Language Learning, Painter's Tape, and the Good News

In addition to coffee, tea, and cookies for post-church fellowship, the Welcoming Church of Berlin has to stock up on painter’s tape every few weeks.

The tape serves to make nametags for the Welcoming Church’s Language Cafes or SprachCafes. As soon as participants arrive at the door, they receive their first German-language lesson: how to spell their name using the German alphabet.

All 200-plus language learners from various countries and backgrounds start the evening with a nametag, a warm welcome, and directions to a table corresponding with their German-language skill level. When they sit down, the goal for the next two hours is to speak only in German, guided by a native or advanced German speaker at each table.

Since starting up four years ago, the twice-weekly SprachCafes, a brainchild of Resonate missionaries Dr. Mary Buteyn and Rev. David Kromminga, have exploded in popularity. Germany has accepted more than a million refugees in the past 10 years. Language learning is a must for integration, and making inroads into German society is often a prerequisite for learning German.

Since I began serving at the Welcoming Church in August 2023, I’ve heard from SprachCafe participants how isolating it can be to live in a country where they do not speak the local language. One Ukrainian refugee said she would go to the pharmacy several times a week and pretend that she was interested in buying something, just so that the saleswoman would speak with her. A refugee from Syria downloaded dating apps just to talk to strangers. Still others said they had no contact with local Germans outside of SprachCafe or their state-supported integration class.

The Welcoming Church helps these people to break through the local language and culture barriers. Attendees have told Mary, David, and other volunteers that the atmosphere at SprachCafe is inviting, a welcome change from the many dreary and cold government buildings newcomers to a country are required to meet in. At SprachCafe, someone takes the time to spell your name right on a piece of painter’s tape. 

One participant from Iraq said that SprachCafe helped him not only with language learning but also with getting out of the refugee shelter he was staying in, finding a job, and meeting friends in the city.

A person “can talk about anything here, about all kinds of topics,” he said. “At the same time, you get to know people. It’s not just about the language; it’s about the companionship.”

A regular SprachCafe attendee from Russia came to a recent Friday-night gathering with good news to share. He had passed his B1 exams, making him eligible to take part in an apprenticeship program. In his own words, this wouldn’t have happened without SprachCafe.

For others, SprachCafe offers not just a safe place to practice a language but also an opportunity to engage with the gospel and the church. Participants are curious why members of the Welcoming Church opt to spend their Friday evenings going over adjective endings and verb conjugations. They’re invited to find the answer at the church service held every Sunday in simple German. 

And they’ll get another painter’s tape nametag when they arrive.

Juliana Knot is a 2023-24 member of Resonate Global Mission's Cohort Europe, serving with the WillkommensGemeinde (Welcoming Church) in Berlin, Germany.