What is this page for? Good question! October 26, 2008

It is a good question…..

And the answer is kind of straightforward but also quite complicated. There are maybe 100,000 Lutherans in GB – some of them born in this country, but the vast majority are either visiting, working here for a while, living here while they study. Some are expats, some are refugees: and we live scattered all over these islands. Our IT guru and passionate Lutheran, Martin Flower, suggested we put together this page to let everyone know about the exciting plans we have for the church, to report on what is already happening and to show the world out there what a marvellously diverse and interesting community of faith we are already. In other words, reading this ‘Info Page’ should give you a glimpse of what the LCiGB is like.

5 facts you might not know:

1. Lutherans are named after Martin Luther. Just Martin Luther, not Martin Luther King.
2. There are about 68 million Lutherans worldwide
3. The Lutheran Church in GB worships in English, but also in Amharic, Cantonese and Mandarin, Oromo, Polish, Swahili and Tigrinya. We will celebrate our 50th anniversary in 2011.
4. Music is a big part of Lutheran Worship  – from Bach and Buxtehude through Mendelssohn to African Gospel. The best known Lutheran Hymn is “A mighty fortress is our God”  – and you can listen to it here:   A Mighty Fortress
5. We’re looking forward to our 500th birthday in 2017 – of the whole Lutheran church, that is.

So please come back and visit this page again – and our new website, which you can find here.

This also contains details of services within the Lutheran Church in GB – just check out the Services tab on

http://www.lutheranchurch.co.uk/

St Luke's Congregation in Leeds in September 2009, on the occasion of Bishop Emeritus Walter Jagucki's 45th Ordination Anniversary

Recording things backwards March 10, 2011

Life has been busy for the last few weeks, hence yet another apology for a long gap in posting. And now there is a little time, I’m going to start backwards, as it were. The last thing to have happened was the ‘Walk into Lent’, but I wanted to write about that first, as it gives me an opportunity to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who supported this idea in prayer, with financial support and also with waffles and jam.

The ‘Walk into Lent’ was aimed at raising a bit of money for LCiGB, but also to raise consciousness of our own Lenten pilgrimages. The Evangelical Lutheran Worship Order of Service for Ash Wednesday invites us into Lent with these words:

“Friends in Christ, today with the whole church we enter the time of remembering Jesus’ Passover from death to life, and our life in Christ is renewed.

We begin this holy season by acknowledging our need for repentance and for God’s mercy. We are created to experience joy in communion with God, to love one another, and to live in harmony with creation. But our sinful rebellion separates us from God, our neighbours, and creation, so that we do not enjoy the life our creator intended.

As disciples of Jesus, we are called to a discipline that contends against evil and resists whatever leads us away from love of God and neighbour. I invite you, therefore, to the discipline of Lent–self-examination and repentance, prayer and fasting, sacrificial giving and works of love–strengthened by the gifts of word and sacrament. Let us continue our journey through these forty days to the great Three Days of Jesus’ death and resurrection.”

The journey through Lent each year encourages us to look deeply inside ourselves, which is often not a comfortable experience. But this self-examination is really a reality check, which leads us in turn to return to God, shaken and penitent. So the journey never leaves us unchanged, thank God.

On Tuesday (Shrove Tuesday in the English tradition, Mardi Gras in other places) I set out from home at about 2pm

The first signs of spring at Enfield Chase station

and arrived at the Norwegian Church in Rotherhithe about an hour later. Torbjorn, Britt, Agnes and Liz welcomed me, and produced a plate of traditional waffles.

Strengthened physically and spiritually, I set out along the Thames Walk – and as the day was absolutely perfect, the walk was an unalloyed joy. The sky was an unbroken blue, the temperature in the low teens, and everyone I met seemed suddenly to be smiling. The south side of the Thames was a complete revelation, too – quiet streets, little snickets between houses, and stunning views.

View from Bermondsey westwards to the City of London

St Saviour's in a quiet back street in Bermondsey

And then the way led across Tower Bridge, and onwards to St George’s Lutheran Church in Alie Street, Whitechapel. This was used until very recently by a German congregation, now joined together with St Mary’s in Kings Cross, but the building now is the HQ for the Historic Chapels’ Trust. It is a beautiful old place – but the layout, with high box pews in the body of the church, makes it difficult for modern congregations to use.

St George's

The altar, with pulpit and 10 Commandments above it (in German)

Onwards to St Anne’s in the City, where I found Brian Fisher and Paedar Keighley setting up the church for Ash Wednesday. A welcome drink of water, a short prayer, and another photo op!

With Brian in front of the Lent altar

And on again, with the sun setting, through Smithfield and Farringdon, past Mount Pleasant Sorting Office and on to the International Lutheran Student Centre in Kings Cross. As the walk didn’t take quite as long as I thought, despite a couple of detours on the way, the pancake evening I’d been rather looking forward to with the Chaplain at the ILSC, Tuulia Matikainen-Castledine, and people from St Anne’s with Pastor Dearhamer, was an hour away; so as my legs began to get stiff as soon as I stopped walking, I stopped off briefly with Pastor Eliza Zikmane of the Latvian Congregation for a cup of coffee and set off back to Enfield.

Miles walked: about 6.5 with the detours

Blisters on feet: only 1!

Funds raised: about £2000, including Gift Aid and donations by post.

If you would like to donate something towards LCiGB, please click here to go to a Justgiving page.And for those of you who have supported this walk, thank you, and may God bless your Lenten journey.

A last photo: the baroque beauty of Grand Avenue in Smithfield – surely the most ornate meat market in the world.

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet January 21, 2011

This saying, now part of English folklore, comes from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet – from a speech in which Juliet bewails the fact that Romeo’s name condemns him to be an enemy of her family for ever.  (quick quiz: which way round is it – which of Romeo and Juliet is a Capulet, and which a Montague? – answer at the end of this post). The point is that Romeo is the same person, whatever his name is, and that the scent of a rose would be just as lovely if it were called a sputnik.

