Annual General Meeting

Every year the Society holds an Annual General Meeting. They are always well attended by members from all over Europe and from the USA.

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.

Something a little different on 10th March 2012

Our next AGM, on Saturday 10th March, will not be in London but at Westfield House, Cambridge UK, starting at 10am.

It will be in two parts.

People able to arrive for the morning sessions (and we hope that will be most people) are asked to assemble at Westcott House in Jesus Lane from 10am

10.00 Tea and coffee

10.30 Introductory Lecture: 'Cambridge, a Cradle of the Reformation by Dr Daniel Trocmé-Latter, an expert on Martin Bucer

11.00-12.15 Visit on foot to see memorabilia of Bucer in the Old Library at St John's College

12.30 Midday Prayers in Great St Mary's Church at Bucer's tomb

Then to Westfield House, 28 Huntingdon Road for lunch

People attending the AGM and afternoon session are asked to arrive at Westfield House, 28 Huntingdon Road for registration from 12.30pm

12.30-1.00 Registration

13.00 Lunch

14.00-14.45 The Annual General Business Meeting

During the meeting we shall have an opportunity to say thank you to Senior Jochen Dallas, whose period of office as pastor of the local German-speaking Lutheran Congregations is ending, and to Dr Roy Long who is standing down as the Socierty's Secretary.

14.45-16.15 Plenary Forum on 'The Reformation Today' with Dr Jeremy Morris (Dean of King's College), Dr Joel Humann (Westfield House), Dr Daniel Trocmé-Latter, Dr John Arnold, Dr Roy Long, Fr Philip Swingler, the Rev Alex Faludy, and mainly yourselves

16.30 Lutheran Evening Prayer at The Resurrection Lutheran Church

Westfield House is a study centre belonging to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of England. Opened in 1962 (the main address at the opening ceremony was given by Bo Giertz, who was then Bishop of Göteborg in the Church of Sweden) it serves both as the seminary at which ELCE pastors are trained and also as an international study centre for Lutherans from across the world. The ALS is very grateful to Westfield and to the ELCE for extending its hospitality to the Society.

If you are intending to come to any of these sessions, or would like further information about getting to and from Cambridge, please contact Mrs Helen Harding by phoning 0044 (0) 1923 672240 or emailing her at ccwatford@btinternet.com

A report of the AGM in March 2011

Our last Annual Meeting was on 5th March 2011 at the St Ethelburga Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, 78 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AG, and was attended by more than 50 members.

Opening the meeting, our Anglican President, Dr John Arnold, welcomed everyone and gave a brief history of St Ethelburga's.

Thanks were expressed to all the Society's officers, and especially to Canon Guy Smith (Anglican) who, after more years than he cares to remember, has resigned as Treasurer.

Bishop Rupert Hoare thanked Guy for his enthusiasm, and for keeping the committee on the financial 'straight and narrow', and Mr Ron Bentley for assisting him so ably. They were both presented with small gifts expressing everyone's appreciation of all they had done.

The meeting elected the Rev Erich Rust (Lutheran) as our new Treasurer.

Everyone was delighted that Bishops Rupert Hoare (Anglican) and Jana Jeruma-Grinberga (Lutheran) were both willing to stand as Co-Moderators, and they were elected by acclaim.

The Rev Roy Long (Lutheran) was re-elected as Secretary.

This year we had to elect a new Executive Committee. The following will join the Officers and serve for the next three years: The Rev Tom Bruch (Lutheran), The Rev Alex Faludy (Anglican), Mrs Helen Harding (Anglican), The Rev Patrick Irwin (Anglican), Canon Dick Lewis (Anglican), The Rev Eliza Zikmane (Lutheran). In this way we have equal numbers of Anglicans and Lutherans as Trustees of our Society.

