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60 years of service: Braunschweig pastors celebrate a brilliant anniversary!
Twelve pastors from the Braunschweig regional church celebrate their ordination in St. Johanniskirche. A look at anniversaries and realignments.
60 years of service: Braunschweig pastors celebrate a brilliant anniversary!
Last Friday, October 24th, numerous parishioners and companions gathered at St. John's Church in Braunschweig to celebrate their impressive ordination anniversaries with twelve pastors from the Braunschweig Regional Church. The deputy regional bishop Thomas Hofer brought warm congratulations on the 25th, 40th, 50th and even 60th ordination anniversaries and acknowledged the many years of service of these pastors.
Among those celebrating was the former dean Heinrich Denecke, who was pleased to have worked in the parish office for 60 years. His journey in faith service is a powerful testimony to perseverance and commitment. Retired pastors were also recognized for five decades of service. Geert Beyer, retired pastor Hans-Jörg Borchardt, retired pastor Andreas Knauf, retired pastor Dr. theol. Manfred Korn and retired pastor Friedrich Krüger honored. The list of anniversaries shows how valuable people are to their communities.
The other anniversaries
The audience at the celebratory service was also thrilled by the honoring of pastors who were ordained 40 years ago. These include retired pastors. Michael Ludwig and retired pastor Erhard Milch. Pastor Siegfried Neumeier, Pastor Jens Paret, Pastor Jörg Schubert and Pastor Kerstin Vogt received recognition for their 25 years of ordination. These anniversaries reflect not only their devotion, but also their tireless commitment to pastoral care.
New faces in the regional church
In another context, on June 28th, four new pastors were ordained in Braunschweig Cathedral. Bishop Dr. Christoph Meyns relied on fresh impulses in pastoral care when he appointed Mareike Bürger, Rebekka Gottwald, Morten Hennebichler and Lisa Koch to new tasks. These four will take on their first positions after their vicariate from July 1, 2025 and will work in their new communities on a probationary basis for three years. Mareike Bürger will begin her duties in District Lisa Koch will support the Wolfenbüttel provost. Their efforts promise a breath of fresh air in the communities.
An overview of the anniversary celebrations
The significance of such anniversaries is reflected not only in the honor, but also in the community spirit that resonates in these celebrations. Here is an overview of the anniversaries:
| anniversary | names |
|---|---|
| 60 years | Retired Dean Heinrich Denecke |
| 50 years | Geert Beyer, Hans-Jörg Borchardt, Andreas Knauf, Dr. Manfred Korn, Friedrich Krüger |
| 40 years | Michael Ludwig, Erhard Milch |
| 25 years | Siegfried Neumeier, Jens Paret, Jörg Schubert, Kerstin Vogt |
The commitment of these pastors has a lasting impact on the communities. This is also confirmed by Bishop Christian Stäblein, who recently honored 38 anniversaries of the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia for their long-standing loyalty to the church and particularly emphasized the importance of ordination: It enables the public proclamation of the word and the administration of the sacraments.
The celebrations in Braunschweig and beyond are a strong sign of appreciation for the many years of dedication and service. The regional church is relying on continuity, but also on a dynamic new beginning.
For further information about these anniversaries, you can read the reports from the Braunschweig Regional Church and the Vorsfelde Provost on their websites: Regional Church of Braunschweig and Vorsfelde Provost's Office. The anniversaries from Berlin mentioned are also in an article EKBO described in detail.