Longing for the endless immensity of the sea ...

If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

I had not come across this quote before this week and then as often happens I heard it twice in the space of 24 hours. Margot Kässmann used it in her hustings speech to the EKD and after listening to that online, I then came across it again as one of the quotes for a Bible study during our week of meetings. It's a concept that sums up leadership.

Working below the surface ...

My copy of this book has just arrived.Working Below the Surface: The Emotional Life of Contemporary Organisations (Tavistock Clinic) by Clare Huffington (Editor), David Armstrong (Editor).
At the end of an intensive and quite emotional week of meetings at work it's going to make for some stimulating reading over the weekend as I return to writing my diploma in leadership. there are fascinating looking chapters: from sycophant to saboteur, what women leaders can tell us, the vanishing organization and a whole section on working with the experience of vulnerability.
Posting the book here is in part a way of getting teh creative juices flowing again for the weekend, it's also my way of saying that posting here may be rather intermittant in the weeks ahead. Even if I'm not blogging here, I am still writing, working below the surface you might say. The most irritating about having to write is that I don't have time to read my favourite blogs as much as I would like. Ah well there's always the Christmas holidays.
Anyway I can't tell you how excited I am about what I am reading and what I am trying to write

So who are the women church leaders?

Yesterday, I started trying to put together a list of women church leaders currently serving in the world ... so far I have got to a rather exclusive group of five, but maybe tehre are more - let me know:

1) I was very proud when my own church, the United Reformed Church was the first in the UK to appoint a woman as head of the denomination. Roberta Rominger comes originally from the USA and she's been doing a really great and challenging job since she took over in 2008.

2) Sharon Watkins is the General Minister and President, and thus the leader of her denomination, the Disciples in the USA. She preached the sermon at the national prayer service following Barack Obama's inauguration.

3) Katharine Jefferts Schori has been presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in the USA
since 2006 and has been involved in difficult church political issues.

4) Margot Kässmann was elected yesterday as the chairperson of the EKD Council in Germany.

5) Jana Jeruma-Grinberga was appointed as the presiding bishop of the Lutheran Church in great Britain.

Edit: Following the comments below I feel I should say that I am trying to list women in national positions of leadership. There are fortunately already quite a number women at regional levels of leadership around the world - bishops, moderators, regional presidents etc. - but very, very few at national levels of leadership. It is just starting to break through now and this does represent a huge change.

Gender justice for (Lutheran) daily bread

You can follow the Lutheran World Federation's women's pre assembly meeting and their blog here.
This morning women brought grains, bread and baskets from many lands, bringing to life the 11th LWF Assembly theme, Give Us Today Our Daily Bread. Women took fabric squares and wrote on them a word of hope for our futures together. Women raised their voices in song and praise, praying as the one who is the bread of heaven taught us, lifting up the prayer in a wonderful cacophony of languages. This was our opening worship.

Meanwhile, the LWF has also elected a new general secretary, Martin Junge from Chile, this week. The LWF also has a new website that Terri Miller has been working hard on in recent months.

Kässmann elected - excellent news!

More to be found out on the EKD site soon. We've just announced the news at our staff meeting here to applause from all present. Good news.

So will today be the day Kässmann gets elected?

Regular readers will have gathered that our household is rather strange. We spent a large chunk of yesterday evening watching EKD television's live coverage of the EKD Council's election. Every one of the 15 members of the Council has to get a two thirds majority. So far only 14 members have been elected in 12 successive rounds of voting which ended at about 01.30 this morning. The final candidate withdrew because she didn't get a two-thirds majority even though she was the only name on the ballot paper.
The first person elected, in the very first round of voting, was bishop Margot Kässmann pictured here. She is now tipped to become the first female chairperson of the EKD Council, making her potentially the most influential woman church leader anywhere in the world - it has to be said that the club of women church leaders is one of the most exclusive - or maybe that's not the right word, after all it's not the women church leaders who are doing the excluding, it's just a very small group.
Anyway the election of the chairperson was due to take place today but because there is not yet a full Council there may be legal problems with proceeding immediately with that. Maybe I'll be spending a second evening watching the live coverage from the synod! Meanwhile this blog wishes Margot Kässmann every blessing.

