Working Together in a Fremdsprach

Pastors Eliana Briante and Rodney Aist

German is a very useful language in Italy, especially among priests, pastors and theologians, many of whom have studied theology in German seminaries. For now, it is also the strongest common language of the pastors of The Methodist Church in Milan, Eliana Briante and Rodney Aist. Eliana, the Italian-speaking pastor, is fluent in German. She studied theology in Munich and is married to Ulrich Eckert, the German pastor of The Lutheran Church in Milan. Rodney, the English-speaking pastor, learned conversational German while studying for a year in Bonn during seminary. Eliana is learning English, and Rodney is learning Italian. Yet ever since Rodney’s arrival in November, the two pastors have been working together in a common Fremdsprach (foreign language) — German!

European Meeting for Migrant Ministries

Every January, the Germany Central Conference of the United Methodist Church, with support from the General Board of Global Ministries, hosts a gathering of pastors and lay leaders working with migrant congregations throughout Europe. This year’s gathering, which focused on understanding the experiences of third culture kids, was held in Stuttgart, Germany, January 29 – February 2. There were some fifty participants representing host congregations from Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Russia,  the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic. The nationalities of the individual participants included Brazil, Portugal, San Salvador, the United States, Germany, Italy, Estonia, Sweden, India, Korea, Ghana, Zimbabwe and Sierra Leone.

The Italian delegation pictured above from left to right: George Ennin (Pordenone), Richard Kofi Ampofo (Bologna), William Jourdan (Vicenzia) and Rodney Aist (Milan).

Buono Anno Bisestile!

‘Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for great is your reward in heaven’

Luke 6:22

The following is my reflection for the February edition of La Comunità / The Community: The Newsletter of the Evangelical Methodist Church in Milan.

The Visitation: John Leaps for Joy (Luke 1:44)

This year, 2012, is a leap year, which means that February will have one extra day in order for our calendar to be more closely in line with the actual solar year. In Italian, leap year is known as ‘il anno bisestile’, or the year of the ‘twice sixth day’. This is a reference to the early Roman practice of doubling February 24, which is the sixth day before the calends of March (March 1). The word in English is ‘bissextile’; however, the common English expression is ‘leap year’ or ‘leap day’. Why is the term ‘leap’ – ‘to jump over’ – used when the calendar is actually adding an extra day? The use of the word dates back to the late 14^th century and is a reference to fixed festival days ‘leaping’ ahead one day in the week due to the added day. For example, a fixed festival that was on a Tuesday in the year prior to a leap day would be on a Thursday the following year. A year that is not a leap year is known as a common year.

The Bible also refers to common and special years. Every seventh year was a year of Sabbath, during which the Israelite people were to forego working the land and to cancel all debts (see, for example, Nehemiah 10:31). After seven cycles of Sabbath years, or every fiftieth year, there was a Year of Jubilee during which land was also returned. In the Hebrew calendar, the next Sabbath year is 2015, and the next Year of Jubilee is 2037.

The Catholic Church also retains the concept of common and holy years, with their last Jubilee Year being in 2000. During worship on January 15, our congregation participated in the annual Wesley Covenant Service, during which we renewed our covenant with God for 2012; however, the Protestant Church, while emphasizing the Sabbath day of the week and believing otherwise that all time is holy, has largely lost the biblical concept of the holy years of Sabbath and Jubilee.

An Illustration by Norman Rockwell

Perhaps this leap year provides us with the opportunity to rediscover a sense of sacred time. The word, ‘leap’, appears a number of times in English translations of the Bible. One ‘leaps for joy’ in the presence of God. This is the word used when John the Baptist ‘leaped’ inside his mother Elizabeth’s womb when Mary, pregnant with Jesus, visited their house (see Luke 1:41-44). The word ‘leap’ is also used in connection with the Day of the Lord: ‘Surely the day is coming . . . when you who revere my name . . . [you] will go out and leap like calves released from the stall’ (Malachi 4:1-2). On this day, ‘the lame will leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shall shout for joy’ (Isaiah 35:6). Jesus also tells his followers to ‘rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for great is your reward in heaven’ (Luke 6:22).

The Day of Jubilee, the Day of the Lord, is coming when the People of God shall leap for joy. But why wait? Make this month, and especially Leap Day, February 29^th, a sacred time of joy and thanksgiving in service to God.

