For their final meeting, the Young Theologians in Communion of the CPCE met for a study conference to produce a message for the General Assembly, provide feedback and advice for the next group of CPCE Young Theologians, and learn more about CPCE’s ecumenical dialogues and the situation of the churches in Estonia. Matthias Burghardt, pastor of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (EELC) in Tallinn, welcomed us as our host, and the conference took place at the German Congregation’s building.
The Young Theologians received reports on ongoing CPCE work processes and had a chance to get acquainted with the beautiful city of Tallinn before getting settled and diving into the work on the agenda for the conference.
The schedule in Tallinn was compact, with many presentations and time to work in groups on two different objectives on the agenda. The first objective was to prepare a contribution to the General Assembly, a message to inform the Assembly about the Young Theologians in Communion group and the topics that it feels are most important for the CPCE to focus on in the coming years. The second group was also tasked with looking towards the future and was given the task of creating a “handbook” for future generations of YTs.
By the end of our time on Wednesday, there had been quite a bit of positive progress for both groups, and plans to have all work ready to go for the General Assembly and upcoming work period.
The trip to Tallinn gave the group an opportunity to meet with quite a few notable church figures living in Estonia. On Tuesday, the group had the pleasure of visiting the EELC Consistory and meeting with Archbishop Urmas Viilma. He spent 90 minutes with the group talking about church relations within Estonia, the influence of neighbouring churches and countries on the EELC and Estonian life, and talked about his experiences as a “young” bishop. A main area of focus for him and the churches in Estonia is the idea that it is a predominately atheist/agnostic nation, with only around of 20% of people professing to believe in God. He brought up the work being done in Estonia to foster ecumenism among the Baptists, Lutherans, and other Protestant churches through the Estonian Council of Churches, of which he is the head representative.
Later in the day, the group greeted the following people with a special commitment to ecumenical networks as lunch guests:
- Ullas Tankler, European Area Liaison of the United Methodist Church (UMC)
- Helle Liht, Assistant General Secretary of the European Baptist Federation (EBF)
- Thomas-Andreas Põder, study secretary of the CPCE.
The three mingled with the Young Theologians before Helle gave the group a presentation on ecumenical dialogues between the CPCE and EBF, which was informative. Thomas-Andreas gave an overview of the various dialogues the CPCE was and is engaged in.
To cap off the conference, the Young Theologians engaged in a shared worship service, organized entirely by members of the group. Sharing in the Lord’s Supper, song, and prayer, the group celebrated the end of their final meeting and the opportunities for lived church communion they had experienced over the past 5 years.
The CPCE is so thankful for the contributions of this group to CPCE work as whole through involvement in consultations, working processes, and regional groups. We look forward to hearing about all the great work these Theologians do in the future and look forward to future encounters across Europe.