Bishop Alex G. Malasusa (Tanzania), Vice President for the African region, brings greetings on behalf of the LWF at the founding of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany. © Pittkowski/Nordkirche
Three German LWF Member Churches Merge to become the “Northern Church”
In brilliant sunshine almost 20,000 people met on Whitsunday (Pentecost), 27 May, in Ratzeburg (Germany) for a colorful festival to celebrate the founding of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany. The church was formed through the merger of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg, the North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Pomeranian Evangelical Church. “It was a perfect example of a founding festival of biblical dimensions,” declared Bishop Gerhard Ulrich (Schleswig) with great satisfaction.
Many national and international visitors were in attendance to mark this festive occasion. In addition to the special service of worship, there was a rich and varied program, featuring a communal sit-down lunch, stage performances and many other cultural offerings. The guest list included German Federal President Joachim Gauck, himself a former pastor from Mecklenburg, and the premiers of the three federal states involved.
Presiding Bishop Alex G. Malasusa, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, attended the founding festival as an ecumenical guest and representative of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF).
On behalf of LWF General Secretary Rev. Martin Junge, Malasusa, who is LWF vice president for the African region, welcomed the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany to the LWF and promised that it would find accompaniment and communion there. “You will certainly notice that you are by no means alone in your continuing commitment to galvanizing local energies and gifts, nor in your work for regional and global concerns.” The three churches making up the Northern Church had been “convinced members” of the LWF, Malasusa affirmed, adding that he was looking forward to the new church’s contribution to the Lutheran Communion.
At Ratzeburg’s townhall square, 3,500 guests from the entire Northern Church had watched and participated in the festive service via huge screens. “Trimming our sails is the motto of this founding service,” were (Greifswald) Bishop Dr Hans-Jürgen Abromeit’s opening words. “On board a ship that is an order,” he added. “Today it is an invitation to everyone.” After the service the invitation continued: 5,000 people ate sandwiches, sausage, cheese and strawberries at 625 tables. “This first communal meal of the Northern Church was incredibly moving,” said Peter Schulze, its organizer.
For the city mayor, Rainer Voss, the festival was “like a small-scale Kirchentag.” The event, which had run smoothly thanks to hundreds of volunteers, was “something very special in the history of the city,” said Voss. At the central town hall square, the atmosphere was still exuberant during the evening of the festival. Over 2,500 people attended a concert, the celebrations then concluding with a blessing and people waving sparklers to make a sea of light.
The union of the three churches is the first union of its kind across the former intra-German border. The new church has about 2.3 million members and is now the third largest LWF member church in Germany.
On Whitsunday Bishop Gerhard Ulrich from the North Elbian region, who is also the Chair of the German National Committee of the LWF (GNC/LWF), was elected Chairperson of the Provisional Church Executive of the Northern Church. The LWF Council will officially welcome the new church to the LWF at its meeting in June.
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