Atlantic Link is a partnership between people in Leipzig, Germany and Knoxville, USA who share a common vision for positively impacting our cities.  Through cultural research and exchange, we hope to better understand the needs of people in our cities and to discover ways to reach out to them as individuals and as a community.  One way we are doing this is through our current research project, the Knoxville-Leipzig Exchange, which involves in-depth, personal interviews conducted bilingually in both cities.  Another way is through this website, where people can read and discuss the themes that emerge from our interviews, as well as comment on more broadly related issues such as culture, community, faith, etc.

Our motivation comes from Jesus Christ, who taught his followers, “Love your neighbor.”  We believe that in order to love the people in our cities well—our neighbors, co-workers, teammates, and friends—we must take the time to truly understand them.  We hope that by listening to others with genuine care and respect, we will not only build community and find opportunities to support our neighbors in areas of need, but also demonstrate the good character of Jesus Christ and bring him honor.

Atlantic Link is the result of discussions which began in 2006 between early-career adults in two churches in Leipzig and Knoxville.  Those discussions revealed that little was really known about the beliefs, values, and personal challenges faced by East Germans in their 20’s and 30’s—people who grew up under the mixed influences of atheistic communism and of western, “Christian” capitalism.  We realized that both groups (those of us from Knoxville and those of us from Leipzig) would benefit from outside perspectives on how to meaningfully, positively interact with those in our own cities.  Thus the vision for Atlantic Link was born, and by May 2007, a small team of Americans and Germans were conducting the first round of interviews in Leipzig.  It is now September 2007, and we will soon be starting the second round of interviews in Knoxville.

What comes next for Atlantic Link? We’ll see! It depends on what we learn in the KLX project … and also upon you!  We welcome your feedback on our posts, this website, and/or the vision of Atlantic Link.