AGM
Every year the Society holds
an Annual General Meeting. So far these have been in London but
have been attended by members from all over Europe and from the
USA.
The next one will be on Saturday
5th March 2011. It will focus on Anglicans and Lutherans working
together for peace and justice in Jerusalem. Book the date in
your diary. Details here as soon as we have them.
The meetings themselves are very
short. The usual reports are given and officers and committee
members are elected. The rest of the time is given over to consideration
of a special topic or theme.
The 2010 AGM
was held on Saturday 13th March
at Christus Kirche, the German Church in Montpelier Place in London's
Knightsbridge.
The Business Meeting was chaired
by Bishop Rupert Hoare. His Lutheran Co-Moderator, Bishop Jana
Jeruma-Grinberga, was unable to attend the meeting and sent sincere
apologies to the members, who had gathered from all over Europe
and the UK.
The
Co-Moderators reported that the Society had enjoyed a good year.
The Conference in Turku, Finland, had been a great success, and
appreciation was expressed to the Rev Dr Jaakko Rusama (right),
our National Co-Ordinator in Finland, and his team, whose hard
work had born such wonderful fruit. The Moderators reminded the
meeting of the next Conference, to take place in Salisbury, UK,
16th-20th September, 2011, and informed the meeting that a conference
for theological students from across the world was being planned
for 2012. Details of both will appear on the 'Conferences' page
as soon as they are available.
The Treasurer, Canon Guy Smith,
reported that the Society's finances are in good order. He gave
notice that he would like to relinquish the post next year. So
if you have any ideas who might take on the Treasurer's role please
contact the Moderators.
Our
Moderators were both re-elected. The Executive Committee has one
more year of its three year stint to serve. But the Rev Siggi
Arnarson had resigned and so the Rev Elîza Zikmane of the
Latvian Church Abroad (left) was elected to serve for one year.
Written reports were received
from our National Co-Ordinators, who were thanked for their hard
work on behalf of the Society.
Two members of the Executive Committee
will be travelling to Tampa in the USA in April to support members
of the American Chapter of the Society (known in the USA as the
'International Lutheran-Episcopal Society') in advertising our
work to those attending the Annual National Workshop on Christian
Unity there. The Society will also have a stand at the Second
Ecumenical Kirchentag in Munich in May.
Following the meeting, members
turned to the topic for the day:
'MAKING MEISSEN
WORK'
Our
Anglican President, Dean John Arnold (pictured here) briefly reminded
the meeting of the steps that led to the Meissen Agreement. Full
text here.
Then the Co-Chairmen of the Meissen
Commission, the Rt Rev Jürgen Johanesdotter, former Bishop
of the Landeskirche of Schaumburg-Lippe (and also Lutheran President
of the Society) - full text here
- and the Rt
Rev Nick Baines, Bishop of Croydon (left) - summary here
- described some of the ways in which the agreement was being
implemented on both sides, and some of the successes, disappointments
and challenges that have been encountered along the way.
Full summaries of these three
presentations will be published in the April 2010 edition of 'The
Window'.
After a splendid Mediterranean
lunch members were invited to share experiences with one another
and with a panel that included Bishops Baines and Johannesdotter,
the Rev Dr Leslie Nathaniel from the Council for Christian Unity
of the Church of England, and Rev John Yule, Vicar of Fen Drayton
in Cambridgeshire who, together with his wife, has been very active
in developing relations between the Diocese of Ely and the North
Elbian Lutheran Church in Germany. It is hoped that some of the
points raised in discussion will also appear in 'The Window'.
The closing worship was led by
the pastors of the German-speaking congregation, Anne-Kathrin
and Wolfgang Kruse.
The 2009 AGM
was held on Saturday 7th March
at The Augustana Centre, 30 Thanet Street, London WC1H 9QH. It
was the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Society.
During the business meeting The
Rev Tom Bruch stood down after many years of faithful service
as Lutheran Co-Moderator. The meeting expressed deep appreciation
for all that he has done. The Rt Rev Jana Jeruma-Grinberga, Bishop
of the Lutheran Church in Great Britain was elected as his successor.
Reports were received from the
Co-Moderators, the Treasurer and the National Co-ordinators. Members
were given an update on the preparations for the conference in
September, and details can be found on the 'Conferences' page.
The rest of the day focussed on
Anglican-Lutheran relations. The Rev Dr Charlotte Methuen, a member
of the Anglican Lutheran International Commission, set the scene,
describing the current state of Anglican-Lutheran relationships
around the world. To read a transcript of her talk click here.
