Creating connection in polarising times
Every spring, the Iona Community Netherlands organizes an open weekend in Schoorl for a wide audience. Every few years, we also hold a weekend in the fall for Members and Associates and other people active in one of our regional or thematic groups.
In November twenty-four participants gathered to explore the theme of ‘Resilience and Connectedness’. This theme didn’t come out of the blue. Polarization in our society has increased in recent years, and there are numerous topics where it can be difficult to engage in conversation with people who hold different opinions. Topics such as migration, climate, Gaza, or vaccinations can be difficult. So, in how can you connect and maintain that connection in polarising times?
Enriching rituals
We invited Iona Community Leader, Ruth Harvey, to give some short introductions and to come alongside us for the weekend. Ruth emphasized the importance of patterns and rituals for binding us together in time and space. Rituals weave us into the fabric of the world, building strength and resilience even when all hope seems to be lost. These patterns are recognisable in our ways of working and worshipping. It was enriching to discover which patterns we use in the Iona Community Netherlands, both nationally and in the regional groups.
On Saturday afternoon, we practiced role-playing a contentious conversation about migration in the Netherlands. This exercise yielded several tips and tricks that we will continue to use in the coming period.
And of course, we worshipped twice a day, following the same pattern as in Iona Abbey, with a morning service at 8 pm and an evening service at 9 pm. We used translations of services from the Wee Worship book and the Iona Abbey Worship Book and sang translations of Iona Community songs. One of our youngest guests, Aletta, reflected on the weekend in a poem, written in Dutch and translated into English.
Als de avond valt,
gaat de storm in mijn hoofd liggen
en keert de rust weer terug in mij.
Als de avond valt,
eten wij hier samen
en spreken wij elkaar.
Als de avond valt,
zien wij lichten duidelijker dan overdag
en schijnen de zonnetjes in huis.
Als de avond valt,
zitten wij hier bij elkaar.
Dank u wel, God, voor de avond.
As the evening falls,
the storm in my head lies down
and quiet comes back to me.
As the evening falls,
we eat here together
and we talk with each other.
As the evening falls,
we see lights more clearly than by day
and little suns shine in the house.
As the evening falls,
we sit here with each other.
Thank you, God, for the evening.
USA North East