MethConf 2: This time it's personal

So here we are again, Methodist Conference. I'm in the fine city of Plymouth, ready for 6 days of debate, disscussion and... Doughnuts? (I couldn't think of another 'd')

Tonigh has been nice, Girlfriend and I went for a lovely Methodist funded date to Wetherspoons, then went for a nice walk by the sea (where I bored her with my Danish Armarda and military hardware facts). That was followed by a quick drink wth to other young reps, before a (fairly) eaarly night. Also, a by of a lie-in tomorrow, WIN!

So stay tuned for my daily thoughts, and keep an eye on Twitter (#methconf) and the live stream on the Methodist Conference Website.

Moses I know you're the man.

A few weeks ago we sang a song I hadn't sung in a long, long time. It's called 'Moses I know you're the man.' If you know it, you'll know it is kind of a kids song, part of the 'And we'll have a song for the kids before they leave us' selection. But a few bits of it really jumped out at me on, so I thought I'd share my thoughts. /before that, I must say that this song makes me giggle because the chorus is:

'So every day

we’re on our way,

for we’re a travelling, wandering race

called the people of God.'

but I keep accidentally singing 'We're a travelling Womble-ling race', and have images of Christians wandering around Wimbledon Common picking up litter with Uncle Bulgaria.

Anyway... the second verse goes:

‘Don’t get too set in your ways’,

the Lord said

‘Each step is only a phase ‘

the Lord said.

‘I’ll go before you and I shall be a sign

to guide my travelling wandering race .

You’re the people of God ‘

When I sang this I immediately thought of our church institutions, and how static and wrapped up in traditions they can be. In all levels of the Church we (half jokingly) make references to how things have to be done a certain way, "Because that is how it always has been done." An example of this is the chairs at my church (yes, I said chairs, we've not had pews for a long as I can remember). Until fairly recently, an elderly gentleman used to go in with his piece of string, tie it to various strategically placed hooks on the wall and check that all the rows were at the right angle and had the right number of chairs in. If they weren't right, the last group who moved them were in trouble.

That is a silly example, but it highlights how we can be sometimes. We hold onto things because they are what we know, they are comfortable. But is that healthy? Probably not.

Things need to change at times. Times change, people change, situations change. If the Church doesn't keep up, then it is in trouble. Change can be scary, a leap into the unknown. But if it is done carefully, and it is what lead by God, then something good will come from it.

I remember the first proper Methodist Youth Assembly in its current form, Durham '09. There was a group of us, the 'old school' (I was 20 at the time...) who spent a lot of the time complaining that it was nowhere as good as the old Youth Conference style, that the One Programme could never compete with the Exec, and that all these changes had ruined something I had put a lot of effort into. But looking back now, having seen MYA/3Generate mature a bit, I'll admit I was wrong. There were issues at Durham, but that was to be expected with a whole new format. Kidderminster 2011 was amazing, and I'm glad it changed. 3Generate, the One Programme and the Youth Participation Strategy have been amazing in improving youth participation in the Methodist Church, and God is working in amazing ways through it.

I could easily have taken that verse in a more personal direction, as there is all will be a lot of change in my life at the moment, as a graduate who is still looking for a 'proper' job and also in a long distance relationship, but I'll keep that one for another day.

The other verse that grabbed my attention was:

 ’Look at the birds in the air ‘

 the Lord said

‘They fly unhampered by care’

the Lord said

‘You will move easier if you’re travelling light

for you’re a wandering  vagabond race.

You’re the people of God ‘.

As I mentioned in previous blogs, I like hiking, and have recently been looking and reading about how to reduce the amount of kit you carry when hiking. Travelling light makes it easier to walk long distances, but also makes you more reliant on things around you. Rather than carrying all the water you need, why not just take some purification tablets and rely on a stream. Why carry a bulky stove when you could collect wood and build a fire with only a match and some cotton wool?

And our lives can be like that, we can carry everything on our shoulders, and be weighted down by it, not really getting far because our load is making us slow and cumbersome, and unhappy. Or we can rely on other people, and especially on God, to reduce the load we bear ourselves. I know that when I have a problem, just talking about it with a close friend makes me feel better, they lift the weight off my shoulders, making me lighter, happier, and in a better position to face the world.

