A letter from Burkhard Paetzold in Germany
August 7, 2007
Living and active and sharper.
Hebrews 4, 12
Dear Friends,
The 31st German Protestant Kirchentag, which took place in Cologne in June, used this Hebrews text as their motto. The main themes of Kirchentag were globalization, climate change, and interfaith relations with Islam. At the same time, Germany hosted the G8 summit in the highly protected spa of Heiligendamm (The Holy Dam). About 3,000 congregations all over Germany held an eight-minute prayer time to build a “holy dam” of prayer for justice, peace, and the integrity of God's creation. The whole Scripture verse reads: “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” The motto challenges us to advocate where we tend to compromise.
These encouraging words and the great experience of the colorful Christian community helped me on my trip to Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania in late June. I traveled by train from Berlin to Brasov, Romania, and from there by car to Tulcea near the Danube Delta on the Black Sea. I met many wonderful people who are advocates for the poor and needy. The train ride, though 36 hours long, took me through scenic country, and I was lucky to have nice side trips to nature preserves in Slovakia and Romania.
Young Adult Volunteers in Roma communities
My first stop was in Spisske Tomasevce, a little town in eastern Slovakia, to attend the Roma Gadje Dialogue through Service seminar of young adult volunteers (YAVs). Two PC(USA) volunteers have participated in mission service to Roma communities this past year: Melissa Carter in Hungary and Rachel Norton in Transcarpathia, Ukraine. Unfortunately, the PC(USA) will have no YAVs in this program in the 2007-08 year. Please pray for young people to volunteer to participate in this critical program. Their service makes a very real difference both in the lives of children in the Roma communities and in their own lives.
The Spisske Tomasevce seminar concluded the 2006-07 term with most of the Roma and non-Roma YAVs present. These young adults had served in Hungary, Ukraine, Slovakia, Germany, and Romania. We were facilitating an evaluation of their experience to determine how the program can be further improved, and we were looking at features of “the Roma identity.” The fun part of the meeting was hiking in the “Slovensky Raj" (Slovak Paradise), a beautiful part of Slovakia's mountainous countryside. While hiking, I had the opportunity to talk personally to many of the YAVs. A Swedish volunteer told me how she finally realized that the place she served had been God's plan for her life and how this had changed her faith.
Roma self-housing project near Debrecen
Dick and Carolyn Otterness, colleagues in mission from the Reformed Church in America , were present too, and I traveled with Dick to Debrecen, Hungary, the next stop of my trip. I told you about the Roma community in Debrecen in my letters of April 2006 and May 2007. This brochure is available on-line.
New opportunities for Romanian Orphaned Children (NOROC)
During my travels, I also met Mary Ferris, a PC(USA) mission worker in Tulcea, Romania, right at the time when her support group from Texas was visiting. I learned a lot about the situation of orphans in Romania 18 years after the regime change and half a year after Romania joined the European Union. From what I can see, there is still much to do. Mary and her supporters help the situation of the most vulnerable kids. Please read more about Mary's wonderful work at her home page on Mission Connections.
We met Mary at a shelter for orphans in transition, those who have to leave the orphanage at the age of 18. Mary had prepared a simple Communion table under the carport with good Romanian bread and homemade cherry juice. It was a very special worship service with contributions from everyone: friends, partners, and the orphans. The locale was not far from a mosque and a synagogue as we faced the Tulcea sunset. Next morning, some of us went on a boat tour into the Danube delta. We were afraid of a thunderstorm that threatened our boat as trees were crashing all around. But when the storm passed, many birds returned and we enjoyed the freshness of the little canals of this large and beautiful river, a river which connects and divides so many European countries.
I wish you all a restful and refreshing vacation time.
Burkhard
