Priests at the ordination: Peter van Breda, Kine Voigts, Michaël Merle, Vicke von Behr (former Erzoberlenker), Rafal Novak (Los Angeles, USA), Reingard Knausenberger, Andreas van Breda, Richard Goodall, Andreas von Wehren (Berlin, Germany), Neville Adams (Witzenhausen, Germany, retired)
The bitter-enders. This photo was taken after the last seesion on Sunday 27 March with those still present. Over 100 people attended the ordination service on Saturday.
The story of past events
WELLSPRING UNCAPPED – Welcome Light from the Future
50th Anniversary Conference
A very significant event has appeared on the horizon of The Christian Community in Southern Africa: in April 2015 The Christian Community will have celebrated the Act of Consecration permanently in South Africa for 50 years. A regional 50th Anniversary Conference celebrated the event between 30th April to 3rd May 2015 in Cape Town. Each congregation is planning their own contribution to this conference. This page will be dedicated to this conference and the preparation leading up to it.
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Programme and information
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Feedback from the conference
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Rediscovering the Wellspring
by Shirley Marais (Higgins) At the Regional Conference held in Cape Town in August last year, it was decided to hold the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Christian Community in Southern Africa at the church in Plumstead over the weekend of 30 April to 3 May, 2015. It was in Cape Town that the Christian Community was first established on the African continent and the date coincided with the 50th anniversary of the ordination of Julian Sleigh, who was so vitally central to the life and growth of both the Christian Community and the Camphill Movement in Southern Africa. It was therefore fitting to choose this place and this time, towards the edge of Easter, when the sacramental year was beginning to turn its face Ascension-ward. It was also decided at the Regional Conference that a new form should be sought for our birthday conference, but this proved extremely difficult. Christian Community conferences tend to follow the same form – more or less – throughout the world and have tended to do so for as long as I have been involved with this religious movement, which is about 30 years. And this is so for very good reasons: because the form is a dynamic one and it works very well. So why change? Usually a theme is decided upon, a priest or a number of priests deliver one or more lectures during the conference, and the conference-goers then workshop, elaborate upon and enliven the theme in group conversations and through the media of art, singing and eurythmy. Often there are art exhibitions and/or music and/or theatre performances that dovetail with the theme, allowing everyone to participate on as many levels as they choose. Although all the priests from the Southern African region were to be present, as well as priests from other parts of the world who have been pivotal to the life of the Christian Community in Southern Africa (in fact, no fewer than ten priests were present on that weekend, including Erdstoberlenker, Vicke von Behr) I heard from Reingard and others during the run-up to the birthday conference, that there would be no lectures this time and the conference would NOT be run along the usual tried and proven lines. How could this be? It has always been such a tremendous gift to receive the treasure of a lecture by someone who has deeply researched a subject from earthly and spiritual perspectives and digested it so thoroughly that it can be gifted to a group of people as something new and wonderous, opening up sweeping vistas of possibilities for the listeners. These gifts are received with deep gratitude. In the Easter edition of Perspectives, Peter Holman and Richard Goodall’s article about the coming conference was almost entirely taken up with this quest for newness and the “intention to develop and practice a whole new way of meeting and working together which is open to the world of new possibilities”. At last the time came for people from all the congregations – Hillcrest, Namibia, Cape Town and Johannesburg – to converge on the church in Timour Hall Rd for registration and the start of the conference; now at last we would we able to experience this new form we had been eagerly awaiting (although the programme did not seem to point towards anything new, apart from the conspicuous absence of lectures…) After supper, 110 people filed into the church, where chairs had been arranged in concentric circles. We had been asked to enter in complete silence and to do no more than listen into the space. We were each handed an egg-sized ball of plasticine, which had been warmed through into soft pliability. No instructions were given apart from the request to remain absolutely silent and to listen with a certain attitude of soul. And there we all sat, holding our plasticine eggs. After some minutes, first one and then another and then another and another began kneading his or her ball and slowly interesting and idiosyncratic shapes began to emerge all around. After about fifteen minutes, we were asked to squash our shapes back into balls and return them to the bucket. What, we weren’t going to talk about this? The next morning the Act of Consecration was celebrated at 08h00 in English, with the changes from ‘Thee, Thou and Thine’ to ‘You and Your’, ‘makest’ to ‘make’ and others (see our Lenker’s letter of 20 April to the