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The Evangelical Lutheran Congregation in Groningen is well-over
three hundred years old and numbers about 230 members, most living
in the city and in the western part of the province. The service
begins each Sunday at 10:00 AM and is followed by an opportunity to
meet one another and drink a cup of coffee.
The congregation demonstrates its Lutheran heritage by its participation in a
rich, historical liturgical tradition. To hear the Word of God read and
preached, and to praise, give thanks, and pray in the company of others is at
the heart of our congregational life.
The Lutheran Church is often called a ‘singing’ church, and that
can be seen in every service, whether it be in the responses
between the pastor and the congregation or in the many psalms and
hymns sung. The church's choir, de ‘Cantorij’, sings once a month
and there are also frequent ‘music services’ with visiting choirs
or soloists. The church's newly-restored 1896 van Oeckelen organ
also plays an important part in our worship and in our musical
outreach to the city in which we live.
Another aspect of the Lutheran tradition is its climate of freedom,
rooted in the understanding that everyone is responsible for his or
her own relationship with God, with which no church authority has
the right to interfere. With such a point of view, there comes an
atmosphere of tolerance and respect for each person's way of
believing.
One might say, then, that good liturgy, good preaching, good music,
and tolerance of diversity are the marks of the Lutheran religious
life.
As with almost all Lutheran congregations in the Netherlands, the
Evangelical Lutheran Congregation in Groningen is a ‘diaspora’
congregation. This means that its members are spread over a large
geographical area. About half its members live in or near the city
and the rest elsewhere in the region, from Delfzijl in the north to
the tip of Drenthe in the south, from the Frisian border in the
west to Hoogezand-Sappemeer in the east. It has a broad membership,
from young to old, from hand-worker to professor, and an
international tint, as well, with members from countries with a
strong Lutheran presence, such the United States, the Scandinavian
countries and, not least, our neighbour, Germany.
In addition to the Sunday service, the congregation has other
events. During part of the main service, there is a children's
group on the side. For those twelve and over, there is a special
Catechism group. Two or three times a year, there is a
congregational meeting to discuss matters relevant to the whole
church. Once a month, there is a Bible study-group. For those who
live in the Westerkwartier, there is a special discussion
group. Many members are also active in the daily running of the
congregation, through work on committees and councils, through
taking care of the church, visiting the elderly and the sick, and
the like. A recent good development is the formation of de
Cantorij, which rehearses three times a month.
Though Lutherans form the largest protestant group world-wide, in
the Netherlands, they are but a tiny minority within the large
Calvinist majority. The origins of the Lutheran community in
Groningen go back to the early part of the seventeenth century, but
the earliest formal record we have that they existed is a note in
the minutes of the city consistory from 1643, reminding the Watch
that they were responsible for preventing Lutheran
house-services. A pastor was called in 1647, but he had to leave
the city two years later. During the Siege of Groningen in 1672,
the defense was lead by a member of the congregation,
Capt. Rabenhaupt, and the seeds were sown for an agreement to let
the congregation build a church. Money for its construction came
mostly from the congregation itself, but there were also donations
from the Lutheran congregation in Amsterdam and from the kings of
Sweden and Denmark. It had to be a schuilkerk [hidden church]. This
meant that it was not allowed to be seen from the street as a
church and it was not allowed to have a tower or bells. This is
why, even today, many who use the Haddingestraat daily are
completely unaware that there is a church there.
The current pastor of the congregation is Susanne Freytag. She
comes from Hamburg, took her university degree in Germany and did
her pastoral studies in The Netherlands. After her education, she
was called by the Evangelical Lutheran Congregation in Groningen
and ordained here in 1996.
Current information about the congregation appears in the
congregational newsletter, Opbouw, which can be found in the Foyer
and may taken home. Of course, you may also leave your name and
address and we shall send it to you free.
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