This thought was provoked by a discussion we have been having in various fora of the Lutheran Church in Great Britain lately about our Lay Ministers. There is little doubt about the valuable role that these able and dedicated servants play in the church: but the problem is in the name. When LCiGB first started to discuss the setting up of a recognised lay ministry within our congregations, the Synod had a loooong discussion about the name to be used. There were various sugggestions – Deacon, Evangelist, Reader, Lector, Lay Assistant, Pastoral Assistant and so on. Each of those has its own associations and connotations: so, for instance, Readers have a particular role, meaning and training within the Church of England, and it doesn’t exactly correspond to what we had in mind. So to avoid confusion we abandoned that idea. Deacon is a particularly thorny term, as there are as many definitions of deacons as there are churches – some are ordained, some are lay; in some places church elders are deacons, in others the diaconate is a step on the way to ordination and so on. So, in a spirit of compromise, we opted then for Lay Minister.

But it turns out now, almost 8 years on,that the term has raised various forms of confusion. Just to explain for those who aren’t aware – although English is the main language of LCiGB, we have communities from the four corners of the globe worshipping among us, and for many of our people there is no equivalent in their native languages to the English word ‘Minister’. So in our Chinese congregation, where both Mandarin and Cantonese are spoken, the term ‘Lay Minister’ sounds like a complete contradiction in terms – there is only one word for ministers, and that is pastor, which always implies ordination. The same is true in Polish, for instance. So, while in English it is easy enough to grasp the idea of a lay person who has a licensed role in the ministry of the church, it is much more difficult for people from some of our other language groups.

This has prompted something of a reassessment of what we should call these members of our churches, who perform such a valuable role in maintaining the worship life and pastoral care of our congregations: because it looks as though a change of name might well enable the role to be better understood. In this case, the rose by its present name probably doesn’t smell quite as sweet as it ought to!

In thinking about this, though, I began to notice how many other aspects of our church life have different terminology in different languages. Take the word Congregation, for instance – the local expression of the church. In English the word congregation implies a group that is coming together, congregating – in secular terms, you would normally congregate for some particular purpose or occasion, but it implies no sense of becoming a community or of a shared purpose, except that of coming together for worship.

In German the word is Gemeinde, which has a completely different origin and meaning. It means a commune, or community; and is related to words like gemeinsam, which means to have something in common, and Gemeinschaft, which has meanings of community and togetherness. Gemein was a word that Martin Luther often used to emphasise the way in which Christians share each others lives, burdens and joys, for instance.

In Swahili usharika comes from shiriki – to join, to participate or to share; and in Latvian, the word for congregation is draudze, which is related to friendship.

What we call a thing, though, is not neutral: and the shades of meaning that these words have must also influence the way we see this body, this assembly, community, sharing or friendship; giving a body a name also confers something of that meaning on the body.

Just one more example. The word for the person who is the ordained clergy of a church also varies enormously from one language and culture to another. Pastor (mchungaji in Swahili) implies care, guidance, nourishment and safekeeping; mācītājs in Latvian actually means teacher; but in Polish ksiądz is derived from words like knaz and Konung, implying high status and lordship.

So does that mean also that what we call our pastors/priests/teachers/lords affects how we view them, and what we

expect from their ministry among us?

There is probably more thinking to do around this whole area, to ensure that when we refer even to the most basic elements of church life in a beautifully diverse church like ours, we have a shared understanding of what we are talking about.

Meanwhile – here is a picture of some of the pastors and lay ministers of LCiGB, congregating for a shared, communal retreat last October!

Answer to quick quiz: Juliet Capulet is in love with Romeo Montague.

The New Year starts with a bang and a whirl of activity January 15, 2011

The Christmas and New Year holidays here in the UK tend to extend to a couple of weeks these days. For many people in and around London, very little work was done between about Friday 17 December and Tuesday 4 January – and even that week was really very quiet in and around the City. But the actual work that needs to be done then tends to just pile up, like water behind a dam; so the first week back at work tends to be a bit frantic, with emails to be answered, problems arising, meetings held over for a couple of weeks and now urgently needing to happen, letters to be answered, office plants to be watered….

So the first weeks back at work have included some key meetings, as well as a marvellous annual event – the Eritrean Congregation’s Christmas service.

On Saturday 8 January the Treasurer of LCiGB, Linda Bruch, and I met with Pastor Robert Wojtowicz and representatives of some of the Polish congregations in the South of England to talk about the issues that face so many churches and charities these days – how to deal with the demands on us to comply with governance and administration requirements. Sometimes these demands can seem terribly onerous and scary, especially for smaller bodies. The meeting was conducted in a very positive spirit, though, and it seems possible that we will be able to overcome some hurdles, and allow the congregations to move on and do what they really want to do – pray, worship and care for one another.

And then, starting with the beginning of this past week, Sunday 9 January was Christmas according to the Eritrean calendar. For once, London Transport was being fairly co-operative, and there were no major transport issues to stop us all arriving at St Andrew’s URC church in Frognal.

The congregation gathering - in the end there were well over a hundred people present

The service was led by Lay Minister Aklilu Tesfai – our normal practice is that the Bible lections are read in both Tigrinya and English, with prayers and hymns in Tigrinya, and the sermon preached in English if I am there. On this occasion we also had Holy Communion, conducted in English, but with liturgical hymns in tigrinya.

Lay Minister Aklilu at the lectern

The choir also sang, as usual – and the children read Bible passages for the Christmas theme, with two songs also by the Youth Group. A new feature this time was a song in another of the languages of the region, Tigre.

The choir, looking suitably festive

Once the service was over, we all moved to the hall to enjoy a marvellous traditional Eritrean meal (injeera and various spicy sauces – absolutely marvellous). Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this a really memorable day.

