The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria decided to support the ECCB with this year's Lenten event

Solidarity as a Lenten idea

„Standing up for one another in Europe“ – that is the name of the annual Lenten event (Fastenaktion) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria. It is based on the central idea of Lent – to focus on those in need or suffering. Each year, the Bavarian Protestants select a church in Central or Eastern Europe to receive the proceeds of a church-wide collection across Bavaria that runs throughout the Lenten season.

„During Lent, Christians reflect on Jesus' journey of suffering. For us, personal renunciation – fasting – is often a symbol of a focused look at Jesus' journey to the cross. Indulgences and other things move to the background, or we try to skip them. The Lenten event takes this idea and focuses on people who are suffering for various reasons,“ explains Raphael Quandt, the main coordinator.

In recent years, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria has supported, for example, the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland (2022), the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovenia (2021) and the Evangelical Church of Romania (2020). The Lenten events were thematically focused on issues such as pastoral care, the environment and dignified old age.

It is not just about money. The Bavarian Protestants also consider it important to establish and form a lively relationship between the two partner churches. The project is intended to help „build bridges“ and thus promote mutual solidarity and cooperation across Europe.

Education against hate

This year, the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren became a partner church. The Lenten event, entitled Education Against Hate, focuses on the topic of education and upbringing of children and young people, as well as adults. Our church sees education as a fundamental tool for changing the social climate and building a sense of mutuality and acceptance.

„I am impressed by how clearly and strongly the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren promotes education as a key means of fostering peace and understanding. Such an approach not only allows us to take each individual seriously and to strengthen their maturity and inclusiveness, but also to promote critical thinking and social engagement,“ said Bavarian Regional Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm.

Launch of the collection in the sign of the Czech-Bavarian community

The official launch of the Lenten event takes place every year around Reminiscere Sunday, at the end of the second weekend of Lent. The Bavarian Protestants invited a large Czech delegation to visit Selb, a town near Aš associated with porcelain production. They were welcomed by Mr. and Mrs Pröbstl, who are both pastors of the Selb deanery.

A varied programme was planned for the opening weekend. On Saturday morning, everyone visited several evangelical churches in the Czech-Bavarian border region together. The expedition first headed to Hranice and Podhradí to see the church buildings under the administration of the ECCB. The latter, also known as the Church of the Good Shepherd, is said to be the oldest Reformation church in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. Thanks to its unique wooden interior, it is protected as a cultural monument.

After lunch, members of both churches moved to the German side of the border, where they visited two evangelical churches in Selb. The larger of the two – the town church – hosted an evening concert directed by the Chrapot choir from Brno-Židenice and the brass ensemble of the Selb deanery. This was followed by a presentation of the ECCB projects in support of Ukraine. Magdaléna Šrubařová from the Brno-Židenice choir presented how her choir helps Ukrainians affected by the war. Also presenting her story was Mrs. Julia, originally the director of an art school, who fled her hometown of Kherson just before the school building and the entire town were destroyed by bombing. She found refuge in an evangelical congregation in the West Bohemian town of Přeštice, where – as she says – she found not only accommodation but also a new „church family“.

Throughout the weekend, the Czech delegation from Prague was accompanied by local Czech Brethren evangelicals from the nearby congregations in Aš, Cheb and others, led by local pastor Vlasta Groll. Besides the Bavarian Evangelicals, we also owe them a great debt of gratitude for their help and kind fellowship.

The German Evangelicals appreciated the Czech projects

The highlight of the joint programme was the festive Sunday service in the town church in Selb. After a sermon by the Synodal Senior of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren Pavel Pokorný and the communion of the Lord's Supper, the regional church councilor Michael Martin took the floor to officially open this year's Lenten collection. „People often ask me how we can actually make a difference in all the current crises in Europe. For me, it is a different perspective on the problems of our time gleaned from Scripture. A view that is impartial and oriented only towards the common good, that sees the weak and gives them a voice, that builds bridges of understanding. It is services such as these, and the whole Lenten event, that transcend the boundaries of language, culture and creed as we gather in God's Word and approach the Lord's Table together,“ he said.

Representatives of the Czech municipalities of Cheb and Aš also spoke with their greetings, stressing the importance of cross-border relations. The representative of the Bavarian Diakonia (Diakonisches Werk Bayern), Sandra Schuhmann, called on those present to unite in the fight against hatred and to support the vulnerable and endangered. „Every person should be able to feel valuable and safe,“ she said.

Andrea Kühnová, a member of the board of directors of the Martin Luther Society (Martin-Luther-Verein), praised the emphasis of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren on education. „Your educational projects give me hope. Because you are starting exactly where change can be achieved – with children, youth and church workers. If these people stand on a good and solid foundation, they will bring change with them,“ she said.

What are we doing against hate?

The Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren is preparing several important educational projects to help reduce tensions in society and, in turn, promote mutual openness and tolerance.

The financial donation from the Bavarian Lenten collection will be used by the church in three areas:

1) Anniversary of the ordination of women in the church

The year 2023 marks the 70th anniversary of the ordination of the first women ministers of our church. With the anniversary, the church wants to commemorate the historical context of the ordination of women on the one hand, and at the same time connect to the present to the themes that are connected to women in our church. In addition, the church wants to connect the celebration to the current topic of the Ukrainian refugee crisis.

The church is planning a one-day celebration of this anniversary to be held in the second half of the year. Other accompanying events are also planned, such as a one-day conference on the topic of sexual abuse of women and a meeting of women from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Germany on the topic of accompanying in mourning.

2) Staff training

The Central Church Office of the ECCB is not only responsible for the running of the general congregation, but also for supporting the parish congregations in the Czech Republic. Thus, over the next two years, the Church intends to focus on supporting the personal development of the Central Church Office staff.

3) Education of children and workers with children

A pilot project is being prepared by the Church in cooperation with the Prague Seniorate of the ECCB. It will target children from both church and non-church backgrounds aged 5–15 years. The secondary target group will be the workers with children and the leaders of these workers in the Prague Seniorate, for whom a comprehensive methodology of work with children will be developed and appropriate support and training will be provided.

This involves the implementation of senior meetings for children and child workers and the creation of a team to continue the development of work with children. In addition, a catechetical handbook or, for example, a joint Facebook group should be created, and a regular newsletter is planned.

Adéla Rozbořilová and Eva Balcarová