CHATHAM-WESSELING LINK
Where is Wesseling?
Wesseling is a town in the German Rhineland, about 4 hours' journey heading East from Calais. A few miles North is the historic city of Cologne, with its massive, three-spired cathedral, Roman remains and varied shops. To the South is the elegant city of Bonn, national capital from 1949 to 1999. Situated on the Rhine, a staging point on the river between the two cities, Wesseling is an industrial town that has grown up around the chemical industry, its huge factories making use of the river waters. A town of some 35,000, it has a quiet, orderly feel to the visitor, whilst remaining easily accessible by motorway and train.
What is the church like there?
Our link is with the Protestant church in Wesseling, which is made up of three churches:
• the Kreuzkirche (‘Church of the Cross’)
• the Apostelkirche (‘Church of the Apostles')
• the Dankeskirche (‘Thank you Church’)
The churches are all in the Lutheran tradition, but each serves a different part of the town, and each has its own style. There are two ordained ministers - Gerd Veit and Rudiger Penczek - who serve the churches between them, together with a number of lay ministers, including Andreas Meinert who, as youth pastor, has done much to develop the link over the years.
Why have a Link?
There are a good number of reasons, but here are three:
• To express Christ's desire that 'all should be one'
• To build relationships across historic divides
• To learn from each other
Why Wesseling?
• because the Link already exists
• because the distance is manageable
• because we can connect with each other through our similarities as well as learning from our differences
• because they speak good English!
What's new?
• It will be a joint link of the three Holy Trinity churches and St Stephen's church.
• It will be a link for the whole church community.
• It will receive new impetus from the leadership in all the churches.