Geneva
Geneva
I have now been in Geneva for two days, mostly doing study leave stuff and also being a tourist.
But first, Taize! Saturday and Sunday were very hard. It was really hard attending services for the last time. I have so enjoyed being here, worshipping in this way. And to know that this could be the last time I was attending each of the services, maybe ever was a very disturbing thing. And saying goodbye to people who had become friends and who I know I will never see again was sad. And finally, I was almost the last to leave. And that felt profoundly lonely. But also good. I appreciated the time in the afternoon in the church journaling and praying. It was a good way to finish.
So now Geneva. What a beautiful city, and so much here.
Monday I went to World Council of Churches. I discovered that the General Assembly next year has a youth focus, and that churches have been asked to nominate young people to come as delegates. The youth person is really struggling to get nominations, and asked if I had any. But we knew nothing about that, so nominated our people as stewards. I have to say I am annoyed at my church that has lost this information, and a great opportunity for young people has been lost.
But it was good meeting staff people, finding out what they do, and also getting linked in with them. I am hopeful that we can use that information in the future to get some Aotearoa-New Zealand young people involved in International things, for the benefit of them and for our church. This is something I want to pursue as I think there is a lot to be gained through this kind of exposure. To take young people out of their comfort zones and to allow them to find God in new situations and in new ways, and then to work with them on how to reintegrate that once they return home.
I remember a wise person once saying that 80% of our effort should go in to 20% of the people. I also remember hearing how a leading evangelical in England decided if they were to have any impact they needed to grow a whole generation of new leaders. So they concentrated their work in Cambridge and Oxford, and out of that came David Watson and Michael Green, and others. It is that kind of work I want to do with internship programmes and by taking young people to Israel and Taize. There could also be some money available for some of our programmes in the future as well. Well worth the visit.
Today I went to Franciscan International. I hope I have blogged about this earlier. This has grown out of the North American Catholic Franciscan Orders and their desire to work with the UN. Initially based in New York, they are now also established in Geneva. The Geneva headquarters is where all the human rights work is done, and FI here has become an advocate for human rights, eradication of poverty, peace and reconciliation work, and the integrity of creation. It is now a $1,000,000 a year operation, not only doing advocacy work, but trying to work with Franciscans on the ground to develop this work at the grass roots level. I went as a NZ Anglican Franciscan who is really interested in seeing us in New Zealand take ownership of this and get involved. I also went as someone wanting to us it to offer the Franciscan Charism to young people.
The good thing is that they are Franciscan, not Catholic, and we as Anglicans are part of this. I was really well received, and spent about an hour with the Director, Fr John Quigley OFM, and his PA, and the communications person. It was a great meeting, both talking about how FI could appear ecumenical rather than catholic. We also talked about how to get young people from NZ involved. I am again really excited about this, and hope next year to have one person do some short term stuff with them.
They fed me lunch, hooked my computer into the network, and just really really looked after me. It was just so nice and affirming to be there as a Franciscan. At Taize, I was introduced as a Franciscan Priest, once people knew that I was one. I have never really thought of myself in that way. It took me by surprise, and I almost tried to deny it. But that is who I am, and being at FI today helped cement that. I guess the question is how do I lived that out??
I also talked with my family, and that was really nice. And I did tourist stuff, including walking through the old city, and visiting the reformation museum, which was great. It only dawned on me that this is one of the birthplaces of the Reformation. It is a bit off in that the museum almost claims all Western advances have been due to Protestants, and plays up the Catholic repression, and doesn’t mention Luther’s repression of other reformers for example. But hey, still all good stuff. Even the Pents get a mention Simon!
Tomorrow I go to France to post some stuff home. It is cheaper there. Geneva is surrounded by France basically. I will also go the to Red Cross/Crescent museum (it too was founded here) and join a World Day Of Prayer For Peace service at WCC. Then maybe a trip on the lake, then dinner and time to catch the plane to Belfast. I am so looking forward to that.
