LWF Assembly Planning Committee meets in Krakow

A beautiful venue for an Assembly of hope

(LWI) - “We have worked together online, but now we were able to visit the sites in Krakow, so that we can prepare the program even better,” said Bishop Dr Tamas Fabiny, Chair of the Assembly Planning Committee (APC), when the committee met in October. “It was good to be able finally have a meeting of the committee in Krakow."

The first face-to-face meeting of the APC took place in the Church of St. Martin in Krakow, the local Lutheran parish in the city. That church will also house the local Assembly Office.

"Preparations for the Assembly are going well,” said Ms. Maryssa Camaddo, Assembly Coordinator. “We are grateful to have the local Assembly office in the church, this will help us strengthen the connection and we look forward to working together to welcome the communion to Krakow.”

Great need for hope  

“The Assembly theme of ‘One Body, One Spirit, One Hope,’ is important because the world is divided,” added Bishop Fabiny.  There is a great need for hope in our world. We see injustices in the world, poverty, discrimination, the situation of refugees, and all who are suffering. It is important to bring them hope, to speak about, and to act for hope.”

The APC also met leaders of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland and members of the Local Assembly Planning Committee (LAPC). Presiding bishop Jerzy Samiec welcomed the APC to Krakow and expressed the joy of the church over welcoming the Assembly to Poland.  

The committees visited key venues of the Assembly, including the ICE conference center and the Wawel castle.

They also visited the nearby Musuem and memorial of Auschwitz-Birkenau. During that visit Bishop Fabiny and Presiding Bishop Samiec laid a wreath on behalf of the LWF at the memorial wall where thousands of prisoners were executed. "Our words are empty, meaningless, confronted with such horrors. Human reasoning always wants to explain suffering, but this is unexplainable suffering. Our wreath is laid there, it stands silently, representing our lament," said LWF Assistant General Secretary Prof. Dr Dirk Lange.

A life-changing event

The LAPC is working hard to prepare the Assembly under the leadership of Ms Anna Wrzesińska. “We are so happy to be a part of the history of the LWF and to do this for our Lutheran communion,” said Wrzesińska.

“We look forward to meet people from all over the world. Those who have experienced Assemblies say they change your life and your mindset. Our hope is that this will also be the case here in Krakow. We also hope the Assembly will inspire our local congregations so they are excited and understand better what it means for us here in Poland to be a part of the Lutheran World Federation.”

Assembly website

Photos