- Event: Queer-sensitive couple blessing service
- Date: Saturday, February 14, 2026 (Valentine’s Day)
- Time: 6:00 PM
- Location: Gemeindehaus, August-Bebel-Straße 17, Jena
- Target Group: Couples, soulmates, best friends – regardless of identity and orientation
Jena, 13.02.2026. Valentine’s Day is often dominated by bouquets of flowers and boxes of chocolates, but this year in Jena, there is an opportunity to focus on the deeper meaning of relationships. The city center parishes invite you to a church service that consciously opens boundaries and celebrates the diversity of love.
A Space for All Forms of Love
On Saturday evening, February 14, 2026, the doors of the Gemeindehaus at August-Bebel-Straße 17 will open at 6:00 PM for a special occasion. Under the title of a “queer-sensitive couple blessing,” the parish invites people to place their relationships under God’s blessing.
The invitation is explicitly inclusive. Not only traditional couples are welcome, but as the announcement states, “soulmates and best friends” are too. Gender, sexual orientation, identity, or the specific form of the relationship play no role. The religious background of the participants is also not a criterion for exclusion. The evening focuses on mutual appreciation and affirmation for connecting relationships in all their modern diversity.
Why “Queer-Sensitive” Matters
The term “queer-sensitive” signals much more than just a modern choice of words in this context. It creates a safe space for members of the LGBTQIA+ community who may have felt excluded or unaddressed by traditional church structures in the past. With this offering, the city center parish in Jena is sending a clear signal for an open church that reflects the reality of human relationships in 2026.
By explicitly addressing “best friends,” the event also honors the importance of platonic love and deep friendships, which are often forgotten in the societal focus on romantic partnerships on Valentine’s Day. It is a recognition that love and responsibility for one another can have many faces.
Reflection Instead of Consumerism
Over the decades, Valentine’s Day has evolved into a major commercial event. Events like this couple blessing provide a counterpoint to the hectic pace of everyday life and the pressure of consumption. They allow couples and friends to pause for a moment and reflect on what defines their connection.
The Gemeindehaus in August-Bebel-Straße, centrally located in Jena, provides the appropriate setting. The event is part of a series of offerings that attempt to link church traditions with the lifestyles of a modern, university-based urban society.
Conclusion
Those wishing to observe Valentine’s Day this year with a moment of peace and spiritual strengthening will find an open door on August-Bebel-Straße. It is an offer that demonstrates that tradition and modernity, faith and diversity can go hand in hand in Jena.
The team from the city center parishes looks forward to welcoming many visitors who wish to celebrate love together.