Hope and Inspiration at Greenbelt (click for full story)

27 August 2008

As ever, the Greenbelt festival this year offered a wide range of activities, talks, music . . . not to mention the usual combination of beautiful views. . . and lots of mud! 

Of all the many things on offer, how do you pick any to feature? It's hard . . . but here are two that stood out. The first was Neema Crafts, a project that offers an opportunity for disabled people in Iringa, Tanzania, to learn new skills and find work with dignity. The project was founded by CMS mission partner Susie Hart, and Neema's activities were featured at the CMS tents. Some of the Neema dancers performed a wonderful interpretation of the parable of the wise man who built his house upon a rock (pictured above). Neema's beautiful crafts were on sale, and the intrepid could even have a go at making the elephant dung paper which forms the basis for some of the crafts. (Andy Hart, Susie's husband, is pictured left holding some of the raw materials . . . .) 

Conversation with Andy and a browse through the Neema booklet (available on loan from CCOW) revealed, though,  that what we saw was only a fraction of what, by the grace of God, was happening in the area. The Neema projects have given new hope to people who, in many cases, had experienced much rejection. And Andy, who works in the rural development department of the Diocese of Iringa, is involved with several projects that help local communities to purify water, farm bats for fertiliser, and generally improve their health and well being through sustainable, low-cost mechanisms. With all these projects, the Harts and their co-workers have been given several small miracles in terms of people who arrive with particular skills at just the right moment . . . and they are seeing some fine progress. Inspiring stuff.  

If you want to find out more, the Neema Crafts team, including the dance group, Andy and Susie, will be in Oxford on the 8th of September, giving a performance and talk at CMS.

Another very moving highlight was a talk and saying of the midday office led by members of the Melanesian Brotherhood.  The Melanesian Brotherhood was founded in the Solomon Islands in the 1920s. Members take vows for a five-year period, which can be renewed. They "aim to live the Gospel in a direct and simple way following Christ’s example of prayer, mission and service," and to that end they live "as brothers to the people, respecting their traditions and customs: planting, harvesting, fishing, house building, eating and sharing with the people in all these things."

In 2000, armed conflict broke out in the Solomon Islands between two of the islands and tribal groups. The Brotherhood's chaplain has written:

[The Brothers] took up the role of  peacemakers when all else had failed. They went out and camped between enemy lines, facing bullets and danger. Together with the Sisters of the Church and the Sisters of Melanesia they met with the opposing forces and tried to convince them that dialogue and peace was possible.

The Melanesian Brothers and Sisters ferried the wounded to  hospital, helped women and children to safety, searched for the lost and  those who had been killed and brought their bodies back to safety. Peace eventually came to the South Pacific nation – but at a price …

The price was the murder of seven members of the community -- one brother who had gone to start negotiations for peace with a militant and was taken hostage, and six other brothers who went in search of their lost companion.

In their presentation at Greenbelt, three of the brothers spoke about those who had been killed -- their personalities, their dreams, their faith. They then talked about what the community had learned about peacemaking from their experience in the Solomon Islands conflict.

"Everyone," they commented, "has a choice" about whether or not be a peacemaker. Christians have a calling to provide safe space, "sanctuary" for peacemaking. But to do this, they need themselves to be at peace: "To be reconcilers, we must be a reconciled community. We cannot talk about reconciliation if we are not reconciled."

When peacemaking, they added, it is vital to recognise every member of the group involved, to include all age groups -- especially recognising the potential of young people -- and to remember that "those involved must be the peacemakers themselves."

They spoke movingly of the way in which people seeking reconciliation need a narrative to make sense of their experiences, and noted "the Christian Gospel is the story that contains all stories, and shows the way from death to life." For them, in their shock and sorrow after the death of the seven brothers, the Passion had become a powerful help in understanding and presenting what had transpired.

Finally, the brothers discussed what they felt their experiences had taught them about God and their calling in Christ. "We have learned," they said, "that God is real" and that He calls them to "a vulnerable life for the vulnerable life giver." Whatever may come, "He is not deceiving you," they said. "But you will never know his truth unless you let go." 

"