England: Highlights and News

As our long-standing friend and partner, Revd Terry Bloor from the Diocese of Lichfield, prepares for retirement, we took the opportunity to ask him a few questions about his many years of involvement in our partnership.

How long have you been involved in the partnership?

My involvement with the partnership began in 2003 with a visit to Ludwigslust, so I have been involved now for 23 years.

How did you first become involved?

My first encounter with the partnership was as a member of a group of curates who travelled to Ludwigslust for a week-long programme together with those training to be pastors. During the visit we shared theological insights, learned about each other’s culture and quickly developed friendships. My visit to Mecklenburg led soon afterwards to the then Vikar of Eldena (Axel Scholz) bringing a youth group to Telford for a week-long programme of events. I am happy still to be in regular contact with Axel who is now a pastor in the town of Otterndorf (Saxony). I last saw him in August 2025 for his Einführung. Through a World Mission Group initiative, which twinned Lichfield parishes with others from overseas, the parish I was leading (Basford) became involved with the Bernogemeinde of Schwerin. This parish-to-parish link remained active for several years. As a member of Lichfield’s World Mission Committee, I became the key link for our Mecklenburg and subsequently the Nordkirche Partnership.

What have been your personal highlights over the years?

This is a difficult question to answer as there have been so many times of blessing and memorable, shared experiences. Maybe I could highlight the three Kirchentags I’ve attended as being special, so too the conferences in both Germany and England. The special nature of the friendships developed is shown by their longevity. I have invariably received the most generous and warm hospitality throughout the Nordkirche and my long-standing acquaintance with both Güstrow and Schwerin, in particular, has made Mecklenburg something of a ‘zweite Heimat’ for me.

And as you move into this new chapter of life, what will you take away from the partnership?

In fact, as I retire from my stipendiary ministry, I hope to take nothing away (so to speak) as I intend to maintain a very close connection with the partnership in the future. However, in trying to answer the real point of the question, I think I have learned the importance of sharing my discipleship journey with Christians from another culture and different setting. All that the partnership has brought has become such an integral part of my discipleship that my Christian pilgrimage would have been impoverished without it. I have stood so close, for so long, to the partnership that I really can’t imagine my ministry without it! It has been said… “it takes the whole church to know the whole Christ”, and I’m so grateful that my Lutheran brothers and sisters have played such an important part in my understanding of this truth. Thank you all, and God bless you!

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It was great to welcome Dean Oliver and Revd Margrit to Durham for the joyful celebration of the installation of the new Bishop of Durham, Rick Simpson. They reminded us of the worldwide church of which we are a part. Over a thousand people packed the cathedral, with more watching online, for a service that blended historic tradition with an awareness of the current context in which the church finds itself. Find out more…

A delegation from the Church of England visited Hamburg on Europe Day and met with representatives of the Nordkirche. The meeting focused on the long-standing partnership and shared concerns for a just and peaceful Europe. It also highlighted the importance of personal encounters and church cooperation across borders. Find out more…

A parish priest in the Diocese of Lichfield, I was privileged to visit our partners in the Nordkirche in early May, not least because of the glorious early spring sunshine and the consequent trip to the “Eishörnchen” café for some obligatory/necessary ice-cream!  It was a source of great joy to attend the ordination of several new pastors at Schleswig (9 May) and at St Trinitatis, Hamburg (10 May). I find myself deeply encouraged to see that God continues to call and commission new ministers into the Church — challenging the persistent narratives about church decline, both in Germany and the UK. So often, these narratives can lead us to become despondent and cynical: being able to represent our Partnership across two countries (whose relationship hasn’t been particular easy these last few years!) and across different denominations was more than a privilege: to me, it was a visible sign of hope and encouragement, reminding us of God’s desire to draw us together into the unity we find in the love of Jesus Christ.

In addition to these extra-ordinary ordination services, I was delighted to take part in the pattern of regular Sunday morning worship at St Johannis, Harvestehude, where the local pastor Andrea Busse had generously invited me to offer some reflections on the scripture readings for the day. In Germany, 10 May marked “Muttertag” (mothers’ day): a particularly poignant occasion for me, given that German is, very literally, my own mother-tongue. It was a moving experience to preach in my mother-tongue for the very first time.