Jonah and going overboard

There are days when I come home and think that I am extraordianrily privileged to have the job I do - even if it is tiring, demanding and even draining on occasions.
After morning prayers today members of staff joined in Bible study and Fulata Mbano Moyo led us in reading the first chapter of the book of Jonah. The focus of part of our staff meetings today was on consensus decision-making and Fulata chose the Jonah text to get us thinking about decision-making. Do we do make decisions like Jonah did by running away from the call of God? Do we draw lots like the sailors on Jonah's boat to try to divine what is going on in our lives? When we think we have discerned what is going on do we try to row against the storm or do we throw the supposed scapegoat to the stormy waves hoping to placate an angry God? Did the sailors on baord the boat reach the right consensus?
We had a fascinating discussion at the table I was at and then just before time was called our general secretary elect said "isn't this text about people taking the worng decisions? Jonah not listening to God's call, the sailors choosing human sacrifice to calm the waves?"
In the end our small group came to the consensus that even in the midst of the chaos of dreadful human crisis decision-making and scape-goating God still tries to intervene sending along saving fish, offering grace and resurrection.
Enlivening Bible study like this is a great way to start the day.

Are you happy?

My friend Marcelo posted this brilliant graphic to his blog last week - I think it was around the time of his wedding anniversary.
I've been thinking alot about happiness, wondering whether I am happy - strangely I do find I have been smiling alot more in recent weeks, feeling more at peace too.
Happiness is such a gentle non-assertive word yet it is also a totally essential non-material value - in organisations, in life. I learnt yesterday at the WHO that it is also an essential non-material value in individual and community health.
So what would you like - more money or feeling happier?
Are you happy? And why are you happy?
Unless you are Danish, renowned for being the happiest place on earth, it may be quite complex to begin to answer that. Maybe that's one of the reasons that Dr B and I are thinking of travelling to Copenhagen for Christmas. In the meantime the thing that is making Dr B and myself happy this evening is watching the live feed from the EKD council elections. We must be deeply, deeply strange! Anyway the 8th round of voting is about to be called, do listen in here to the commentary and live reporting from the EKD synod in Ulm. It's fun if elections are amongst the things that excite you and make you happy.

Violence and health

Together with more than 20 other colleagues we began our WCC meetings week with a visit to the World Health Organization which is almost next door to the ecumenical centre in Geneva. We had four fascinating presentations linking some of the WHO's work to areas of the programmatic work on Health and Healing and also on HIV on the WCC's agenda. I certainly learnt a great deal, including that the issue of "spiritual" health has been tabled for inclusion in the WHO's declaration on health but doesn't ever seem to ever quite yet make it into the organization's declaration about health. It was both heartening and depressing to hear workers in that much bigger international bureaucracy talk about the challenges of their campaigning work, decision-making procedures and actually having some impact.
The final presentation of the morning was quite a revelation to me. The Decade to Overcome Violence team at the WCC has been working with the WHO's Global Campaign for Violence Prevention. Listening to the global statistics about violent death I was very struck by suicide causing more deaths worldwide than war in the most recent figures available. One death every forty seconds. I wondered how much of my time I spend in praying for peace and overcoming war and how much I spend in praying for those suffering from depression, unhappiness and daily anguish. The fireworks and pornography of violence attract so much of our attention, our theological reflection, our prayers- and yet this "attraction" also distracts our attention from the at least equally important spiritual and theological issue of combatting misery, unhappiness and meaningless. Of course it shouldn't be "either / or" but "both /and". I left the WHO with alot to think about.
The powerful poster here is one of a series from the campaign called "explaining away violence" - you can look at the others and download them by clicking on the link.

Persistence

I have just posted the liturgy that Fulata Mbano Moyo prepared for this morning to the docs sections. together with two other female colleagues she reflected on what being persistent in prayer might mean as we thought more deeply about the story of the widow and the unjust judge in Luke's gospel.

Luzia Wehrle shared a story about the young Chiara Lubich persistence at asking difficult questions and making difficult assertions in her philosophy class at school - despite needing to always get good grades in order to get the scholarship she needed to continue studying.

