Bishop Eric Kemp founded the DEEC to forge and promote active ecumenical church links between the Chichester diocese and our European neighbours. A committee of 12 members, including the Dean of Chichester as chair, meets regularly to fulfil Bishop Eric's vision in the following ways:

 

 

We encourage lay and ordained Christians across Europe to learn from and work with each other by regular face-to-face contact - especially musical and theological exchanges. Organists, choirs and theological students have visited, studied and performed in each other’s churches and countries and still do so regularly. The Committee oversees an annual budget to help fund essential travel to European countries and accommodate official visitors to the Diocese.

 

 

The committee promotes strong links with France and Germany. For example, on Trinity Sunday 2009, Monsignor Michel Pansard, Bishop of Chartres, preached in Chichester Cathedral. Prof.Dr Wolfgang Klausnitzer from Bamberg Cathedral, one of the Canons of Honour of Chichester, who happened to be in London, hurried down to Chichester so that the three countries would be represented!

Alongside a very strong link to the Lutheran church in Bayreuth, Chichester’s civic twinning with Chartres in France is reflected in very warm relations between the two Cathedrals. In November the Dean visited  Ravenna in Italy hoping to set up a similar exchange that would reflect Chichester’s civic twinning with Ravenna.

In September 2008, the diocese entered into a formal friendship with the *Syriac Church of Eastern Turkey, with two Syriac students coming to stay at Chichester Theological College. One is now a bishop in Holland and the other a prominent teacher in the Syriac monasteries. We also now have links with Syriac monasteries in the Mardin and Tur Abdin area and the Community of the Will of God, at Crawley Down and help support two Syriac monks in their studies at the University of Chichester.

 

 

The first ecumenical conference held in Chichester in 1984 to celebrate Bishop George Bell proved so valuable that the regular ‘Coburg conferences’ were born. Held every other year, delegates from the Diocese of Chichester, the Evangelical Kirchenkreis Bayreuth, the Lutheran church in Berlin-Brandenburg, and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bamberg meet for discussions, lectures and workshops on a variety of topics and current issues. It is an opportunity to share and solve problems together and exchange news of parish links. A very strong bond of support, fellowship and understanding has developed. The most recent theme was the Church and its influence on public and political life while the next conference in Chichester in October 2011 will discuss the rise of secularism in Europe.

The committee also supports the Feuerstein conference - a week of study attended by theological students and newly ordained clergy from Chichester, Bayreuth and Bamberg as well as sponsoring a delegate to attend a study course in Josefstal, Bavaria.

 

 

Alongside the more formal links at a Diocesan level, the  DEEC also encourages various European links at a parish level. The most long-standing is Lavant’s twinning with Bad Berneck.  Recent events include:

All Saints,Crowborough choir, musicians and friends visited its partner parish Pegnitz at the beginning of last year.
An innocent game of quick cricket between St Symphoriun’s, Durrington and parish partners from Munchberg led to the burning and dispatch of ‘The Ashes’ to Germany in 2008 before their return back in 2009! Following interest from the German Cricket Board, cricket is now firmly on the school syllabus in Mönchberg, and four of the girls are representing the county…!
A partner church in Stegaurach introduced St Nicholas, Arundel to support the Indian charity FEAST. In January this year four parishioners and Father David undertook a 100km walk in India raising £10,000 for FEAST…
In February this year, 30 choir and family members from St Paul’s, Chichester visited Alt-Schönberg for a highly successful visit with their parish partners and gave a concert, shared worship and enjoyed sightseeing. 

 

 

The committee would love to keep you informed about the European ecumenical work taking place in the Diocese and we would love to hear from you about what your parish is doing!

You can find out regular updates of European ecumenical work within the diocese on this webpage or on the permanent noticeboard  in the Cathedral.

Please send news to Tonie Smith 

Maybe your parish would be interested in establishing its own link?

 

So news please! The DEEC wants to know!

Please send information or queries to the DEEC Secretary Jeffrey Stanbridge