Excited voices of young children filled the Kaiserslautern meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 12 and 13 December as they experienced their own “Christmas Village.” Members of the Kaiserslautern and Heidelberg Church congregations worked closely with a local nonprofit organization called Lichtblick 2000 to put on the event for about 400 underprivileged children. These first- to fourth-grade children attend schools in the Kaiserslautern area.
Kaiserslautern_01.jpg
Latter-day Saint congregations in Kaiserslautern and Heidelberg provided craft stockings for the children to make Christmas gifts for their parents. Photo by Chris Bankston 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.The Church assembly hall was transformed into a Winter Wonderland with a decorated Christmas tree that reached almost to the ceiling and several Christmas “huts” that were set up as activity stations for the children. There were opportunities to make stockings, create bookmarks and ornaments, decorate cookies, and contribute to a community art project. Additional stations were set up in other rooms for singing Christmas carols, watching a short Christmas movie, and listening to Christmas stories read by a local actress.
Kaiserslautern_02.jpg
Barbarossa Bäckerei in Kaiserslautern donated more than 3800 sugar cookies for the children to decorate and enjoy. Photo by Chris Bankston 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.The fun continued outside on the sledding hill that was set up, complete with inner tubes, and a place for snowball fights. A local restaurant, Boll Burger, provided lunch for the children on both days.
Kaiserslautern_03.jpg
One of the highlights of the Christmas Village was tubing down the “sledding hill.” Photo by Chris Bankston 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.The children came from impoverished neighborhoods and may not have otherwise had opportunities to participate in traditional Christmas activities such as these. Lichtblick wanted to create a memorable experience for them, where they could feel the joy and magic of the season.
The chair of the organization, Florence Asmus, approached local members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints several months ago with the idea and said they were in need of a venue. The Heidelberg and Kaiserslautern congregations were happy to help, providing not only a venue, but actively participating in planning meetings and supplying over 50 volunteers to help staff the event.
Kaiserslautern_04.jpg
A group of volunteers from the Kaiserslautern and Heidelberg congregations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Photo by Chris Bankston 2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Tammy Bankston, spokesperson for the Kaiserslautern congregation, said, “This event made a difference for so many – the children, the sponsors, and the volunteers. We truly felt the Spirit of Christmas! This is what this season is all about."
Plans have already begun for repeating the event next year.