Newsletter November 2022 (English)

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Newsletter November 2022

Topic overview:

Editorial
From the Council
From work processes
New release
Announcements

Now the red and golden leaves are shining on the trees. In contrast to this is the situation in many parts of the world: the war in Ukraine is still going on and in Lebanon the economic supply situation is catastrophic. Both these topics also occupied the last CPCE Council meeting in Oslo.

But please, read for yourself!

With warm greetings,
Mario Fischer
General Secretary of the CPCE

From the Council

Delegation from the Middle East at Council meeting

For the first time, representatives of the Fellowship of Middle-East Evangelical Churches (FMEEC) took part in the Council meeting in Oslo. The Protestant churches in the Middle East formed a church communion in 2006 with the Amman Declaration. This makes the FMEEC the sister church communion of the CPCE in the Middle East. The President of the FMEEC Rev. Dr Andrea Zaki, the Vice-President Rev. Dr Badr Habib and the General Secretary Rosangela Jarjour discussed current challenges of the churches with the Council and agreed to intensify cooperation. While the Protestant youth movement is flourishing in Egypt, the Protestant churches in Lebanon are struggling to survive in the face of the catastrophic economic supply situation.

More Information

New member church in Ukraine

The Council of the CPE has accepted the German Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ukraine as a direct member of the church communion.

The Evangelical Lutheran churches in Russia and other successor states of the Soviet Union had already been discussing their membership in CPCE since 2019. Until now they had been represented together as the Federation of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Russia and Other States (ELCROS), but were now seeking their own membership.

The German Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ukraine (GELCU) was the first to submit such an application in the spring of 2022, which the Council of the CPCE approved at its meeting in Oslo on September 28, 2022.

By 2014, GELCU had 31 local churches and up to 20 pastors and deacons. The Russian annexation first of Crimea and since February 2022 the open war have destroyed church life in many places: human lives, church buildings, community.

At the same time, the church has taken on new tasks, such as providing essential goods to people devastated by the war.

To CPCE Website

Date of 9th General Assembly set

The Council set the date for the next General Assembly. It will take place from 27 August to 2 September 2024 in Sibiu, Romania. “Sibiu meets all the requirements for conducting such a major event, and it’s easily accessible,” says General Secretary Dr Mario Fischer. “The preparatory committees have already been working since the beginning of the year. The five (Lutheran, Reformed, Methodist) CPCE member churches in Romania are looking forward to meeting the delegates and are actively supporting us!”.

From work processes

Empowering Ordained Women

From 6 to 7 October 2022 the first CPCE women's network meeting took place in Vienna under the title "Empowering Ordained Women". Women pastors from the smaller CPCE-member churches from Eastern and Southern Europe took part in the meeting. The aim was networking among the women, mutual encouragement and exchange on how the visibility of women in spiritual offices and leadership functions can be strengthened. The network meeting was a great enrichment for all of the participants!

To CPCE Website

Church development is not a monoculture

At a conference on "Mixed Economy of Church" in Budapest (5-7/10/2022) 40 church people from 14 European countries met and compared their ideas on church development: What are the limits and restrictions of classic territorial congregations? What are the opportunities and threats of new forms of proclamation and community building? How can both forms exist together, as a “mixed forest”, so to speak?

Learn more

New release

New focus magazine

The booklet “Rich Relationships – The Joint Task of the Church as Diaspora” has been recently published as edition no. 30 of CPCE’s magazine focus. It is an abridged version and further development of the CPCE study document “Theology of Diaspora” which developed a concept of diaspora that understands diaspora as shaping fullness of relations in a spirit of Christian discipleship.

Order or Download

Anouncements

In the coming months, several consultations will take place in which representatives from Protestant churches in Europe will reflect theologically together. The topics were set at the last Assembly, and in the meantime smaller groups have already been working intensively. Please make a note of the following dates!

A consultation on Christian Speaking of God is planned for December 1-3, 2022 in Bad Vöslau (Austria). A draft of a study text is available to the member churches.

In June 2023 the Assembly of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) will take place. In preparation for this event, we invite the Protestant delegates to a pre-assembly on 30/31 January 2023 to Tallinn (Estonia).

From February 22-24, 2023, a consultation at Michaeliskloster Hildesheim (Germany) will discuss the study process on the Practice and Theology of the Lord's Supper.

From February 23 to 25, 2023 in Dresden (Germany) a consultation will discuss a major study document on issues of sexuality and gender as well as marriage and family.

In a few weeks, the member churches will have the opportunity to deal with the subject on the basis of a draft text. In order to have enough time for this, the date for the consultation has been postponed to February 2023.

50 years since the Leuenberg Agreement

The text of the Leuenberg Agreement was finalised in 1973 and remains the basis for our church communion until this day. We wish to celebrate the 50th anniversary with a series of events during 2023.

9 – 11 March 2023
Academic conference in Debrecen

The Reformed Theological University of Debrecen holds this conference in cooperation with the CPCE. The focus will be on the contemporary significance and creative potential of the Leuenberg Agreement in the context of the present-day realities of church and society in Europe. Registration has been opened already.

Conference Website

4 – 5 July 2023
Gathering of church leaders

Leaders of the member churches of the CPCE are invited to Vienna to discuss matters relating to the mission of churches in Europe and to identify issues for the CPCE to focus on in the future.

27 September – 1 October 2023
Gathering of synod members in Bad Herrenalb

Synod members from the member churches will meet for the fourth time. Besides recalling the integrating power emanating from the Leuenberg Agreement, up for discussion at this event are also the challenges that synods are facing and further topics as recommendations for synods’ ongoing work.

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