On Monday 9 January a new initiative within LCiGB began. We have several people working within chaplaincy roles within our church, which is a good thing, and a way in which we can offer pastoral care to Lutherans and others outside the congregational setting. For some time, though, the Council has been aware that this work needs a little more thought and co-ordination; so a Chaplaincy Committee has now been established which will also enable our chaplains to meet specifically to talk about their own issues. We met for the first time, hosted by the Gatehouse in Leicester, where the University of Leicester Chaplaincy is housed. Lay Minister Marlies Adam is the Lutheran member of the team there. The meeting (attended also by Rev’d John Evenson, Chaplain in Birmingham University and Rev’d Tuulia Matikainen-Castledine, International Lutheran Student Centre Chaplain) was deemed a success (and Marlies’ goose soup a defintely positive addition). We also had a chance to meet with Rev’d Steven Foster, the Co-ordinating Chaplain in Leicester.

Then on Tuesday the Trustees of the Lutheran Council met at the ILSC for a very important reason: Very Rev’d Tom Bruch, Dean of our church, has also been the General Secretary of the Lutheran Council for over 10 years, and has just retired from that post. He will be a hard act to follow, having developed the work of the Council in many and diverse ways over the years, and having worked hard and effectively to raise the profile of Lutheranism in the ecumenical world in the UK.

Very Rev'd Tom Bruch

So we met to continue the process of finding Tom’s replacement, discussing applications and next steps.

(from left) Torbjorn Holt, Chair of Lutheran Council, Else Hviid, Colin Menzies and Eliza Zikmane

Please pray for the Council as we go through this crucial time and prepare for new times and a new face at the helm.

On Wednesday it was back to the ILSC for a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Anglican Lutheran Society. The ALS has several important events coming up, including our AGM on 5 March, at which we will hear about the situation of Christians in Jerusalem. With fears growing for the future of Christians in the Holy Land, and frequent distressing news about Christian persecution throughout the Near and Middle East, this topic could not be more timely.

Bishop Rupert Hoare, Anglican Co-Moderator, together with Tom Bruch at the ALS meeting

We also talked about the next ALS International Conference in Salisbury (September 2011) – for more details of what promises to be an interesting opportunity to expand our knowledge of the Bible, its historic translations and their legacy in Church and Society, please click here. We were joined for lunch and a part of the meeting by a colleague from Hungary, Prof Tibor Fabinyi.

Prof Fabinyi with Rev'd Dr Roy Long

Roy Long, Jochen Dallas, Helen Harding, Dick Lewis, Guy Smith and John Arnold around the discussion table

So to Thursday, and two more meetings. In the afternoon I had been invited to attend a meeting of Faith in Europe, The Churches’ European Relations Network, to talk about the part-time work I do for Churches Together in England as a (very) (very) part-time Europe Desk secretary. The main speaker, though, was Doris Petsche, General Secretary of the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME), who told us, with great expertise and knowledge of the legal and practical implications, about the issues that migrations raises for us in Europe.

Doris Petsche

Then in the evening Tom, David Lin (Chair of LCiGB) and I met with the pastor and some  Council members of another congregation to talk about matters of shared concern, and to discuss ways of working towards the future.

Here is something I just discovered my new camera can do – this is a picture of one of the windows in the library of Archbishop’s House in Southwark, where the Faith in Europe meeting was held.

Looking back, looking forward January 2, 2011

Christmas has passed, the New Year has arrived; and the Christian world now looks forward to Epiphany, Twelfth Night, on 6 January, when we celebrate the revelation of Christ to the world in the visit of the wise men from the East.

Herod and the Wise Men at the Eritrean Nativity in 2009

This last Advent and Christmas have been unusual for me personally: after a bout of flu early in the season, bronchitis has intervened, coupled with unusually severe weather and extensive transport disruption, and there has been no choice but to hibernate at home for much of December. For self-confessed workaholics like me that is a terribly hard way to spend a few weeks, but undoubtedly good for my soul. As pastors we always tell people that Advent is a time of preparation for Christmas, a time of fasting, maybe – rather like Lent – and definitely a time to wait, to think and meditate, to pray and prepare for the coming Lord. Often, though, we ourselves are the last ones to observe that: there is just too much to do. Sermon preparation, carol services, orders of service, Christmas visits – all this added into our own celebrations with family and friends means that time is at a premium.

So this year, with days spent at home,albeit unwillingly, I have had time to read and to pray; and eventually that began to feel like a real blessing in disguise. One of the books I have been re-reading is ‘Tend my flock’  – Sustaining Good Pastoral Care by Kate Litchfield, described as a ‘companion and guide to susatining good practice in pastoral care’, aimed at ‘ordained and lay ministers who are seeking to live their pastoral ministry well amid all the complexities and pressures of contemporary society’.

One of the chapters dealswith the whole package of issues involved in ‘Living Well in Ministry’ – in other words, how ministers should take care of themselves – their own bodies, psyches and souls  – because we, too, are vulnerable to stress, burn out and exhaustion. Partly this is a question of stewardship – ministers are part of the resources of the church, and need to be looked after and conserved, just as the finances and the property do: but much more importantly we also absolutely need to recognise that we, too, are children of God, loved and cared for by our gracious Father, and therefore we are precious and need to look after ourselves, and each other.

The other thing that this month has reminded me of is that we are all also vulnerable and weak, and yet time and the ministry wait for no man. In other words – it’s no use waiting until we feel 100%, on top of our game, strong, healthy and energetic, to carry out whatever mission God has for us. Sometimes it will be in times of weakness and vulnerability that God can most use us. After all, we can pray even when we are ill, and sofa-bound: and the message that a strong faith proclaims will not necessarily be diluted by being framed in a fallible body. Years ago I visited a parishioner with a destructive, wasting neurological disease: she progressively lost her ability to function, but at each visit I came away praising God for the bright fire of her faith. In fact, as her body faded, the light shone ever more clearly.

So here’s to a New Year of continued service, mission and ministry – but also a year in which we take care of each other, and a year in which we all spend enough time resting, reading and praying, as well as in frantic activity.

Wherever God sends us in 2011, and whatever joys or sorrows await each one of us, may God’s light shine through us.

