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The annual Baltic United Remembrance Service took place on Sunday, June 18 at St. James’s Church, Piccadilly, London. The solemn event aimed to remember the victims of crimes against humanity committed during the Soviet regime in the Baltic states, as well as the ongoing violence faced by the Ukrainian people under the Russian Federation. The Baltic Council’s service was prepared by Estonian pastor Lagle Heinla, the sermon delivered by the Chair of the Council of Lutheran Chu

Spring and Pentecost – A Time of Grace Spring and Pentecost. To me, these two words are closely connected. They are both filled with life and hope. Spring is restarting the fascinating yearly process of rebirth of nature around us. For most of us, spring relates to experiences of life and hope. Pentecost is also a spring-event. It is celebrated 50 days after Easter, usually in May or early June. The Church is celebrating the coming of the life-giving Spirit. A spiritual sprin

On 22 April the Lutheran Church in Great Britain (LCiGB) held its annual Synod at which a new bishop was elected. Rev Dr Jaakko Rusama, researcher and Associate Professor at Helsinki University, Lutheran Moderator of the Anglican-Lutheran Society and a member of St Anne’s Lutheran Church in London will succeed Rt Rev Tor B Jorgensen, who has faithfully served the LCiGB for 4 years. Bishop Tor B Jorgensen stressed that this was a historic synod, „For the first time we had the

“When fear seems overwhelming, violence erupts, suffocating poverty abounds, the ravages of climate change destroy livelihoods and homes, racism, colonialism and injustice lingers, the risen Christ is present in the toughest places and upends the status quo.” The Lutheran World Federation’s (LWF) Easter Message by Rev. Dr Robin Steinke, President of Luther Seminary (St. Paul, Minnesota, USA), and LWF Executive Committee member. Read the full message:

London St. Anne’s Lutheran Church Church of St. Mary at Hill, Lovat Lane, London (EC3R 8EE) Leeds St Luke’s and St Matthew’s Lutheran Church St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, 9 Alma Road, Headingley, Leeds (LS6 2AH) Nottingham Student Chaplaincy at the University of Nottingham Portland Building Chaplaincy Level A, University of Nottingham, University Park (NG7 2RD)

The LCiGB Council received and endorsed unanimously on the 11th of March 2023 a Common Statement from the pastors’ Ministerium approving an inclusive approach in the LCiGB on matters of human sexuality. The Common Statement concludes work that originated in 2008, and was studied further in 2013 at the time that UK law changed to allow the marriage of same-sex couples. On the 4th of March 2023 the statement was updated by the Ministerium and accepted with 8 votes in favour, 1

We continue with the effort to educate everyone about our three candidates for bishop—Pastor Mark Hardy, Pastor Paulina Hławiczka-Trotman, and Dr Jaakko Rusama. A Zoom call will be held at 10:00 a.m. on April 1 to allow everyone to meet the candidates, and they will all be present at the Synod on April 22. Here are the Zoom details: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83907273282?pwd=dDhBdXRoT1NwTG1YK2tMYU10ekhVZz09 Meeting ID: 839 0727 3282 Passcode: 803427 From left to right: Rev Pau

How to find ways of being church and bringing hope amid crises including the Ukraine conflict, an urgent climate crisis and a mental health pandemic: these were priorities addressed by European church leaders in a message from their Oxford Pre-Assembly. Participants at the European Pre-Assembly gather outside Mansfield College, Oxford where the 21 to 24 March meeting took place. Photo: LWF/A. Hillert (LWI) – Searching for “credible and transformative hope” in the midst of a w

The Lutheran World Federation’s (LWF) General Secretary Rev Dr Anne Burghardt joins church leaders from the three European regions at the Pre-Assembly in Oxford to reflect on progress and new challenges on the journey ‘from Windhoek to Krakow’ – from the previous LWF assembly to the assembly in 2023. LWF European Pre-Assembly is hosted by the Lutheran Church in Great Britain and the Council of Lutheran Churches in Great Britain at Mansfield College, Oxford. LWF General Secret

