HISTORY

The original inhabitants of Germany were Celts, and were gradually taken over by the Germanic tribes from the north. Six large settlements were formed around the time the Roman Empire solidified its presence. The Germanic tribes and the Romans clashed with each other for a period of time. In 58 BC, Julius Caesar settled a peace agreement. The Romans occupied the southern part of the region, and started Romanising the conquered
population. In the 4^th century, the Hun horsemen galloped through Europe, the Western Empire collapsed and the Romans began seeking the protection from the Germanic tribes. In 962, Charlemagne rose as king of the Holy Roman Empire, also called the "First Reich" as the successor of the defunct Roman Empire. In the following centuries, the chaos and dynastic rivalry in the German Reich continued, however, the expansion of new settlements grew ever strong. At one point they extended from the Oder River all the way to Estonia.

The outbreak of the plague in 1348 had profound impact in Renaissance society, in religion, medical, science and economy facets. The Black Death originated in Asia, the Turkish army catapulted the plague-infested corpses into the besieged castles in the Crimea war, and it quickly spread from the Mediterranean ports to the whole Europe. The dreadful disease struck town after town and city after city, men and women, young and old. People had little knowledge that the plague was transmitted through fleas and rodents and did little to prevent it from spreading. The epidemic devastated Europe. In two years, 25 million people, about one third to one half of the European population died in Black Death. The government and commerce virtually came to a halt.

At the time, as the kind hearted and sincere priests taught Latin and the Bible to the town people and villagers and tended to the sick, most were infested themselves by the plague and perished. The self-centered and corrupted priests hid themselves in the monasteries and countryside; they were the survivors and were the ones taking over the positions afterward. It was the beginning of the downward spiral of the Church. In the following years, the Popes alienated the common folks, squandered the Church’s wealth, and sold "indulgences" so the rich could buy freedom from their past and future sins, and even reduce time in purgatory. It enraged the educated, eventually to a boiling point. Martin Luther, a theology professor at Wittenberg University, was shocked by the corruption of the clergy on a trip to Rome in 1510. On 31 October 1517, he displayed his 95 Theses for all to see, questioned the selling of the indulgences. The Pope threatened Luther with excommunication; Luther burnt the letter and started translating the New Testament into German. In 1525, he married a former nun, Katherina von Bora and replaced the Latin mass with Protestant services mainly with German hymns he wrote. It was the beginning of the Protestant Church.

The "Iron Chancellor" Otto Von Bismarck created a unified Germany in 1871; it was the Hohenzollern dynasty- the Second Reich. Germany declared war on Russia after Russia rejected the German Ultimatum on demobilize, followed two days later it declared war on France. The horror of World War I changed the psychological landscape of Europe forever. In 1918, hunger produced widespread pessimism in Germany, when America joined the war and counter-attacked, the western front collapsed and Germany was ready to negotiate a cease-fire. The signing of the Armistice humiliated Germany; the reparation also increasingly dissatisfied the people, the country turned into a breeding ground for seeking a strong leader. In 1920, his bad watercolor paintings were twice rejected by the Vienna Institute of Art, and Adolf Hitler switched his focus to politics. Within 10 years, a superior war machine that history had never seen, stood up in Europe, called the "Third Reich".

Declared unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945, Germany lay in ruins. The allied zones in west German states established the Federal Republic of Germany in 1948. The Soviet Union’s occupied zone started the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in 1949. A wall was built in 1961 to separate East and West Berlin. On 9 November 1989, thousands of young Berliners clambered the wall and flooded to the West. 28 years of the Berlin Wall finally crumpled, few of those who crossed the border and saw the western world for the first time could hide their emotions. The collapse of the wall stunned the world, and it started a new era for Eastern Europe. The celebrated reunification on October 3, 1990, has not removed the barrier between the two Germanys. After 40 years’ of separation, it will take more time before healing can take place. The East remains high in unemployment and low in wages, many businesses have closed down due to the new competition. It was estimated that a generation time would be needed to melt the bitterness and mend the shattered hopes created by the philosophical and political aftermath.

