Reichenberg Fellowship

The Reichenberg Fellowship is a German non-denominational ecumenical community. In German it is called the Offensive Junger Christen (OJC) e.V.. It belongs to the EKD and is situated in Reichelsheim in the Odenwald.

History

The community was founded by Irmela and Horst-Klaus Hofmann as a contrast movement to the Protests of 1968.[1][2] Horst-Klaus Hofmann was executive secretary of the YMCA-Mannheim and held Christian youth meetings in the offices of the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary in Darmstadt. They invited students to share their family life in their home in Bensheim, Odenwald. The family grew to an extended family[3] and subsequently to a Christian community. They moved to Bensheim, Odenwald and bought the Reichenberg castle.

Since 1999 the community defines itself as ecumenical.

Organization

The community is led by Prior Dominik Klenk[4] and consists of about 100 full members.[5]

The Reichenberg Fellowship is member of the EKD charity organization Diakonie and of the German Association of Youth Missionary Movements. The “Reichelsheim European Youth Center” is Chapter of YMCA.[6]

The German Institute for Youth and Society, (Deutsches Institut für Jugend und Gesellschaft (DIJG)) is the OJC's center for study and research.[7] Director is Christl Ruth Vonholdt. Arthur A. Goldberg is one of its advisory council members.

The Reichenberg Fellowship operates mainly on donations.

Basic activities

The Fellowship exists of

Entrance of Reichenberg Castle with St. Michael's Chapel on the right

International Activities

The supporting non-profit association today has outreach ministries in Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brasilia, Burkina Faso, Congo, Fidschi and Honduras in development cooperation as NGO.[8]

Since 1993, the Reichenberg Fellowship has led international building camps in Germany, Macedonia, Croatia and Russia. The young people between the ages of 16 and 26 have had the opportunity to work with others of different nationality, confession and language.

German Institute for Youth and Society

The German Institute for Youth and Society (Deutsches Institut für Jugend und Gesellschaft) is led by Christl Ruth Vonholdt and is the apologetic branch of the Reichenberg Fellowship. It publishes its own research and translates English publications into German.

The institute cooperates with the following organisations:

Publishing activities

The OJC publishes the journals Salzkorn. Anstiftung zum gemeinsamen Christenleben ("Grain of Salt", for friends and supporters, 6 times a year), Brennpunkt Seelsorge. Beiträge zur biblischen Lebensberatung ("Focus: Counselling" 4-6x times a year).

Members of the community including Irmela Hofmann, Horst-Klaus Hofmann and Christl Ruth Vonholdt have also published several books themselves.

Sources

  1. Der Fels. Katholisches Wort in die Zeit 39. Jahr, May 2008, p. 156
  2. Angela Ludwig befragt Horst-Klaus Hofmann, 2008: Rot leuchteten die Sterne Die andere 68er Revolution lebt. Salzkorn. 2008/2 archivated from original September 13., 2010.
  3. See: Hofmann, Irmela [Hrsg.]: Ausbruch - Abenteuer einer Großfamilie / Irmela Hofmann (Hrsg.), Gießen ; Basel : Brunnen-Verl., ISBN 3-7655-6329-3, 1998 with contributions to the 30 years anniversary of the Reichenberg Fellowship.
  4. http://www.ojc.de/impressum.html
  5. See photos and names in Salzkorn 6/2008 pp. 216 ff. and 224 ff.
  6. Reichenberg Fellowship: Aktuelles.
  7. http://www.ojc.de/dijg.de/index.php?art_id=6&categ=14&expand=14&file=view_article.tp
  8. Paritätischem Wohlfahrtsverband

External links

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