A Protestant congregation in Austria is set to hold its third worship service built around German pop music on Aug. 23, with national television and radio broadcasting the event live for the first time, according to German Christian news site Jesus.de.
The Christuskirche in the Graz-Eggenberg district will open its doors at 10 a.m. for the service, titled "Here is a Person." Austrian public broadcaster ORF III and ORF Radio will carry the event live.
The service centers on the Gospel of John's account of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery. Pastor Friedrich Eckhardt has structured the program around Schlager songs — a genre of melodic, often nostalgic German-language pop music — drawn from the 1960s through 1980s. Titles include "You Lied to Me a Thousand Times," "You Are Not Alone," and "The Sun Rises Again and Again."
"The Bible and Schlager meet exactly where life is most real," Eckhardt said, as reported by Jesus.de. Schlager singer Helmut Hussler will lead the music.
The congregation has presented the series as an attempt to draw people who would not normally attend church. "We want an open door for everyone, including those who have not felt addressed by traditional worship services until now," Eckhardt said.
The television broadcast marks a significant step up in reach for the format, which the church has held twice before without live TV coverage. Eckhardt told Jesus.de that when familiar music draws people toward faith, "that is already a piece of the Kingdom of God in the middle of everyday life."