Then Bishop Michael Westall, former
Bishop of the Anglican Southwest Tanganyika Diocese, spoke about
relationships between our two communions in Tanzania, and commented
on recent developments in the Anglican Communion from an African
perspective. To read his paper click here.
After lunch the Rev David Cornick
of the United Reformed Church and Fr Phillip Swingler, Roman Catholic,
responded to what they have heard during the morning session.
They were then joined by Dr Methuen and Bishop Westall, and the
meeting ended with open discussion and plenty of questions and
contributions from the floor. A summary of this plenary can be
found here.
The day concluded with Lutheran
Vespers led by Bishop Jana Jeruma-Grinberga. The preacher was
the Rev Tumaini Kallaghe, Pastor of the Swahili congregation at
St Anne's Church in London. The Furaha Choir led the singing in
both English and Swahili.
Members can find a full account
of the day's events in the April 2009 edition of 'The Window'.
The 2008 AGM
was on Saturday 8th March, 2008
at St Matthew's Church, Westminster
After a brief business meeting,
during which the new constitution was adopted, the topic for the
rest of the day was a celebration of the Icelandic priest-poet,
Hallgrimur Petursson (1614-1674). His 'Passion Hymns', telling
the story of the passion of Christ, have provided Icelanders with
spiritual support during the most difficult times in their national
and personal history. They are read, all fifty of them, on Icelandic
State Radio during the season of Lent. The largest church in Reykjavik,
Hallgrimskirkja, is named in his honour.
The Icelandic Ambassador in
London, His Excellency Mr Sverrir Gunnlaugsson, under whose
patronage this part of the event took place, welcomed the large
audience.
Dr Einar Sigurbjornsson from
the University of Iceland described Hallgrimur's theology, his
place within the Lutheran tradition, and the spiritual importance
of the 'Passion Hymns'.
Dr Margret Eggertsdottir of
the Arni Magnusson Institute in Reykjavik spoke of his place
within the literary heritage both of Iceland and of Western
Europe as a whole.
The Rev Berhardur Gudmundsson
of the National Church of Iceland described the place and significance
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland among all the
other Churches of the world.
All three papers can be found
on our 'Papers and Publications' page. Just click here.
The day ended with a celebration of the Lord's
Supper according to the Icelandic Rite.
The 2007 AGM
took place on Saturday 10th March
at the Finnish
Church, 33 Albion Street, Rotherhithe, London SE16 7HZ.
After reports from the officers
thanks were expressed to the Rt Rev Erik Vikström, Bishop
of Porvoo (Borga), Finland, who, after serving for 11 years,
had resigned as Co-President of the Society. In appreciation
of his enormous contribution he was made a Life Member of the
Anglican Lutheran Society,
a distinction he shares with Ronald Englund, a former Lutheran
Co-Moderator.
The meeting was delighted to
learn that the Rt Rev Jürgen Johannesdotter, Bishop of
Shaumburg-Lippe in Germany, had been invited to succeed Bishop
Erik, and his appointment was received with acclamation.
The theme for the day was 'Touching
the Fringe', a consideration of some of the ways in which Anglican
and Lutheran congregations are trying to draw people on the edges
of the Church into a deeper relationship with Christ.
Bishop Erik in an excellent
paper reminded members that it is in the fringe areas, where
life is uncertain and risky, that the Holy Spirit seems to prefer
to work. Then, after lunch, the Rev Ian Mobsby, Priest Missioner
to the Moot Community and Associate Missioner to the Archbishops'
'Fresh
Expressions' team, described a number of ways in which Christian
congregations in England are engaging in mission by encouraging
new and different expressions of church life.
The day ended with a celebration
of the Finnish 'Thomas
Mass' at which members of the Society were joined by a group
of young people from Sweden
who had come to England with their Pastor, herself a member,
to find out about church life here.
In 2006, in Southwark Cathedral,
our meeting focused on the question, ‘Must ethical issues necessarily
be Church dividing?' The papers read by Kenneth
G. Appold of the Institute for Ecumenical Research, Strasbourg
and Jeremy Morris of Trinity Hall, Cambridge can be found
by clicking here .
In 2005, in the Swedish Church,
the life and achievements of Danish theologian, educationalist
and hymn writer Nicolai Grundtvig were introduced
and evaluated by Canon Donald Allchin and Professor Sid Bradley.
We also enjoyed singing a number of Grundtvig's hymns during our
worship together.
<
Back
<
Home
Return
to top
|