Rima Barsoum shared powerful stories of muslim women praying and losing their lives because of the vigour of their prayers. She asked for our persistent prayers for muslim women arrested in their own countries for praying for peace with justice in their contexts.
I felt challenged by these reflectiosn and by the persistence of the widow. My own prayer tries hard to be more or less disciplined, but I'm not sure I could describe it as persistent. My whole life I have found it hard to ask for what I want - perhaps that in itself is because I come from a very privileged background and have wanted for very little. Being able to ask God persistently in prayer requires desire as well. Perhaps it is that desire, that "wanting" that I sometimes lack.
the promise in the gospel text is that even if an unjust judge can do justice then how much more will a gracious God do justice. Speak, pray, enunciate your demand, yell out your cry, God will listen.

Gloom into hope

In the light of the resurrection despair is always premature.
God has a project in today’s events.
In paths we have not known, God leads, turning gloom into hope.

From a liturgy prepared by Deenbandhu Manchala to mark Diwali with the people of India, Pakistan and Srilanka

Women's blog on daily bread

The Lutheran World Federation is preparing for its assembly next year and the theme is Daily Bread. A group of women linked to the LWF have started a blog about women, justice and food which you can find here. They're looking for comments and contributions, so why not get writing.
Tsion Alemayehu from Ethiopia says this about the project on the LWF youth blog

The blog that I am working on is designed to encourage women to post their experience, faith, stories , food justice and a lot more in relation to the Assembly theme of LWF which is “Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread”. You can find the blog following here.
As a young woman, and also a person who comes from a developing country, I know what food really means for hungry people.

On eagle's wings ...

but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40.31

At prayers this morning our continuously surprising and amazing colleague Manoj Kurian took us off on an early morning Bible study which compared Isaiah 40 21-31 with Matthew 11.30 "My yoke is easy and my burden light".
In our discussion Deenabandhu Manchala said he felt that the image of the "yoke" was still oppressive: faith imposed, not just a master-servant relationship but a master slave relationship. Others joked as we reflected together that the yoke of faith and following christ does not always seem so light and easy.
In many ways I felt the images of liberation are stronger and more powerful in the Isaiah texts. Just having the time to read, pray and speak together I felt in some way born up, my strength renewed. Thanks Manoj.

Women's work

There is an excellent post here by Paola Salwan of the YWCA about gender imbalance in the workplace. It makes for salutory reading.
You know what guys despite all of your moaning about "positive discrimination" and political correction you've still got it made. You get the jobs, the salaries and you get to moan about feminism too. Meanwhile women are doing an awful lot of the work that makes you look good.
Rant over (well nearly...)
Here's an extract from Salwan's article:
sadly, women are still not equal in the workplace to their male counterparts. According to the observer of the Organisation for the Economical Cooperation and Development, inequalities happen both in terms of salary ranges, but also in terms of opportunities of work. This means that, all other things being equal (experience, studies etc), a male will still earn more than a female worker.

Paola, originally from Lebanon, also blogs at the bilingual French/English Café Thawra. I'm looking forward to having more time to read that over the weekend.
In the meantime I shall try not to get too depressed at the prospects for younger and older women in the workplace, in the churches in life ...

There are days ...

There are days like today when I don't get to chapel for morning prayer. They happen more often than I like and not normally for good reasons (I would consider staying in bed a bit longer in the morning usually a good reason but staying in front of my computer to work not necessarily a good reason ... though with a touch of the Calvinist I feel a bit guilty about that). Today with two German visitors groups and colleagues away on holiday I knew I needed to use my time carefully this morning. Even so, particularly now at the end of the day I miss that I did not pray with others this morning.
I'm a minister of religion but I'm not a particularly holy or pious person. I don't go to chapel because I want to be seen by others, I go because I find it easier and more meaningful to pray with others. Communal prayer is in many ways personal prayer for me. Sharing in a daily discipline holds me together. Even on the rare occasions when I go to prayers and noone else is there, the fact of being in a space where we are often together helps me to pray with and for others and myself, helps me to praise and lament. Perhaps sometimes I also go out of a misplaced sense of responsibility - a need to keep something going.
Anyway when I don't pray in a disciplined way I feel a bit unstitched and out of touch - with God, myself and others. Writing this has been part of my evening prayer, my more personal Ignatian examen.
And this is my prayer tonight and in the morning, it helps me to know that others are also praying it this week, Good night.