Epiphany star image from Sundays and Seasons

Advent Message December 17, 2010

“Just as the word of God became flesh, so it is certainly also necessary that the flesh become word.  For the word becomes flesh precisely so that the flesh may become word.  In other words: God becomes man so that man may become God.  Thus power becomes powerless so that weakness may become powerful [...] wisdom becomes foolish so that foolishness may become wisdom, and so it is in all other things that are in God and in us.”

(From Martin Luther’s Christmas Sermon, 1514)

Dear sisters and brothers

The new Church Year has begun, and we are moving towards the darkest days of the year, waiting for the rebirth of the light in our world and in our hearts. This December has certainly reminded us of the old carol words by Christina Rossetti:

In the bleak midwinter

Frosty wind made moan,

Earth stood hard as iron,

Water like a stone;

Snow had fallen, snow on snow,

Snow on snow,

In the bleak midwinter,

Long ago.

Although, of course, we don’t have an accurate weather report for the day of our Lord’s birth 2000 or so years ago, these words express poetically the conditions into which the Baby was born: a world that is hard, cold and bleak, needing the light and warmth of the Son of Righteousness to melt it and bring it to new life. Today, and not just in the winter of the year, Jesus Christ still comes into our lives, bringing warmth to cold hearts, power to the weak, light to those in darkness and wisdom to all us foolish sinners. More even than that: Jesus, the Christ, the Word of God eternal and all-powerful, becomes man – weak, foolish and vulnerable – to make us strong and wise, as Dr Luther said in his Christmas sermon 497 years ago.

The last verse of the famous carol starts like this:

What can I give him,

Poor as I am?

But that is, in a sense, not the right question. The real challenge posed to us by Christmas is – what can Jesus Christ give us, poor as we are? What new flower can blossom in us, even in the hard ground and cold winter of our hearts? And, filled with all the gifts that the coming of Christ to dwell in us, how can we go on to be Christ-like to our neighbours?

As we head into 2011, many people in our church, as well as our friends and families are facing uncertain times, with the new government’s austerity measures bringing changes to social and financial support structures. What the future holds for us is not clear yet, but we must be ready to be generous with our resources, both physical and spiritual, to uphold those whose lives may be affected, especially the weakest and most vulnerable members of society. These next months and years may well prove to be a challenge to us as Christians to live out our vocation of walking alongside God’s children. As those who have the most precious gift of all – the presence of the living Word – we rejoice in being able to share that gift with others, and bringing the life, love and light of Christ to those still living in the bleak midwinter.

Whatever gifts this season might bring you, may you know the presence of God in your life; and may you also have the chance to bring Christ’s light to others.

Your sister in Christ

+Jana

Faith and hope – where’s the charity? November 21, 2010

People sometimes say to me – what does a Bishop actually do? So here’s an attempt to describe what I’ve been doing over the last week – all the good parts, anyway, and maybe even some of the tougher moments.

Last Saturday evening Upendo Group from Kijitonyama sang their farewell concert after their 3 months in Europe, visiting England and Germany. It was a pity there weren’t more people at St Anne’s to hear them – only about 30 of us, I guess: but those of us who came had a great and very uplifting time.

The church looking beautiful in the evening

It was bad timing, as it turned out – the Tanzanian community in London had lost one of their members, and quite a few people had gone to the wake. The tradition at home is that when someone dies, all the family, friends and neighbours gather to mourn, sing, comfort one another; the family normally doesn’t have to do anything, as someone else takes over cooking and practical work, so that the principal mourners can do just that: mourn. And even in London, thousands of miles from home, our East African brothers and sisters try to maintain this tradition, knowing just how much of a comfort it is for the grieving and broken-hearted.

And St Anne’s folk had already been busy that day: it was the Lord Mayor’s show, with processions and celebrations in the City of London; St Anne’s usually opens its doors for this 2nd Saturday in November, serving refreshments and allowing visitors to use the facilities. But we had a great time, all the same…

 

Dancing in the aisles....

Joshua, the Upendo lead singer

I’m sorry about the quality of the pictures: unfortunately, my flash isn’t really up to taking pictures against the black wood- panelled background of St Anne’s at night.

Janis (Mr Bishop) and I went home, exhilarated by the passion and excitement this marvellous group generate. What a privilege to know and hear them!

On Sunday the African theme was continued by a visit to LCiGB’s newest official congregation, Imani in Reading. They had just celebrated the first anniversary of their dedication, and have achieved immense amounts in a very short time. They have moved to worship at St Andrew’s URC church, which has great facilities, including a hall, kitchen, children’s space and so on: and the sanctuary is beautiful, too

Imani Congregation gathering for worship

As the congregation began to come in ever greater numbers, it became clear that they have grown in size tremendously since last year. There were over 100 worshippers in the end, including many children and young people. Apart from 3 Sunday services a month, Imani now have a fellowship group on the remaining Sunday; a prayer group, Bible Studyand Sunday School. We baptised 3 babies on the day, including a young relative of Bishop Alex Malasusa, the Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania.

sisters

There were quite a few familiar faces, including Victoria, Yones and Amanda Lawuo, now living in Slough, and Yones’ beautiful baby, too.

Amanda and niece

Imani has a new Katibu, or secretary

Pastor Kallaghe with some members of the congregation. Standing next to her is Daniel Mrema, newly arrived from Tanzania, son of Mr Abel Mrema, now Deputy Secretary General (Finance & Administration) for the ELCT

There was an East African feast at the end of the service, and on the way back to the station Felix Kallaghe and one of the members of the congregation helped me buy some unga wa mahindi (cornmeal) so that my daughter, who spent 6 months in Tanzania, can cook ugali for us.

It was a splendid day: congratulations to the Council at Imani for their expert leadership of a developing congregation, and well done for all the hard work. Blessings too on Pastor Kallaghe, whose day job is in London for St Anne’s, and her husband, Lay Minister Felix Kallaghe.

And that’s where the first bit of the title of this comes in – Imani means faith in Swahili.

On Monday 15 November I had a lovely, peaceful day in the office, dealing with queries and emails, answering letters and dealing with one or two panics. Rosanna, our Administrator, and I also ordered some Christmas cards. In the evening I spent a couple of hours finishing an article for Lutheran World Information about the issue of Leadership Challenges and Gender Justice.

