66th day - 12th Sept.: Medias - where the cemetery becomes the schoolyard

After breakfast with curator Gerhard, Paul (like the songwriter, but reversed), I mounted my bike. Today's destination was the county town Medias (German: Medias). Medias and the church district are said to have a special structure, as Gottfried Vogel wrote to me in advance. Because I was very well on time, I made a detour on the way to one of the largest fortified churches in Transylvania, in Biertan (German), Birthälm (Romanian). After all, this castle was the bishop's seat of the Transylvanian Saxons for many centuries and is now a World Heritage Site, and so to speak a 'must' on my journey through Romania, even if I had to cycle 17 km more.

The fortified church impresses with its size, power and historical significance, and all this in a scenic location. After all, three concentric walls with numerous towers and buildings surround the church. Created in the Middle Ages to protect against attacks by Turks and Tatars. In an extra room, the work of the bishops is presented. There is a so-called 'lard tower' where, as the name implies, lard was stored, and a 'marriage prison'. Quarrelling spouses were locked up there. They were given only one bed, one chair, one spoon, one knife, etc. They were not 'released' until they had reached an agreement. From a historical point of view, the fortified church is very important for the Transylvanian Saxons. In this respect, it is a special sight to see.

Today, there are still about 90 Saxons or Protestant members living in the village. There are regular church services. The pastor from Medias comes for this. Between 15-20 visitors come to the 'normal' church service. Several more come on public holidays.

After the visit, I continued cycling to Medias. I quickly found the entrance to the castle and received a nice room in the large guest house from the parish office. Before the conversation with Pastor Hildegard Servatius Depner, I briefly wandered through the city center, which is only a 5-minute walk away.

Pastor Hildegard Servatius Depner informed me that there were about 1500 Protestant members living in a total of 46 communities in the church district. Of these, about 600 members live in Medias. A total of 5 pastors are responsible for all church members in the district, and they all live within the Mediasch church castle. Currently, one position is vacant. With this structure, a good division of work is possible, and work can be done according to abilities, talents, and interests. For example, Hildegard Servatius Depner is responsible for work with children. There are numerous groups, such as seniors' and youth groups, Bible study groups, church and children's choirs, women's and family meetings, and several organ concerts in the summer. Everything is just like in Germany, so the community life does not feel like a minority at all because there are offers for almost all age groups. Although there is a certain focus on working with and for children. For example, the pastor campaigned for a children's playground to be built within the church castle.

In total, we talked for 4 hours about the church district, community life, and current challenges, and it was a very interesting conversation. The finances of the church communities and putting them on a 'solid footing' are currently the biggest challenge in the church district.

When we finished our conversation, it was already dark. I got a snack and continued writing my blog in the guest room, thinking for a while about the structure and whether it would work the same way for us as well.