English - pre-Sibiu thoughts from Holland

Well, let me introduce myself.
It's midnight at this time and I can't sleep.
There are a few things to think of and one of them is Sibiu.
Well, not Sibiu itself, but what will happen there.

Me? My name is Marrit Bassa. I am living in the beautiful city of Utrecht, in the middle of The Netherlands. So, hopefully you can see it, I am Dutch.By the way, friends prefere to call me 'Bassa', cause that's easier I think.
And I will participate in the EEA3 conference at Sibiu as a youth delegate of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. As far as I know, and as far as it is fair to tell this, that is the biggest Protestant Church in Holland.

I'm glad I can join this assemblee. I'm really looking forward to it. Why?
Well, I am a seminary student. This year I will graduate. Then I will have my masters degree on Theology at the Utrecht University and I can become a minister in my church.
Anyway, at this time I'm far too young to do at ;) !!
So, I'm just looking around for some place to work or to use my talents. I'd really want to work in the Church. And this is also why I'm looking forward to Sibiu.
There I hope to meet much more youthmembers whom all 'have something up' with that what we're supposed to call 'Church'.

Maybe in this time, this age and this society, it's not that usual anymore to believe you can commit to something like that. And sometimes I really think its quit useless or even unbelievable that I do this. But somehow there are more people like me. People who are raised as christians in all kind of denominations or churches. People who are converted by something that you might see as 'a calling'. A calling from the one triune God who made our history. Or people who might be interested. People searching there way in or out in this life or the world beyond.
Honestly, I'm honored to participate in this large movement. To participate in a conference as the EEA3 where I will meet with many (young!! and old as well... ) people from all countries in Europe. To talk, to chat, to laugh, to think, to dance, to sing, to rejoice, to drink and to have fun together.

But for now, I have to go to bed again. It is almost 4 a clock in the morning and I'm still awake. Three days ago I returned from a stay of 6 weeks in the USA, and I'm still waiting for my luggage to come.... The luggage I have to use in Sibiu as well... Anyway, I hope that will reach me on time so that I can welcome all the others in Sibiu well prepared !!

Kind regards,

and good night!

Marrit
Bassa

Sibiu/Hermannstadt/Nagyszeben

Übrigens: Die Siebenbürger Sachsen freuen sich, wenn man Hermannstadt sagt. Denn für sie ist das der authentische Name im Deutschen. Bei der ungarisch-sprachigen Bevölkerung heißt die Stadt wiederum Nagyszeben. Die drei völlig unterschiedliche Namen sprechen auch für die Vielfalt, die es in dieser Stadt gibt. Ähnlich vielfältig ist es auch mit den Konfessionen – einer der Gründe, wieso man für die EEA3 Sibiu/Hermannstadt/Nagyszeben ausgewählt hat.
Wer sich das Stadtpanorama anschaut (z.B. hier), der sieht: das Rathaus (OK, das ist weltlich), die Stadtpfarrkirche (lutherisch), die Römisch-Katholische Kirche, die Reformierte Kirche und die Kathedrale der Heiligen Dreieinigkeit (orthodox).
Auf www.sibiu.ro gibt es viele schöne Bilder anzuschauen. Toll, dass wir dort 1 Woche lang sein können.

In English: Look for pictures of Sibiu/Hermannstadt/Nagyszeben!

Skepsis und Optimismus

Noch 1 Woche, dann geht's los. Bin mal sehr gespannt, was alles auf uns zukommen wird. Besonders frage ich mich, ob es wirklich klappt, die 2.500 TeilnehmerInnen nicht nur passive Zuhörer sein zu lassen, sondern aktive Beteiligung und Einfluss auf das Endergebnis zu ermöglichen. Bei den Vorbereitungstreffen war von einer ganzen Reihe von Leuten die Befürchtung zu hören, in Sibiu werde nichts herauskommen; trotzdem würden sich aber am Ende alle auf die Schultern klopfen und loben, welche Fortschritte die Ökumene gemacht habe (siehe auch die Kritik in Publik-Forum).
Viele sind jedoch optimistisch und haben große Erwartungen, z.B. die sächsischen Delegierten oder Bischof Wolfgang Huber.

Ich glaube, dass manches von uns jungen Delegierten abhängt. Anders als die KirchenpolitikerInnen, die nicht immer sagen können, was sie gerne würden, können wir jungen Leute das: Forderungen stellen und laut sagen, wenn uns Dinge nicht passen, ohne dass wir auf 1002 Dinge Rücksicht nehmen müssen. Hoffentlich klappt es, dass wir so das Salz in der Suppe sein werden. Ein paar Sachen haben wir uns dafür schon überlegt...

In English: Thinking about the results of Sibiu. There are skeptical and optimistic voices. I think that the results also depend on the work of us young delegates.

I'm feeling more and more excited- I know that this is a great event, but also that only if we pray and listen to the Spirit, we can get somewhere.. Last month, I have attended the third assembly of Orthodox Youth, in Istanbul, (within the Catholic delegation) and I was impressed by the speech on ecumenism that a Finnish Orthodox priest held. He said: 'We are not called to erase the differences between us, but to pray together and to learn from each other'. Diplomacy brings nothing, unless we have Christ among us! Let's pray for this assembly, so that the Holy Spirit will enlighten the participants and help us love the other's confession as we love our own.