On Tuesday 16 November there was a day out in store. Our oldest Pastor, one of the founding fathers of St Anne’s, Rev’d Dr Johann Schneider, now lives down in Walmer on the Kent coast.  This used to be a tricky journey from north London, but since the highspeed rail link associated with the Channel Tunnel was opened, there are direct trains from St Pancras, which has eased the travelling considerably. Only not on Tuesday: there was a broken down train somewhere in the equation, and the words that make even grown men weep – A replacement bus service is in operation – were uttered. The bus, a relic of some long gone Norman Wisdom film, wound its way through the Kent countryside, but got us to Walmer safely. It was a pleasure to spend time with Pastor Johann, and, as always, I came away feeling restored and refreshed by his wisdom and kindness.

Wednesday 17 October  was another day spent in the office, this time dividing the day between LCiGB and CTE work.

LCiGB Office

As part of our rental agreement with Churches Together in England, I moonlight with them for 200 hours a year as a very part-time Secretary for European Church Affairs. It was time to draw up a report about what had happened in that role during 2010, and to look forward to possible avenues to explore in 2o11. But also that day there was a very positive meeting with Rev’d Jon Ehlers, the Chairman of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in England, our Lutheran cousins in this country. We discussed the setting up of a Committee to co-ordinate some joint work between our two churches, especially in the light of ELCE’s recent membership of CTE; and also did some forward planning for the next clergy conference, which will begin to deal with the important topic of The Word, and how our two churches think theologically about that.

18 November is a special day for Latvians everywhere, as it is the celebration of Latvian independence. As there was an offical ceremony to attend in the evening, I went to work a little late, and then spent some time talking to a friend in a difficult time of life. The rest of the time was used up quickly – writing an Advent letter to pastors and lay ministers, doing some preparation for the LCiGB Council meeting on 11 December, and discussing with other members of the Council, and of our Vocations Committee, some decisions which need to be made. Our Council is an excellent and committed group of people, ably led by David Lin, our Chair; each with their own particular skills which they bring to the table. Sometimes our work is easy, and sometimes the decisions we have to make are hard – we are a small, poor church, after all, and we are also struggling to deal with the new exigiencies of governance for charities and churches. But I’m sure that the collective wisdom the Council brings to bear, and the depth of their faith and reliance on God’s grace will enable us to work in accordance with God’s will. Also on Thursday – some planning for an Advent service at St Paul’s in Corby on 5 December, and some worrying about finances, both for LCiGB centrally and for our congregations.

On Thursday evening, then, I headed to Westminster Cathedral Hall after work, for a short service led by Pastor Eliza Zikmane, followed by speeches and music celebrating the 92nd Anniversary of the unlikely and often interrupted independence of our small country. It was a moving occasion, recognizing the hard facts of economic crisis and forced migration and their effect on a population of 2 million or so; but also full of hope for the future.

On Friday – another day out, this time to Liverpool to continue planning and dreaming about the possible new ecumenical study centre, which would be based at Liverpool Hope University and the Nordic Church. This is such a great project that it deserves a post of its own – but that, of course, is the Hope part of the title. The non-existent charity came from the inflexible and uncharitable way in which Virgin trains treated those of us who missed trains that morning because the Victoria Line had failed, and we couldn’t get to Euston. ‘No, madam, there is nothing I can do to help. You have to buy a new ticket, but you’re in luck, because the next train is off-peak. So the single ticket will be only £65.20. ‘ That’s not a definition of ‘only’ that I’m familiar with.

On Saturday I took to my bed with a virus!

On Sunday (today) I had meant to go to the Memorial Service at Brookwood Cemetery, but the virus was still making its presence felt, so worship at our local CofE Parish Church had to substitute. But here’s a picture of Brookwood from my last visit!

This afternoon has been spent writing a report about the Liverpool project, looking at texts for next Sunday’s sermon (to be preached at Christ Church in Riga, Latvia)  and also this latest post.

3 Bishops, 1 Chairman and a retired Cathedral Dean November 10, 2010

…. and all of it complicated by a Tube strike in the middle! Last Tuesday 2 Lutheran Bishops from South Africa visited London on their way to the Synod of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany. Bishops Horst Mueller from Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (N-T), and Nils Rohwer of the ELCSA (Cape Church). The aim of the visit was to explore ways in which we might co-operate in future (despite being thousands of miles apart, we face some of the same problems as small minority churches, and some of the same joys – the two churches, although German in origin, now also worship in English and Afrikaans, and have also begun to gain members among black South Africans). The visit started in interesting fashion – I met Bp Horst at Euston Station, and took him to the hotel where he was staying, just across Tavistock Square from our office, only to trip over in spectacular fashion and fall head first into the lobby of the hotel. No harm done, though.

We met with Dean Tom Bruch, and Dr Roy Long, convenor of LCiGB Theological Committee, at the office to brief each other on our churches and their activities; then, after lunch at the restaurant at Friends House (highly commended, maybe the best value lunch in Central London!) we walked the short distance to the International Lutheran Student Centre to talk to Tom again (wearing Lutheran Council General Secretary hat this time), and the Chaplain at the ILSC, Rev’d Tuulia Matikainen-Castledine.

Tom Bruch, Horst Mueller, Nils Rohwer, Roy Long and Jana Jeruma-Grinberga

After that, we made a flying visit to St Paul’s Cathedral, by a wonderful piece of luck catching the tail-end of a rehearsal of the Mozart Requiem for All Souls’ Day.

St Paul's Cathedral in the dusk

In one of those lovely coincidences, the steward who let us in to watch the rehearsal was a woman from Latvia.

Then we went round the corner to St Anne’s to meet with the staff there, including Pastors Tim Dearhamer and Tumaini Kallaghe; and finally a dinner in the Brunswick Centre (somewhat depleted numbers, as several people had to leave central London early to beat the Tube strike). It was a good day, and we hope that some long-term benefits will be gained by all of us, especially in the field of theological education and training.

