On a recent Sunday, Major Rolf Metzger, a 70-year-old Salvation Army officer, worshipped with 12 other believers at a small church in the former East Berlin. Hymn singing, prayer and a Bible message comprised the relaxed worship service, as is common in this denomination.
Called the "Heilsarmee" in German, the evangelical church best known for its social services and thrift stores is a modest movement of 1.3 million members and adherents worldwide. The tiny numbers in that East Berlin assemblage, Metzger concedes, seem almost negligible.
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