Community). It became clear: new words create a change in rhythm; a change in rhythm begins to subtly change the form; a change in form brings about an awakened listening, an enlivened re-hearing of words spoken and heard innumerable times over the years. After tea, the day began to find the pattern of the conference, a pattern so entirely new that every single person there, young, old or middle-aged, found themselves on equal footing. Once again we were seated in the church in concentric circles and after a short introduction by Richard Goodall, we divided into groups of sometimes three and sometimes four, in which each person had a turn to speak for exactly three minutes, giving his or her response to a question formulated by Richard around the theme ‘Creating space for a germinal reference point’. At the end of three minutes, a bell was softly rung, and the next person was given the opportunity to speak. Once again, the instructions were few, with participants mainly being asked to take especial care to listen with absolute attention to what was being said, so that each one could feel that they were being truly heard. Once each person in the group had spoken, everyone moved around, so that you found yourself part of an entirely different group of people each time. There were three sessions like this during the course of the weekend; each lasted three hours, but they were so rich and alive, that it felt as if no more than an hour had passed before it was time for lunch. The next two sessions were ‘led’ by Peter Holman and Reingard Knausenberger, along the themes ‘Building secure foundations’ and ‘Exploring the gateways to Christ-Spirit reality’. At one point participants were asked to use their bodies to express a response to a particular question. The experience of this in oneself and the three others in the group was profound. At another point, participants paired off, choosing someone with whom they had never before had a conversation. This allowed for an intense experience of the different dynamics of what can arise between two, three or four people and between a large group inter-responding in concentric circles, concentric half circles (where the circle was completed by the invisible) and, lastly, a spiral. During all this, the priests were co-participants, sitting among us - another new experience. In the afternoons, participants could join one or two workshops. The choices were singing, eurythmy, observation, poetry and art. Each session was only 45 minutes long, with two consecutive 45-minute sessions being offered for each workshop. This gave participants the choice of doing two different workshops in the course of an afternoon, or doing two sessions one after the other. The shortness of the workshops meant that they needed to be incredibly concentrated, making it possible to take huge strides in a short space of time. Connecting us strongly to the past were the stories, accounts and tributes by Rosa Sleigh, Neville Adams and Peter van Breda, whilst Jane Abrahams’ apocalyptic play, ‘The Grand Theatre of the Second Chance’, reminded us of the lifetimes of work that lie ahead. Each day began with the Act of Consecration and a short sermon by one of the priests, and ended with a close-of-day gathering. These were the only aspects of past conferences that were retained and between these two worthy pillars grew a warm, living, wonderfully fluid yet guided form, which gave rise to a 50th anniversary celebration that was a truly blessed time of deep, living connection and reconnection between individuals and communities, and between human and spiritual beings. The changed words of the English mass and the celebration of the service in Afrikaans brought about a renewal of the relationship to the Act of Consecration of Man, which will enliven and enrich the spiritual work of both individuals and the different communities. New seeds have been planted, others have begun to germinate and yet others are putting forth tender young shoots. Fifty years of substance born of the loving devotion of those who have gone before us, the dedicated work of priests both living and dead and the mirroring of the individual in community has been met by something entirely new, and what rises up from that will need the strength of our free willing, the light of our heart wisdom and the blessing of our loving and committed work. The Grand Theatre of the Second Chanceby John-Peter Gernaat (The Actor)
“People come, they see themselves and then they go”: the description the Actor gives of the process that happens at The Grand Theatre of the Second Chance, the play written by Jane Abrahams and Anthony Higgins. It is also a description of Wellspring Uncapped, the 50th anniversary celebratory conference, at which the play was performed. Most people don’t make real decisions in their life, they fall into their life: to become an actor, a priest, a mother, a soldier of fortune, a businessman, even a marginalised person because his or her interaction with the world is different to the majority. Once in their life path they cannot see clearly, feel unfulfilled, even make decisions that devastate the lives of others. The challenge for every one of us is to confront who we are, analyse what we have become and decide how we can move forward, not by accident, but rather towards a more meaningful purpose. This is what The Grand Theatre of the Second Chance explores. We cannot confront ourselves in isolation, it requires a community of people and sometimes even a little “magic” to facilitate the process. The Grand Theatre of the Second Chance is the place