19th DIAKONIA World Assembly
Durham, July 2005
Louise Williams, DIAKONIA World President next to the Bishop of Durham, also Jackie Fowler (MDO) with the banner from the last world assembly in Australia and Ann Wren (DACE) with the UK banner.
Click on one of the following links for more information:
- DIAKONIA at the Margins: Challenge and Hope
- Meeting at the well
- Home from home
- Songs for everywhere
- Reflections at the well
- Pooling of Water
- Celtic Fire
- Holy Island Pilgrimage
- Journey out; Journey in
- The Labyrinth
- Closing Prayer
- Photographs: Meeting Place
DIAKONIA at the Margins: Challenge and Hope
450 delegates from 52 different countries and all the continents of the world gathered in Durham for a week. St Chad's College hosted the event and the Cathedral offered hospitality.
'Diakonia at the Margins: Challenge and Hope' was the theme of the Assembly. The story of Jesus and the woman at the well informed our journey of reflection.
In the Cathedral, in the Gala Theatre and in the college chapels were visual prayer stations reflecting the theme of 'Living Water'. The week also included a pilgrimage to Holy Island, visits to local diaconal projects, worship in a variety of forms, invited speakers, small group reflections and invitations to local churches.
Below are some of the reflections from the week.
Meeting at the well
In our opening worship we gather together in the Cathedral. From around the world, travelling over land and sea, we have brought with us water of our homelands and the rich resources of ourselves. The water is carried down the Cathedral and poured into the 'well' – a symbol that we have indeed come together.
The next morning we discover that the well has a leak and that about 20 gallons of water has been lost overnight. Except for a wet cloth and a damp floor there is little sign of the missing water. It has dispersed – but to where? Nobody knows. In order for the leak to be repaired the remaining water is taken out of the well and saved in buckets. We watch as it is carefully scooped out but we are unable to tell whether the water is from India, Germany, Egypt or wherever.
That is how it is amongst us. We are unable to distinguish between Anglican, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Orthodox or any other tradition. We are simply deacons, sisters and brothers, seeking to serve God and those around us in as many ways as there are people, invisibly dispersed amongst the living stones of God's world.
We discover the many languages we have in common – the languages of smiling, of crying, of touching, of listening, of dancing, of team-work and trust.
Home from home
And in the background beaver angelic hosts of cooks, cleaners, receptionists, guides, administrators, co-ordinators and a resident organist with a screwdriver to rebuild that which is broken. In the case of Sister Judith, that borrowed wheelchair which was disabled by the airline security staff, who cut the electrical wiring in case it was a bomb! Little does Sister Judith imagine that those who met her at the airport are currently raising funds to buy a new electric wheelchair as a departure gift (and hopefully a note for the airline security team!)
"This is a very strange week!" says Brian. "It's quite amazing – I'm enjoying every minute." Brian is the chief technician at the Gala Theatre. "Everyone is smiling!" he observes incredulously. Brian and his team do multiple extra mileage on our behalf. They convert the plenary sessions into multi-coloured events and cope with our ineptitude with fortitude and endless creative patience.
Sisters from a non-denominational community in Korea are inspired by Northumbria Community, whose 'Celtic Fire' - the story of how the fire of Christianity spread into northern Britain – is presented through music and dance. The Korean sisterhood is committed to social welfare amongst the poorest of their country.
Songs for everywhere
Everywhere we go we are welcomed and blessed. We hope our presence and enthusiasm touch those who welcome us. We are story tellers for a week and travel spell-bound by the stories of our fellow travellers.
The saints of old inspire us and so too the saints in our midst. Did St Chad envisage how the centuries would unfold and pilgrims meet within the spirit of his ministry? Did St Cuthbert envisage the dance within and beyond the walls of the Cathedral where his body lies?
Songs of praise and dance from Africa, Asia, America, Australia, Europe, the Pacific... you name the place, we have the song!
Reflections at the well
It is a costly experience when all is said and done. But then godly hospitality is a costly business – as the poster says: 'It pays little, but the benefits are out of this world'.
