Renke Meuwese giving his keynote presentation. Photo: Kate McNally.
Borderless Friendship flourishes
Friends met in Strasbourg in September
The plight of refugees was highlighted when Friends gathered recently for the River Rhine Border Meeting.
Thirty-one Friends travelled to the Centre Culturel Saint Thomas in Strasbourg, France, to be part of the Meeting on Friday 9 September.
This Meeting has gathered each September since 1960, when it was set up in order ‘to tighten personal friendships regardless of nationality’, Susanne Odeh of Stuttgart Meeting explained.
The topic for 2016 was ‘At the Borderline’ and the keynote presentation was given by Dutch Quaker Renke Meuwese. He told Friends that he believes everyone has a specific calling, and described his time in the ‘Jungle’ refugee camp at Calais working with two voluntary organisations, Help Refugees and L’Auberge des Migrants.
Over the weekend Friends took part in a number of activities. Some explored Strasbourg, while others visited Le Jardin des Deux Rives, a park developed by Strasbourg and its German neighbour Kehl on the site of former customs posts and military installations.
A third group met with local Mennonites to review the protest that was held at this year’s Eurosatory arms fair in Paris.
Friends also spent time in small discussion groups, focusing on the topic ‘Putting up Borders, Experiencing Borders, Crossing Borders’.