On the following Thursday, clergy from LCiGB met together with our Lutheran cousins in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in England. Again, the aim was to discuss future co-operation, including setting up a committee to exchange news and plan joint work. It has been one of the joys of the past years that we have found ways in which we can talk to each other, and discovered that there are many areas in which our thoughts and ideas coincide. ELCE have also recently been accepted for membership of Churches Together in England. This year’s meeting took place at Luther Tyndale Church in Kentish Town, and there was much discussion of who had, and who hadn’t, preached in the historic pulpit there. Thanks to  Pastors  Claudio and Jamie and his wife for the hospitality.

ELCE and LCiGB clergy outside Luther Tyndale Church

And onwards to the last visit of the week! On Friday morning  Dean Tom and I had discussions with Rev’d Dr Wakseyoum Idossa, President of the Mekane Yesus Church in Ethiopia, the second largest Lutheran church in the world. Again, we briefed him on the LCiGB, and our ministry to brothers and sisters from the Horn of Africa, and on the work of the Lutheran Council. Desta Beraki, Housekeeping Manager at ILSC, joined us for part of the time, renewing an old acquaintance with Dr Wakseyoum from their student days.

Jana Jeruma-Grinberga, Desta Beraki, Tom Bruch and Wakseyoum Idossa

After a lunch at a great Szechuan Chinese cafe near the ILSC – fish and pickled vegetable soup! – Dr Wakseyoum and I went on to the Norwegian Church in Rotherhithe to meet Rev’d Torbjorn Holt, Rector, and also Chair of the Lutheran Council. Also present was the Very Revd Nils Kristian Lie, former Dean of Hamar Cathedral, at present helping out at the Norwegian Church, and therefore probably the most senior curate in the world.

Torbjorn Holt, Wakseyoum Idossa and Nils Kristian Lie at the Norwegian Church

And lastly – on Sunday Dr Wakseyoum preached at St Anne’s, leaving us with many interesting thoughts about the growth of the church in Africa. In the afternoon he also visited the Ethiopian congregation of St Anne’s, with Pastor Barnabas Daniel.

For a small church like LCiGB, contacts with other Lutheran churches are vital, as they open our eyes to the wideness of the Lutheran horizon. There is so much diversity and integrity of faith in the various churches that make up the LWF communion, and each of those riches can also enrich us, if we are able to talk with each other, and to listen to God’s voice speaking through our sisters and brothers.

For the record, then

3 bishops – Horst Mueller, Nils Rohwer and Wakseyoum Idossa

1 Chairman – Jon Ehlers (ELCE)

1 Retired Cathedral Dean -  Nils Kristian Lie

A day to remember: how great is God’s grace! November 2, 2010

I have to admit that yesterday – Reformation Day 2010 -  dawned for me with a sense of excitement/trepidation/sheer, unadulterated fear. The Lutheran Council of Great Britain, of which our church is also a member, decided some time ago to revive the old tradition that Lutheran churches in London had of organising a joint Reformation service for everyone. But these services stopped some decades ago; and introducing a new idea to church life usually has some element of uncertainty to it. Even if you are convinced that it’s a GREAT IDEA, and that it is according to God’s holy will, and the Holy Spirit has inspired you – there’s still no guarantee that anyone at all is going to agree with you and join in.

The service was due to take place at the beautiful Danish church in Regents Park – thanks to Normunds Barons, who took all these pictures while I was involved in the service!

So, of course, just in case the lure of Lutheran company and the celebration of Martin Luther’s act of defiance in nailing his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg wasn’t enough to bring in a large congregation, we also had the prospect of Danish refreshments as a selling point. But we needn’t have worried at all. There were over 100 people present (compared to our estimate of 30-50!), including a guest youth choir from Norway, and congregation members from St Anne’s (including the Furaha Choir on great form), the Swedish, Norwegian, Latvian, Estonian, Chinese, Eritrean, German and, of course, Danish congregations. The service order we followed was the Danish Holy Communion service, but in an English translation, beautiful and spiritually satisfying in its spare simplicity; and we sang A mighty fortress, of course. Ethical considerations forbid me from talking about the sermon; but the musicians, including the guest choirs and the Danish Church Choir and organist, were all very good.

Members of the Furaha Choir

Pastor Else Hviid led the service, while Pastor Henrik Olsen presided at Communion, assisted by Latvian pastor, Eliza Zikmane.

Pastors Henrik Olsen and Eliza Zikmane

Pastor Hviid at the beginning of the service

Scriptures were read by David Lin, Chair of the Lutheran Church in Great Britain, Rev’d Tim Fletcher, Director of Operations for the Lutheran Council, and Rev’d Torbjorn Holt, Rector of the Norwegian Church and Chair of the Council.

All in all, it was a lovely event, joyous, celebratory and simple. We really hope and pray that this is a tradition that will now continue and become an important part of Lutheran life in London.

Afterwards a group of us went on to St Anne’s in the City of London for a Reformation Bach Vespers service. The music included 2 Bach Cantatas: BWV 55 “Ich armer Mensch, ich Suendenknecht” ( a solo Cantata for tenor, marvellously sung by BBC Singer Chris Bowen), and, inevitably, BWV 80 “Ein feste Burg”.   Pastor Tim Dearhamer led the service and preached, Trevor Broomhall read, immaculately as always; and the Sweelinck Ensemble, led  by St Anne’s Cantor, Martin Knizia,  were magnificent.

Standing - the Sweelinck singers (Emily Atkinson, Patricia Hammond, Chris Bowen and David Soar)

It was lovely to meet up with old friends, including pianist Daniel Ben Pienaar, attending not as a perfomer this time, and St Anne’s stalwarts John Pugh, Emily Curcio, John Peacham and many others.

I genuinely cannot think of a better way to celebrate the 493rd Anniversary of the Reformation. Thank you, Lord.

