ESG Chemnitz summer festival: Celebrate our 77th anniversary with us!

ESG Chemnitz summer festival: Celebrate our 77th anniversary with us!

On June 13th and 14th, 2025, the Evangelical Student Community (ESG) Chemnitz is hosting a summer festival to celebrate several important events. The occasion is the 77th anniversary of the ESG, the move to the new ESG house at Wartburgstrasse 42 and the 60th old friends meeting. Current students, members of Chemnitz University of Technology, graduates, former members and interested guests are invited. The program for the festival weekend can already be viewed online and promises exciting highlights.

The highlights include a keynote speech by Dr. Uwe-Karsten Plisch and a festive service in the St. Petri Church. A joint visit to the Kosmos Festival will also be on the program. The ESG Chemnitz is thus continuing its tradition that began in 1948, when the first meetings took place in the community hall of the St. Petri parish. The regular meetings provide a platform for thematic evenings, Bible discussions and church services, which form central components of the community.

ESG events and programs

The ESG-Kemnitz is under the leadership of Pastor Dr. Markus Löffler, who has been in office since 2023, has been further developed. Löffler succeeds his predecessors Christoph Herbst, Christoph Weber and Hans-Jochen Vogel, who held high levels of responsibility from 2014 to 2022, 2000 to 2013 and 1974 to 1999, respectively. The ESG encourages participants to get actively involved and make contacts.

In addition to the celebrations in Chemnitz, a new chapter was also opened in Cologne. The ESG there celebrated the inauguration of its new premises, which emphasize the intercultural and interreligious dimension of life and learning for students. During the inauguration, Pastor Christiane Neufang emphasized the inclusivity and ecological focus of the new house. With an increase in the number of rooms from 75 to 103 and the new fifth floor, the dormitory on Bachemer Straße now also offers its own café and event rooms.

The ESG in Cologne was founded by Dr. Thorsten Latzel, President of the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland, was visited, who was impressed by the sand chapel, which is considered a symbol of the residents' origins. The ESG choir, led by Maximilian Stössel, organized the inauguration service in the garden, which took place under the motto "What will it be? Pentecost and the ESG - many peoples - many languages ​​- under one roof". Annette Klinke emphasized the importance of community and promoting social engagement among students.

Support offers for students

For many first-year students at universities and technical colleges, orienting themselves in a new environment is often a challenge. The Evangelical Student Communities (ESGs) offer comprehensive support to make new contacts and take the needs of students into account. Regardless of religious beliefs, all interested parties, including teachers and staff, are welcome to take part in ESG's diverse offerings.

The ESGs function as mobile communities that not only create space for meetings and discussions, but also provide support in crisis situations. This includes counseling and pastoral care sessions, which can be particularly helpful if you have exam anxiety or personal crises. Each semester, new focuses are set, which are often shaped by the students themselves, and the topics range from social skills to time management to intercultural topics.

These diverse activities make the ESGs a valuable interface between the university and the church and thus save the tradition of openness and tolerance that is deeply anchored in the Rhenish church. Both in Chemnitz and Cologne, the Protestant student communities show that they are more than just a place of faith - they are communities that offer students a home.

Further information about ESG Chemnitz is available on the official website ESG Chemnitz website and those interested can contact Pastor Dr. Markus Löffler turn.