A couple of highlights from the synode
One of the things that struck me this time was the way that the various church commissions (committees) discuss something, send out their proposal round the three regional councils and get responses back, then discuss these and incorporate them in their eventual proposal to the National Synode. Synode then discusses all sorts of ins and outs, with amendments being put forward and retracted, then eventually Synode votes overwhelmingly for what the commission had proposed in the first place.
The point is that the commission has been entrusted with a task. They have fulfilled that task and everyone is sure that they have. However it is still important to explore that a little and also for any nuances to be discussed. In the end, however, everyone knows that the commission have done the necessary work and almost always what they propose will be accepted. Just like in church meetings at every level.
So it was that the name of the union of churches was changed. We used to be the Union Nationale des Eglises Réformées Evangéliques Indépendantes de France (UNEREIF). However the "independent" was always ambiguous - it never really meant that the churches were independent (of what, of whom ?) but that the Union was independent of the Eglise Réformée de France.. Now that the ERF is merging with the Lutherans and changing its name we no longer have to explain that. So we are to be known henceforth as the Union Nationale des Eglises Protestantes Réformées Evangéliques de France (UNEPREF). Well it's easier to pronouce, anyway.
The Faculté Libre de Théologie Réformée at Aix is doing very well just now and it has a great group of students, but no-one from the EREI / EPREF .
About 6 years ago the church voted that a Maîtrise in theology would be necessary for all its pastors. I am not sure why that came about, but the vast majority of the present pastors do not have a maîtrise because when they were appointed a degree was considered a sufficient level. Anyway this decision is going to have to be revisited because the maîtrise no longer exists - it has been replaced by the new European system of university-level certificates of LMD - degree, masters, doctorate (license, masters, doctorat).
As always the best thing is meeting up with folks. Even in our own area of the South-West the distance between churches makes it difficult to sustain any meaningful level of relationship. So times like this are important.
If there is a chief LOW point it is what we sing. I so miss our strong doctrinal and experimental hymns, our metrical psalms and our meaty songs. Here Arc en Ciel is weak, A Toi la Gloire is better but has a huge Sankey-style content to the detriment of other stuff, and neither could come anywhere close to any of our hymnals like CH, GH, CHII or P! Imagine if French Christians had the same riches that we have (and neglect). Wouldn't it be great.
We left on the Saturday evening after dinner to drive through the night back home. Samy drove, Elyane was unwell, I slept. Not the best journey we've ever had but we got home safe and sound. Samy was preaching at Cenon and I at Anglade, then Samy had agreed to preach for our Hispanophone friends at 8pm in their new premises.
So today everyone is pretty bushed !
The point is that the commission has been entrusted with a task. They have fulfilled that task and everyone is sure that they have. However it is still important to explore that a little and also for any nuances to be discussed. In the end, however, everyone knows that the commission have done the necessary work and almost always what they propose will be accepted. Just like in church meetings at every level.
So it was that the name of the union of churches was changed. We used to be the Union Nationale des Eglises Réformées Evangéliques Indépendantes de France (UNEREIF). However the "independent" was always ambiguous - it never really meant that the churches were independent (of what, of whom ?) but that the Union was independent of the Eglise Réformée de France.. Now that the ERF is merging with the Lutherans and changing its name we no longer have to explain that. So we are to be known henceforth as the Union Nationale des Eglises Protestantes Réformées Evangéliques de France (UNEPREF). Well it's easier to pronouce, anyway.
The Faculté Libre de Théologie Réformée at Aix is doing very well just now and it has a great group of students, but no-one from the EREI / EPREF .
About 6 years ago the church voted that a Maîtrise in theology would be necessary for all its pastors. I am not sure why that came about, but the vast majority of the present pastors do not have a maîtrise because when they were appointed a degree was considered a sufficient level. Anyway this decision is going to have to be revisited because the maîtrise no longer exists - it has been replaced by the new European system of university-level certificates of LMD - degree, masters, doctorate (license, masters, doctorat).
As always the best thing is meeting up with folks. Even in our own area of the South-West the distance between churches makes it difficult to sustain any meaningful level of relationship. So times like this are important.
If there is a chief LOW point it is what we sing. I so miss our strong doctrinal and experimental hymns, our metrical psalms and our meaty songs. Here Arc en Ciel is weak, A Toi la Gloire is better but has a huge Sankey-style content to the detriment of other stuff, and neither could come anywhere close to any of our hymnals like CH, GH, CHII or P! Imagine if French Christians had the same riches that we have (and neglect). Wouldn't it be great.
We left on the Saturday evening after dinner to drive through the night back home. Samy drove, Elyane was unwell, I slept. Not the best journey we've ever had but we got home safe and sound. Samy was preaching at Cenon and I at Anglade, then Samy had agreed to preach for our Hispanophone friends at 8pm in their new premises.
So today everyone is pretty bushed !
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