Reverend George Samiec
pastor@ascension.lutheranchurch.org.uk
Cell: +44 7788 837680
About the Pastor
Pastor George was ordained in 1986 in Australia and has served parishes in Queensland as well as chaplain at St Peter’s Lutheran College, Indooroopilly, Brisbane. He has also served on district and national boards of worship, liturgics, dramatic arts, college governance, and Lutheran education in the Lutheran Church of Australia. He served as 2nd Vice President of the Queensland District of the LCA (1996 – 2002). Called to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of England (ELCE) and to Ascension Lutheran Church, Brandon, he arrived in November 2002, and was installed as Ascension’s pastor on 30thNovember 2002.
He has also served the wider ELCE in many capacities. He has looked after numerous vacant congregations in East Kilbride, Coventry, Sunderland, Cambridge, Harlow, and Tottenham. He is Adjunct Tutor at the ELCE’s house of studies in Cambridge, Westfield House, where he teaches Pastoral Theology. He has also taught Christian Education (2006 – 2021), Augsburg Confession and Apology (2020, 2021, 2023, 2025), and overseen pastoral fieldwork (2004 – 2021). He was the Editor of The British Lutheran (2005 – 2019). He has presented two programmes on Lutheran Radio UK – Straight Answers to Awkward Questions (2012 – 2017) and Cross Encounters (2019 – 2025). He has served as trustee of the ELCE and the ELCE Trust Ltd (2003 – 2025) and also as ELCE Vice Chairman (2010-2019) and ELCE Chairman (2019 – 2025).
Active in the local community, Pastor George is a voluntary police chaplain for Suffolk Constabulary (since 2004), a Padre of the Sea Cadets (since 2005) as well as holding two District Chaplain roles (since 2019), and on call chaplain at West Suffolk Hospital (since 2009). He is chaplain of the Mildenhall branch of the Royal British Legion and in that role, on request, has conducted Remembrance services in the community since 2011.
Internationally, Pastor George has served on the European Lutheran Conference as Vice Chairman (2004 – 2006) and Secretary (2006 – 2018). He has been the European Representative / Board Member of the International Lutheran Council (2019 – 2025).
Pastor George is married to Charlotte and they have 5 children and 10 grandchildren between Australia and England. His tertiary studies are in the Arts (History and Drama), Theology, and Educational Studies. He is a registered teacher (Qld) and a member of the Australian Academy of Liturgy.