Buono Anno Bisestile!

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

The Council of Christian Churches in Milan (Consiglio delle Chiese Cristiane di Milano) celebrated the conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity on Wednesday, January 25 with an evening of prayer, readings and chorale music from various congregations in the city. The music included an ecumenical youth choir and choirs from two Catholic parishes, the Russian Orthodox Church, the Romania Orthodox Church and the Methodist Church. The event was held in the Waldensian Church.

The scriptural theme for Milan’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was:

Tutti saremo trasformati dalla vittoria di Gesu’ Cristo, nostro Signore /  All shall be changed by the victory of Jesus Christ our Lord (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:57).

The Choir of the Russian Orthodox Church

Jan 15: Wesley Covenant Service and Spazio Aperto Open House

On Sunday, January 15, the Methodist Church in Milan held its annual Wesley Covenant Service, followed by its weekly potluck dinner (‘Agage — Bring and Share’). The afternoon also included an open house for Spazio Aperto (‘Open Space’), a four-day-a-week program of the church including a youth club and courses in Italian, French, music, embroidery, computers and even juggling.

Wesley Covenant Prayer

 I am no longer my own, but thine.

Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,

Exalted for thee or brought low for thee.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.

And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

Thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven.

Amen.

The Ghanaian Christmas Convention

Twice a year, on the Sunday before Christmas and Easter, the Ghanaian Methodists and Waldensians of Northern Italy gather for a day of worship. Several hundred people gathered for the 2011 Christmas Convention — ‘Being Citizens Together in God’ — held in Milan on December 18 . The event was broadcast on Italian national television on Christmas Day and can still be viewed online.

Although the event was held in a large public hall, The Methodist Church in Milan served as the host congregation.

Besides  capturing the Ghanaian element of the Waldensian / Methodist Church in Italy, the television program also includes the sermon of my colleague, Pastor Eliana Briante (watch in Italian starting at 27:54), and the music of The Worship and Praise Team (watch from 38:50 – 42:10).

Afeshia Pa

A new post, Afeshia Pa, relating to my ministry in Milan has been posted on my blog, Culture Quarks.

 

The Money Drop

Last night, while running on a treadmill at a local gym, I understood and correctly answered my first question from an Italian television game show — which name of four Italian newspapers does not start with a definite article (the word ‘the’).*

The game show, The Money Drop, debuted in Italy earlier this month, and although I myself spent 30 minutes running nowhere, I could have saved the two Italian contestants a lot of money.

Before the contestants eventually lost their money, they were asked an economic question. According to the 2011 Italian census, what is the most popular manual occupation — plumber (idraulico), cleaner (addetto alle pulizie)  or truck driver (camionista)? I was not certain of the answer but I had a hunch — of those whom I have asked, most of the foreign adults in the church work as cleaners. Indeed, addetto alle pulizie, or cleaner, was the correct answer.

According to the 2011 Italian census, there are 8,357, 000 manual laborers in Italy, of which 969,580 are cleaners. The census also found a strong substitution effect in the past five years between Italian and foreigner workers. While Italian workers employed in manual jobs fell by 847,000, or 11.1%, there was a 718,000, or 84.5%, increase in foreign manual workers. Foreign workers now comprise 18.8% of Italy’s manual labor force, including 52% of all cleaners.

In addition, companies reported 60,000 vacant jobs for manual laborers, including positions for 4600 cleaners.

All ministry is transacted within an economic context — whether Italy, Africa or the Navajo Nation. These numbers, in part, explain ours, The Methodist Church in Milan — a  faithful congregation of Italians working and worshiping beside foreigners of some twenty different countries.

* Answer: Corriere della Sera

Watch The Money Drop episode referenced in this blog.

Choir Shares St Stephen’s Day Singing Carols for Elderly

The Praise and Worship Team Singing a Carol at Nursing Home, Milan

While Italy enjoyed a national holiday on the Feast of St Stephen, the second day of Christmas, members of The Praise and Worship Team of The Methodist Church in Milan shared carols with residents of a local nursing home. The choir is directed by Stefanie Gabuyo.

 

Merry Christmas 2011!

The Methodist Church in Milan