Generosity is a constant companion, sacrifice is a willing currency and the wounds of exhaustion, frustration and ineptitude are bathed in the oceanic waters of Christ-love. We see beside our reflection in the deep well of Life the face of our companion on the journey. We travel on refreshed, with the stories of our sisters and brothers reflected in our own.
Stella Bristow designed the display at the font around the theme of the 'Water of Life'. Her reflections can be found on page 109 of her book 'Sensing God' published in 2006 by Inspire (ISBN 1-85852-319-2).
Pooling of Water
At the opening worship, Living Water, representatives of Diaconal Associations brought forward water containers from their homelands and poured some water into the communal container, during which the following words were read:
Creator of the sea and sky,
the lofty peaks, the river wide,
the fertile fields and desert plains,
of all that is and is to be.
You spoke the Word,
and so it was that life in myriad form emerged and,
humankind held in your hands,
you breathed your life into us.
Through crashing waves and waters still,
from babbling brooks and stagnant pools,
sun-parched lakes and withered life,
we come to meet you at this place
and hear you ask: "Give me a drink."
And so around this well we bring
the waters of our motherlands.
Each precious drop we pour for you,
a shared remembrance claiming
that we shall thirst no more,
And we would gather to this place
our friends and loved ones, kith and kin,
and those who seek unknowing
he source of living water;
that they might hear the offer
of life in all its fullness.
Giver of life, we thank you for water,
for its unique qualities and universal value.
We come together now, meeting at a common well,
to be filled with your living water,
the Word of Christ,
our brother and saviour. Amen
Celtic Fire
The following comes from Jeff Sutheran, a musician with Northumbria Community who performed and presented Celtic Fire, featuring the Christian heritage of the region.
"From our perspective, it was a wonderful opportunity to share the treasures of the spiritual heritage of our part of the world with a number of people who had not encountered that story before! We were warmly welcomed - we could actually feel that in the response of the gathering from the first moments, and it was a pleasure to tell the story.
"It was particularly exciting (I think that's the word, although scary, daunting, risky and crazy are others that spring to mind) to be putting it together 'on the fly' with a large number of others who had never been involved in it before. Not only the wonderful dancers with the group Beyond the Barricades, but also a number of community people who had not done anything like this before. It was really wonderful for us all to bring our offering to God, and to create something beautiful that had such a dynamism, it felt almost electric at times!
"A lingering, joyful memory will be the crowd urging us to play the celebratory ceilidh music at the end and clapping and celebrating with us! A real sense of being 'at home' with one another, even though we were from very different places and traditions. Thank you for the invitation, the welcome, the hospitality and the memory."
Holy Island Pilgrimage
The day on Holy Island began with the ancient pilgrim's walk (for those who chose to) across the sands to the island. Once on the island, pilgrims were invited to explore with the help of prayers and reflections on the places visited. Everyone met in the priory ruins for a celebration of the Eucharist.
Holy Island is a very interesting place of incredible history and spirituality. Across the sands along the pilgrim way we walked and meditated, 'God is leading our every step'. An island isolated several hours a day, allows time to journey and experience God alone and with others. Lonely, little Lindisfarne, a place to pilgrimage, looking, learning, listening, leaping, lifting, loving and leaving.
As we joined in worship together at the priory we joined pilgrims that have been doing the same for centuries. Tearful as we were drawn up in "The Spirit of God", together in different tongues, like heaven, we were praising God, the God who is near.
At The Lord's Supper, we were mindful of those who would not use alcohol - 'Gives me thoughts to ponder'. What incredible planning created this event.
Journey out; Journey in
A sister from India accompanies a deacon from Norway on the walk to Holy Island, across the mud and sands where the tide has washed away countless million footprints over centuries.
The Norwegian deacon is moved to be walking where her Viking ancestors learned Christianity. The older, frailer Indian sister, undaunted by the walk, tells of her daily walk rounds of 20 miles to meet the needs of isolated communities.