Finally, our Membership Secretary, Mrs Helen Harding, reported that there has been an increase in membership in the UK, that the website is attracting members from various parts of the world, that our German co-ordinators are working hard to gain more members there (and will have another recruiting drive at the Dresden Kirchentag later this year). However, things in the USA are not too healthy and their National Coordinator,Ms Laura Lincoln, had asked that the new committee address a number of issues she had raised.

The meeting began and ended with prayers.

Our Lutheran President, Bishop Jürgen Johannesdotter, then took the chair and introduced the topic for the day:

'The Situation Facing the Christians in Jerusalem and the Holy Land'

Bishop Jürgen began by welcoming Mr Yusef Daher, Executive Secretary of the World Council of Churches Inter-Church Centre in Jerusalem. He then expressed disappointment that Bishop Suheil Dawani, the Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem, was after all unable to address us. (We later learned that his Jerusalem residency status had been revoked by the Israeli authorities and that he was having to fight his case in the courts.) However, Bishop Jürgen was delighted that Bishop Suheil had sent as his representative Canon Samuel Fanous, a priest from Ramle, not far from Tel Aviv in Israel. Our new Patron, Bishop Munib Younan, Lutheran Bishop of Jordan and the Holy Land, had already told us that he was unable to attend. His duties as President of the Lutheran World Federation had taken him to Malaysia. But, said Bishop Jürgen, a way had nevertheless been found for the meeting to hear some authentic Lutheran voices from the Holy Land.

Canon Dick Lewis had been in Bethlehem the weekend before and had interviewed three members of the Lutheran Christmas Church there. The recording of their thoughts on their experience as Christians in the West Bank was played, and provided the backdrop to the presentations by Canon Fanous and Mr Daher that followed.

Canon Fanous spoke from the point of view of an Arab Christian who is an Israeli citizen working in a Palestinian community not far from Jaffa. Palestinian Arab citizens in Israel, he said, are part of the Israeli political system but have their own language and culture. He described how events in the West Bank and Gaza can make life difficult for Israeli Arabs. Though they speak fluent Hebrew they use their Arabic language amongst themselves and this makes them easily identifiable. So when there have been flare-ups along the borders their Jewish neighbours sometimes react. But despite discrimination most Israeli Arabs wish to remain Israeli and are fighting for equal rights with Jews. As a minority within the Arab minority in Israel, Arab Christians witness to love, peace and reconciliation to both Jews and Muslims and Bishop Suheil has established a mechanism whereby young Jews, Christians and Muslims are drawn together. Within that Christian minority Anglicans represent only a small minority, said Canon Fanous, and there are no Lutheran congregations at all in Israel. He appealed to everyone to be even handed in their attitude and approach to to situation in the Holy Land. 'To be one sided means hurting the others,' he said, 'and Christians are called to be healers.' Throughout his presentation Canon Fanous quoted many personal stories and experiences. Something of the flavour of what he said will be found in the May edition of The Window. A summary of his presentation can be found here.

Next, Mr Daher gave a presentation on Churches and Christians in the Holy Land. He reminded the meeting that Israel/Palestine has a long history of occupation, and described the variety of church families that have taken root there. Today only around 2% of the population, both of Israel and Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, is Christian, while anything up to 500,000 Palestinian Christians are scattered across the world. The problem of dwindling numbers is of real concern and Mr Daher outlined some of the underlying reasons for emigration, especially among the young. He described some of the many initiatives, ecumenical, social and political, being taken by the Churches and appealed for support for the Christians in the Holy Land from Christian communities around the world. This support could come, he suggested, through prayer, pilgrimage, visits, exchanges, ethical tourism, and by responding to the Kairos Palestine document of 2009. He illustrated his talk with a PowerPoint presentation which you can see here.

After lunch the meeting resumed with a presentation on the

The Kairos Palestine Document of 2009, 'A Moment of Truth'.

First Mr Daher introduced the Kairos Palestine Song, sung by Manal Abdo. You can watch and listen by clicking here.

