Stewards arrived

Yesterday the stewards have arrived in Lyon. All in all, now here are around 50 people from all over Europe between Wales and Georgia.

Who are the stewards? They are young people between the age of 18 and 30, who help the Assembly be run. There are a lot of organisational questions, which the original CEC-staff cannot solve itself: Registrating participants, serving the plenary, inform delegates and guests about the ways in the Congress Centre and through the city, supporting the press office and so on. But that’s only one aspect of their presence here. The other aspect is that in this way young people learn a lot about ecumenism and about the variety of Christian churches all over Europe.

Organising the stewards programm as part of the facilitators team, I personally do have three expectations:

1. I wish that the stewards learn, how great it is to have the differences: The variety enriches the Christian life in Europe.

2. I hope that they are aware of the critical questions and differences, which divide our churches. If in the end all would think that everything is fine with ecumenism and we all do unterstand each other, than it would be a much too easy picture. There are a lot of challenges, we must not forget about it.

3. I hope that at this time all young people, present at the Assembly, will work together and understand itself as one group, even if we have different tasks: There are the stewards, there are the (young) delegates, sent here by their churches, and there or other young people, attending the Assembly as represantatives of their youth organisations. In my opinion, all we should have a common aim: The voice of young people should be heard in the Ecumenic movement, and this voice should make a difference.

And last, but not least: I hope that all of us will have a lot of fun here!