The scripture reading for the day (Matthew 23.37–39) provided a fitting opportunity to reflect on God’s parental, motherly love for us. Like the “women of lament” (“Klageweiber”) that would have been familiar to Jesus and his contemporaries in first-century Palestine, God weeps over the many conflicts, divisions and hurts of our world. God knows each one of us deeply, fully, as a mother, and God is profoundly affected by our inability to love each other, by our unwillingness to be gathered together as siblings under the wings of our loving mother-God. ‘How often’, Jesus laments, ‘have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing’.

Our Partnership between the Lutheran Nordkirche and the Anglican Dioceses of Durham, Ely and Lichfield is an important statement of our desire to be Partners in Christ. The invitation to gather together in Hamburg, to learn with and from one another, to support and uphold each other in our various ministries and contexts was an important way of expressing that we are willing: we long to be gathered together in God’s embrace.

I am hugely grateful for the encouragement afforded by my trip to Hamburg, fostering this desire for unity in my own heart, expanding my understanding and sense of connection with my fellow siblings in Christ.” (Henry Hope)

On Sunday 10 May Revd Duncan Goldthorpe peached from the Gospel of Matthew 6:5-15 at St. Johannis Eppendorf. The theme of the sermon was ‘Moving from performance to intimacy in prayer.’ Below is a summary of the sermon:

Matthew 6:5–15: In a world filled with noise, visibility, and constant digital pressure, Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6 calls us away from performance and into intimacy with God. He contrasts the wrong way to pray – driven by Außendarstellung (public image) and outward show -with the right way: honest, unmasked prayer in the Geheimnis, the secret place.

Jesus warns against praying to impress others or using empty words to manipulate God. Instead, he invites us into a quiet, hidden relationship with the Father who “sees in secret.” 

 The Lord’s Prayer becomes a model of dependence: beginning with God’s glory, seeking his kingdom, trusting him for daily bread, and living out forgiveness.

A vivid picture illustrates our struggle: like a child trying to fix broken toys in a busy square to look capable, we often try to manage life publicly while the Father waits at home, ready to help. Jesus’ invitation is simple – close the door, come to the Father, and rest in his care.

The “acid test” of this intimate life is forgiveness. Those who have received grace extend grace, even in a Europe marked by division and history.

The reward Jesus promises is not applause but God himself – the peace, joy, and freedom of being truly known and truly loved.

What does this mean for us in our daily lives?

Step away from the noise. Enter the secret place. Pray to your Father who sees in secret. (Duncan Goldthorpe)

 It was a joy for Rev’d Dr Henry Hope (Lichfield Diocese) and Rev’d Duncan Goldthorpe (Ely Diocese) to represent two of the three partner dioceses at the ordination service in Schleswig on 9 May this year. As a fluent German speaker, Henry led prayers and read the Gospel in German. Duncan brought the Grußwort aus der Partnerkirche, offering greetings on behalf of the Dioceses of Durham, Ely, and Lichfield.

It was a wonderful occasion to stand alongside our sisters and brothers in Christ as they reached this significant milestone in their ordained ministry, and a privilege to share in the joy and fellowship of the day.

Revd Alf Kristoffersen (Nordkirche) had the privilege to preach at the Remembrance Day service 2025 in Brampton.

 Remembrance Day holds considerable significance in British society and is prepared with great care. On the day itself, a ceremonial procession made its way to the church, involving members of the armed forces, representatives of other uniformed organisations, and relatives. A representative of the King was also present, and the church was filled to capacity, the names of those who had fallen in both World Wars were read aloud, and wreaths were laid in their memory.

 The participation of a German pastor was received with great openness and appreciation. The occasion gave rise to meaningful conversations about different traditions of remembrance, questions of war and peace, and the partnership between the Anglican and the Evangelical Lutheran churches. (Alf Kristoffersen)