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Home » Prospective Students » The Community at Luther Seminary » Blogs » Student Travel Blogs | |||||||
Geneva, Switzerland 2007Join five Luther Seminary students as they travel to Geneva, Switzerland with ecumenical coordinator Debra Wells for a class called "The Ecumenical Church in a Globalized World" in January 2007.This students will be part of a larger group of seminarians from around the U.S. meeting with theologians from around the world. They will be meeting with and at the Lutheran World Federation, the United Nations and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. The Luther Seminary students are Linda Webster, Joel Nye, Sarah Nye, Anna Marsh and Beverly Robinson. Blog Entries Thursday - January 11, 2007 Ecumenical Institute Monday - January 8, 2007 WOW!! Geneva!! Tuesday - January 9, 2007 WOW!! Geneva!! (part deux) Saturday - January 13, 2007 Geneva! Bon jour! Monday - January 15, 2007 It's chilly here today! Tuesday - January 16, 2007 Conversation with the Directors of Lutheran World Federation Thursday - January 18, 2007 Bon Voyage from Geneva! The Student Blog area of the Luther Seminary Web site contains personal Web logs (online journal entries) of Luther Seminary students. The information and opinions therein reflect individual thoughts, tastes and activities. They do not reflect official policies or positions of Luther Seminary. Thursday - January 11, 2007 - top Ecumenical Institute Greetings from Geneva, this 11th day of January, 2007. We just returned from the Ecumenical Institute (part of the University of Geneva) in Bossey, France — just a short jaunt across the river from Geneva. It was a good day to be outside as it was sunny and almost warm. We met with students studying there who wanted to know how we do ecumenism and how that contrasts with the situation in other countries. The day began with chapel in a building dating back to the Middle Ages and we sang an Arabic hymn with the congregation there (the Alleluias weren't too hard!). The Institute is housed in two 17th century chalets purchased for this work after a large donation (post WWII) by the Rockefeller Foundation. After a fabulous lunch, we met with one of the world's leading feminist theologians, Lettie Russell, who was leading a seminar on the conditions for women around the world. Then we met the former head of the World Council of Churches, Konrad Reiser, a charming man, with whom I would have loved a longer visit but our bus was waiting. The essence of the day was this: we must find ways to communicate with each other, respecting each other's differences, each other's faith traditions. Rabbi Getz, from Geneva, spoke in the morning about Jewish spirituality and he talked about becoming the "profound you" that you have been created by God to be, allowing the light of God to shine through you, regardless of wars or deprivations. He reminded us that, in the face of certain extinction, the inmates of the concentration camps remained human beings and remained God's light in a world gone insane. So, until we meet again, be the "profound you," listening to the others also created by God! Adieu, my friends, adieu! Monday - January 8, 2007 - top WOW!! Geneva!!
Dear Friends, I finally got a chance at the computers! We all arrived safely, checked in, had a lovely dinner, and fell into bed. There are seminary students from all over the U.S. and presenters from all over the world. Sunday we worshiped with the 300 year old English-speaking Lutheran congregation in a house in the old city. We were told that law forbids anyone from building church buildings (you know, steeples and all) except for the Reformed Church which, of course, began here. Nonetheless, there was a full house at this beautiful chalet in the Old City. The pastor is a woman (selected from over 150 candidates) who is Brazilian. Fabulous service! Then we had a Chinese luncheon and a tour of the Reformation Museum and the cathedral with its Roman ruins in the crypt. Classes started off with a bang and homework to go with it. Tonight everyone has gone to France (just across the river from Geneva) to shop. More hopefully tomorrow. In the meantime, "Why Ecumenism?" - our study question for today. Tuesday - January 9, 2007 - top WOW!! Geneva!! (part deux)
It's Tuesday, January 9, and it's still rainy and cool here, but we were busy learning about the World Council of Churches, whose offices are here in Geneva with the Lutheran World Federation. The essence of today's presentations was that we need to live out our baptismal calling as brothers and sisters in Christ. Everything we do affects everyone else globally. "No man is an island," if that was ever more true. Of course, we must have time for fun, too, and some of our group went to France - bearing in mind France is just across the river - for goodies: wine, cheese, bread, and chocolate. We gathered in the TV room to enjoy the bounty. Since not all of the delegates are Lutheran, we were doing ecumenism in our own way! Tonight is wine and cheese with the director of the John Knox Center where we are staying. We will have a chance to learn the history of the center locally as well as its place on the world stage. Au revoir! (That's French, you know!) Saturday - January 13, 2007 - top Geneva! Bon jour!