On 1 January 2002, Euro banknotes and coins were introduced and circulated in the European Union Countries; it will make everything easier for travelers to avoid tedious currency exchanges and calculations.

CULTURE

The German speaking countries include Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and tiny Liechtenstein, but each of the regions preferred to keep their own separate identity and culture due to historical differences traced back through the centuries. The German language has been diversiformed in various regions. The Bavarians from Munich could not understand of what the Prussians in Hamburg were saying in their dialect. The Martin Luther’s translation of the German Bible (New Testament, 1522, Old Testament, 1534) had helped unified German orthography and grammar, and eventually the written German (Schriftsprache). Nowadays, all educated speakers use Hochdeutsh (high German) as standard German.

Germany has 12 beautiful national parks, its landscape decorated with old castles in the countryside, from there many fairy tales of our childhood were originated. The arts and architecture reflect the styles and techniques that were used through the generations; The scope of German art is such that it could be the focus of an entire visit. Germany also contributed significantly in the classical music, the places that Bach and Beethoven used to live and perform were carefully preserved for the coming generations to admire.

Music and theater festivals are famous traditions in this country. The Salzburg’s annual dramatic "Jedermann" performance has world-class reputation, and the popular Salzburger Festspiele each summer has attracted visitors from far away lands. Starting from the beginning of the summer, there are hundreds of festivals all across the German Europe, till the days when the maple leaves turn colors.

OUR MISSION

Europe is fast sinking into secularization, and becoming a major mission filed that few have paid attention to. Many of the countries have a smaller per capita Christian population than the rest of the world. Although the majority of Germans consider themselves Christians, few truly believe the Bible or have a personal relationship with Christ. The Christian population is about 3.5% in the West and at 0.003% in the East.

It is certainly the time to fulfill the responsibility of our generation to bring the salvation back to the land where the Protestant church started. Please pray for God’s leading and be His fierce warrior, join us to the Deutschland in the summer of 2003, to share the love of Christ and to bring peace, truth and purpose to the region.

Full country name: Federal Republic of Germany
Area: 357,000 sq km
Population: 82 million
Capital city: Berlin (pop: 3.4 million)
People: Predominantly white European, with significant Turkish minority. Germany has absorbed most of the refugees from the former Yugoslavia.
Language: German
Religion: 3% Christian. There are a couple of million Muslims and about 82,000 Jews (the pre-Holocaust figure was over half a million).
Government: Federal republic
Chancellor: Gerhard Schröder

GDP: US$1.81 trillion
GDP per head: US$22,100
Annual growth: 2.7%
Inflation: 1%
Major industries: motor vehicles, engineering, chemicals
Major trading partners: EU (esp. France, Netherlands, Italy, UK), USA

• Basic German language will be taught by our German teacher, the course will be included in the total 20 hours of mission training.
• You may have a tour of Austria, Switzerland or other European countries after the project, and reschedule your airline ticket with the carrier from Berlin/Munich to Los Angeles/Seattle/New York; the International Travel Insurance will cover three more weeks of your traveling time. Our sponsoring churches and affiliated missionaries would be happy to assist you for information or any special needs.

Source: Lonely Planet & The German Way

Would you spend one year to serve our Lord in Germany?

International Teacher Placement Service(ITPS) is an uniquely organized, worldwide network ministry; you can be a part of this community and join our strategic planning and visions to bring people to the Kingdom of God. It will not only be an exciting and rewarding experience, its fruits last for eternity.

We are seeking tent-making staff with a love for God and a sincere desire to serve Him to be assigned to Germany, with a minimum of one year commitment. If you have an available heart, please pray for God’s will for you to take this opportunity, and because of your effort, hundreds of lives will be changed.

Please visit our website at www.ITPSusa.org for more information.