(LWI) – Better care for the climate and more meaningful cooperation with young people in the churches. Those are the two key concerns that young people from across Europe are highlighting as they look forward to the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Thirteenth Assembly in Poland in September. Meeting in Mansfield College, Oxford, in the context of the European Pre-Assembly, young delegates from the Western, Eastern and Nordic regions expressed their hopes that the next Assembly

(LWI) – Delegates from the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) member churches across Europe are gathering in the English city of Oxford this week for the first regional Pre-Assembly ahead of the global Thirteenth Assembly in Poland in September. The European Pre-Assembly takes place from 21 to 24 March, hosted by the Lutheran Church in Great Britain (LCiGB). Over a hundred representatives from Lutheran churches in the three European regions – Western, Eastern and Nordic – are me

LGBTQ+ people of the UK Lutheran community and their allies are invited to come together to establish Lutherans Inclusive support and interest group. There will be time for prayer, discussion about the LGBTQ+ inclusivity in our churches and socialising. The meeting will take place at the Council of Lutheran Churches office, Ground Floor, Trident House, 46-48 Webber St, London SE1 8QW on the 16th of February at 6:00pm. Please register your participation via email to Rev Māris

Greetings from the Council of the Lutheran Church in Great Britain! We wanted to update the LCiGB on our last meeting and provide information on important events to come. Here are the highlights of our last quarterly meeting in December: We agreed to nominate Anna Krauss, a member at St. Anne’s and the General Secretary of the Councilof Lutheran Churches, as a delegate to the Lutheran World Federation. We discussed the status of several pastoral candidates who are currently

What a beautiful word! Filled with so many connotations: Justice, truth, compassion, grace, hope. Peace is a Christmas word. The angels proclaimed it in their great Gloria when Jesus was born, “Peace on earth!” ( Luke 2:14 ). But there was no peace… Joseph had to take his wife and newborn son Jesus and flee to Egypt in haste. And later both the religious and political elites persecuted him and sentenced him to death. He suffered the most painful and humiliating death on a cr

On Reformation Sunday, 30th of October our two congregations in Leeds area joined together – English speaking St Luke’s and Polish speaking St Matthew’s are now called St Luke’s and St Matthew’s Lutheran Church . The solemn service was led by local English pastor Joseph Nelson, bishop emeritus Walter Jagucki, who has been responsible for the Polish ministry, was preaching. This celebration was attended by many guests, including LCiGB Bishop Tor B Jørgensen, LCiGB Trustee Rev.

Reformation Day letter 2022 – Leeds 30 th October “The Truth Will Make You Free” – By Faith, in Grace, with Hope These are famous words of Jesus. “Truth” and “Freedom” are still two words of great significance in the political and philosophical discourse in today’s world. They are also two core words in our Lutheran heritage. For Luther these two words are related to two other basic theological realities: “Faith” and “Grace”. Through faith we receive God’s grace which set us

The meeting of Primates and Presiding Bishops of the Porvoo Communion of Churches took place in Tampere, Finland, 11th-13th October 2022; the LCiGB was represented by Rt Rev Tor Berger Jørgensen in the Primates group and Rev Meelis Süld in Porvoo Contact Group. The meeting brought together Lutherans and Anglicans from the Nordic and Baltic region, British Isles and Iberian Peninsula on church leadership level, it was hosted was by the diocese of Tampere and the bishop Matti R

6-8 October our pastors had a Ministerium meeting and Retreat at Focolare Centre for Unity in Welwyn Garden City. Fr Thomas Seville form the Community of the Resurrection in Mirfield talked about the psalms and the use of the psalter at church services. LCiGB pastor Jo Jan Vandenheede shared some of his PhD study on Porvoo (Anglican-Lutheran) agreement and communion. We also celebrated the oak jubilees (80) of bishop Walter Jagucki and pastor John Evenson, who both received

To know more about our Leeds, Bradford and Manchester congregations, please read the Newsletter Lutherans Up North, attached below.

London 17th September 2022 To His Majesty King Charles III A Message of Condolence from the Lutheran Church in Great Britain. Your Majesty, it is with deep sorrow we received the message of the death of your Mother, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday the 8th of September. Since then, we have followed the week of mourning both locally in our congregations and in the national media. We join in the great choir of thanksgiving for the way The Queen has been a dignifie