Frankfurt/Main (dpa/lhe) - Around 300 people spent Christmas Eve at the so-called Long Night in the Weißfrauenkirche in Frankfurt's Bahnhofsviertel. That was less than usual, organizer Victor Starr reported on Sunday. Around 25 people took advantage of the opportunity to stay overnight. The number was probably so manageable because the weather was comparatively pleasant, it wasn't cold and it wasn't raining.
Starr, who was born in New York, is a trained air traffic controller, now works as a trainer and has been volunteering for the "Long Night on Christmas Eve" of the Diakonisches Werk for Frankfurt and Offenbach for many years. It offers people in need a Christmas meal on decorated tables and festive music, and the homeless can stay in the church, which stays open all night. Starr organized the whole thing together with a team of five helpers, he said. This time, an unexpected guitar musician spontaneously created a great atmosphere. And there was beef goulash, which was very well received. However, not everything was eaten and the leftovers were finally given to the daily meeting point of the Diakonie.
