The ECCB and the Evangelical Church of the Palatinate entered into a partnership

This took place on 17 November 2022 at the Synod of the Church of the Palatinate in Speyer, a city associated with the history of the World Reformation. The covenant formally confirmed the long-standing friendship between the two churches and the determination to face new challenges together.
 
The agreement was signed on behalf of the ECCB by the synodal senior Pavel Pokorný, and on behalf of the Palatinate Church by its president Dorothee Wüst. Before the actual signing, Pavel Pokorný spoke about the history and future of the relationship between the two churches, as did the church's Ecumenical Councilor Manfred Sutter. The 92-year-old Friedhelm Borggrefe, who has actively promoted the relationship between the two churches for over 60 years, also attended the ceremony. The ECCB delegation symbolically presented the Palatinate friends with a new edition of the Kralice Bible, a work of great importance for the history of the Czech Reformation and Czech literary history. The signing of the agreement on cooperation between the two churches was accompanied by a symbolic standing ovation by the delegates of the Palatinate Synod.

From Comenius to the present

Traces of the closeness of the two churches can be traced back to ancient history. Comenius also studied in Heidelberg. The modern history of the relationship begins in the 1960s and is associated with the names of the theologians Josef L. Hromádka, Milan Opočenský and the philosopher Milan Machovec. The attitude of the aforementioned pastor and theologian Friedhelm Borggrefe played an important role in the friendship between the two churches. In 1968, as pastor of the congregation in Ludwigshafen, he entered into a partnership with the congregation in Olomouc that still exists today. The first attempt to establish a partnership agreement between the two churches was ruined by the political situation in Czechoslovakia at the time. However, the cooperation between Jerome's Union and its counterpart Gustav-Adolf-Werk in the Palatinate (GAW-Pfalz) began, thanks to which, for example, the publication of the ECCB hymnbook, the building of a community centre in Prague-Kobylisy and the Sola Fide conference centres in the Krkonoše Mountains and Sola Gratia in Bystřice pod Hostýnem were supported. Although the discussions at that time were about church repairs, scholarships or social and medical aid, there were often concrete and very deep interpersonal encounters. With the opening of the borders after 1989 came new opportunities and the relationships deepened. The Palatinate Church was instrumental in the construction of a new evangelical church in Prague's South Town. Since 2003, they have regularly participated in the so-called Round Table, a joint distribution of donations from mainly German churches to support church and Diaconia projects. The financial support has recently been joined by opportunities for study stays of Czech pastors in Germany.

What next?

But we don't want to live only on grateful memories. At this very time, the two churches have much to say to each other in many areas. For the first time, the Evangelical Church in the Palatinate is experiencing what Czech Protestants have been experiencing for decades: life as a minority in society. Declining social influence and emptying churches do not leave us in a state of calm. Perhaps it can be strengthening to know that minority, being "outside the mainstream", was clearly part of the early church, as many biblical testimonies testify. We see a common future in cooperation in specific areas that are close to our hearts. These include climate change, new forms of mission, the relationship between the Church and Diaconia, but also protection, support and experience in the area of abuse in the Church.