Thanks and please go on writing once you get home

This is just a brief thank you to all who took the time to write for the blog. It's really been good to get an exchange going here.
Please we would love to have a few posts even when you get home. This is important because you begin to see and understand things in a different way once you get a bit of distance from the event.
I really liked the way Alison Elliott asked teh Assembly to take a few moments of silence to think about what they had found good and beautiful at the assembly.
MAybe that is now what we could use these pages to do -what was stressful and difficult, what was good, enriching and beautiful?
It's important to do this because your assembly will have been different from mine.

Think too about what you are taking back to your church or organisation from this assembly and try to access the message which is now online in the three assembly languages. (well it will be online but the G drive went down last night just as we were trying to post it - tomorrow maybe!)
Travel home safely and try and write something - send it to me via email even if you don't have access other ways jane.stranz(at)gmail.com.
Thanks for everything and continue to pray for the work of CEC's new central committee.

mixed blessing

The nature of youth participation in the CEC assembly is a mixed blessing. On the one hand it is fantastic that young people are being encouraged to participate as young delegates or stewards. It’s great that they are given opportunities to encourage each other, to share ideas and experiences, to create friendships. It is also very encouraging that it is recognised how important the youth are to the future of CEC. On the other hand the approach taken towards the youth can emphasize the differences rather than the similarities between young(er) and old(er). It risks reinforcing the distinction and not facilitating mutual respect and proper engagement and dialogue between people of different ages.
Some of the comments made in the plenary hall this morning showed how young people can be seen as a separate group that thinks and acts in different ways. Of course there are differences that should be recognized, celebrated and accommodated, but as with any demographical group, the similarities are much more important. If young people are to be able to fully participate in and contribute to the work of CEC, they must be recognised as full and equal partners.

Here are some photos of registration currently underway

This post is made by Christian and Christian two stewards from Denmark working in documentation and waiting for the photocopier to be repaired!

Two Danish delegates plus some CEC staff and the registration stewards are pictured here.