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Committed to combating loneliness: Heiko Lonkwitz strengthens the community of Neuende!
Heiko Lonkwitz volunteers in Wilhelmshaven to combat loneliness in old age and keep the church attractive.
Committed to combating loneliness: Heiko Lonkwitz strengthens the community of Neuende!
Heiko Lonkwitz, 67 years old, has a strong commitment to his parish in Neuende. This reports NWZonline. Although he once wanted to be a pastor, he preferred to work as an industrial engineer and is now taking a new path by becoming a volunteer. During his childhood he was baptized in Bant, confirmed in Heppens and married in Neuende. He is currently running for the local church council and is asking himself the big question: *How does the church remain of interest to people?*
His idea that the church should act as a social anchor is accompanied by a growing loneliness in society, especially among older people. How Sunday paper reports, demographic changes have caused the proportion of people over 65 to increase from 15% in 1991 to 19% in 2024. This age group often faces social isolation, which is a sensitive issue that requires real action.
Lonely times and volunteering
Lonkwitz has set out to actively counteract the growing problem of loneliness. He is not only active in the community's senior citizens' club, but has also launched a new format called “Heiko's Music Bingo”. Hits from the years 60 to 80 are played and accompanied by Pastor Stefan Stalling. If that doesn't sound like a happy change!
He sees how many older people who do not live in homes or are not very involved in church communities often fall into oblivion. This leads to their needs being neglected in everyday life. The Loneliness Barometer 2024 shows that loneliness among older people remains consistently high, especially since the corona pandemic. Lonkwitz would like to intervene to support this through community action and maintain an important normality of life for those affected.
Change in the community
Lonkwitz sees the central focus on preserving tried and tested traditions while at the same time creating space for change. As an expert, he contributes his know-how to committees, including the new construction of the Neuende daycare center, which is intended to strengthen not only the community but also the local families. That's exactly what the church needs, even in times of alienation: people with a good hand for the community.
His journey to faith began in his youth when he found his convictions through church youth groups in Heppens. The retirement life that many look forward to not only brings freedom but also fears of social isolation. In this context, churches and diaconal institutions play a central role, as in Research report explained. They help through pastoral care and visiting services and often offer rooms for relatives to promote exchange.
For Lonkwitz it is clear: the church has the task of enriching people's lives. His own family, which is also active, strengthens the sense of community and the voluntary commitment that is urgently needed. It is this kind of commitment that benefits society as a whole and makes a real difference.