O Creator and Mighty God,
you have promised
strength for the weak
rest for the labourers
light for the way
grace for the trials
help from above
unfailing sympathy
undying love.
O Creator and Mighty God
Help us to continue in your promise.

Of tankies, trots and another life ...

Years ago I used to be involved in politics. This weekend Dr B made a brief sortie back into part of that world and found himself back in the thick of Trotskyite, Maoist and Stalinist interpretations of Eastern Europe and the changes 20 years on. It's funny how easy it is to fall back into the old language and to delight in the terminology. It also brings a different kind of literature into the house and I'm looking forward to reading James Buchan's article on Impasse in Iran in the latest New Left Review.
Of all the things I miss living in France rather than in the country of my birth politics would be quite high up there along with pubs. I'm just not as viscerally involved in French political life.
However, one of my lecturers at college said when he heard I was going into the church "oh so you are going in to politics after all". Of course the politics in the church are often quite a bit nastier than party politics.
Anyway this household is neither maoist nor trotty and certainly not tanky. I suppose we're a strange brand of ecumenical calvinist-benjamites. However for now bed calls. The central heating has still not been repaired and the only way to keep warm is under the duvet.

Ecclesiology - what on earth is that?

Whenever I type the word ecclesiology into microsoft word it comes up underlined. The software questions the existence of this word. If only! ;-)
Ecclesiology, is, to put it mildly, pretty esoteric. It's also a bit of a problem for translators from German to English, but I'll leave that to one side for the time being (Kirchsein usw.). The rather complex nature of some of our ecumenical endeavour is summed up well by Aimee Moiso - who seems to be about to stop writing reflections about Faith and Order on her Santa Clara blog so I better get on and quote her one last time:

I love Christian unity, I love being with great people from all walks of life and from all parts of the church, and I love talking theology.
But I’m really, really tired. And it’s not just jet-lag. These topics are complicated and require a lot of brain power, and I don’t have much brain power left.
This is an important reality in ecumenical dialogue: how tired we are, how much we have going on in our lives, the difficulties we face in our own contexts – all of these can enhance or inhibit our ability to listen and to understand each other.
Folks from parts of the world where war or conflict or poverty are the norm often have little extra energy or time in own lives to sit and ponder abstract theology. Staying in a hotel in Chicago and spending three days thinking about the church is a huge gift – one I’m both blessed and humbled to receive.
But tonight, I’m just tired.

Meanwhile as I finally got around to catching up with some of what is happening out there in the blogosphere I was very intrigued to come across a post entitled Ecclesiological Stockholm Syndrome on the wonderful Ben Myers' Faith and Theology blog

Responding to Halden on doing theology against ourselves, Adam suggests that many theologians have Ecclesiological Stockholm Syndrome: "the twin tendency to idealize and fetishize local church life and to denigrate their own role".

Maybe that explains why we find things so tiring at these international church and theology meetings. I do myself sometimes wonder whether what those of us trying to continue to enliven the institution of the church in Europe suffer from isn't some kind of survivor guilt ... or maybe it's sort of guilt in the face of possible future generations. But then that makes me ask the question, what does an ecclesiology built on guilt, complexes and survivor syndrome look like? It also made me realise how fortunate a church like the French Reformed Church is to insist that its ministers have good theological education - it does mean that there are theologians in the local church setting.
Anyway if you still haven't figured out what Ecclesiology is, don't worry too much, it does seem to have a future. There was even a new journal launched a few years ago with that title.
So what complex or pathology does your ecclesiology suffer from? If you tell me abotu yours I might manage to work out my own...

Memorable encounters

Réforme held a summer competition to write about an encounter and the top three short tales are now available online. Absolutely wonderful and each of the first three are written by women. Find them here, mais bien sûr en français!