Diakonissenmutterhaus Aidlingen, Protestant deaconess mother house in Aidlingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
The Diakonissenmutterhaus Aidlingen, known as the Aidlinger Schwestern, is a community of over 200 deaconesses of the Evangelical Church in Württemberg, about 100 of whom live on site. Since 1964 the mother house has stood at the eastern edge of Aidlingen, replacing the assembly hall on the Sonnenberg that served the community from its founding. The sisters wear a uniform dress as a sign of belonging and readiness to serve.
The community traces to Swabian Pietist Bible circles of the 18th century. From 1921 Christa von Viebahn (1873–1955) gathered young women for children's hours and Bible studies around Aidlingen. On 13 November 1927 they formed the sisterhood, using a hall on the Sonnenberg that was enlarged into the mother house. In 1964 the sisters moved to a new building on the eastern edge of the village.
The community is known across Germany for its choral and musical work: the Jugendchor Aidlingen, led by Gerhard Schnitter, and the Kinderchor Aidlingen under Christel Schröder released numerous recordings on labels such as ERF-Verlag and SCM Hänssler. Helga Winkel wrote most of the lyrics, which Christel Schröder set to music. The sisters also publish the quarterly Bible-reading plan "Zeit mit Gott" with a print run of 30,000.
The mother house stands at the eastern edge of Aidlingen; the sisters' quarters and seminar rooms are not open to casual visitors. Guests are received at the Tannenhöhe guest house in Villingen in the Black Forest, which the community runs for holidays. Sunday Bible studies take place in the Aidlingen mother house itself.
The annual Pentecost gathering draws thousands of participants who come for religious studies and community activities. This meeting is one of the largest events at the location and brings together visitors from different regions.
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