Just remember, nothing need be scary or heavy if you entrust it to God.

First Thoughts from Home

 So I've been back in Blightly for a week now, and my head is still spinning with everything I took in. Lots of people have asked me about it, and I've struggled to know what to say. My standard response has been that it was amazing, mind-blowing and very emotional. But that isn't really doing it justice, and isn't sharing the stories we heard. Luckily, I already have a few talks planned, hopefully I'll work out what to say by then...

But one of the main things I've realised came from a discussion I had on Facebook with an old school friend while I was out there. I commented that our hotel was out of water, and he responded saying that he hoped I wouldn't be 'one of those people who blames Israel for everything.' He then spoke a lot about the history, how Palestinian's had done things wrong, etc etc, all the usual arguments.

I responded with some of the stories that we had heard; of limited water, forty year legal disputes over land ownership, and how a boy saw the Wall go up in Bethlehem in three days, and hasn't seen the other end of his road since. Suddenly (in my mind), the issues surrounding Palestine were no longer the geopolitical issues, or debating different historical perspectives that they had been for me before, as I studied International Politics in a lecture theatre in mid-Wales. It is now a series of personal issues. I've met people who spent months in prison for taking part in peaceful demonstrations, people who want to move out of Palestine for a better life, people who refuse to move because it is their home. I've met people who (it appears to me) have been misled by their governments, who live in fear, and who believe that their pasts give them a right to force people out of their homes.

The issues have become about justice, peace and freedom, rather than statistics, resolutions and borders.

When I do my talks, and when I'm asked about it, I will tell the personal stories, talk about the groups we met, and hopefully allow people to make up their own minds.

Day Eight: Heading Home and some reflections

This morning we packed up and left Tiberius, heading for the seaside at Caesarea. We spent a short time sunbathing and paddling before I broke out the frisbee and we had a chuck about. I've spotted some potential talent for 'Methodiscs'. I did manage to cut my foot at shred the knee of my trousers due to a dedicate dive for the disc, landing on some pebbles. But I got the disc, which is the important thing. We ate our picnic lunch under the arch of the aqueduct built by Herod the Great, before boarding the bus for the final time and setting off down to the airport in Tel Aviv.

We had our first goodbyes there, as we said farewell to our driver and to Kate, who is staying on in Palestine for another week. Then we ended the interesting system that is Ben Gorion airport. Rather than the standard check-in, security, passport control seen in most airports, Israel added another step. Before check-in you have to queue up to have your hold luggage x-rayed. There seemed to be no logic to the process, as we were sent to three different queues. There was also some in depth questioning for some. Meg got asked how many pairs of shoes were in her bag. Apparently it's six! The rest of the system was fairly standard, and when we made it to the departure lounge we were a little hungry, so we shared some pizzas for Pizza Hut! Unfortunately, my colleague discount card isn't valid outside the UK.

And now I'm writing this at 40000ft somewhere between Prague and Nurnberg. I'm not looking forward to landing, and saying goodbye to Nive, Sam, Tim, Meg, Anna, Alison, Sharon and Becky. Over the last eight days, the 10 of us have really bonded, sharing plenty of laughs, a number of tears, some inspiring moments and plenty of in jokes. And I think we will all land at Heathrow different people to those who left.

So that's it, my Holy Land experience. I will probably blog a bit more over the next few weeks as the things I've seen and heard properly sink in. But I'd like to finish this with a prayer I wrote while sitting it the wind on the Mount of Beatitudes. (A little aside, I was listening to Great is He who's the King of Kings while I wrote this.)

Loving God,
We stand now on holy ground,
And as we do, we pray for those who are mourning.
Mourning for loved ones, for lost houses, land an livelihoods.
We mourn with them and ask that you give them comfort and hope.
We pray for those who hunger, for food and water,
But also for peace, justice and love.
We too hunger for all these things.
We pray for the peacemakers, working for peace around the world.
Help us to also build peace,
At home, in the church and in the world.
Almighty Father,
Bless us now, and let us be your hands
As we build your kingdom in this broken world.
Amen.

