More of Geneva:
More of Geneva:
Today did not quite happen as expected. Everything takes longer than I expect. I did bus to France to post my packages home. It seemed wrong to catch a bus into another country. But fun. I have sent all my Taizé stuff home and the WCC material as well. Nearly 2kg worth. Then Michael and I went for coffee, a harder thing than expected.
We bussed back to the Ecumenical Centre, where I visited the book shop, thinking the world day of Prayer for Peace service was happening. I thought it was at 12noon, but it was really 12.30. So I sat outside, began reading a book of memoirs by one of the Corrymeale founders, and ate the chocolate bar my family sent over with me in the sun. Lovely.
It was nice to be in a service again. This week is the first time I have not been in regular community prayer since I arrived nearly 4 weeks ago. But I would describe it as stilted liturgy. The kind I think Simon is talking about (see one of the comments down below) I had the same experience last time (12 years ago) after I left Taizé, finding the liturgy we do, ,so full of words such hard work, and longing for the simply chants instead of the lovely hymns, and silence. However, how often do you get to go to a service at the WCC, with the General Secretary, various ambassadors and UN dignitaries, and me? The theme was peace, particularly peace in the Sudan. The Anglican Bishop of Southern Sudan spoke, as well as the UN director of refugee in Sudan.
This afternoon I went to Red Cross / Red Crescent museum. My plan was to spend about an hour there and then go into Geneva and walk around the lake on this fine sunny day. But I ended up being there for about 2 ½ hours. It is a great imaginative display, and I learnt heaps. I did not realize that the founding of the Red Cross and the development of the Geneva Convention is intimately linked, and continues to be linked. Nor did I realise that the Red Cross/Red Crescent are all part of the same federation. I always thought it was separate. What as amazing was that it was formed because one man was appalled at the way the wounded were not cared for during a battle on the 1840’s. Henri Durant went to the battle scene at Soprino (?) organised locals to help care for the wounded on both sides, and then wrote a memoir on what he had experienced, which he sent to European governments, with a proposal to develop a convention to prevent this happening again. A group in Geneva took this on board, and organised this first conventions to help make this a reality. Although initially involved with this, Henri later went bankrupt and was removed from the committee. He disappeared into obscurity until about 1900 when he was found by a journalist, (they do do some good things, or at least they did then) and he was jointly awarded the first Nobel Peace prize. I just think it is a great story both of what a difference one man can make, but also of God’s timing, that at that time his book made such an impact, when at other times it would have been binned.
It was interesting to see how the work of the Red Cross has developed over the years, and the continued tie between The Red Cross/Red Crescent and the Geneva Convention.
So I missed my walk on the lake, and instead had to rush back to Julanne and Michael’s pack, and get ready for the next part of my adventure, Belfast.
13 days till Bonnie joins me.
Today did not quite happen as expected. Everything takes longer than I expect. I did bus to France to post my packages home. It seemed wrong to catch a bus into another country. But fun. I have sent all my Taizé stuff home and the WCC material as well. Nearly 2kg worth. Then Michael and I went for coffee, a harder thing than expected.
We bussed back to the Ecumenical Centre, where I visited the book shop, thinking the world day of Prayer for Peace service was happening. I thought it was at 12noon, but it was really 12.30. So I sat outside, began reading a book of memoirs by one of the Corrymeale founders, and ate the chocolate bar my family sent over with me in the sun. Lovely.
It was nice to be in a service again. This week is the first time I have not been in regular community prayer since I arrived nearly 4 weeks ago. But I would describe it as stilted liturgy. The kind I think Simon is talking about (see one of the comments down below) I had the same experience last time (12 years ago) after I left Taizé, finding the liturgy we do, ,so full of words such hard work, and longing for the simply chants instead of the lovely hymns, and silence. However, how often do you get to go to a service at the WCC, with the General Secretary, various ambassadors and UN dignitaries, and me? The theme was peace, particularly peace in the Sudan. The Anglican Bishop of Southern Sudan spoke, as well as the UN director of refugee in Sudan.
This afternoon I went to Red Cross / Red Crescent museum. My plan was to spend about an hour there and then go into Geneva and walk around the lake on this fine sunny day. But I ended up being there for about 2 ½ hours. It is a great imaginative display, and I learnt heaps. I did not realize that the founding of the Red Cross and the development of the Geneva Convention is intimately linked, and continues to be linked. Nor did I realise that the Red Cross/Red Crescent are all part of the same federation. I always thought it was separate. What as amazing was that it was formed because one man was appalled at the way the wounded were not cared for during a battle on the 1840’s. Henri Durant went to the battle scene at Soprino (?) organised locals to help care for the wounded on both sides, and then wrote a memoir on what he had experienced, which he sent to European governments, with a proposal to develop a convention to prevent this happening again. A group in Geneva took this on board, and organised this first conventions to help make this a reality. Although initially involved with this, Henri later went bankrupt and was removed from the committee. He disappeared into obscurity until about 1900 when he was found by a journalist, (they do do some good things, or at least they did then) and he was jointly awarded the first Nobel Peace prize. I just think it is a great story both of what a difference one man can make, but also of God’s timing, that at that time his book made such an impact, when at other times it would have been binned.
It was interesting to see how the work of the Red Cross has developed over the years, and the continued tie between The Red Cross/Red Crescent and the Geneva Convention.
So I missed my walk on the lake, and instead had to rush back to Julanne and Michael’s pack, and get ready for the next part of my adventure, Belfast.
13 days till Bonnie joins me.
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