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Scottish and German Congregations Mark 40 Years of Joint Remembrance

Wednesday November 6 2019

This Remembrance Sunday, Scottish and German congregations in Edinburgh will celebrate 40 years of working and worshipping together for peace.

The service at St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church will be jointly led by the church’s minister, the Rev Dr Rosie Magee, and the Rev Verena Jantzen, pastor of the German-speaking Congregation in Edinburgh.

The congregations will also be joined by Albany Deaf Church, and the bilingual service - with the theme 'one church, one faith, one Lord' - will be signed in British Sign Language.

The German-speaking congregation in Edinburgh dates back to 1947, and is affiliated to the Protestant Church of Germany.

The joint Remembrance services have taken place annually since 1979, when the congregation of St Andrew’s and St George’s Church invited the German church to mark Remembrance Day with them.

An extract from the German Parish Magazine of November 1979 reads: “A moving testimony of the Christian desire for reconciliation was the Service on Remembrance Day, which our congregation held with the Parish Church of St Andrew’s and St George’s. The Rev Andrew Wylie and Pastor Schroeder shared leadership of worship.

“I have been waiting for such a service for years!” was the reaction of a Scottish ex-serviceman. But we also heard of reservations against our visit that were held by some Scottish members of the congregation.”