On the 7th July 2013 Dean John Witcombe presented a Cross of Nails to the St. Paul’s congregation in Odessa. This church has a chequered history: It was a German Lutheran church in the 19th century and served effectively like a cathedral for the local German population. In Soviet times it was used as a gym and a cinema, concert hall and gym, was to be demolished for a student hostel and to be turned in a concert hall. It burned down in 1976 and was finally reopened and consecrated in 2010 with the support of the Bavarian Lutheran Church. St. Paul’s Lutheran Congregation is the first CCN Partner in Ukraine.
The Cross of Nails Presentation was part of the 4th CCN Middle and Eastern Europe conference from 3rd – 7th July 2013, which was hosted by the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and Bishop Uland Spahlinger. About 20 Delegates attended from our CCN Partners in Prague (Czech Republic), Tbilisi (Georgia), Romania, Lublin and Krzyżowa in Poland, St. Petersburg (Russia) and a few participants from Germany.
The participants shared stories from the CCN Centres, where they come from and reported about the current situation. Other important issues of the conference were the Ukrainian – Polish reconciliation process and Dean John’s report from Coventry.
One of the most inspiring parts of the programme was the Ecumenical Study afternoon with a press conference on Friday.
Back in Coventry Dean John reflected on his time in Odessa during a Sunday sermon in the cathedral.
I found myself reflecting on [the] role of reconciliation in church and city when I took a cross of nails last week to Odessa, in Ukraine, […] a wonderful city planted on the Black Sea by Catherine the Great, enjoying a heavenly climate but, inevitably, owning a troubled history.
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One of the most satisfying parts of the visit was the ecumenical meeting and press conference on the Friday afternoon, when other church leaders and, even more importantly in my mind, local leaders were invited. There were also a couple of delegates from an EU mission to Moldova and Ukraine, working on issues of systemic corruption. Together, this made it possible to stress that the cross of nails was not just being taken to a church community, but to a city: a plumb line, if you like, but not as a threat of judgement, but as an invitation and a promise of grace. The church there already welcomes in its neighbours, both in ecumenical and neighbourhood groups. Part of its building is a contemporary quite of offices rented out to local businesses, and I have already mentioned the bar run by one of the churchwardens in its precincts. It is a sign of new life, and a sign of community, of neighbourliness.
I had a wonderful time in Odessa. I learnt about new neighbours in Ukraine, and - the other delegates – became my neighbours from Poland, from Prague, from Sibiu in Romania, from St. Petersburg, from Tbilisi. They became my neighbours because God brought us together.
Bishop Uland received a letter from the city council speaking of their appreciation to have been part of such an enriching Ecumenical event and hope for further fruitful cooperation. Bishop Uland emphasized this reaction is unusual and shows that church initiatives like the CCN Middle and Eastern European Conference and symbols like the Cross of Nails have a noteable significance in the church and public.
