The EME Team
Johannes Spindler
Johannes Spindler is a Master’s student of political science, geography and German as a second language at the University of Education in Ludwigsburg, Germany. Alongside his studies, he works at the university’s Educational Science Research Workshop and the Student Service Centre. From 2022 to 2024, he held a variety of student leadership positions, including Deputy Chair of the Student Union with responsibility for finance and event approval, Deputy Chair of the university’s student body, and membership in the Student Parliament, the Faculty Council, and the Study Commission, where he advocated for students' rights. Since 2020, he has been a member of the German Unitarians (Unitarier- Religionsgemeinschaft freien Glaubens). Through this membership, he had the opportunity to participate in the “Leading into the Future” conference of the former ICUU in Prague in October 2023, which gave him valuable insights into international interfaith cooperation. In 2024, he was elected to the Spiritual Council (Geistiger Rat) of the German Unitarians. Since 2021, Johannes Spindler has also been active in the German Chapter of the IARF. At the IARF Europe and Middle East (EME) Conference in Offenbach/Frankfurt in 2025, he was elected Co-Chair of the IARF EME group together with the incumbent Chair, Pascal Schilling.
Pascal Schilling
He has been working for the Free Religious Congregation in Offenbach am Main, near Frankfurt, Germany since 2014. He studied Linguistics, Psychology, Cultural Studies and History and focused on religious content in these disciplines. In 2016 he was elected minister of his congregation in Offenbach and strengthened his connections with the IARF by visiting the World Congress 2014 in Birmingham. In 2018 he became the chair of the IARF group for Europe and the Middle East and the vice chair of the German Chapter of IARF. His congregation is rooted in a tradition of working with and for the IARF because the Rev. Diether Gehrmann, who was reverend in Offenbach from 1958 till 1967, and after that was a Unitarian minister in the USA, was the first full time General Secretary of the IARF and served the Association from 1972-1990.
Lucie Meijer
Studied Pedagogy at University of Utrecht. Was President of the International Religious Fellowship (IRF, youth organisaiton affiliated to IARF) 1973-1975. Worked for the Liberal Centre for Social Concerns (serving IARF member groups) in Utrecht 1974-1979. Was staff member at the IARF head office secretariat in Frankfurt 1979-1992. Was staff member at the head office of the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) in Amsterdam 1992-2020. Now retired. Currently Treasurer of the IARF Europe/Middle East Region (EME) and Secretary/Treasurer of the Dutch Chapter of IARF.
Derek McAuley
Former Chief Officer of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian churches in the United Kingdom. Vice President of the International Council of Unitarians and Univeralists 2018 to 2022. Trustee of the Inter Faith Network of the UK 2013 - 2014. Chair of the Hibbert Trust.