French Reformed Parish

History: In October 1685, the absolutist ruling Catholic "Sun King" Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes, which had guaranteed Protestant Christians in France freedom of conscience and civil equality. The "Huguenots", probably a corruption of Confederates, were originally the derisive name given to the French Protestant Christians influenced by the Genevan reformer John Calvin. Such Calvinist Huguenots who had fled from France and Waldensians from Savoy-Piémont settled in Offenbach as religious refugees under Johann Philipp Count of Ysenburg-Büdingen from 1698. On July 9, 1699, the French Reformed congregation of Offenbach am Main was founded with a French-language service in the castle church. At the beginning of the 18th century, further religious refugees came to Offenbach and created an "economic miracle" by setting up manufactories and printing works. They were given plots of land on the Großer Biergrund and were granted rights and privileges by Count Johann Philipp, which enabled them to establish a politically self-governing new parish as a counterpart to the previous Offenbach German Reformed (old) parish.

As early as 1717/18, the French Reformed Church was built in Herrnstraße, which has been preserved to this day. The sacred building is integrated into the rows of houses in the typical Huguenot barn form and is now the oldest church in the city center. Through the will of Offenbach's Anna Maria Romagnac, the parish received the rectory on the opposite side of Herrnstrasse, which still serves as a parish and community hall today. From 1826, German was spoken and written in the French Reformed church and school by order of the authorities in Darmstadt. In 1838, the church was given a romantic Walcker organ with 13 different sound registers, which was added in 1905 and is still used today as a church service and concert instrument and is a World Heritage Site.

During a renovation in 1874/75, the church was given its current neo-baroque gable and tower clock instead of slates (picture below). Rather untypically for a reformed church, it was given an oil painting of "Christ in Emmaus", brightly painted windows and stucco decorations in the 19th century, but these were removed again during renovations in the 20th century. Anyone entering the church today will once again find a typically reformed church. The design corresponds to the second of the ten commandments in the Bible, which forbids the worship of images in church services. The room is bright and clear, no decorations, no pictures, no candles, no crucifix. Everything is focused on the word of God: This can be seen as soon as you walk in, as the historic pulpit stands centrally behind the communion table with the open Bible, the first French translation by Pierre Robert Olivétan, a cousin of Calvin, from 1535. From every seat in the small church, even from the choir and organ gallery, the pulpit and therefore the Word of God is the focal point. The wood-carved coat of arms hangs in the porch (photo above).

It shows the ship of Jesus' disciples struggling with the waves and recalls the suffering of the refugees at that time, but also the salvation when Jesus is in the boat. As a refugee and migrant community to this day, the French Reformed Church has no bells: The statics of the small tower are not sufficient for this - moreover, the majority of the parishioners would be out of reach of a bell.

Unlike other Protestant congregations in Offenbach, the French Reformed congregation is not made up of Protestant Christians from a defined residential area. For its members, who live in the city, the district of Offenbach and beyond, the basic democracy of the congregation's order, the congregation's refugee history, its commitment to the poor, migrants and inclusion (pastoral care for the mentally disabled) - in short, the Reformed confession - is decisive. The French Reformed congregation Offenbach 1699 has a special status in the Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau.

It works closely with the other congregations, the Offenbach neighborhood, but remains independent according to church law. Anyone can join by baptism and by signing a re-communion form. Some members are still descendants of Huguenots and Waldensians. Others have French as their mother tongue, believers who come from Cameroon or Congo. But Korean and English-speaking Reformed (Presbyterians) also join the congregation. Today it has over 200 members, having peaked at almost 600 around 1925, but the French Reformed congregation has been growing steadily again for years.

A Reformed congregation is run by the congregation itself, which means that the congregational assembly is the highest decision-making body. People are elected to temporary positions: the presbytery, which includes the pastor, is responsible for spiritual leadership and church administration. The parish diaconia provides service to the sick, poor and elderly. The presbytery and diaconia form the consistory. The ecumenical initiative "Food and warmth for the needy" of the Offenbach congregations arose from the French Reformed congregation, which to this day turns its hall into a restaurant for guests without much money for one winter week.

The proximity to the ancestors' country of origin is illustrated not only by the French course and the various francophone groups, but also by the partnership with the southern French Reformed parish of Marsillargues (Vidourle) and the "Chiesa Valdese" in Turin *(Italy). The French Reformed parish of Offenbach 1699 is also active in the field of ecumenism: the ecumenical prayer for peace has been held here since the Gulf War in 1991. For many years, the Romanian Orthodox community held services in the church. Since 2025, a congregation that has become homeless has celebrated its gospel services in the baroque church. People with and without intellectual disabilities celebrate the church service in simple language every third Sunday of the month and gather for groups and circles during the week. The "Abendmusiken" (evening music) and concerts also enjoy great public attention and appreciation, as does the parish choir "le petit choeur".