N e w s l e t t e r o f The Lutheran Church in TheForum Great Britain Summer/Pentecost 2010 ISSUE 5 History of Polish Lutheran Parish p2 David Lin p3 Interfaith Relations Open House p4 LCiGB Women’s Day Meeting p5 LWF Assembly News p6-9 Lutheran World Federation Assembly 2010 For a whole week the eyes of Lutheran churches also enabled us simply to talk to one another, around the world were turned to Stuttgart in strengthening existing friendships and making Germany, as nearly 400 delegates from churches, new ones. as well as visitors, observers, press and ecumenical guests gathered for the 11th Assembly The Assembly is the voice of LWF and its member of the Lutheran World Federation. In total there churches. So it was important that several were almost 1000 people present. interesting and quite radical resolutions were accepted, notably on food and trade justice, There were three of us from the UK – Bishop illegitimate debt, gender justice, human traf cking Emeritus Walter Jagucki as a member of the and climate change. At this time when the world is outgoing Council of LWF, Dean Tom Bruch groaning under the weight of these grave issues, representing the Lutheran Council of Great Britain, it was important for LWF to speak up prophetically. and myself as delegate from the Lutheran Church In addition, the reconciliation process with in Great Britain. Mennonites, spiritual heirs of the Anabaptist movement which suffered terrible persecution As I write, the impressions are still whirling around during the reformation, largely fuelled by Lutheran in my head – the varied and colourful nature of the condemnations, showed us that repentance worship, the sheer size of the event; the profundity and forgiveness in Christ is a reality. This is a of the act of reconciliation with the Mennonites. message the world needs to hear. There seemed to be three strands that were It was also important to interact with the local important: church, learning about the church in Baden- Württemberg and enabling them to see the LWF Gathering Lutherans together from all parts of at work. For this reason, many of us visited local the world – from Sweden to South Africa, from churches during the Assembly, and many of us Hong Kong to Serbia, from Bangladesh to Papua preached in local services. I was lucky enough to New Guinea – enabled us to see the breadth be able to visit the Friedenskirche, a city centre and depth our communion. As we worshipped church that is also host to a Korean congregation. and prayed together, we grew to recognise The people there were very welcoming and kind, increasingly that what unites us is deeper than and gave us an insight into the joys and sorrows the doctrinal and ethical differences that divide of ministry in Stuttgart. us. That doesn’t mean that the differences have gone away: but the renewed fellowship in Christ The next Assembly will take place in 2017, the that we found should make it easier to deal with 500th Anniversary of the start of the Reformation. the dif cult questions. In particular, the complex of Preparations are already underway for this questions around marriage, family and sexuality signi cant date. was not discussed at all, as we await a nal report from the commission dealing with it, and have put a period of re ection in place until 2012. It continued on page 10 ! 1 History of the Polish Lutheran Parish, London Following the invasion of France during World War in Great Britain presiding at St John’s Polish II, the Polish army and the Polish Government Congregation in Cambridge. in exile, both of which were in France at the time, were evacuated to Great Britain in order to Other pastors also arrived, Rev’d S Dorda, Rev’d continue the ght with the invaders. Within the R Dorda, Rev’d Hauptman, Rev’d Groachal, Rev’d Polish Units were Polish Lutherans who felt the Chudecki, Rev’d Alfred Bieta and many others. need for their church and contact with the religion in which they were brought up and which would The majority of parishioners still wanted to have support them in those dif cult times. Amongst services in the polish language. With the help of them were those from the civil administration and Bishop W Jagucki, Rev’d Bieta and the Association the Polish Government in London. of Polish Lutherans, the work of the London parishes was able to continue. We also had visits They formed an organisation called the from Poland from now retired Bishops Jan Szarek Association of Polish Protestants. Unfortunately, and Janusz Jagucki. there was a lack of clergymen, but help came from the Anglican Church who provided the chaplain, On 