SUPPORTING CHILDREN WITH CANCER AND THE EMMAUSKIRCHE ROOF FUND

On the evening of 24th January 2026, an enthusiastic audience came together in the Gemeindesaal of the Emmauskirche for an Irish Folk Music Benefit Concert with Dulcimore. Excluding the kitchen and serving team, 118 guests attended, creating a wonderful evening of music, warmth, and community spirit. While the concert took place beyond our usual parish programme, it was very much a community effort in which many people from the Church of the Ascension played a key role - in planning, volunteering, and supporting the evening in person.

Heartfelt thanks to all volunteers and everyone who donated so generously, supporting Elterninitiative für krebskranke Kinder München e.V. and also contributing towards the repair of the Emmauskirche roof. A significant number of those present were members of the Church of the Ascension community, and their participation helped make the evening feel both welcoming and purposeful.

From the very first tunes, the atmosphere was unmistakably special: lively, welcoming, and full of that familiar feeling you get when people gather not only to enjoy music, but to do something meaningful together. Dulcimore’s Irish folk repertoire brought energy and joy into the room, and the audience responded with smiles, rhythmic foot-tapping, and a shared sense of togetherness.

A benefit evening like this depends on many hands. Long before the first guests arrived, a committed team helped with setting up the hall, arranging tables and chairs, preparing the stage area, and taking care of all the practical details that make an event run smoothly.
During the evening, volunteers welcomed guests, managed the flow in the room, and supported the musicians. Meanwhile the kitchen and serving team kept everyone well looked after with Irish favourites such as Irish stew, cottage pie, and a Ploughman’s, and the bar offered a wide range of beverages, including Guinness. And once the last tune had been played, there was still more teamwork: pack-down, cleaning, and putting everything back.

A special highlight of the evening was the raffle, which added a joyful buzz and brought people together between sets. Thank you to everyone who donated prizes, sold tickets, and joined in so enthusiastically - with Käfer and Molly Malone’s among the top prizes.

We are especially grateful for the generosity shown towards the charity: a total of €2,172 was raised for Elterninitiative für krebskranke Kinder München e.V. This donation is a tangible sign of compassion and solidarity with families facing an unimaginably difficult situation and a reminder of the difference a community can make when it comes together.
In addition, €170 was donated to the Emmauskirche roof repair fund.

To everyone who attended, volunteered, donated, helped with set-up and pack-down, contributed raffle prizes, cooked, served, or encouraged the event in any way: thank you.
You helped turn a beautiful night of music into real support where it is needed most and showed community life at its best: outward-looking, practical, and generous.

Written on behalf of Liz Wink by David Smith.