Chemnitz Prayer Weekend - Faith & Fellowship

Over the weekend of 24-26th October 2025 I was able to travel with friends from Stoke-on-Trent to participate in the Chemnitz Prayer Weekend. The event was hosted by Erlebt Kirche Chemnitz and our dear friends Markus & Leah Weber, marking a powerful time of cross-cultural partnership focussing on prayer for the city.

The journey began early on Friday morning with a flight from Manchester Airport to Prague, followed by a drive into Germany. Chemnitz presents an architectural landscape of contrasts: an intriguing mix of modern structures, Brutalist designs and Communist-era blocks, interspersed with remnants that speak to its long history. It was a major centre for textiles and machine manufacturing, known historically as the “Manchester of Saxony”, Chemnitz’s heart was nearly destroyed by WWII bombing and consequently much of the central accommodation today consists of flats rebuilt during the Communist era.

Gathering and Vision Casting
Our first evening was spent over a meal at the Weber’s large flat in the east of the city. We met a diverse group of people, including members of the church plant and other guests from across Germany and Europe. This time was invaluable as we began to get to know one another and discussed the plan for the weekend ahead.

Saturday morning saw us gather at the venue of Emmanuel Church, a missionary church focussed on reaching both German and international communities. We spent an hour or so in worship which was a beautiful blend of German and English songs, where familiar tunes and local compositions were blended together. We were encouraged by prophetic words about being a light to the city and bringing God’s presence as we walked the streets for the rest of the day. Some personal prophetic words were also shared and a number of people responded.

A City-Wide Prayer Walk
The central focus of the day was an extensive prayer walk across Chemnitz. We paused at various relevant sites to intercede for a broad spectrum of civic and spiritual needs specific to Chemnitz:

• Education & Youth: Praying for teachers, addressing the concerning rise of extremism among some young people, and asking for positive life prospects for those struggling with addiction and joblessness.
• Social Welfare: Interceding for successful family support programs and crucial assistance for refugees and migrants.
• Political & Societal Values: Seeking wisdom for city politicians, praying for increased Christian involvement in public service, and asking for tolerance, diversity, and a reduced influence of divisive ideologies.
• Economic Life: prayer for startups, asking for God-honouring growth, and praying for wisdom, creativity, and just leadership in the economy.
• Church Mission & Unity: Asking for mutual encouragement, effective evangelism across the city centre, and protection and blessing over church leaders.

A major thrust of all of our prayers was that Chemnitz would be a place where love overcomes hatred and misunderstandings. It was poignant that while we were praying we observed a peace protest by a pro-Russian group, highlighting the complex spiritual and political realities we were praying into.

We concluded the day with a relaxing dinner at a local Greek restaurant, nestled within one of the oldest houses in the city.

Erlebt Kirche
Sunday morning brought us together for the main service at Erlebt Kirche, which meets in a small community centre which is run by a local Christian organisation. The worship was dynamic, with people freely praying out in English and German as well as sharing gifts of the spirit. Dave Keeping from Grace Church Stoke delivered a powerful message on “What happens when we meet together?”, exploring how we, as temples of the Holy Spirit, should expect God’s presence to move amongst us as we gather together. Following this I was privileged to share a number of prophetic words. The day then flowed into a meal together and many responded to the words asking for prayer over the course of the afternoon.

Key Takeaways

• The power of targeted prayer: the act of walking a town / city, going to specific, significant places as a group and praying together for God’s breakthrough was challenging and encouraging.
• Unity in the Spirit: we experienced a tangible sense of unity that transcended language barriers, allowing us to effectively encourage and equip one another
• Expectation of God’s presence: the presence of God is a vital expectation when we gather; He loves to speak and encourage His people through prophetic words and ministry

It was inspiring to witness the growing, committed team which Markus & Leah are gathering around them in Chemnitz. To see how God has blessed them with like-minded individuals dedicated to mission. Please continue to pray for God to establish Erlebt Kirche, for it’s continued growth through salvation and for others to commit to joining their mission to reach the area with the gospel of Jesus.

You can find out more about Erlebt Kirche Chemnitz by visiting: erlebt-kirche.de

Watch / read the update Steve and I gave at Jubilee Church here: https://jubd.uk/ZrZRsU