical Church Congress (ÖKT) will take place in Frankfurt. Actually, the church congress, organized by the German Protestant Church Congress and the Central Committee of German Catholics, was planned as a large event, which - similar to the two previous ecumenical church congresses in Berlin and Munich - should attract up to 200,000 people to the Main metropolis. Of course, this is not possible due to the current pandemic situation. Nevertheless, the Kirchentag will take place - albeit primarily digitally. Under the motto "Take a look", numerous online events such as church services, discussions, workshops and on-demand offers will be available. In this way, the ÖKT will open up completely new ways of living and celebrating Christian faith.
All you need to participate in the ÖKT is an internet connection and a computer or laptop with speakers. You can also experience the ÖKT programme with your smartphone or tablet. Participation in the digital ÖKT is of course free of charge. The digital programme will be broadcast on oekt.de from 13 to 16 May. On the site you will also find a detailed explanation of the individual functions. Important to know: You do not have to register for the live stream. There are, however, some offerings from the in-depth programme that have a limited number of participants and for which registration is required.
Worship services as a framework, a large festive event and Saturday as the programme focus: The first digital ÖKT will be a very special experience! On 13.05. it will start at 10 a.m. with a televised service. On Friday evening there will be a festive event and on Sunday, 16 May, the ÖKT will end with a closing service. However, these are only three of the many programme highlights that will be offered over the course of the four days. You can find the complete program HERE.
By the way, a real eye-catcher away from the digital program is the installation "One Table", a communication project of the host churches of the 3rd Ecumenical Church Day. The tables will be set up at the Hauptwache until 17 May; the 28-metre-long installation consists of four tables of different sizes, heights and shapes, set up separately from one another. There are a total of 13 chairs at these tables. From a pedestal, visitors can take a perspective from which the table parts merge into one table.