where people who have survived a world disaster come to seek refuge because it seems to be a better building than anything they have encountered on their journey since the disaster. A world disaster does not need to be poisonous catastrophe; we are in a world disaster right now with an overload of information being bombarded at us distracting us from seeking a course in life. Once in The Grand Theatre of the Second Chance the Actor works little bits of magic that create real encounters between the other character; real in the sense that they begin to explore their own humanity in relation to the others. The first step is always acknowledging who we have become, then we can recognise who we truly are and finally take a decision for our path forward. Without that acknowledgement we remain stuck where we are, as the two sisters in the play portray. They are not worse off because they are stuck; they are unaware that they are stuck. This suggests that not every wake up call will be heard by everyone even if they find themselves in the ideal situation: The Grand Theatre of the Second Chance. “They come, they see themselves (or they don’t) and then they go”. We have played to appreciative audiences in Johannesburg, at the Wellspring Uncapped conference in Cape Town and are headed for Hillcrest, KZN. |
Receiving Light from the Future ̶ Wellspring Uncapped and Africa Seminary Impressions
by Tamryn Gilder It was as if my trip to the conference was completely meant to be. From the word go, there were no hiccups in organising my journey and in my embarking upon it. I arrived at the conference with a clear head and excited anticipation for the unknown. This was my first time attending the Africa Seminary, and also my first time attending a conference. The Wellspring Conference and the Africa Seminary were closely linked with one another on this occasion. In the mornings and evenings we had shared events/activities, and in the middle block of the day the Africa Seminary had separate activities. Conversation provided both a link between the two events, as well as being a central theme. Throughout the conference we took part in joint guided conversations and conversations only among us youth. In this we worked to develop a real skill for listening actively to others, and thanking them. The conversations were cued by questions worth pondering on throughout life, for example, “What does offering mean for me?”, “What is security for me?”- among others. One of these conversations was one not in words, but in movement-holding, intensifying and releasing a gesture of what crossroad we were facing in life. In each of these conversations there were also other questions pondered upon. The Africa Seminary had a conversation separately after the cue of the crossroads. Here we explored crossroads we are currently facing in our lives, and looked at where we would be in our lives 5 years from now. “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” -T S Eliot Crossroads provide us with an opportunity, each road holding its own potential. When we choose a crossroad, we open this potential. We create, grow, seek, explore and find new things as a result of the original impulse to step forward into the unknown. In our separate activities as the Africa Seminary, we enjoyed working with clay and doing some individual journal work. The journal work consisted of writing ourselves a last will and testament including things we had cherished, regretted and discovered throughout our lives. We then went out into the garden and in our own space announced that we had died, and read out our will and testament. The journal activity highlights some of the ideas/ realisations that I came to during the conference weekend. Every present moment is a death of the past and a birth of the future- every present moment is a transition between these two. Out of the fertile ashes of the past, can the future grow and be nourished. In the present moment we create a space where the past can depart and the future can entre. In the Wellspring conference, I felt that that was essentially what we were doing; creating a space for the past to flow out, and the future to stream in. In one of our guided conversations we spoke about creating our own inner space, and who we would then invite into this space. In the Wellspring conference a space was created into which to invite and welcome the future- space where it can grow and be nourished by the fertile ashes of the past. Through the conversation groups, activities and meal times as part of the Africa Seminary, I was able to communicate with other people and develop new relationships, as well as rekindle others. The weekend was truly inspiring, and I learnt so much about myself, others and the world around us. I am excited for the growth we will experience as a community in the years to come, and intend to be a part of it all the way. Thank you so much to everyone at the Cape Town community for hosting us, and to the wonderful priests and facilitators who guided us through our activities and our inner searching. I will forever be grateful for this experience. by Rev. Malcolm Allsop
Six weeks on I remember a very festive and stimulating Cape Town Conference. From the word ‘go’ there was a palpable feeling of joyful “wiedersehen” after the long break since the last regional conference (2008?), as well as a mood of expectancy that this would (have to) be a conference with a difference if the region is to continue keeping young: in its thinking and attitudes, in its openness to the surroundings in which we find ourselves and to be clear about what our contribution can be – What is asked of us? What can we offer? Although we didn’t tackle concrete issues (of finances, age demographics, working together of priests and congregations, etc.) ,there certainly was not a mood of “What the fudge was that all about?” (to quote a line from the Saturday evening’s very memorable theatre performance). But not even the question at the end of the weekend: ‘Where do we go from here?’ was voiced. Yet everyone was challenged during the three days to recognize their own part in The Christian Community, that it will depend on each of us and our working together as to how The Christian Community appears in the coming decades. A vote of thanks to the hosts, to those who came from overseas and, most importantly, very best wishes to the four communities: to take the conference further, each in their own way, out of the same source, is the challenge….perhaps we should meet again in a year and exchange notes? by Peter Holman
What does a play need to have if I’m going to enjoy it and find it fulfilling? There must be moments of lightness, of humour. And if the humour stems from a sometimes absurd or ridiculous situation, so much the better: that is life! There should be a chance to get to know the characters quite well, through their actions, interactions and descriptions of their lives thus far. Maybe I will see something of myself in the characters. It will be very satisfying if the characters develop, if there is a process of transformation that they go through, and if they come to greater knowledge about themselves and the world. This will perhaps occur through some crisis, catharsis, insight and development; even a person who has messed up (“sinned” in old Biblical terms) can gain self-knowledge and move forward (“change heart and mind” as St John has it). The quality of acting will help enormously if I am to enjoy a play: are the characters believable? Can I hear the words, the nuances and moods? Is the set fitting and effective? And at the end of the play do I feel: Yes, I have learned something, received a “message”, as well as been entertained! That’s what makes a good play for me. So by that token The Grand Theatre of the Second Chance was a very good play! And I thoroughly enjoyed it. I first saw the play in the big Michael Oak Waldorf School hall in Cape Town in May. That hall, although impressive, is acoustically challenging if you are not sitting in the right place, and I did not catch all the words, although the actors spoke well. In conversation afterwards certain of the themes became clearer to me and I reflected on the motifs portrayed. Then, because the playwrights and players dared to bring the production to Hillcrest in KZN at the end of May, I was blessed with a “second chance” to see the play! This time, in the hall of the Roseway Waldorf School, I heard every word and was able not only to see more nuances, but to penetrate more deeply into what the play was saying. There was also a wonderful opportunity afterwards for many in the audience to meet with the players and Jane Fox and Anthony Higgins afterwards, and we had a very valuable and insightful conversation, enthusiastically led by Hieronymus Fludd – who by now had, more or less, become once more John-Peter Gernaat. I left with the reinforced conviction that this play had succeeded very well in its intention: namely to convey, subtly, some anthroposophical concepts, such as coming to terms with one’s destiny, undergoing catharsis and gaining self-knowledge and the will to move on, as well as the deeply Christian truth – demonstrated by the Fool (a.k.a. the Lion!) – that simplicity of heart, sacrifice and practical acts of loving-kindness are the most effective and powerful ways in which people can help each other forward in community. The knowledge-pole of the whole process was equally important, and was achieved through the clever way that the Actor, that guardian of the threshold figure, led and prompted character-transformation and allowed characters to face the truth of what they had done. The play ends on a note of hope: most characters leave by another door than the one they entered by in the beginning, the journey continues, they have changed for the better and formed a community. Each has a gift, a talent they have discovered: to help others, to find a path, to be a “good person”, to look for people, to build shelters, to scatter seeds of the future along the way. There are two characters who seem not to have progressed much; perhaps seeds have been sown there also, for them, and maybe their journey will have further trials and opportunities for growth. But for the remainder, they have found that there is a future and a way forward – together and with a newfound sense of good will and brotherhood. |
Preparation within the congregation for this conference
Johannesburgby Karin von Schilling
"WELLSPRING Uncapped" in Johannesburg 1st, 2nd, 3rd May!!! Karin von Schilling and Kerry Audouin are offering an opportunity to meet in conversation at our church during the days of the 50 year celebration conference in Cape Town. Meetings will be Friday, 1st May at 10h00, Saturday, 2nd May at 10h00 and Sunday 3rd May at 10h00. An essential 'Re-New-All' will only come about if it is based on a 'renewal in consciousness'. The initial 'renewal' came about because the Christian Community is based on a 'new' awareness of the Trinity and the Christ, as the wellspring of our religious life and services. This is evident if one concerns oneself with the Creed of the Christian Community and the opening words of our central service, The Act of Consecration of Man. This creed differs essentially from the services and creeds of other churches. The research of R. Steiner brought to mankind a new understanding of the Christ, and this engendered a new 'Christ-Consciousness'. The Christian Community is unique in that regard, and the sacramental life springs from this new awareness. The Christian Community is essentially a 'Christ-Church' and at the same time opens a deeper understanding of the mystery of Jesus. It goes together with the enhanced 'I-Consciousness' awakening in human beings as necessary in our time. Any true Renewal will call on a heightened awareness of these Wellspring realities in the individual members, as a service to Christ's working for humankind and the earth. A deepening of the understanding of the Creed as lived in the Christian Community and the confirmation of its content by the individual will contribute significantly to the RENEWAL in our congregation. We look forward to you joining us to ponder this together. by Rev. Malcolm Allsop (14th Feb. 2015)
A good sized group met again on Saturday, 14th. February to further the conference theme and our Johannesburg contributions. Choosing a Saturday to meet we had more space for our deliberations, not to mention a tasty communal lunch to start, masterminded by Tony and Hazel. It was also Lola’s birthday, so cake appeared too! In two sessions we explored our understanding of ‘Christ’, our Christ experience in its different facets (see also the February newsletter) – it is individual on the one hand, it is also that which was felt to be the strength of The Christian Community as a movement, key to its contribution in years to come. For this theme, and hopefully for a second one too, we will still try to capture it in the form of a question which can travel to Cape Town in a more engaging form than simply the presentation of our results and conclusions. The other congregations will be doing likewise, so that the weekend is active and creative regarding the ‘next fifty years’. Of course there will also be occasion and space in the programme (due out any day now) to celebrate and reflect together with old friends – Neville Adams, Peter van Breda and Aaron Mirkin have confirmed their attendance, others have still to respond. Jo’burg friends will be taking the new play production of Jane Abraham and Anthony Higgins to be performed on the Saturday evening. entitled “The Grand Theatre of the Second Chance” it is almost tailor made to our deliberations of moving forward in (rapidly) changing times. Fundraising to cover costs – particularly travel costs – was already touched on last time. Since then we have had the very generous offer of Jacob and Anne-Marie to donate money from the sale of Jacob’s paintings which are exhibited in the community room. This has developed further to follow the exhibition with an Auction of Artworks on Saturday, 7th March – see upcoming events. An auction is always a fun event, as well as a chance to pass on once loved works of art to a good home and acquire others! As you can hear, between the lines, the Conference has already started and thus includes those of you who won’t be able to travel to Cape Town, as well as those who have already booked ( application forms are now available), i.e. Everyone can be taking part for whom The Christian Community and its further steps in Southern Africa lie close to their heart. On Saturday, 28th February will be our next afternoon session, from 15h00 to 16h30, then again, on Sunday, 22nd March after the Service. In those two meetings we hope to turn to a 2nd Theme which we can deepen in the way we have been doing with the first, that of the Christ. Out of such background preparation and understanding, the way is open to the many aspects of Christianity in daily life, interacting with others and the needs around us. Co-creating the future! by Rev. Malcolm Allsop (18th Jan. 2015)
As I write we have just had our third “the conference has already begun” meeting – our fourth including the hour in the Holy Nights with David Wertheim-Aymes, looking at the importance for the individual “to be the change he/she wants to see”, and how that then meets and blends with a community vision and its implementation. There is considerable tangible interest and concern at the meetings so far for the steps The Christian Community can make in southern Africa into the future, which is very encouraging. “We have a wellspring of treasures which we are only gradually uncovering, uncapping…. ….how can that source inform and inspire the challenges and wishes which we identify?” Some of those areas are listed below and will provide the backcloth for SATURDAY, 14th FEBRUARY when there will be an afternoon on our Johannesburg theme(s), under the working title(s): “CHRIST…….”, “The Christ Experience…….”, “The Christ Community……”, “Christ – past, present, future….” as many feel that it is this which really informs our working as a movement for continuing religious renewal out of the wellspring of the Sacraments. We will meet at 13h00 at the church for lunch, kindly offered by Tony and Hazel, then work through the afternoon. An idea of numbers (for the catering) would be very helpful – please let me know. (Tel. 072 981 0117) The main areas highlighted where challenges and hopes have been identified are : 1. Addressing and including all ages of our extended circle (children, youth, families, etc.). 2. The Sacraments, the place of ritual, space for social/cultural/study…“practical Christianity”. 3. The Christian Community and the world of today and tomorrow, a multi-cultural world. 4. Understanding our history, to be able to let go of some aspects, nurture and grasp anew other aspects. 5. Working together of the priest(s) and the congregation. Finally, we looked at the possibility of fundraising initiatives, either to help people with travel costs or to support the cost of taking the play (a new production by Jane Abrahams) to Cape Town. Various suggestions including a possible minibus, (rather than airfares), a sale of paintings, and a lecture study series. See you on Saturday, 14th February. by Rev. Malcolm Allsop (1st Nov. 2014)
Sunday last the Congregation had its first gathering to look ahead to the 2015 Conference marking The Christian Community’s first 50 years here in Southern Africa. It will be hosted by the Cape Town Congregation in Plumstead from Thursday, 30th April (beginning 18h00) to Sunday, 3rd May (13h00). After much deliberation at the extended council meeting in August the title was agreed on: “WELLSPRING UNCAPPED – Welcome Light from the Future.” On the one hand we have a wellspring of treasures which we are only gradually uncovering and on the other hand the future, rather than the past, was recognized as being the actual source of this wellspring from which The Christian Community works. Our task now is to create a weekend with time for reflection, space to celebrate that which we have achieved and most importantly, an open and honest discussion as to the coming 50 years, and where our contribution might lie. With this in mind all four congregations are now meeting regularly, through ‘til May to find and explore their particular hopes and concerns. Our first gathering was productive in that various directions were collected as possible topics, and that next time we meet – SUNDAY, 14th DECEMBER – we would do well in looking first a little at Johannesburg’s path to date, on the basis of which we then can tackle some of the suggested themes (listed below). Looking forward to a fruitful working together – and its not too late to join! (even if you were not at the first meeting, even if you are not sure that you will be able to attend in Cape Town.) Some suggested themes:
by Evan McGillivray (1st Nov. 2014)
Some thoughts arising out of the theme “Wellspring Uncapped” From the standpoint of our motto: “Movement for Religious Renewal” Leaving “Uncapped” for the moment, the concept “Wellspring” evokes a wonderful picture: of pioneers who discover the Wellspring and bring news of the gushing waters to a thirsty world, of the settlers who built the dam walls so that the water may be used for cultivating the soil and of crops grown for the feeding of hungry souls. And thirdly, of those who dwell around the dam eating and drinking from its bounty. (One is tempted to bring an African landscape to mind.) Some wonderful things about this dam called The Christian Community lie in the fact that the waters are constantly being renewed directly from the Wellspring: the Act of Consecration of Man, and that the water is immeasurably deep. And, of course, that this Water covers the Earth: truly a Global movement for the renewal of the Religious Life. |
Hillcrestby Rev. Peter Holman (11 Nov. 2014)
In preparation for next year`s big Conference (Cape Town, 30 April to 3 May) we will have a second session here in our Chapel this Sunday, 16 November, after tea. We will speak about certain themes central to the Christian Community and try to get more clarity on what we may be able to do in the coming months and years to deepen what we have. It will also be important, gradually, to gain more insights about where the Christian Community is in the world in our time and how we can better reach out to the wider world. |
WindhoekBy Rev. Kine Voigts
Am vergangenen Sonntag fand das erste der Treffen nach der Menschenweihehandlung statt, die die Tagung in Kapstadt im April/Mai 2015 vorbereiten sollen. Wir haben uns eingangs angeschaut, inwiefern diese Tagung in einem ganz anderen Stil verlaufen wird, als wie wir das von Tagungen der Christengemeinschaft in der Vergangenheit gewohnt sind. Wir werden anlässlich des 50-jährigen Bestehens der Christengemeinschaft uns natürlich den vergangenen Jahren zuwenden, sie würdigen und ihnen danken. Aber wir werden vor allem unseren Sinn in die Zukunft wenden, indem wir uns gemeinsam austauschen, beraten, besinnen was das wirklich Zukünftige der Christengemeinschaft als Bewegung für religiöse Erneuerung ist. Inwiefern können die Sakramente und unsere Arbeit an ihnen für die Zukunft im südlichen Afrika und seine Menschen relevant sein, sie kräftigend impulsieren und einen ganz eigenen Beitrag liefern. Damit diese Tage wirklich etwas Neues impulsieren können, das Selbstbewusstsein der Christengemeinschaft festigen können und die Geistesgegenwart ihrer Mitglieder wecken können, bedarf es einer vorbereitenden Arbeit in den einzelnen Gemeinden – sonst wird diese Tagung ein erhebendes, begeisterndes Ereignis sein – ohne Frage – aber sie wird nicht unsere Willenskräfte für die Sache so ergreifen können, dass sie Zukunft bildend wirken können. Wir haben erstmal nur Themen gesammelt, die die Christengemeinschaft zu einer erneuernden Bewegung des Christentums machen. Am kommenden Sonntag, den 16.11.14 wollen wir uns, wieder nach der Menschenweihehandlung, dem einen oder anderen dieser Themen widmen. Jeder ist willkommen, auch wenn er ganz bestimmt weiss, dass er nicht bei der Tagung dabeisein kann. Es geht um unser Gemeindebewusstsein und das bilden alle, die sich in ihrem Umkreis bewegen.
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