Day Seven: Gallivanting in Galilee

Today was a much slower day than the past few. Our plan was to visit some of the Holy sites around the Sea of Galilee. We started with the Church of the feeding of the Multitude, where is is believed Jesus fed the 5000 men (and an unknown number of women and children) using the five loaves and two fish. I wasn't overly impressed with the church to be honest, even though it has 'the rock' that the food was blessed upon (I'm a little skeptical). Then we moved on to where Jesus appeared to the disciples when they were fishing after the Resurrection. It is a beautiful beach, and we spent some time in the water, skimming stones (which I'm sure Jesus would have done as he was waiting for the disciples). I was surprised that no one had thought of putting BBQs there. There was an amazing sense of calm there, which was counterpointed later in the day when we read about Jesus calming the storm.
Next stop was Capernium, where the is a stunningly beautiful Greek Orthodox church, the Monastery of the Twelve Apostles, which remembers the calling of the disciples. The pictures that covered the walls were incredible! We then went to what Nive referred to as a 'ninja picnic spot' loving over the Sea of Galilee, where we eat plenty, including a whole watermelon between the 10 of us. I'm sad to say a lot was thrown away.

Our final holy spot was the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Once again the scenery was stunning! We sat among a group of rocks and reflected of Luke 5. We had a time of silence, prayer and contemplation. The wind was pretty strong, but I felt totally at peace, and as I thought back to some of the things we have experienced I welled up. I also visited the Church on the Mount, which was totally underwhelming. Compared to being outside, surrounded by the wonders of creation, the church seemed totally devoid of any feeling. (This is my view, others in the group really liked it.)

We drove back to Tiberius and set out down to the water's edge to go swimming. Except we walked quite a way, finding that the beach was either for hotels' private use or just closed off... So we had an ice cream and then I went for a little lie down.

At dinner we had another random experience, as a massive group of young people arrived, apparently American Jews on a 'birthright trip' where they learn about their Jewish heritage. But what really caught us out was that one of their number was openly carrying a late pistol on her right hip. We all felt a little nervous to be around her. But we knew that it was there to make that group feel safe. Strange how it can have two polar opposite effects.

After dinner, we sat in the hotel lobby and Nive read through all the things we had down since we met up on Tuesday night. It was incredible to hear how we fitted some much into such a short time! And emotions were high, again I felt a tear or two. Nive read us a reflection on 'remarkable thing' which was beautiful. However there was someone playing some really dramatic music on the piano, which caused us all to crack up.

After a fairly heavy time of reflection, we headed down to a local bar for a few drinks, some wonderful conversation and an unwind. We got into the hotel at gone midnight, and I fell asleep almost straight away (hence not blogging).

It was strange to think that it was our last full day together, something I don't think any of us wanted to dwell on really.

Day Six: Wonder in the Wilderness.

After a good nights sleep for me at the Tent of Nations (though I think I was in a minority of one), we headed back to the Holy Land Trust's office in Bethlehem to pick up our cases and a few olive wood gifts, before traveling to Jerusalem to meet some students from the Rosberg International School, part of the Hebrew University. I had a very interesting chat with two girls, one from Tel Aviv and one originally from Leeds but who now lives out here, about how they feel about live in Israel, and the future for the region. Like Ardi yesterday, they seem to live in fear of Palestinians, and unsure how a peace could ever be reached. After a brief tour around the university, we got lunch before visiting a street where Israeli settlers are trying to take over house by house. We spoke to a man who has been involved in a legal battle since the 1970s over the ownership of his land. At the moment there is a case of a Palestinian family living in the front of a house, while a Jewish family lives in the back. It seems totally absurd to me.

Then we started our trip north, heading up the beautiful Jordan valley. We stopped at Wadi Qern, which is believed to be where Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness. The view was breathtaking! I must say the solitude and landscape was very appealing. I want to take a few days of supplies, a tarp and a bible and head out there on my own. Maybe I will one day.

