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Gathering breaks down barriers

In January this year Jo found herself in St Louis, Missouri, sharing stories and learning from 50 diverse young leaders from around the world at a “Consultation for Emerging Leaders” organised by the Institute for World Christianity.

A Franciscan friar, an Orthodox priest, a Presbyterian minister and a Southern Baptist walked into a room… It sounds like the opening line of a bad joke, but it’s actually a true story! The week-long conference I attended aimed to encourage collaboration and unity across the many cultures and denominations of the Christian Church.

We had come from all corners of the earth, and from all sorts of Christian traditions. I was the only person from Oceania, but others had come from as far as Zambia, Serbia, Myanmar and India, representing nations as powerful as the United States and as tiny as Moldova. There were Presbyterians, Catholics, Pentecostals and Orthodox – and everything in between (the most obscure church was undoubtedly the Transylvanian Hungarian Church of Romania!). There were students, professors, ministers, community workers and leaders of various organisations, aged from 20 to 50-something.

Joining in prayer and worship with Christians from so many different traditions was amazing – we shared in everything from a formal liturgical service led by a Franciscan friar, to First Nations (Native American) drum songs, to a lively Pentecostal prayer meeting.

We had speakers come and share on different topics which were really interesting, but for me the most significant part of the week was hearing stories from around the world, both in personal conversations and also as part of the programme as each person had a chance to share. A profound and humbling experience for me was listening to people from many nations tell how Western countries have exploited their people and their resources for centuries, and have refused to listen to and respect the indigenous people of these lands. In many cases Christians have played a major role in this problem. It hit home in a new way when I was sitting across the table from a new friend, hearing about how these theoretical issues affected their lives, their families, communities and churches.

Through these discussions two major messages stood out to me – firstly, that wealthy countries (such as our own) need to stop exploiting others for our own gain; and secondly, that we must engage with “developing” countries on their own terms, and not on ours. When I asked some of my new friends how New Zealanders who want to be involved overseas can help appropriately, the response was this: “Come. Visit. Be our friends. Get to know our community. Learn about our culture. Let us teach you about the issues our community is facing and what we need to deal with them. Then, maybe you can use your unique skills and resources to join with us in helping our communities.”

When I asked Nelson, a missionary leader from Zambia, how young people from New Zealand could help make a difference in the face of global issues that are so overwhelming, he responded, “simply do what you can, where you are, with what you have”.

Jo Ryan