Let your light shine.

Amidst the imposing concrete tower blocks an abandoned youth centre hides away. Spray painted across the windows an angry question has been left by the forgotten youth “Now where do we go?”. This is a poignant reminder from an abandoned generation; their youth club was shut down years ago and the young people of this estate left to find their own entertainment.
 

Amongst the young people on the hill top estate of Datzeberg, the hill top estate, which in turn feels abandoned by the city of Neubrandenburg in the far north east of Germany, a region where unemployment is high and far right politics gain a worrying level of support. This is where we meet the 24-7 community Polylux.
 

Polylux, means 'much light', and they know it’s here, to the youth and community of Datzeberg, that they are called to shine that light.  Ralf Neumann from Polylux writes: “We've been here for 3 years, 9 of us living in one house practising rhythms of prayer, hospitality and mission. We are here to be light to our neighbours especially to those who live in a district called Datzeberg.”
 

“Datzeberg is an area of the city which has grown to become very important to us. The district looks very typically Eastern European with plain concrete blocks dominating the skyline. In other words, it's not one of the most beautiful places. It's also one of the poorest and toughest parts of town to live in.
 

With around 4,500 people living there, it's not that big either. When we first came here, all we did was to begin praying in the area and for its people. After a while, we started playing football with a bunch of local young people. We also got the chance to start a few workshops at the local Datzeberg Primary School.
 

Increasingly there have been more projects that we've been able to join in with, at the same time many relationships and friendships are being built. People inviting us to their birthday parties, friends from the Datzeberg coming over to our place, kids that say “Hi” to us on the streets... we really enjoy that and see God's hand in it. On top of that, we started our first official project for kids called “Abenteuerland” (meaning “adventure land”): Once a week, we play games, sing songs, eat cake, tell stories from the bible and try and take time to listen to the concerns of the kids.
 

As well as the various social and biographical disadvantages of the people living up on Datzeberg hill, we are moved by the fact that there is no expression of church in that place. They never get the chance to get to know the God who has become so important to us and who changed our lives in such a wonderful way. They never get the chance to hear His story. To experience His reality. To decide whether or not they want to try living with Him. We dream about what church might look like in the Datzeberg area.

For the last 2 years we’ve partnered with a Baptist church to put on Christmas services in Datzeberg. We had around 200 people joining us on Christmas Eve, singing songs, watching a play and hearing a little about why we celebrate Christmas. We also did a little Easter brunch for our Datzeberg friends last year, explaining the Easter story to them. Every Thursday now we open our living room to friends from Neubrandenburg (and all over the place) to have a meal and hang out with God and us.

Life in the northeast of Germany doesn’t feel spectacular most of the time but God is certainly leading us forward!  We're exited to have just rented out a little room in Datzeberg, which will become a prayer room as well as sort of a “living room” to help us be more present up there. We have quite a few ideas and visions (e.g. a small but cute Cafè), but we also need to learn to be patient and to move on in a healthy pace. We need to stop and listen to God ask Him what's “on” more and more, because we're only a small community with limited resources. It's a comforting thought that it's not up to us to start bigger and better projects, but that God can do what he wants, even in small things. So we agree with Mother Teresa: "It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving."