Monday, February 13, 2006
World Council of Churches Assembly, Porto Alegre, Brazil
So, where in the world is Petra? I’m in Porto Alegre, Brazil, at the Assembly of the World Council of Churches. Here’s the quote from the WCC about who they are:
"The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 348 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church.” The Assembly meets about once every seven years, and this is the first assembly in South America.
I have been traveling since yesterday morning, and don’t yet have much to share about the Assembly itself, but traveling, of course, brings its own stories. The trip has been okay, although uncomfortable for the plane parts, and mostly endless waiting in lines for the non-plane parts. The storms in the northeast U.S. meant lots of redirected passengers and full planes. But once I’m here, I’m very glad to be here. I love visiting other countries – especially the shift in perspective one gains. Seeing different ways to do things helps me to remember that the way “we” do things isn’t the only way.
Whether it’s the idea in the Sao Paulo and Porto Alegre airports to have a separate hallway for passengers exiting planes (how nice to not have to duck around people waiting for their planes on the way to your luggage!) or the funny door in my hotel room’s bathroom that opens out to reveal the toilet paper, it’s good to do things differently sometimes. Light switches look different, the potato salad has a flavor I can’t recognize, the cultural expectations are shifted – all helpful reminders that my little world is not really the center of the universe. And of course, this ties in with church life too – part of the point of being here, of talking with people from other parts of the Christian tradition, is to remember that our way of doing church is not the only approach. Cultural expectations about music or dress or behavior or leadership are not essentials – Christ is. Through Christ we can be invited to hear beyond what we are used to, we can catch a glimpse of the greater body of Christ through the gifts of other traditions.
I hope to share with you in the days to come through this blog, and I also encourage you to go to the webpage of the World Council of Churches – they will have regular videos posted of the large gatherings of the assembly, news reports, and a short “highlights” video at the end of each day. Go to www.wcc-assembly.info and join me in Brazil!! The videos are at http://www.wcc-assembly.info/en/news-media/webcast.html
"The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 348 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church.” The Assembly meets about once every seven years, and this is the first assembly in South America.
I have been traveling since yesterday morning, and don’t yet have much to share about the Assembly itself, but traveling, of course, brings its own stories. The trip has been okay, although uncomfortable for the plane parts, and mostly endless waiting in lines for the non-plane parts. The storms in the northeast U.S. meant lots of redirected passengers and full planes. But once I’m here, I’m very glad to be here. I love visiting other countries – especially the shift in perspective one gains. Seeing different ways to do things helps me to remember that the way “we” do things isn’t the only way.
Whether it’s the idea in the Sao Paulo and Porto Alegre airports to have a separate hallway for passengers exiting planes (how nice to not have to duck around people waiting for their planes on the way to your luggage!) or the funny door in my hotel room’s bathroom that opens out to reveal the toilet paper, it’s good to do things differently sometimes. Light switches look different, the potato salad has a flavor I can’t recognize, the cultural expectations are shifted – all helpful reminders that my little world is not really the center of the universe. And of course, this ties in with church life too – part of the point of being here, of talking with people from other parts of the Christian tradition, is to remember that our way of doing church is not the only approach. Cultural expectations about music or dress or behavior or leadership are not essentials – Christ is. Through Christ we can be invited to hear beyond what we are used to, we can catch a glimpse of the greater body of Christ through the gifts of other traditions.
I hope to share with you in the days to come through this blog, and I also encourage you to go to the webpage of the World Council of Churches – they will have regular videos posted of the large gatherings of the assembly, news reports, and a short “highlights” video at the end of each day. Go to www.wcc-assembly.info and join me in Brazil!! The videos are at http://www.wcc-assembly.info/en/news-media/webcast.html
# posted by Petra : 3:29 PM
