WORK, WORSHIP AND A WINTER WONDERLAND February 5, 2007

That long difficult post Christmas month of January has slipped away from us almost without our noticing because we were so engrossed in writing research papers for the end of January deadline.  Students produce two papers, each covering an agreed topic around the Modules studied over the last 4 months. Anna produced a piece on Wealth & Poverty for Social Ethics module and Linda wrote on Mission in the first African Church for Mission & Evangelism. For Biblical hermeneutics, which we both followed, we tackled John 17 and Psalms. Devising one’s own focus and question to answer plus keeping to the page limit after so much research were a couple of very vexing challenges! . Almost everyone was frustrated by having to axe material…sometimes drastically. 

We returned to Geneva together on 6^th January with Kinsie, one of our US students who had been travelling and seeing the sights of London during the break. Arriving at Gatwick departures I was able to tell Anna that she was famous at last, for I had just managed to see half of “The Cathedral” before setting off from Coulsdon…and there she was as were many of SEITE students filmed during the Good Friday Devotions .

We were greeted very warmly by those who had to stay at Bossey for Christmas; who had been unable to get home to their families.  They were glad to have the community back in its entirety. On Friday 12^th January we had a small celebration of that community with a renewal of Baptismal vows service(led by Linda and Edward pictures below). The vital centrality of the WCC and Ecumenism is that we are of one faith, one baptism and acknowledge one  Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Common Prayer has been achieved with partial success, but there is a sadness for some that worship, particularly Eucharistic worship, is not encouraged by the staff nor well supported when the students offer it to the community. 

 

 We experienced the two Church of England ‘church-plants’ in the vicinity at Divonne-les-Bains, (just inside France..imagine part of your parish in another country!) and Gingins tiny village nestling beneath the Jura mountains. Paul the Chaplain and newly ordained Maree welcomed us very warmly as did the people of both churches.  There is always a lot of interest about Bossey and it is often host to Church away days, Ignation days, Quiet days etc. for the Anglicans in the Geneva area.  Our second pastoral support has been the Rev Marianne of La Terre Sainte parish (Holy Land parish) in which Bossey is situated. She hosted a fondue evening for the women on the courses at her lovely rambling 18^th century ‘vicarage’. It was great to be in a real home again, sat around huge kitchen table, chatting at times in 3 or 4 languages all at the same time….think that’s called babble or babel.

 At last we got what we were all waiting and hoping for…no not the exams cancelled…but snow! Snow started to fall thick and fast, a soft floaty type of snow (Railways would say ‘the wrong type of snow’..!) that continued falling for about 12 or so hours enough to give a 10cm blanket across the landscape; enough to deaden sound and transform the whole area from green to white. The lane to breakfast the next day was marvellous…transformed into a scene from Narnia or The Snow Queen stories. What do you think?         ( path to Chateau, lake Geneva in the distance., L-R Victor, Anna Linda Leonard, Avril, Nora, Gerard)   

 

Unlike the Brits, the Swiss are unperturbed by metres of snow, so this was but a dusting and life continued as if it wasn’t there. But we students got out making snowmen and playing just as children do. Some friends had never seen snow before now and so were really fascinated…’would it ruin my shoes, will I be able to get it off?’ ….’is this snow?’ …’its cold…why do you want to lay down in it and make snow angels…are you mad?’…These were just some of the questions and comments.    

These first weeks of February are the dreaded oral exam weeks! Each Graduate school student has 4. Two exams are informal around the Modules the student has taken. Two are very formal about detail of the Ecumenical movement and Ecumenical spirituality.  All around Petit Bossey, where we live, and the Chateau and Library, is hushed and quiet as the proverbial grave! No-one is seen except at prayers and meal-times where the conversation is limited to dates of conferences and details of documents.  Anna finished her exams last week and passed with flying colours. We hope and pray all our friends are successful this week.   

By the way…the snow has melted and the unseasonable hot weather has returned with endless blue skies! Global warming is definitely on the agenda for the Swiss after what has been their warmest winter since their records began. Just to give you an idea of how unusual this year has been…so far one week of snow….. last year, snow fell on 25^th November 2005 and remained until 25th March 2006 in this area.

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