Then we stopped off at Jericho, and took a picture of 'the tree' that Zacchaeus climbed to see Jesus, though I must say it didn't look 2000 years old. After a short onward journey, we arrived at Tiberius, on the banks of the Sea of Galilee. After dropping our bags off, we headed for dinner. Topics at the dinner table included a brief explanation of the finer points of Methodist Bureaucracy (which Kate asked for, I must say), the 1993 Human Sexuality Report, and vital things that need to go on shopping lists. We returned to the hotel lobby for further chats and games. We heard some good news, apparently the Israeli Government has accepted the demands of the Hunger Strikers (who's solidarity tent we visited in Ramallah), allowing family visits, stopping the use of solitary confinement and other issues. Hopefully this will bring an end to the 77 day hunger strike of two prisoners, and the other, shorter protests of some 2500 more.

Tomorrow is al-Nakba ('the Catastrophe') in which Palestinians remember the founding of the Israeli state. Tensions may be running high tomorrow, but we are well inside Israel now, so will be safe. But please pray that the protests in the Occupied Territories remain peaceful, and that a long term just peace will fall upon this land.

God bless.

Day 5: Settlers and the Tent of Nations

This morning we packed our kit and left Bethlehem. We went to visit Ardi, an American Jewish settler living in Efrata, an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Many would say the settlement is illegal, but he stated that the West Bank is 'disputed territory' and therefore it is legal. I am still going to refer to them as illegal.

I got very annoyed with Ardi, mainly because it felt like arguing with a UKIP member. He always justified the Occupation as protecting the lives of Israelis, but seemed to avoid any questioning of his beliefs. He kept asking if we valued the right of free travel of Palestinians over the right to life of Israelis, something of a false dicotomy in my mind. He sidestepped a number of difficult questions, especially those that called on him looking at how just actions are. I am not sure whether is was lying in some of the things he said, or whether he doesn't know he is mistaken. He seemed to dispute easily provable facts. He also seemed to be living in fear. Most of his justifications were that Palestinians simply want to kill Jews. This is a massive generalisation. I'll be praying for him, because no one should live in fear. Though it was a hard few hours, it was vital, seeing arguments from the other side of the Wall.

Leaving the Settlement, we headed to Hebron, where we had lunch (falafel again) and then went into the city. Hebron is a divided city. There are approximately 500 Israeli settlers living in a city of 40000 Palestinians. We walked through the market, seeing shops welded shut, and houses abandoned. This is because they were too close to the Settlers houses. The streets had wire netting over them, to protect Palestinians from things thrown from the Settlers above. In one place, we could see six watchtowers, manned by the IDF to 'protect' the settlers. It was so depressing to see the hardships Palestinians face. I saw a water tank (used to store water due to the irregular water supply) which was riddled with bullet holes.

We then headed to Patriarchs' Tomb, the resting place of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Leah. Even this was divided, following a massacre of 29 Muslim worshippers by a Jewish radical.

We then moved down the road to a shop where we brought some presents. While we were sat drinking tea (free hospitality!) three Apache helicopter gunships flew overhead. This made the most nervous I have been out here. We walked along another street of abandoned shops, the door of each had a Star of David graffiti'd on, but then covered over (not very well, many were still distinguishable). It had a haunting echo of pictures I had seen of Jewish shops following Kristallnacht, when shops were painted with swastikas.

We boarded the bus heading towards the Tent of Nations. We said goodbye to Iyad (our guide, the same one as Thursday). But before he went, he left us with some profound words. 'why should some children have more rights than my children?' and he said that his message to any pro-Israelis was ' just give us 2% of your heart'.

Tent of Nations is an organisation who have been in a legal battle for 21 years to prevent the confiscation of their 100 acres of land. They are surrounded by four settlements, one of which has a huge watchtower which had a massive Star of David on it, which is illuminated at night. They are such a inspiring cause, staying hopeful and peaceful. They also have a wonderful sense of humour, planting double the number of trees that were destroyed my the IDF, and building underground as they have been told they 'cannot build upon this land.' They work with young people to spread the message of peace. They have a few buildings above ground, but have a number of caves, which are amazing. I really want to live in one! We had food while in the meeting cave, and have spent the evening playing a card game version of Monopoly. Now we are in camp beds in a large tent without a door. There are still helicopters about.

It has been another head spinning day, but it has been wonderful to just chill out and relax tonight. I have so much to think about,

God bless.

Ps, sorry this is a day late, tents and caves seem lacking in Wifi.