I have now been in Geneva for two days, mostly doing study leave stuff and also being a tourist.
But first, Taize! Saturday and Sunday were very hard. It was really hard attending services for the last time. I have so enjoyed being here, worshipping in this way. And to know that this could be the last time I was attending each of the services, maybe ever was a very disturbing thing. And saying goodbye to people who had become friends and who I know I will never see again was sad. And finally, I was almost the last to leave. And that felt profoundly lonely. But also good. I appreciated the time in the afternoon in the church journaling and praying. It was a good way to finish.
So now Geneva. What a beautiful city, and so much here.
Monday I went to World Council of Churches. I discovered that the General Assembly next year has a youth focus, and that churches have been asked to nominate young people to come as delegates. The youth person is really struggling to get nominations, and asked if I had any. But we knew nothing about that, so nominated our people as stewards. I have to say I am annoyed at my church that has lost this information, and a great opportunity for young people has been lost.
But it was good meeting staff people, finding out what they do, and also getting linked in with them. I am hopeful that we can use that information in the future to get some Aotearoa-New Zealand young people involved in International things, for the benefit of them and for our church. This is something I want to pursue as I think there is a lot to be gained through this kind of exposure. To take young people out of their comfort zones and to allow them to find God in new situations and in new ways, and then to work with them on how to reintegrate that once they return home.
I remember a wise person once saying that 80% of our effort should go in to 20% of the people. I also remember hearing how a leading evangelical in England decided if they were to have any impact they needed to grow a whole generation of new leaders. So they concentrated their work in Cambridge and Oxford, and out of that came David Watson and Michael Green, and others. It is that kind of work I want to do with internship programmes and by taking young people to Israel and Taize. There could also be some money available for some of our programmes in the future as well. Well worth the visit.
Today I went to Franciscan International. I hope I have blogged about this earlier. This has grown out of the North American Catholic Franciscan Orders and their desire to work with the UN. Initially based in New York, they are now also established in Geneva. The Geneva headquarters is where all the human rights work is done, and FI here has become an advocate for human rights, eradication of poverty, peace and reconciliation work, and the integrity of creation. It is now a $1,000,000 a year operation, not only doing advocacy work, but trying to work with Franciscans on the ground to develop this work at the grass roots level. I went as a NZ Anglican Franciscan who is really interested in seeing us in New Zealand take ownership of this and get involved. I also went as someone wanting to us it to offer the Franciscan Charism to young people.
The good thing is that they are Franciscan, not Catholic, and we as Anglicans are part of this. I was really well received, and spent about an hour with the Director, Fr John Quigley OFM, and his PA, and the communications person. It was a great meeting, both talking about how FI could appear ecumenical rather than catholic. We also talked about how to get young people from NZ involved. I am again really excited about this, and hope next year to have one person do some short term stuff with them.
They fed me lunch, hooked my computer into the network, and just really really looked after me. It was just so nice and affirming to be there as a Franciscan. At Taize, I was introduced as a Franciscan Priest, once people knew that I was one. I have never really thought of myself in that way. It took me by surprise, and I almost tried to deny it. But that is who I am, and being at FI today helped cement that. I guess the question is how do I lived that out??
I also talked with my family, and that was really nice. And I did tourist stuff, including walking through the old city, and visiting the reformation museum, which was great. It only dawned on me that this is one of the birthplaces of the Reformation. It is a bit off in that the museum almost claims all Western advances have been due to Protestants, and plays up the Catholic repression, and doesn’t mention Luther’s repression of other reformers for example. But hey, still all good stuff. Even the Pents get a mention Simon!
Tomorrow I go to France to post some stuff home. It is cheaper there. Geneva is surrounded by France basically. I will also go the to Red Cross/Crescent museum (it too was founded here) and join a World Day Of Prayer For Peace service at WCC. Then maybe a trip on the lake, then dinner and time to catch the plane to Belfast. I am so looking forward to that.
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Norbert