Taizé English

Yesterday afternoon we helped welcome some of the 40,000 young people gathering in Geneva for the 30th European Taizé meeting.
Brother Rob was speaking about prayer in the chapel of the ecumenical centre in the afternoon. Meanwhile Rev Setri Nyomi and Rev Chandran Paul Martin were leading Bible study on breaking the chains of injustice in the main meeting hall of the ecumenical centre.
Brother Rob began his talk by saying he would speak in "Taizé English" which made me smile, we often talk about using "ecumenical English" in international church circles so it's good to know we're not the only ones who have this problem.
I was impressed by the simplicity with which the interpretation was organised and the way in which the two speakers spoke in simple phrases helping the consecutive interpretation work well. But what impressed me most was the calmness and attentiveness of the more than 300 young people and also that so many of them chose to stay to pray and meditate in silence. The message about prayer was easy to understand without being simplistic. It helped me reflect on the link between prayer and decision-making and also to think again about how to link work and prayer when not living in a community like Taizé or Grandchamps.