Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Sibiu, the Assembly & the Stewards

I must say hello to all of our readers from the small, but full of significance city of Sibiu, Romania. I am here for some days, but the schedule is so full that we don’t have time to do many things in the same time, thus there is no time to blog as much as wanted.

The city received us very well, as well as the other staff members which were already here before us. I manage to come in August 30th, as we had to finalize the preparations for the Stewards Programme.

Speaking about the Stewards Programme, I must confess that I am impressed and not being the only one impressed here, I must tell the whole world my best thoughts about this stewards and the work they are doing.

How can’t you be impressed seeing the stewards singing in different languages and also playing the guitar at 11 p.m. in a dirty place next to the garbage bags? They had only the reaction on the community they were building and the joy of being together and sharing the same ideals, building the ecumenism.

Although the conditions here in Romania are not at the most high western standard and some of the reconstruction works were not yet finalised, I couldn’t hear a steward complaining about anything. They were just a great team, working according to the schedule by their own. They not just worked in the requested groups, but also requested by themselves more groups in order to protect the environment and recycle used things.

Did you know that important persons like His Eminence Metropolitan Ghenadius of Sasimma started as being a steward? And quoting him, I can add that we can know for sure that in some years (probably many) some of the today’s stewards will be the church’s representatives and/or leaders.

After the Orientation Programme of the Stewards, it now starts the real work timetable and I am certain that all of them will just be better than expected.

This is a vision of an inside person and I must add that seen from outside, the great job that steward do even organizing themselves can be easily misunderstood. Hope to see many of us, stewards in the next editions of such historical meetings.

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