Refugee support

The Berlin-Stadmitte district has an active, committed body of volunteers working to support refugees. There continues to be a great need for this work even after the peak in arrivals in 2015–16.

The Refugee Church at St. Simeon

The Refugee Church at St. Simeon is a place for spirituality, advice, education – a place to catch your breath and simply be. Here, refugees come together with volunteers working in refugee assistance. The Refugee Church is open to anyone regardless of where they come from, their age, denomination, legal status, age, gender, or language.
At the Refugee Church, we try to connect refugees with the social infrastructure best suited to their needs. Volunteer workers provide guidance and orientation in the often confusing landscape of arriving in Germany. Our volunteers include people with and without their own stories as refugees, and all receive comprehensive training.
The Refugee Church hosts talks, discussions, information events, and seminars designed to foster a constructively critical attitude toward political issues in the field of refugees, asylum, and human rights. We promote a welcoming culture that recognizes and fosters the diversity of German society. Our goal is to empower refugees to actively contribute their ideas and interests and to develop their own projects. We want to give a voice and an image to people who too often remain unseen and unheard.

Legal advice for refugees

The Heilig Kreuz – Passion congregation supports the work of the Refugee Church at St. Simeon by providing regular drop-in sessions for free legal advice.
The sessions take place at the Refugee Church at St. Simeon, Wassertorstraße 21 a, 10969 Berlin
U1 Prinzenstraße, U 8 / M29 Moritzplatz
Tel. +49 30 691 41 83 Fax +49 30 61107097

Opening hours:

Tuesday
11:30–13:00 with Serbo-Croation interpretation
13:00–15:00 with Arabic interpretation
Thursday
11:30–15:00 with Serbo-Croation interpretation
13:00–15:00 with Arabic interpretation
Friday
11:30–15:00 with Serbo-Croation interpretation

Café meetings

Open sessions in the form of “Begegnungscafés” or “meetup cafés” are weekly opportunities for church members, other interested Berliners, and refugees to come together for a cup of tea or coffee and to use the time and space to chat, get to know one another, play games, knit, cook, or practice German. When Covid-19 restrictions allow, two weekly cafés are held within Berlin-Stadmitte, one in the Tiergarten congregation and one at the Immanuel Church in Prenzlauer Berg.
– Gemeinde Tiergarten
– Immanuelgemeinde

Donate or volunteer

The church district welcomes financial and volunteer support for its refugee work from people living in Berlin and beyond. To donate, visit the donation page here [or click the PayPal button below]. Further information about volunteering is available from Revd [wer ist das?], the district pastor for the refugee ministry.