Various moments of peace in a busy schedule October 23, 2010

The last few weeks have been busy indeed. After returning from the Porvoo meetings at the beginning of October, we had a meeting with our Lay Ministers on Saturday 9 October, discussing changes and developments to their ministry, as well as the possible future diaconate. Then on Tuesday 12 October I was invited to a meeting with young volunteers from the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America), working in Great Britain as part of the Time for God scheme. According to their website; “Created in 1965, TFG is one of the largest and most experienced Christian volunteering organisations in the UK.  We aim to enable people to grow – professionally, personally and spiritually – through full-time voluntary service.” At any one time, there are 100 or so volunteers, working in both the UK and overseas. The group of young Americans I met with were mostly new to the UK, enthusiastic and committed, and looking forward to this year of service and prayer. Some of the young people each year find their way to LCiGB Congregations, and we are always happy to offer them support and prayer. Rev’d Arden Haug, ELCA Representative in Europe, and I immensely enjoyed our time with them and the staff, including director, David Williamson, and Lesley Anne DiMarco. The evening concluded with an act of worship, the first of the moments of peace in these busy days, and an opportunity to make a ‘Pearls of Life’ bracelet.

The rest of the week included a flying visit to Hannover for a meeting of the German National Committee of the Lutheran World Federation, which convened to discuss the recent LWF Assembly, and to look at ways in which the German churches (and the smaller Western European churches, which are invited as guests to the German Committee) can implement the recommendations and resolutions of the Assembly.

Then on Tuesday 19 October Bishop Rupert Hoare and met in Liverpool with two of the leaders of the Lutheran congregation there, Stan Royden and Robert Lee.

 

Bishop Hoare, Stan Royden, Robert Lee

We were discussing 2 areas of co-operation – the process for the congregation at the Gustaf Adolf Church to join LCiGB, and the development of a Lutheran study centre in Liverpool. The ideas, which sprang from an article a couple of years ago in The Window, newsletter of the Anglican-Lutheran Society, were first raised by Rev’d Dr Roy Long, and now appear to be within reach of becoming reality.

Usually when I go to Liverpool there is not time to really have a look round the city, which has changed greatly over the last years. But this time I deliberately booked a later train back in order to have time to walk. What a treat!

 

Looking towards the famous Liver Building

Liverpool is a place that is very aware of its heritage, with some marvellous, proud Victorian architecture, as well as the whole package of cultural riches. There was no time to visit the museums, although the Tate Liverpool looked great from the outside.

 

The Tate Liverpool

There was time, though, to sit for half an hour in Liverpool Parish Church, an island of complete calm and stillness amid the traffic roaring past. Again – a moment to pray, to think and just enjoy the surroundings of this uncluttered sacred space. Sadly, I quite forgot to take pictures, but do have a look at their website.

The next day, Wednesday 20 October, was the day that some of the pastors and lay ministers of LCiGB gathered at the Focolare Centre for unity  in Welwyn Garden City for our Annual Retreat (“Come and be Refreshed”), and the joy of 48 hours spent in each others’ company, worshipping and praying together. This year our retreat was led by Chris Chapman, Diocesan Spiritual Formation Adviser in for the Church of England’s Diocese of Southwark. Chris guided us with great skill and patience to reconnect with God through prayer and meditation, with suggestions for quiet prayer, joint exercises, conversation and discussion. It was very well done, enabling us all to find refreshment and renewal.

 

Participants at the Retreat

The surroundings of the Focolare Centre also helped, as it is elegantly simple and spare. The room in which we met had no distracting features, which was very helpful in allowing us to concentrate. The chapel, small and also very simple, offered a welcoming space for our morning, evening and night prayers, as well as the 2 Holy Communion services.

 

The side chapel where the reserved sacrament is kept

 

Bishop Emeritus Walter, Pastor Tumaini Kallaghe and Chris Chapman

There were opportunities also to talk and socialise, and much laughter alongside the prayer and thought.

 

The Centre had thougtfully provided a gluten free diet for one pastor

As always, we missed those who were unable to come, especially Pastor Tim and Sarah, who were both ill. After a closing Holy Communion we took affectionate leave from one another, strengthened in our bonds with our gracious Lord and with one another.

And now – onwards to Reformation next Sunday, 31 October!

PS – no idea what happened with the fonts in this post, and no way to change them. Sorry!

The Porvoo Communion – via Copenhagen and Madrid October 9, 2010

Some 5 years ago we began a process that arrived at a partial resolution this last week. Conscious of the fact that there were member churches in the Lutheran Council of Great Britain who had different relationships with the Church of England, some of us were delegated to begin conversations with the CofE’s Council for Christian Unity (CCU) to try and regularise the situation. The Nordic Churches in the Council (Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish and Icelandic) were all covered by the Porvoo agreement, so had a close and friendly relationship with our majority church; the German congregations were part of the Meissen Agreement, and therefore also had opportunities for shared mission and service. But the Lutheran Church in Great Britain, the Estonian congregations, the Latvian congregations, the Danish congregation and the Hungarians (now no longer existing) had no formal agreement or basis for our co-operation with the CofE. So Tom Bruch, Very Rev’d Lagle Heinla (then the Dean of the Estonian Church in England), Rev’d Torbjorn Holt, Rector of the Norwegian Church and I sat down for exhaustive, interesting and lengthy talks with the representatives of CCU. We talked about theology, deciding in the end that there were no church dividing issues between us; we talked about models of joint mission and worship; we talked about structural issues and administrative hurdles; we even dreamed for a while about a ‘Lutheran rose in the Anglican garden’. In the end, we came to the very positive conclusion that the LCiGB should be invited to be an observer in the Porvoo Communion, with a view to an eventual signing of the Declaration and full participation. The Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad was also invited to join the Porvoo flock this summer.

So on Saturday morning, 2 October, I headed off for the first leg of a Porvoo journey: firstly to Copenhagen, to witness the signing of the Porvoo agreement by the Danish Church (they had been observers since the Porvoo Declaration was first agreed and signed in 1996). The service marking this historic signing took place in the Lutheran Cathedral in Copenhagen – a beautifully austere, classical building decorated only by a beautiful statue of Christ as an altarpiece, and the 11 apostles +Paul arranged along the sides of the cathedral.

