Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany Klaus-Jochen Guehlcke and Pastor Robert Moore
In a ceremony on Monday evening, January 14, Consul General Klaus-Joachim Gühlcke conferred upon Pastor Robert Moore the Order of Merit (Bundesverdienstkreuz) of the German government in the name of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany Joachim Gauck. It is the highest honor that the Republic of Germany bestows on citizens and foreigners for service in political, economic, social, and spiritual matters.
President Gauck is also a Lutheran pastor, who was active in the peaceful revolution before the re-unification of Germany. Thereafter, he was elected to be the first Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Archives (the secret files of the infamous secret police).
Pastor Moore was recognized for his many years of work in German-American relations, especially the sister-city relationship between Houston and Leipzig which was made official by Leipzig in 1992 and by Houston in 1993. He has served twice as president of the Houston-Leipzig Sister City Association in 1998 and in 2009.
Pastor Moore and Kathy have worked tirelessly organizing travel groups to Leipzig and hosting guests from Leipzig. Rice University President David Leebron gave the official “laudatio.” A letter from the Honorable Burkhard Jung, Mayor of Leipzig, was read. “You have built many bridges between our cities. Thanks to your efforts and support we have a thriving partnership between Houston and Leipzig.”