Nordic hospitality in Rotherhithe

To the Norwegian Seamen's Church, close to the entrance of the Rotherhithe Tunnel, for our deanery synod meeting.

The Norwegian and the Finnish churches in Rotherhithe date from the days when seamen from those countries were regularly arriving at the Surrey Docks nearby, but now the two churches serve the Norwegian and Finnish ex-pat communities throughout London.

Both are state churches deriving, as the Church of England does from the Reformation, so though its clergy are Lutherans, not Anglicans, they are full members of our deanery synods and chapters through the Porvoo Agreement which links the Church of England with the reformed churches of Scandinavia.

Last night's synod venue, a beautifully wood-panelled lounge, decorated with portraits of the King and Queen of Norway, set a new standard for synod meetings, as did the waffles and jam that our Norwegian hosts served with the coffee.

Church lounge at the Norwegian church

As for the synod, it was a good time for catching up as churches in Bermondsey & Rothehithe, with an opportunity to think about Mission Action Planning, intentional evangelism, food banks, and the new generosity based system for financing the diocese.

We also had time to think of two particular mission projects across the deanery: about developing our links with schools and making the best use of our church buildings for mission.

A good and productive meeting.