23 April 2005 St John’s Cambridge and Christ the Rev’d Walnera. This was a great help to us for King, London, Polish congregations were accepted by which we shall always be very grateful. After a the Synod into the Lutheran Church in Great Britain. short time Pastor Jan Olszar arrived from Canada to be appointed the chief chaplain at the London At the Synod meeting on 4 October 2008 Bishop headquarters. This provided the opportunity for Walter Jagucki retired and was given the new title Focus On... many clergy to come to Great Britain. of Bishop Emeritus. He remains working among LCiGB parishes in the north of England. And we On 18 March 1945, at a meeting of Polish Lutherans all welcome our new elected Bishop Jana Jeruma- in the church hall of Holy Trinity Church in Kingsway, Grinberga. Her wisdom and help for our Polish Holborn, it was decided that a Lutheran Parish in community very much appreciated. London should be established. Pastor Dr Andrzej Wantula conducted regular services for this new In August 1999 Rev’d Magdalena Kluz (Mueller) parish. At the end of the war in Europe, the Polish arrived, to our Polish parish in Knightsbridge army arrived back to Great Britain from where and looked after us for the next ten years. She they were demobilized. For many, returning back was ordained on 11 January 2003 at St Anne’s to Poland was impossible. A large group of Polish Lutheran Church, London by Bishop Walter Lutherans came to live in London, giving an Jagucki. On 7 October 2006 she married Dirk opportunity for the new London Polish Parish to Mueller, at our church in Knightsbridge, London. grow. Pastor Wantula returned to Poland in 1948 Rev’d Mueller left us to live in Germany where her and the London Parish was entrusted to Rev’d son was born on 22 April 2009. Senior Wladyslaw Fierla. Services took place in the Luther Tynedale Church, Kentish Town in London In April 2009 we welcomed Pastor Robert (a church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wojtowicz to our Parish and his installation took England). Activities such as Sunday school, a choir, place on 31 May 2009 in our Christ the King a ladies circle and parish magazine began thus Parish church, London. Pastor Wojtowicz holds enabling a normal parish life to eXist. a Eucharist service every month (4th Sunday at 2.30pm). Christ the King also has con rmation In the year 1953 at a meeting of the church Synod classes and recently introduced new prayer and Rev’d Fierla was appointed to the status of Bishop hymnbooks from Poland. At the moment our of the Polish Lutheran Church in Exile (in October parish members are dwindling, due to death, 1985 Bishop Fierla died). parishioners moving to nursing homes, bad health and also transportation dif culties for the older In the year 1959 a church delegation arrived members who live far away. from Poland, Bishop Karol Kotula and Rev’d Superintendent Oskar Michejda. During their visit, We advertise our services in our Polish papers, they acquainted themselves with the existing magazines and also at newsagents. We have a situation in London in order to understand the few newcomers form Poland, but unfortunately situation for Polish Lutherans. The result of this they are not yet nancially established or have just visit was that two pastors from Poland were come to work for a shortperiod and then return to delegated to work among us in 1964, one of them Poland. But we still hopefully go ahead with God’s was Pastor Walter Jagucki, who later became the help and blessing for the future. For the next Dean and Bishop of LCiGB (1998–2009) and who coming years, it is de nitely a challenge. still leads worship in the LCiGB congregations in Northern England. The other was Rev’d Jan Vera Erdmann-Sudol Marlina who returned to Poland after 30 years Christ the King Lutheran Church, London 2 David Lin, New Chair of LCiGB Council New Faces At its regular mee! ng on 19 June 2010, the Council of of the World Council of Churches News Service in LCiGB elected its rst Chair, as required under the new Switzerland. cons! tu! onal provisions. David Lin will convene and chair mee! ngs of the Council, as well as being ac! vely In the Chinese Lutheran Church Phoebe and I have involved in the day to day management of the church. been leading bible study groups for both adults and He will be ably assisted by our new Vice Chair, Anne" e young adults in Mandarin and English for a few years Higgins from St Luke’s in Leeds, and, of course, all the and we are also lay preachers. These are our Sunday other Trustees; that is, members of the Council (Linda engagements.