Today was an absolutely day with not a cloud in the sky! It's Saturday, our first day off, so we took the train to Montreux, had a fabulous lunch, and then went to Chillon Chalet, a castle made famous by Lord Byron in a poem with the same name. We arrived back in Geneva in time to do laundry. The Swiss trains are, of course, clean, inexpensive and ontime! The public transportation certainly puts ours to shame. We can ride all over on our bus passes--into France even! Then my round trip ticket to Montreux was 54chf (swiss francs) which is about 50USD. It's about an hour trip and well-worth the money. If your pruchase a 2nd class pass, the same ticket is only 27USD. On Friday we heard two more speakers from the World Council of Churches. On Thursday we were at the Ecumenical Institue in Bossey, a school set up particularly for the study of ecumenism. People from all over the world come to study there-- a lovely house in the forest, near the site of Richard Burton's grave. It's quite amazing. There we spoke with students attending the school, with Konrad Reiser, the former head of the World Council of Churches, and Lettie Russell, the pre-eminent feminist theologian. We have gobs of reading daily. We all will have projects in our various contexts. Monday - January 15, 2007 - top It's chilly here today!
Geneva was balmy over the weekend but today it is much cooler, in keeping with what we would expect of Switzerland. We just returned from visiting with someone from the U.N. Human Rights Commission. It is very interesting to consider human rights from the U.N. perspective rather than just from a U.S. perspective. There is much to think about and understand, relative to the state of human rights in the world. To me, human rights seem to such a basic right of everyone in the world and yet, so many people do not have them. We can talk about the detainees in Guantanamo or the women and children in so many countries. We were, of course, scanned and investigated ... passports seized, etc. Then we were finally admitted to the Palais Wilson - named for President Woodrow Wilson. It's a beautiful, old building near Lake Geneva and the seat of much work. Over the weekend we had a lovely fondue supper and also went to Montreux by train to see the Chalet Chillon. It was a lovely day - warm, sunny, delightful. To the studies... Tuesday - January 16, 2007 - top Conversation with the Directors of Lutheran World Federation
Today was an exciting day for me since we were talking to the Directors of Lutheran World Federation in charge of mission and projects. It was good to hear what is concretely being done in the world (our time has been largely theoretical so far). It was good to hear about reality. It was good to hear the money and time are not just spent on thinking, researching, and dialogue! (Can you hear my frustration?? I'm such a doer, rather than a "dialoguer.") Of course, they are both necessary but I continually think "But the children are starving..." I had a chance to talk to the Director for Latin America and discuss the problems in Honduras firsthand. He knows about the Diaper Project (making diapers from T-shirts) and he knows about the mission in Talanga. He is aware of the failed proposal to start a women and children's clinic in San Pedro Sula and is also aware of the great work in MM done by the folks at Global Health Ministries. All of this is encouraging because I feel like someone is finally "connecting the dots" rather than just little bits of "this and that" being done in different places. He is on his way to Honduras and has offered to be in conversation when he returns. This, to me, is real, live DIAKONIA (service in the church) in the church at large. Thanks to Mark Hanson, our presiding bishop, who has helped inform him of some of the needs in Honduras!! This afternoon we're meeting with the head of the World Council of Churches and tomorrow we are going to the U.N. Yesterday we met with the someone from the High Commission's Office of Human Rights. There is much to be done in the world, brothers and sisters! Thursday - January 18, 2007 - top Bon Voyage from Geneva! We are packing our bags and getting ready for our final day here in Geneva! It's been an incredible week and our small groups today proved the fact that Ecumenism and Neo-Global Liberalization are huge topics which we need to digest in bites. Of course, reality being what it is, we need to return to our contexts in order to truly digest all that has happened. It is true, however, that we will each return changed by our experience in Geneva and it will, undoubtedly, shape our coming ministries. The issue is HOW? How do we translate or make translateable what we have seen and heard? Being in Geneva is like being in another rareified atmosphere, akin to college, where life is very, very different and sort of unreal. How do I bring this back to rural MN? How do I even translate it for fellow students at Luther? We have many ideas, one including writing a book among us for publication on the internet. Cool, huh?? To be continued... |
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