Thought for the Week: Remembrance, reflections and reconciliations
'Remembrance, reflections and reconciliations' by Nick Tyldesley
The beginning of November is a time for remembering political/military events across Europe. It was an appropriate moment for the return visit to Lünen in Germany by Salford Friends, especially as this was the thirtieth anniversary of the partnership.
The focus for the visit was ‘poverty’ – looking at the German experience of coping with unemployment, food bank initiatives, the issues around migrant communities and seeing how churches have sought to promote actions to help those in need. When our friends come to Salford next autumn they will be able to compare their work with the ways in which the British seek to address these issues. We can both, hopefully, share good practice.
Perhaps the most moving part of the official programme was the visit to the Kana Soup Kitchen in Dortmund (named in commemoration of the wedding feast in Cana, John 2). More than 300 bowls of nourishing soup are provided for anyone who turns up. Somehow the funding for this wonderful volunteer effort is always there – goodwill is still a potent force. The concern of the workers to make a tangible difference to those who may be alcohol/drug addicts, living in poor housing, was self-evident. They were truly putting into practice the injunction to love thy neighbour. The diocesan church authority had a clear strategic understanding of the issues around tackling the problems of poverty.
But this visit was much more than a sociological study tour. We were all recipients of generous hospitality by our host families. Many participants had known each other for years and were, thus, firm friends already. We shared in calorie-rich meals in restaurants, a Reformation Day concert in St George’s Church and had a trip out to Dalheim Monastery. The visit to Wewelsburg Castle, where there was an exhibition that told the story of the SS training centre in the building, showed how the Germans confront their past. It was humbling to see how this sense of contrition enabled Germany to move into reconciliation. The absence of military ceremonies, red poppies and sacrifice linked to overt patriotism, which characterise British Remembrance Day, was noted.
The underlying purpose of the partnership is to bring people together. It was in the myriad of conversations at home that these friendships were cemented, as they were in the afternoon strolls around Münster on a Sunday with essential stops for coffee, cakes and ice cream. The social evening on the last night involved a large, magnificent cake (of course), medieval dancing, Beatles songs and a performance of ‘Cinderella’ by the Salford ensemble, which, in the tradition of panto, had the audience laughing loudly.
This was an ecumenical experience. On Sunday morning sermons were preached in German and English. There was a reference to Advices & queries 17, about bringing diverse perceptions of God together in a spirit of understanding. One small example of Quaker outreach was when a former East German atheist came to see some virtue in a noncredal approach that respects that of God in everyone. We could see how the Lutheran enthusiasm for hymn singing does help to bring a congregation together in corporate worship.
The model of town twinning arose from the need for post-war reconciliation between bitter enemies. Decades later, this justification is still valid. We trust that the bitterness is long gone, but friendships always need sustaining. Whilst the idea of the European Union is currently a matter of intense political debate, the partnership between Lünen and Salford, over a period of thirty years, has proved to be something precious. It is a practical example of international friendship. We look forward to greeting our Lünen friends next year.
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