|
Young Adult Convo 2007
Prague, Czech Republic Herrnhut, Germany A Journey Home to Find our Future (part II)
|
| Our Student Pastor Josh Viste gives us a glimpse into his experience at Convo 2007, a special gathering for Moravian young adults which takes place once every 4 years. (Two years from now there will be a Convo for high school students.) This is the second part of Josh's article..
|
|
As I prepared to write about my experiences at Convo 2007 held in Prague and Herrnhut, Germany it became clear that I could not possibly tell you everything about the trip in only one letter, so as a result I chose to, first tell you about the sites we saw, and then share the real experiences we had.
| |
|
In the beginning I was filled with mixed feelings. There was the excitement of going to Europe for the first time and seeing tons of historical Moravian sites, but also a little anxiety of going with 110 people who I didn't know. Soon the latter faded as I realized that regardless of where we came from or what our backgrounds were, we were all the same:
We were Moravians. It is an amazing site to see over one hundred young people so excited about being Moravian that they would want to embark on a pilgrimage to walk in the footsteps of our spiritual forefathers.
| |
|
Friendships were quickly forged in our first evening in Bethlehem and on the plane to Prague as I, like others, sat next to a complete stranger from another place in North America. Upon arriving in Prague people immediately began to look out for one another as we found our luggage, exchanged our money, and gathered on our buses to head toward our hotel for our first few days. Although we were given several hours to rest and relax before starting our day, many quickly gathered in the center of the facility's grounds to begin fellowshipping with one another. From there we entered into a time of worship and then left for our first day of touring Prague. We arrived back at the hotel grounds later in the evening and after dinner, and another time of worship, we were free to head to bed. Again, people put off rest in order to fellowship with new friends. Some gathered at the nearby restaurant and others in the lobbies to play cards. Even though we had not slept in at least 36 hours, we desired to know our Moravian brothers and sisters more. Every night from our first night in Prague till our last night in Herrnhut stretched longer as we starved for our third Moravian sacrament.
| |
|
Our second day in Prague found us in Bethlehem Chapel near Old Prague. As I said in my last letter, this is the site where John Huss preached in the early 1400s. As we gathered in this sacred space we
; began to sing, and as we sang we remembered those who sang here before us, and together the voices of old and new spoke to the future. We lifted up our voices with confidence, knowing that the future of the Moravian church was in good hands, and that we would enjoy another
550 and more years of Moravian unity.
| |
|
The third day we gathered in Kunwald where Moravians gathered in 1457 and established the Moravian Church. Although a small building in a tiny village, this place evoked strong emotions in us. Here we remembered how the small seed was planted, and how that seed had been nourished for the last 550 years to produce the tree that we see today. We drew close together because of rain, and again we sang. And as it rained harder, we sang louder. On that day we rejoiced in our rich history and prayed that the seed which was planted there might continue to grow into a mighty oak which would be known throughout the world.
| |
|
On day four, we stopped at Chalice Rocks on our way to Herrnhut. We were told that it was here, amongst the giant boulders, caverns and caves, that Moravians sought refuge from those who would persecute and kill them. Although we were only here for a brief time, we stayed long enough to appreciate our own religious freedom, and that we have never had to hide for fear of death because of our beliefs.
| |
|
On day five we got to spend time with our German friends in Herrnhut. As we spent time with them, it became apparent that the Moravian Church is a World Wide entity which may celebrate the risen Christ differently, but is united across our diversities. In the afternoon we walked up to God's Acre where many had been laid to rest over the last 300 years. As is traditional Moravian style, each grave was marked with a small grave stone laid flat on the ground. All are equal when we die, regardless of what we do in life we are all equal because of our faith in Christ Jesus. How wonderful a concept to understand that we.are all equal even when society tells us we're not.
| |
|
Finally, on day six, we traveled to Berthelsdorf to see the site of the famous August 13th experience. We were told the story of how the Holy Spirit moved among those gathered there, healed their differences, and unified them. We enjoyed a Lovefeast at the same location where the first Lovefeast took place and celebrated Communion together. We felt the spirit move us as it did back in 1727 and vowed to bring that feeling back to our homes and be the missional church that Christ calls us to be.
| |
Throughout the entire Convo experience, I could not help but think how hopeful the future of the Moravian Church really is. Even though we are closing churches each year because of low attendance, our faith continues to move the youth of North America, Europe and beyond. Our Moravian identity was in the hearts of over 100 young people who came together from across North America and Europe and it is in the hearts of hundreds of others who were unable to attend this trip. Christ is alive in the church and we look ahead to the next 550 years of Christian service!
|