 

The altar in Copenhagen Cathedral

 

People had gathered to celebrate this historic day from all the Porvoo community (except for the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church); communion was celebrated together by the Bishop of Copenhagen, Rt Revd Peter Skov-Jakobsen, and Rt Rev’d Christopher Hill, Bishop of Guildford and Chair of CCU.

 

Clergy at the altar in the Cathedral

 

The contrast between the elegant, austere plain black of the Danish clergy (with the beautiful ruffs) and the more colourful and elaborate robes, not just of the Anglican participants, but also of several Lutheran bishops, illustrated visually the diversity of spirituality and churchmanship to be found within and between our traditions. The straightforward and reflective service also served as a contrast to the previous evening’s worship at the Anglican church in Copenhagen, St Alban’s – a traditional Evensong, very traditionally Anglican.

 

Inside St Alban's - slightly blurred, I'm afraid

 

The building itself might have been found in any English parish – very unlikely in Denmark.

 

Classical pillars outside the Cathedral in Copenhagen

 

Leaving the cool beauty of the Cathedral behind, we attended a reception at the Bishop’s House just across the road, with a modicum of moving and appropriate speeches, and a chance to talk to some old friends, and develop new networks. For instance, one of the people attending was Archbishop Poder from Estonia, which gave us an opportunity to discuss the relationship between LCiGB and the Estonian congregations in England.

 

Archbishop Andres Poder

 

It was particularly appropriate that 2 people highly influential in building up Porvoo – Dean John Arnold and Colin Menzies – were both able to be there.

One last image from Copenhagen – in a building obviously influenced by Enlightenment thought, the statue of ‘Doubting Thomas’ was depicted as a scientist holding a set square…

After some brief introductory meetings with the Porvoo Contact Group on Sunday evening, we all set off early for Madrid (but I’m assured that this is not normal practice for Porvoo meetings). There we were greeted by beautiful warm sunshine – a real blessing as we head into autumn and dark days. The main bulk of the Porvoo business was conducted at the Cathedral of the Spanish Episcopal Reformed Church, a member of the Anglican Communion and of Porvoo.The Bishop of the church, Carlos Lopez Lozana, welcomed us very warmly, and we were able to enjoy marvellous Spanish food between the business sessions.

 

The members of the Porvoo Contact Group in the Cathedral of the Redeemer, Madrid

 

in the front of the picture, from the left, are Rev’d Dr Leslie Nathaniel, Anglican Co-Secretary of Porvoo, Bishop Karl Sigurbjornsson from Iceland,  Bishop Carlos, Bishop Martin Wharton from Newcastle.

The main bulk of the meeting was spent discussing events in each church, planning future consultations (on conflict, marriage, interfaith relations and so on), identifying ways in which Porvoo churches can co-operate and so on. We also had time to get to know the local church situation, and to worship together and with the congregation of the Cathedral. The opening Eucharist service was in a rite specific to the Spanish church – a combination of Book of Common Prayer and the Mozarabic rite. Quite unique.

 

Coming into the Cathedral

 

Archbishop Elmars Rozitis of the Latvian Church Abroad and I were newcomers to this group: and at times the amount of new organisational and relational information was a little dizzying. But we were given a very warm welcome indeed: and the future prospects for co-operation, consultation and mutual sharing seem good indeed.

The official press release of the meeting was this:

Press release from the Porvoo Contact Group

Two new observer churches in the Porvoo Communion

Two new churches now have an observer status in the Porvoo communion. These are the Lutheran Church in Great Britain (LCiGB) and the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad (LELCA).

The annual Porvoo Contact group meeting took place in Madrid on October 4 – 7. Present as an observer for the first time was the Rt. Revd Jana Jeruma-Grinberga, bishop of the Lutheran Church in Great Britain (LCiGB) who had applied to the Porvoo Contact Group in before its meeting in Sigtuna in March 2010 and been accepted as an observer.

The Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad (LELCA) had also expressed interest in an observer status.  The Most Revd Elmārs Ernsts Rosītis, archbishop of the LELCA was subsequently invited to be a guest at the meeting in October where the application was discussed by the contact group and accepted.

This brings the number of observer churches in the Porvoo communion to three, the third being the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia.

In accordance with the mandate of the Porvoo Agreement to “share a common life in mission and service”, representatives of the churches in the Porvoo Contact Group shared information on their churches and discussed issues of common concern. These include the topic  of upcoming seminars on Conflict resolution, Marriage, Interfaith issues and migrant churches, to be held in the next two years.

The Porvoo Communion is a communion of churches, mostly in Northern Europe, that have signed a declaration to “share a common life in mission and service”. The churches that signed the agreement are The Evangelical-Lutheran Churches of Estonia, Lithuania, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Finland and the Anglican churches of Wales, Ireland, Scotland and England. Two churches from Southern Europe also belong to the Porvoo Communion. They are the Lusitanian Church in Portugal and the Reformed Episcopal Church of Spain. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia, The Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad and The Lutheran Church in Great Britain have observer status.

www.porvoochurches.org

And just a few more pictures:

 

Listening to a presentation in the hall of the Cathedral

 

 

Beate Fagerli (Norway, Lutheran Co-Secretary) and Archbishop Elmars

 

 

Elspeth Davey (Scotland) and Rev'd Christopher Meakin (Sweden)

 

 

Rev'd Jan Nilsson from Denmark

 

And after the meeting had finished, there was still just a little time to have a quick look at Madrid – such a glorious city! The Prado Museum was stunning (the Black Goyas quite extraordinary, and not in a good way, the Bosch Garden of Delights, the Goyas and Velasquez and Murillos….) Just walking through the streets was lovely, with much great and eccentric architecture.

One last image: on the final evening, we were invited to a meal with the Bishop and staff of the Cathedral: Sra Lopez had made a real paella valenciana in a traditional pan, needing 2 people to carry eat. By all accounts it was delicious.

Let us hope that God will guide us in these new relationships, and that we will be able to play our full part in this community of Anglican and Lutheran Christians.