LWF Council Meeting 2002
Wittenberg, Germany, 10-17 September 2002
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LWF Council participants during the opening worship service in Wittenberg's Schlosskirche (Castle Church) |
Opening Worship of the 2002 LWF Council Meeting in Wittenberg
The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) began its 2002 Council Meeting Monday, September 9, at the place where Martin Luther launched the Protestant Reformation - the Schlosskirche (Castle Church) in Lutherstadt Wittenberg. In his sermon during the opening worship service, Bishop Axel Noack of the Evangelical Church of the Province of Saxony explained "some phenomena of German history" that many visitors may find confusing.
 Bishop Axel Noack, |
The Schlosskirche, where the body of Martin Luther is entombed, is nowadays not a Lutheran church, said Noack. This historic Lutheran site is a symbol of ecumenism, he said. It was at this very place, 80 years ago, that churches of the Reformed, United and Lutheran traditions signed an agreement establishing a federation of churches that developed into what is today the Protestant Church in Germany, EKD.
During the 20th century, this part of Germany was under communist rule for 40 years. Parents and grandparents did not share their faith with their children, said Noack, because they did not want to create difficulties for their children. Today, most of the local population knows very little about the Christian faith - a situation similar to what Martin Luther found when he inspected 16th century churches. Luther wrote the Small Catechism, helping pastors and parents "all over the world to state the foundations of the Christian faith briefly and precisely," he said.
Opening press conference in |
This year's Council meeting was originally scheduled for Jerusalem, but because of the difficult political situation in the Middle East it was moved to Wittenberg, hosted by the LWF National Committee in Germany (LWF/GNC). The June 2001 meeting, also should have taken place in Jerusalem, hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan but was shifted to Geneva, Switzerland. Oberkirchenraetin Kaete Mahn, LWF/GNC executive secretary, was among officials addressing a news conference earlier today. She said the 13 Lutheran churches in Germany financially support and share in the work of the LWF, and they welcome the chance to host the Council meeting in the birthplace of Lutheranism. More...
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Information on Lutherstadt Wittenberg can be found at: www.wittenberg.de/en
