The Synod
The Council for German Church Work in Great Britain
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The Council for German Church Work is an umbrella organisation for our German-speaking protestant member congregations in Great Britain. German congregations in our six parochial areas offer regular German-language church services and offer a wide programme based on the German protestant tradition. Most of our members have their roots in Germany; the tell us how much it means to them to pray in their mother tongue, listen to sermons and sing German church carols. However, anyone can attend our services and people from any background are welcome.
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Our congregations can be found from Inverness in the north of Scotland to Bournemouth on the south coast of England. Detailed information can be obtained by contacting the incumbent pastor of the relevant parochial area. They will also be able to sign you up to their newsletters with up-to-date programmes and regional contact addresses.
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Our congregations are united in a Synod (Council for German Church Work) to support each other in common tasks (appointment of pastors, finances, rules and regulations, etc). They work closely with the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD) to which they are contractually connected. We are committed to ecumenical co-operation at a local level and have close connections to the different member churches in Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, especially the Anglican Church. We have produced a major vision statement (in German only), outlining the possible evolution of the German protestant presence in the United Kingdom over the next five years.
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At the annual general meeting of the Synod in April 2024, the following officers were elected:
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Mr Lutz Lemmer (Chair)
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Ms Helga Janzen (Vice Chair)
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Ms Frauke Constable (Hon. Secretary)
The Synod council currently consists of:
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Rev. Silke Halfmann (Senior Pastor)
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Rev. Kerstin Othmer
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Dr Brigitte Jurack
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Mr Jochen Hoffmann
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Ms Hildegard O'Kane
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Webmaster: Immo Hüneke
Synod of German-Speaking Lutheran, Reformed and United Congregations in Great Britain
Registered Charity No: 266600