Блог экуменический

Вести экуменический блог - значит постоянно балансировать между тривиальностью и пафосом, а в каком-то смысле, тривиальность и пафос - это одно и то же.
Мой путь в Сибиу уже должен был начаться, но паспорт - до сих пор в Румынском посольстве, и визы ещё нет. И каждый раз перед дверью посольств иностранных государств чувствуешь себя отделённым. Экуменическое движение чем-то напоминает переговоры о границах, визах, гражданстве, и всегда упирается в вопрос о границах Церкви и границах церквей. И здесь всё может быть построено только на принципе взаимности. Хотя это только кажется, что церкви подобны государствам. Они были и остаются диаспорами, посольствами Божьими в мире, семенами, разбросанными по вселенной посеянными Господней рукой.

Standing together...

I'm posting from the annual conference of the Association of Interchurch Families in Derby, England. This evening we (the young adults' group) ran a prayer meeting, taking part of eea3's theme - 'the light of Christ shines upon all'. We used some of the material from the study guide and had a meditation on John 1:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through Him and without Him was not anything made that was made.
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

All around Europe, while the main assembly is running, Christians will be meeting for services and discussions and prayer vigils. In this way, we stand together, despite the miles between us and say as one 'Christ is our light'.

***

Tomorrow, during our closing worship, we will stand together as Anglicans, Catholics, Methodists, URC etc...as Christians and recite our creed "We believe in one God...". This is the moment of the conference I will carry in my heart to Sibiu. There is vastly more that unites us than divides us.

Se apropie Adunarea de la Sibiu

Încet, încet, trebuie să realizăm faptul că marele eveniment creştin al anului şi poate nu doar al anului, ci chiar al deceniului se apropie cu paşi repezi. Au mai rămas doar câteva zile, organizatorii sunt de mult la muncă la faţa locului, vine în curând rândul stewarzilor şi în final al delegaţilor să participe. Chiar şi această ordine a lungimii participării pare că are un iz de pelerinaj aşa cum întreg evenimentul a fost conceput.

Biserica Ortodoxă Română, care oarecum poate fi considerată gazda acestui eveniment este în doliu datorită trecerii la cele veşnice a părintelui spiritual şi leader-ului său, PF Părinte Teoctist, de fericită amintire, dar acest doliu nu trebuie să ne altereze dorinţa şi angajamentul luat în faţa ecumenismului, mai ales datorită faptului că - noi, creştinii - considerăm că moartea nu este un sfârşit, ci un început, "a trecut din moarte la viaţă" (In 5, 24), la viaţa veşnică.

Suntem delegaţi ai Bisericilor noastre, suntem stewarzi care reprezentăm Biserici sau organizaţii de tineret din Biserică, dar toţi suntem îndemnaţi de acelaşi centru al vieţii noastre: Isus Cristos care ne cheamă din nou: "ca toţi să fie una" (In 17, 21) precum şi El şi Tatăl una sunt.

Îndemnaţi de această povaţă, pornim pe drumul ecumenic al Sibiului cu toţii şi sperăm să ne întâlnim în număr cât mai mare pentru a-L putea celebra cum se cuvine şi pentru a putea fi alături de El înţelegând diferenţele care ne despart, dar încercând să facem din ele punte care să ne apropie.

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English summary:

We are heading to the great ecumenical Event of the year, or maybe of this decade in a pilgrimage order: the organizers (already in Sibiu), then the stewards and finnaly the delegates. The Romanian Orthodox Church is mourning it's leader, His Beatitude Teoctist, but this mourning should not stop us in our way, because as christians we consider that his death is just the rebirth into the eternal life. As delegates or stewards of our Churches we are guided by Christ who asked "that all should be one" (Jn 5, 24). Knowing this, we are heading to Sibiu Assembly trying to know the differences which separate us and trying to make from them a bridge in order to get us closer.

From Blocks to Blogs

It is quite amazing to study the near history of the ecumenical movement. It seems almost unbelievable that just 20 years ago (when I just had started my primary school) there wouldn't have been a slightest chance for such a meeting to take place in Sibiu. Eastern and western blocks in Europe had built up huge borders. Ecumenical meetings had an important role in building relations between the churches and nations in the late phase and post era of the Cold war (see an interesting study on this). Blocks started to diminish and borders changed. Now it seems that none hardly even bothers to ask for your passport at the airports - it's far more important how many millimeters of liquids you carry and in what kind of bags they are wrapped.

Well, it seems though that some borders still exist, even huge ones. EU and non-EU countries, Europe - 3rd world, men - women, conservative - liberals, different denominations, traditions and so on. Those and many others will surely be under discussion in Sibiu.

Now, hopefully, this blog can be one instrument to overcome blocks and borders. Let us turn blocks into blogs.

ps. The EEA3 youth delegates had their pre-Sibiu meeting in St.Maurice, Switzerland at the end of July. The statement from this meeting can be found here :)

pps. 10 days to go :)

15 days!

Yesterday I realised that it's just over 2 weeks until the stewards arrive in Sibiu. And I was absolutely terrified. I was worried about packing and travelling and meeting new people and what to expect.

Then I started to read through the study guide, and it hit me. God is drawing His people together, to stand as one and witness to Him. It's exciting stuff. And I get to be part of it. Worrying about how many pairs of socks to bring starts to seem quite trivial...

EEA3 Youth Blog Founded

Welcome to a pilgrimage!

The Third Ecumenical Assembly in Sibiu (EEA3) invites Christians all over the Europe to participate in the spirit of the assembly's topic - The Light of Christ Shines Upon All. Hope for Renewal and Unity in Europe.

EEA3 has an aim to encourage large number of young people to participate to the assembly. This blog is written by youth delegates and stewards taking part from all over the Europe. Blog entries
are written of the preparatory stage, on-site from Sibiu during the assembly and of the feelings after the event.

Hopefully you will join us on our journey!