Welcome to Wittenberg!
“Ecclesia semper reformanda” – the church must constantly renew itself. Through listening to God’s Word it must be challenged to leave behind its traditions and its economic and cultural bonds. This insight will prevent us Lutheran churches from focusing on the past as we mark the anniversary of the Reformation. What this is about is the future of our faith, of our church life and – in view of the major global challenges – the future of life on our planet. As the church of Jesus Christ, we must ask ourselves self-critical questions and allow ourselves to be stirred up and renewed in order to be credible witnesses to God’s kingdom in the 21st century. And yet the challenges in the different parts of the earth are very diverse.
“Ecclesia semper reformanda” – this is also the motto that you – young people from all continents – have committed to. You are developing ideas and projects for your Lutheran home churches and keeping in contact with each other through your international network. This way you are helping to shape the future of Lutheran Christianity worldwide and to form an alternative www – a worldwide web for justice, peace and the healing of creation.
The Global Young Reformers Network will gather for a conference in Wittenberg from 22 August to 4 September 2015, at the invitation of the Evangelical Church of Central Germany. This will be a time of intensive mutual sharing and will also offer an opportunity to get to know young Christians from Central Germany. You will see how we live out our faith here, in a region that has become profoundly secularized. Plans for the program include spending time in church districts and host families, visiting diaconal and social institutions, and talking with German policy-makers on the global issues that also concern the Lutheran World Federation.
Along with many others in our church, I am looking forward to meeting you all, and to hearing your thoughts and ideas. On behalf of the Evangelical Church in Central Germany I bid you a warm welcome already now!
Ilse Junkermann
Bishop of the Evangelical Church in Central Germany
For more information on the Workshop Wittenbegr see here: https://youngreformers.lutheranworld.org/content/workshop-wittenberg-1