Perspectives

This morning I attended worship at the MinNam Church which is an Amoy congregation worshipping primarily in the Fujian dialect so there was translation of the sermon from Cantonese for the congregation and into English via headphones for Michael Jagessar and myself. In many ways it is a very traditional style of worshp that would be familiar to most non-conformists in the UK, including the titles and tunes of the hymns even if the actual words remain incomprehensible.  it is remarjkably easy to feel at home in this setting not least because of the warmth of the welcome. English is, of course, spoken by many people here so when I gave a welcome and spoke for a few moments before it was translated, there were quite a few people who clearly understood, nodding at appropriate times. The hospitality is very generous.  We were given lunch in a 1 start Michelin resturant opposite the church and treated to some typical Cantonese delicacies.  I am used to Chinese food in England b...

We have now arrived in Hong Kong for five days of visits with the Hong Kong Council of the Church of Christ in China otherwise known as the HKCCCC.  We should have such an abbreviation! They are one of our partner churches within CWM.  We will start a fairly intensive programme of meetings over the next few days but for now have been warmly welcomed and well fed in one of the local Chinese restaurants.  One of the interesting challenges of my work is when you encounter another Vhristian grouping or church for the first time with which you had not previously been familiar. It is important to be able to understand their history, situation, culture and so on in a way that is not simply informational but allows you to enter into a deep understanding that is essentially empathic and spiritual. Michael Jagessar and I had the first opportunity to do that in our informal conversation with Wang Kai Chan, the director of their social service section.  That will become expanded...

One never ceases to be amazed at the scale of the Kirchentag.  For the Orthodox vespers this evening, 1000 tables had been placed in the open air at Odeonsplatz in the centre of Munich.  Each table sat 10 people and they were all full.  I was one of the unlucky many who didn't get a seat which meant that there probably at least 11 or 12,000 people taking part.  The climax of the service was the blessing of the bread and the distribution of it to the tables where it was shared by all along with apples, water and olive oil to dip the bread in.  On each table people then took it in turn to read the text of the feeding of the 5,000 and to share thoughts on it together. This is an old Orthodox tradition which is not sacramental and yet uses much of the symbolism and is a focus of fellowship and hospitality which can be extended to anyone.  In the context of the Kirchentag which continues to struggle with the problem of the lack of intercommunion it has been a powerful new element.  Earl...

The Second Ecumenical Kirchentag of the German Churches started on May 12th in Munich.  Somewhere in the region of 100,000 people have descended on the city, mostly around the Trade Centre for three and a half days of meetings, services, debates, concerts, displays and so on.   At its launch on Wednesday evening, it took over the centre of Munich with music, processions and an endless supply of food stands. Three large open air services began the Kirchentag which then led into the more informal 'evening of encounter'. I've been attending Kirchentags since 1973 and have always been impressed by the profile that they have in German society. The media covers them extensively and major politicians, including Angela Merkel, take part.  The theme of this one is 'That they may have hope'.  Usually the Protestants hold theirs one year and the Catholics the next but in 2003 the first joint one was held in Berlin and now this one in Munich.  I missed the session with Hans Kun...