Topic overview:

• Editorial
• 50th anniversary of the Leuenberg Agreement 
  
• From the Member Churches 
• 2024 General Assembly 
• From Events
• From the Head Office
  

Anniversary Meeting of Church Leaders

One of the highlights of the anniversary year "Leuenberg 50" was the meeting of church leaders on 4 and 5 July 2023 in Vienna. In a good mood and inspiring atmosphere, 80 bishops and presidents, prelates and superintendents experienced fellowship and exchanged ideas.

The Regional Church of Lippe in Germany was the first Protestant church to sign the Leuenberg Agreement. The Assembly (Landessynode) commemorated this at its meeting in Lemgo in June 2023 and discussed its significance for today. The 50th anniversary was celebrated in a service in Bad Salzuflen.

Anniversary conference in Bern on ethical differences

How much plurality can the CPCE tolerate and how much commitment does it need to fulfil its socio-political mission in Europe? On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Leuenberg Agreement, the Protestant Church in Switzerland is organising a conference dealing with the ethical consequences of "reconciled diversity". The anniversary conference will take place from 3 to 5 November 2023 in Bern. Registrations are possible until 20 September 2023.

Agreement with GELCL signed

In 2022 the Council of the Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe accepted the German Evangelical Lutheran Church in Latvia (GELCL) as a member church in the church communion. On 3 June 2023 Rev Marcin Brzóska, President of CPCE, and Ingrid Müller, executive member of the DELKL Synodal Commission, confirmed this in a written agreement. On Trinity Sunday, 50 years of the Leuenberg Agreement were also commemorated in a service with communion at St Peter’s Church in Riga, the mother church of the Reformation in Latvia.

The importance of a logo or word-image brand cannot be overemphasised these days. In a time of media overload, visual messages are often more important than verbal ones. This is why the logo of the 2024 Assembly in Sibiu was so eagerly awaited.

The CPCE was present at the German Protestant Church Congress in Nuremberg with a stand at the Market of Opportunities as well as with two events and a special communion service (Feierabendmahl). We are grateful for many good encounters at the stand and at the events. Many people were moved by the fact that Protestant representatives from Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and twenty other countries came together at the table of the Lord at the CPCE Feierabendmahl.

The Assembly of the Conference of European Churches in Tallinn was one of the ecumenical highlights of 2023. Many CPCE member churches were also there and General Secretary Mario Fischer delivered a message of greeting from CPCE.