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Hundredth anniversary of Bonhoeffer's birth commemorated in London

The hundredth anniversary of the birth of Dietrich Bonhoeffer was commemorated at two services in London on 5 February 2006. Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor in Germany, born on 4 February 1906 and killed by the Nazis on 9 April 1945. Before the war he had served two German congregations in London.

In the morning, a service was conducted at St George’s German Lutheran Church, in the East End of London, which included the first public performance of the Bonhoeffer-Messe by Richard von Schoor. The choral work, for choir, organ and string quartet, was based upon some of Bonhoeffer’s words. The officient was the Revd Iris Hellmich and the preacher was the Revd Christoph Hellmich, pastor of St Mary’s with St George’s Lutheran Church.Bishop Dr Margot Käßmann,

In the evening of the same day, a commemorative service was held at Westminster Abbey, where Bonhoeffer’s statue is among those portraying martyrs of the modern era, positioned above the main entrance of the abbey. The congregation was welcomed by the Revd Canon Dr Nicholas Sagovsky, Canon Theologian of the Abbey. The preacher was Bishop Dr Margot Käßmann, Bishop of the Church of Hannover. Referring in her sermon to Bonhoeffer’s resistance against Hitler, mainly on the grounds of the Nazis’ treatment of the Jews, Bishop Käßmann said: ‘As a German who was born 13 years after his death, I am grateful that there were people like him. With foresight, with courage, with faith. I know that my church failed in many ways during those days. And I am not sure whether I would have done any better. But I am convinced that it is our duty to remember the martyrs of our church. That will give ourselves and our children and grandchildren strength to resist ideology, the temptation towards violence and seduction by power. It will give us strength to stand up for fellow human beings, for justice and peace. If we grow in faith we will grow in courage to resist. That is what Bonhoeffer teaches me today’.

The full text of Bishop Käßmann’s sermon is available at: http://www.ekd.de/download/EKD-Text-83.pdf

Anglicans and Lutherans consider if ethical issues must divide churches

Following the Annual General Meeting of the Anglican-Lutheran Society, held on 11 March at Southwark Cathedral in London , participants heard papers by a Lutheran and an Anglican on whether ethical issues, such as homosexuality, must be church-dividing—both within churches and between different churches.

Presenting the Lutheran perspective was Dr Kenneth Appold, research professor at the Lutheran World Federation's Institute for Ecumenical Research in Strasbourg . The Anglican speaker was the Revd Dr Jeremy Morris, Dean of Trinity Hall, Cambridge University , and Director of Studies in Theology.Dr Appold and Dr Morris

Both speakers said that although homosexuality caused divisions in their respective churches, such divisions might be overcome. They also acknowledged the difficulties that could arise for the Church of England and some Lutheran churches by the Church of Sweden ’s recent decision to bless same-sex partnerships. The full texts of the papers will eventually be available on the web site of the Society, which is being developed. Those who would like copies now (as emailed pdf files) may request them from enquiries@lutheran.org.uk.

Anglican-Lutheran International Commission meets in Tanzania

The third Anglican-Lutheran International Commission (ALIC) held its first meeting in Moshi, Tanzania, on 13-19 January 2006. The commission was established by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) to continue dialogue between Lutherans and Anglicans on the global level, which began in 1970.

The Revd Dr Fredrick Shoo, Dean of the Lutheran Cathedral in Moshi and assistant to the bishop of the Northern Diocese, welcomed the commission to the Uhuru Lutheran Hostel, where the meeting was held. Members of the commission were told that the beginning of the Christian presence in the Kilimanjaro region was an Anglican-Lutheran initiative. The Church of England’s Church Missionary Society (CMS) began work in the region in the 1840’s, sending a German Lutheran missionary and asking him to report back to London. When the area became part of German East Africa, Anglican work moved to Kenya and the Leipzig Mission developed Lutheran congregations in northern Tanzania.

The Rt Revd Simon Makundi, bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Kilimanjaro, also welcomed the commission, speaking of the very close relationship that existed between Anglicans and Lutherans in the region. He described himself as ‘Lutheran-Anglican’, who had been baptised and raised in the Lutheran church and later became an Anglican priest. He said that there were many who had similar Lutheran-Anglican connections and that he ‘would like Lutherans and Anglicans to be united as one church to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.’ ‘Spreading the gospel’, he said, ‘is more important than territoriality.’ Lutheran Cathedral, Moshi

The commission joined a congregation of more than 600 at the Lutheran Cathedral in Moshi for Holy Communion on Sunday, 15 January. The preacher was the Ven. Dr. Cathy Thomson, an Anglican member of the commission from Australia, who also preached at an earlier service that day with a congregation of more than 700. Both Anglican and Lutheran commission members were impressed by the large and vibrant worshipping community at the cathedral.

Later in the week commission members visited the Anglican Cathedral in Arusha, about an hour’s drive from Moshi, and met several members of the cathedral’s staff. Bishop Makundi’s observation that there were many Lutheran-Anglicans was borne out when he introduced his director of music, a Lutheran, and the director of evangelism, a Lutheran pastor now working for the diocese.

The mandate of ALIC will guide the work of the commission in the coming years. It includes: monitoring and advising on the development of Anglican-Lutheran relations around the world, having regard to consistency and issues of transitivity (the consequences that an agreement reached in one ecumenical relationship might have for other relationships); exploring the possibility of common actions and statements, in particular, promoting joint study projects; considering ways to engage with the wider ecumenical movement; and ensuring consultation on emerging developments in regional Anglican-Lutheran relations.

The commission, appointed by the LWF and ACC, is co-chaired by the Rt Revd Fred Hiltz, bishop of the Anglican diocese of Nova Scotia, Canada, and the Revd Dr Thomas Niywe, president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon. Anglican members of the commission were from churches in Australia, Botswana, Canada, England and the USA. Lutheran members attending the meeting were from Cameroon, Canada, Denmark, Finland and Germany. One of the consultants to the commission was the Revd Tom Bruch, general secretary of the Lutheran Council of Great Britain

The commission identified a number of important issues for Anglican-Lutheran relationships around the world, including: the place of the historic episcopate; life and work in the service of the gospel; and theological education and formation. ALIC will also focus on regional agreements between Anglicans and Lutherans, such as Porvoo, the Waterloo Agreement, Called to Common Mission and Meissen, particularly how these might be developed and applied more broadly.

New priest at Danish Church in London

The Revd Hanne Vejs Christensen was installed as the pastor of the Danish Church in London on 18 December 2005. Previously she served parishes in Copenhagen and in Toronto. In addition to her theological training she has a degree in economics and prior to her ordination she worked for 14 years as a systems engineer for IBM. There are four Danish priests in Britain—two in London and two in Hull.

The articles above appear in The Lutheran Link, the newsletter of The Lutheran Council of Great Britain, published three times a year. You can download a web edition of The Lutheran Link, which includes more articles and information.

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