As they come to the shore line, she kneels to wash and dry her sister's feet and wrap them snugly into socks and shoes – a new way of speaking – a new way of learning how to receive as well as to give.
It is raining in Durham today – the first rain of the week – but we are not there and the clouds unwrap the sun as we gather in the Priory ruins. We celebrate. The bread and wine are distributed in different tongues:
This year we celebrate the end of war 60 years ago; a significant co-incidence that the words 'the Body of Christ, broken for you' are spoken in Japanese... a significant memory that the DIAKONIA World Federation was initiated following the war to encourage the work of reconciliation.
The ruined walls of Lindisfarne Priory are echoed by the pillars of Durham. The Cathedral welcomes us as 'a family returned' and the evening is warmed by hospitality given and received. Some walk the cool grass of the Labyrinth in the cloister Garth, some soak in the history, some the prayerfulness, some the novelty of the spoken word enriched by action and expression.
The Labyrinth
The Labyrinth was laid with sand in the Cloister Garth of Durham Cathedral. It was opened in early morning before breakfast and in the evening before the Cathedral closed, as well as at other times during the day. The invitation was to walk the labyrinth to reach the well at the centre and lay a stone in the water. The way of leaving was to step across the sand tracks from the inside directly to the outside. Walkers were invited to write reflections as they left.
"I have walked a labyrinth before, including one of this design, but this time I appreciated the focus of 'the woman at the well'. Also, I have never crossed the circles to exit before and that was interesting. Thank you."
"Here, I found peace and stillness in the midst of a busy Assembly. To be able to take time and walk with Jesus around the labyrinth, to feel his love surround me was an experience I will always treasure."
"Thank you for preparing this labyrinth. At the beginning of a day that is bound to be full of organising, this has been a wonderful reminder of God's centre of peace, love and joy. The connection through the ages with the Celtic saints touched my soul and we give thanks to God for their witness to the Gospel."
"Thanks be to God! He is my refuge and strength. In the quietness and stillness he gives peace to my soul. As I walked, it was as if we journeyed together into the day remembering those at home, leaving them in his care and leaving all my concerns to be washed away as the water washed the stones."
The Labyrinth laid out in the Cathedral cloister garden provoked much comment. For a complete view of comments you may download Labyrinth Reflections (PDF).
Closing Prayer
The prayer from the closing act of worship:
God you are our Living Water, and we thirst for you.
You are the well of our being and the source of our refreshment.
We have journeyed to meet with you
bringing with us the burdens of care we have for ourselves and for others.
We come with confidence
because we know that you understand what it is like to thirst,
to thirst for cool water in the wilderness places,
and to thirst for justice and peace,
And so we bring to you those of this world who thirst:
For those who thirst in dry and arid lands,
where rivers and wells have dried and there is no water.
May all drink deeply of the water of life
and never be thirsty again.
For those who thirst for clean water
and the resources to rebuild their lives,
where the uncontrollable power of water
has brought death and destruction,
deluged and polluted the land,
shattering hopes and dreams.
May all drink deeply of the water of life
und nie wieder Durst verspuren. (German)
For those who thirst for freedom where the cup of compassion has been withheld.
For those who are captives of their own fears,
and those who are struggling with new found freedom.
May all drink deeply of the water of life
et que notre solf soit a jamais assouvie (French)
For those who thirst for justice
as they walk the dry rocky road of fear and persecution
May all drink deeply of the water of life
ngeke uphinde wome (Zulu)
For those who thirst for peace,
searching for water to cool hot tempers, douse raging hatred, and refresh souls.
May all drink deeply of the water of life
and never be thirsty again.
And for ourselves, we...
who, so often driven by our thirst,
walk towards the mirage of our own desires
and fail to find the source of our yearning...
come now and ask to be filled
with the cool clean recuperative water that you offer,
so that we need never again roam in strange places,
searching for the water of life.
We pray that our thirst is quenched
and we become a wellspring for others in their need. Amen
Photographs: Meeting Place
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