We are all familiar with the figures in a nativity scene. Mary and Joseph, obediently accepting their part in God’s plan. The shepherds, encouraged by the angel to find the Messiah. The Magi, intrigued by a star announcing the birth of a king. In their midst a newly born baby. It is the presence of this baby that has brought them all together. As a matter of fact, the baby cannot do anything much other than to be present at this point.

In this presence, past and future converge. Prophecy turns into fulfilment. All the other people present in the scene have come with some kind of expectation regarding the future of the baby. In the Gospel of Matthew, Joseph is told that the baby will grow up to save his people from their sins. In the Gospel of Luke, Mary is told that the baby will grow up to reign on David’s throne forever. The shepherds are told that the Messiah has been born. The Magi are looking for a baby that will grow up to be the king of the Jews. So it is that all of them arrive at the lowly stable not only to welcome a newborn. They come with hope.
Christmas is only the beginning.

We finally opened our new Lutheran headquarters at Trident House on 31^st October. The Council of Lutheran Churches, the Lutheran Church in Great Britain and the International Lutheran Student Centre invited guests from across the Lutheran and ecumenical community to join them.

Bishop Tor and Bishop Jāna form the Lutheran Church were joined by Bishop Christopher from the Church of England Diocese of Southwark for the liturgical act of commitment of the new space. The service was followed by three short greetings from CLC General Secretary Dr. Anna Krauß, LCiGB Council Chairman Jeff Trinklein and CLC Student Chaplain Rebecca Daniel.

We were joined by trustees, people from across our member churches, the student chaplaincy and some ecumenical friends from the Methodist and United Reformed Church. The house was open for visitors to explore the space late into the afternoon.

We moved on to St Mary’s German Church for a Reformation Day Service. People from four different continents and eleven countries were gathered together as Bishop Tor preached and the Swahili choir lifted the spirits even further with their singing.

The office at Trident House is now open Monday to Friday during normal office hours. Let us know if you want to come and visit, so we can make sure someone can give you a tour! Member Churches can book our rooms for free, but we do ask for a refundable deposit if a meeting happens outside the hours of 9am to 5pm and on weekends. If you are not a CLC member church, please get in touch to find out how you can hire a meeting space or use our recording studio.

We would love to invite you to join us in the Reformation service on the 31st of October at 6 pm at St. Mary’s German Lutheran Church, 10 Sandwich Street, London WC1H 9PL. It will be good that all CLC member churches can join in commemorating the Reformation day. Kindly let us know whether it will be possible for you and your congregation to be part of this service by sending an e-mail to Meelis meelis.sueld@lutheran.org.uk.

We are finally able to move into our new office in Southwark! The office will be opened on 31^st October with an act of dedication at 10 am. If you would like to be present in the morning, please let Emily know (Emily@lutheran.org.uk). For those who are unable to attend in the morning, the office will be open for visitors until 5pm. We will end the day with a Reformation Day Service at St Mary’s German Church to which everyone is warmly invited.

St Anne’s Lutheran Church in London will be holding a series of reflective discussion sessions on the theme ‘War and Peace: Christian Faith and the Use of Violence’ and would like to warmly invite members of other CLC churches to join for any or all of them. Please find below the invitation: 

Every year, Christians and other communities in the UK mark the end of WWI with a minute of silence on Remembrance Sunday. Mixed emotions and profound questions often accompany this day: Does such remembering glorify or condemn violence? Is it ever legitimate, or even an obligation, that Christians take up arms and fight? How do we reconcile the conflicting views on pacifism and the use of force we encounter in the Bible, different Christian traditions, and our own congregations?

This year, in the light of the Russia’s war against Ukraine, these questions may be more pressing for us than ever. We want to take time to reflect on them, to learn from each other, share and reconsider our views, and listen to what the Spirit has to tell us for our lives and world today.

In a series of three reflective discussion sessions, we will draw on resources and perspectives from the Christian tradition:

• 23rd October 2022, 12:30-13:30 – Session 1: Voices from Scripture
• 30th October 2022, 12:30-13:30 – Session 2: Voices from Church History
• 6th November 2022, 12:30-13:30 – Session 3: Voices from Christian Ethics
• 13th November 2022, 11:00-12:00 – Remembrance Sunday Service

Each session last about one hour and can be attended individually (but the conversation will continue from session to session, so attending all three is ideal). No preparation is required. The sessions take place at St Mary-at-Hill (Lovat Lane, London EC3R 8EE; nearest tube: Monument), right after the 11am Sunday service of St Anne’s Lutheran Church there, and our shared reflections will conclude in the writing of the prayers of the people for Remembrance Sunday. The conversations will be facilitated by Sebastian Matzner (Lutheran Church in Great Britain ordinand).

All are most welcome to join!

The Lutheran Church in Great Britain (LCiGB) is searching for candidates for a bishop to succeed the Rt Revd Tor Berger Jorgensen, who will retire in 2023. The Bishop Search Committee is open for suggested candidates from both inside the LCiGB as well as from other Lutheran Churches by 5 September 2022.  The new bishop will be elected by the LCiGB Synod in April 2023. Read more about the recruitment process on the LCiGB web.

This role is to support the reinvention of the ILSC as a non-accommodation-based student community centre that continues to also support local university chaplains and Lutheran chaplains and pastors. This post will be most closely involved in student support work, and much of this role will be involved in helping to raise the profile of the ILSC as well as help formulate its mission and focus as it develops over the coming academic year. Part-time (10 hours per week) £11.05 per hour (London Living Wage), closing date for applications 28th August. Apply for the job by sending your CV and a covering letter to chaplain@lutheran.org.uk explaining why you are interested in applying for the position of ILSC Chaplaincy Assistant.

More information: Job Vacancies

St Anne’s Lutheran Church is looking for an Administrator. The job is part time (16 h/w), and with possibility to work half from home. For more information read the full advert and job specification.

The Council of Lutheran Churches decided to donate £10.000 to help Ukrainian people in the time of war. The support is given through the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) which has investigated the needs and found the best possibilities to help people in Ukraine and especially those escaping from war to find a safe place abroad.

“As the Council of Lutheran Churches in Great Britain, we express our shock and horror at the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces under President Putin. Together with churches across the globe we continue to tirelessly pray for peace and the cessation of hostilities as pictures of unspeakable atrocities committed in occupied territories in Ukraine reach us,” wrote CLC Chair Rt Rev Tor Berger Jørgensen and CLC General Secretary Dr Anna Krauß to the LWF. “Many Lutheran communities in Great Britain were established by refugees who had to flee European war zones or Russian occupation in the 20th century. The cry for help from those fleeing Ukraine resonates deeply with us. We respond to this cry locally in whichever way we can. We also want to extend our support to those churches in the countries neighbouring Ukraine which have been so heavily involved in helping refugees finding sanctuary. Lutherans in the UK received financial support from LWF after arriving in the UK. Now that we are in a position to support others, we gladly dedicate our annual donation fund of £10.000 to LWF for its support of Ukrainian refugees and its assistance provided to the local churches helping them,” states the accompanying letter.

The General Secretary of the LWF Anne Burghardt said that UK Lutheran’s donation is very much appreciated,“Please forward cordial thanks to the Council of Lutheran Churches in Great Britain for this generous support. The LWF member churches in neighbouring countries to Ukraine are offering support to Ukrainian  refugees, and the LWF does its best to accompany them in this. We are also in close contact with our member church in Ukraine in order to supply what is most needed currently.”

For updates from the Council of Lutheran Churches in May 2022 please read our newsletter.