The short answer is that when I moved to Frankfurt 20 years ago, a friend recommended Christ the King, saying, “it’s a church you might like.” I turned up one Sunday, chatted to some friendly people after the service, and ended up going to the opera with them that evening. The people were nice, so I came again the next week. But the long answer goes much deeper and has a lot to do with finding common ground. I joined a bunch of people who enjoy adding music to our worship. Soon I noticed many other groups where people were finding friends and fellowship. There were so many people actively contributing to parish activities – this was interesting and impressive. (I’d never heard of an altar guild or outreach, and what’s the difference between junior youth and Sunday school?) Here we are, connected by a desire to serve God and other human beings. The other common aspect, for me, is shared values – what is important to us, how do we treat other people? Inclusiveness is a well-worn term but it ties in with respect for others and I hold these ideas very dear. We don’t all have to behave the same way (just like we don’t all have to sing), but where we have a common basis, we can pull together and make a difference. That’s what does it for me.