He then went on to tell the meeting that the Kairos initiative began with a small group of Christians writing to heads of churches; they established an office and began the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme (EAPPI) and this impetus eventually led to Kairos.

The Document was issued in 2009 by leaders of Churches and Church organisations in the Holy Land. It calls for an end to the occupation of Palestine by Israel. The call echoes a similar summons issued by South African churches in the mid-1980s at the height of repression under the apartheid regime.

‘The Israeli occupation of Palestinian land is a sin against God and humanity because it deprives the Palestinians of their basic human rights, bestowed by God,’ the Document states, thus ‘distorting the image of God in the Israeli who has become an occupier, just as it distorts His image in the Palestinian living under occupation.’

‘Kairos’ means ‘the time, or the moment’. 2009 was a Kairos moment for Palestine. Everyone had lost hope of peace, said Mr Daher. ‘This was our moment to say what, from our point of view, was going on.’

The document has three significant messages.

The first, a message of Faith, is addressed not to the outside world but to Palestinian Christians. ‘Our message is that we believe in a God who is good. God would not want killing or taking of land,’ he said. ‘We believe the Old Testament and the New Testament to be one book. We don’t look at the Old Testament alone. It is one story from beginning to end. We believe in Jesus Christ. When Jesus came to the Jews his message was inclusive. It did not stay in Israel. We believe God’s message is inclusive – it is for everyone.’

The second message is Hope. The Kairos Palestine Document gave Palestinian Christians hope, he told us. ‘It said Christians have been on this land for 2000 years, always a minority, always afraid, but God has blessed you.’

Finally, a message of Love. This was the key issue, Yusef asserted. The hardest commandment is to love your enemy. ‘In Jericho church leaders reflected on how to love our enemy,’ he told us. After much heartache and soul searching they identified their enemy today as the State of Israel (not the people, but the actions of the state). This is controversial. Some people think they were wrong, but that is what they decided.

Some critics have claimed that the Document is anti-Semitic. But it is not. ‘We love our Jewish neighbours,’ he told us, ‘but we don’t love the evil they do. We resist them so as to free them from their evil and restore their dignity as children of God.’

‘Jesus did not ask us to love evil,’ Mr Daher reminded us. ‘He said the enemy is evil. The Occupation is evil. We need to resist evil. But Jesus also said: “Don’t resist evil with evil”.’

He went on to outline some of the many non-violent ways of resisting the evil of the Jewish State: living there, talking here, civil disobedience, a boycott of Israeli settlement goods, divestment from companies supporting the occupation, and sanctions. ‘This is controversial,’ he said. ‘But we mustn’t forget, this is the following the example of South Africa and Martin Luther King.’

Mr Daher appealed to everyone at the meeting to spread the word in their own churches and communities. They should tell people what is really happening in Israel/ Palestine and then spread the word of Faith, Hope and Love.

He ended with a reference to the events unfolding in the Middle East. They show that the spectre of the anti-Christian Muslim is generally a lie. What we have witnessed on our TV screens is young Muslims and Christians praying and protesting in the square in Cairo together. ‘We have a long tradition of Muslim Christian co-existence,’ he reminded us.

Young Palestinians, he said, are calling for the re-establishment of the Council of Palestine, representing Palestinians in Israel the Occupied Territories and overseas.
Faith, Hope and Love are the key to finding a peaceful solution in Israel/ Palestine he concluded, emphasising Jesus’s words: ‘Don’t resist evil with evil.'

Some lively discussion followed, chaired by Bishop Jana, some of which will be reported in May issue of The Window.

Then, after tea, the meeting ended with a celebration of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer Holy Communion Service. It was introduced by Dr John Arnold, the celebrant was Bishop Rupert Hoare and Bishop Jana Jeruma-Grinberga preached. The text of her sermon can be found here.

The next Annual General Meeting will be on Saturday 3rd March. So put the date in your diary now. Details of time and venue will be published as soon as we have them.

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.

 

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