Advent is the time when we await the coming of Christ as the King of Peace. In these warlike days, we realise more and more that the expectation and hope of God's kingdom of peace also requires us to work for peace.

From the CPCE office, we wish you a blessed Advent and Christmas season. The CPCE office will be closed from 23 December 2023 to 6 January 2024.

Yours, Mario Fischer

General Secretary of the CPCE

The Synod (Assembly) of the Evangelical Church of the Palatinate celebrated the anniversary of the Leuenberg Agreement with a ceremony. People from the European partner churches shared their experiences of what church communion means to them. General Secretary Mario Fischer awarded the anniversary medal to Church President Dorothee Wüst and former Church President Christian Schad for his commitment as head of the delegation to the CPCE dialogue with the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

"From Conflict to Koinonia – (Ana)baptist Churches in Germany in History and Ecumenical Present" - this is the theme of the 68th European Conference on Denominational Studies, which will take place in German from 23 to 24 February 2024 at the Konfessionskundliches Institut in Bensheim. You are cordially invited! Please register by 19 January 2024 at the latest at the Konfessionskundliches Institut (info@ki-eb.de).

From this point forward, we would like to present one of our books resulting from the theological work of the CPCE.

A contribution from the Reformation Churches in Europe to the Relationship between Christians and Jews.

The document, adopted by the CPCE General Assembly in 2001, offers analyses of the biblical foundations and historical development of the relationship between the Church and Israel, discusses previous attempts to clarify the difficult relationship, and develops its own definition of this relationship. It concludes with practical recommodations on considering Judaism in theology and the church, and a call to take joint responsibility for the world.

It is supplemented by a report of the conference held to evaluate its reception 10 years later, and by two assessments of the study presented on that occasion.

You can order this book in the CPCE online shop:

On 11 January 2024 in the afternoon and 12 January 2024 in the morning, staff from the CPCE office will offer an introductory webinar, giving an overview over the history as well as the theological work of the CPCE. It is aimed at staff in CPCE member churches who are taking on new responsibilities in the area of international and/or ecumenical relations. It will be held on the Zoom platform. Please register by emailing o.engelhardt@leuenberg.eu. Please pass this information on to all colleagues who could benefit from it.

Applications for Global Mission Fellows are now open. This United Methodist Church program is for young adults aged 20-30 who want to address injustice. Young people in your context who want to actively participate in alleviating suffering in the world and spend two years working on a specific project in another country can apply by January 17, 2024. Please pass this information on to suitable people!