A message of solidarity, thanksgiving and prayer to the Petrus-Paulus-Gemeinde on the occasion of its final service and decommissioning, Saturday, 7 November 2026
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:8
Moving on is woven into the story of God’s people. Abraham leaves familiar ground; Israel journeys through the wilderness; the disciples follow Christ into a future they cannot yet understand. In each of these journeys, the promise is that God will accompany them. The God who has met us in a beloved place also goes before us into the unfamiliar.
Yet this promise leaves room for tears. Jesus himself wept, and our faith gives us permission to grieve what we have loved. As you gather for this final service, we stand beside you with gratitude for all that has been and with prayer for all that lies ahead.
On behalf of the Anglican Church Freiburg, I offer our heartfelt thanks for the life we have shared with the Petrus-Paulus-Gemeinde. We give thanks for the space in which we worshipped, the friendships that grew, our joint services and council meetings, and the mission we undertook together. Through these encounters, we experienced something precious about the Church: belonging to Christ draws us into belonging to one another. Our different traditions became gifts we could offer and receive within the one Body.
Your hospitality gave that conviction a practical expression. You welcomed us as equal participants in a shared Christian life. There was room for our worship, our voices, our concerns and our contribution. This generous spirit helped us feel at home.
I am particularly grateful for the office space you provided. It gave our chaplaincy a place from which to work, meet people, listen, pray and offer pastoral care. Such provision may appear ordinary, but its significance reaches into the lives of those who found welcome and support there.
I also give thanks for the collegiality of your priests. Dear Andrea Aichelle, your monthly conversations, practical help and patient companionship were especially valuable as I found my feet in German life and ministry. You helped me understand an unfamiliar context and made the process of settling in less lonely. I will remember that kindness with lasting gratitude.
Dear Felicitas Otto, thank you for your companionship and for the warmth you brought to our shared ministry. We also offer you our warm congratulations on becoming a mother. May God bless you and your family with health, joy, strength and the support of a loving community.
Our sincere thanks go to the Parish Vestry and to all who have carried the responsibilities of congregational life, often quietly and at considerable personal cost. We remember especially Emada, your caretaker, whose practical service helped make this a welcoming and functioning home for so many. The opening of doors, preparation of rooms and care of a building are themselves ministries of hospitality. We are deeply grateful.
The closing of this cherished place touches memories woven into our lives: prayers offered in anxiety, songs sung with joy, grief held in silence, conversations after worship, and friendships formed over time. These walls have witnessed so much of our life before God. For your congregation, and for us who have shared this space, saying farewell is painful.
We stand with you in that pain, without judgement, and entrust you to the tenderness of God. We pray that the move into your new context will be gentle and well supported. May friendships endure, may those who feel unsettled receive particular care, and may everyone find a place where their presence and gifts are valued. May there be patience for different ways of grieving and courage to receive the possibilities of a new beginning.
We also pray for the future of these facilities. May those entrusted with decisions about them be guided by wisdom, sensitivity and a concern for the common good. May the space continue to serve purposes that honour God and uphold human dignity.
With humility and hope, we pray for a renewal of Christian faith throughout Germany. May a new generation discover the joy of the Gospel, the depth of prayer and the call to serve their neighbours. And we dare to pray that one day this very place may again overflow with people gathered for worship, its rooms alive with fellowship and its doors open in welcome. We place that longing in God’s hands, trusting God with the future we cannot yet see.
Whatever lies ahead, the good that has happened here will continue to bear fruit. The welcome you offered has shaped us. The faith we shared will travel with us. The love made visible in this place will live on in those who carry it into their homes, communities and new places of worship.
Let us pray.
Faithful God,
you have met your people in this place
through Word and Sacrament,
through friendship and service,
through joy and sorrow.
Receive our thanksgiving for every life touched here.
Hold gently those whose hearts are heavy.
Bless the Petrus-Paulus-Gemeinde in its next chapter,
preserve its bonds of love,
and prepare a welcome for every member in their new spiritual home.
Guide the future use of this building,
that it may continue to be a blessing.
Renew your Church in Germany,
awaken faith across the generations,
and let places grown quiet resound again
with prayer, praise and the joyful service of our neighbours.
As familiar doors close,
help us trust that you go before us.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
With heartfelt gratitude, solidarity and prayers,
Vinod Victor
Chaplain, Anglican Church Freiburg
