Summer 2004

United in Foggy Bottom

Pastorin Rita Horstmann Continues a Tradition of Exchange at United Church

By Jane Lingo

“You get the impression that Washington is a park, not a city. It’s like a wood, a forest,” said Pastorin Rita Horstmann of Washington, DC. Coming from Cologne, Germany, in September, Horstmann has just completed a term as a visiting pastor at the United Church at 20th and G streets.

“It was a very nice year to live here in the midst of everything,” Horstmann observed. “In the first days, I saw Secretary of State Colin Powell in Foggy Bottom,” she recalled. Among other memorable moments from Horstmann’s visit was the Christmas Revels’ performance at Lisner Auditorium, several area art openings and the “close-range view” of the demonstrations that marked the International Monetary Fund meetings this past April.

Initially the United Church was a German church, the Concordia Church, and in honor of its origins the church continues to offer services in German. Following this tradition, a German pastor is engaged by the church. Pastorin Horstmann is one of a long line of pastors who have come here. During her stay, she has occupied the parish house, a traditional high-ceilinged residence, built in 1885.

In addition to appreciating and enjoying the city, Horstmann contributed to the spiritual life of the community. The first and third Sundays of each month, she conducted a service in German, and also took part in the English service on the first Sundays with Senior Pastor Don Smith. In addition, she led a popular series of study groups on topics such as “Women of the Bible.”

Along with her services and Bible study, Horstmann was active in the choir and volunteered with the church’s food pantry, which provides food for those in need. Occasional travels took her to visit a church program committee in Pennsylvania as well as to churches in North Carolina.

Beginning her eight-year theological preparation at Wuppertal in Germany’s Wuppa River Valley, Horstmann progressed through her studies at Tuebingen, Heidelberg, Utrecht and Bonn, completing a series of written and oral examinations as well as a two-year practicum as a vicar in a church.

Speaking of the United Church’s large and well-known annual two-day fall sale in October, Horstmann said, “This is a very special place. The location asks for it. There are so many people who are working here nearby. It is a very good fund-raising method.” The sale, annually held in the lower level of the church, offers a great variety of choices, including an extensive book section, plants and flowers, clothing, jewelry, white elephants, household furnishings, baked goods and a very popular German meal. She observed, “In Germany, the idea to do some fund-raising is growing.”

Horstmann remarked on the warmth of Washingtonians and the rich and varied community activities in the city. “A colleague of mine who was here 10 years ago introduced me to some people,” she stated. Dumbarton Oaks, the Kennedy Center, the Washington National Opera, the Alvin Ailey Dance Company and the National Gallery of Art with its Sunday evening concerts enhanced her enjoyment of the nation’s capital. She also had contact with the German Language Society and the Goethe Institute.

“I noticed how friendly people are here,” she said. “They speak to each other on the street. This would never happen in a big city in Germany, but we do speak in the villages.”

Her brother, two sisters and friends visited while she has been here. “DC is very nice to walk, just to look around,” she remarked. “My visitors and I went to the Capitol and everywhere walking. I am very impressed with the architecture and the trees and flowers.”

A friend of 50 years came to travel up and down the East Coast and to the Appalachians with her before their returning to Germany together. She was taking back some clothing for the grandchildren of one of her sisters and some theological and political writings. “This time here is very interesting to follow,” she commented.

Summer plans may include a bike tour with her sisters. At summer’s end, Horstmann will enjoy a school reunion in the Republic of Ireland with perhaps 12 former students and a teacher.

“I am going back to my retirement. I will be free, but I will have some involvement with network groups and peace and environmental issues,” she said.
The church is now looking forward to welcoming Pastorin Haike Miller, who will come from Germany, for a three-year term.

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