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Newsletter April 2022
 

Topic overview:

  • Editorial 
  • War in Ukraine
  • New proxy Council member
  • News from the member churches
  • 50 years since the Leuenberg Agreement

We are all concerned at the moment with the war in Ukraine. What many member churches are currently doing to support the people in and from Ukraine cannot be appreciated highly enough.

In March the Council of the CPCE met to conduct a session in Strasbourg.

I wish to take this opportunity to inform you about Council's decisions.

Best wishes
Mario Fischer
General Secretary of the CPCE 
War in Ukraine

The Council of the CPCE released a declaration, which you can access online in English, German, French, Italian and Estonian.
 
Statement of CPCE
New proxy Council member

Professor Thomas-Andreas Põder’s appointment to the head office of the CPCE opened a vacancy for a proxy member of Council. The Council co-opted Revd Hedi Vilumaa from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Estonia to this position.

We are looking forward to the collaboration!
News from the member churches
Development in member churches in Latvia
 

The synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia (ELCL) has decided to withdraw from the CPCE. This is the first withdrawal from the CPCE so far. The decision was made after several years of increasing divergence, as shown for example by the synod’s decision in 2016 to not accept women for ordination and different scriptural hermeneutics. The Council has taken note of the ELCL’s decision, thus completing its withdrawal and terminating the pulpit and table fellowship.

At the same time, the German Evangelical Lutheran Church in Latvia (GELCL) has applied for admission to the CPCE. For years, the church has considered the Leuenberg Agreement fundamental to its parish work, already formalising this in a synod resolution in 2007. The Council has agreed to this request and welcomes the GELCL as the 110th signatory church to the CPCE.
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. A call for papers will shortly be issued for this event.

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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CPCE, Severin-Schreiber-Gasse 3,
1180 Wien, Tel.: +43 59 1517 00900

E-Mail: sekretariat@leuenberg.eu