A Church Twinning visit to north-east Germany
Two accounts of a Twinning Visit by members of St. Mary's Church, Burwell, to their link church in Bansin in north-east Germany.
The first is by the vicar, Stephen Earl, and the second is by John Hooper, both members of the group.
"We aim to show that the friendship of grandchildren is the best resolution to the warring of grandparents."
Pastor Niebur, Bansin
The theme of the visit was Reconciliation, looking at events of the past, particularly the war years, considering how we might build a more peaceful and stable future. On a macro level between nations; on a micro level within our communities, schools, workplaces and homes. Reconciliation leaps out of the pages of the gospels, is at the heart of our Christian faith, and is relevant to us all, wherever we live, wherever we worship.
At Peenemünde... close to where we stayed on the island of Usedom, for many years a large area was closed off to the general public. This is where the V1 and V2 bombs were developed that caused such devastation on our own towns and cities. This is now a war museum with much of its focus on peacetime space industry developments from the V2s. Close to the museum is a tiny chapel we visited with a modern beatitude painted on each of the eight walls inside. We sat together and discussed our thoughts and impressions. The peace and tranquillity of this place was in stark contrast to the sense of success and achievement pervading the museum and its displays. Above the altar was a large plain cross, with the words "Du sollst nicht toten" - Thou shalt not kill.
A place called Golm... closer to where we stayed made the deepest impression on me, and I hope I never forget KARL KEISOW. He was one of 23,000 who died in the Allied bombing of nearby Swinemünde with 627 planes and 1702 tons of bombs. At this eerily quiet burial ground, set on a wooded hill overlooking the town, many of those who died are buried and ALL are commemorated. Hazel Williams suggested we each try to remember one name from the memorial plaques to think of as a person - with home / job / family / interests etc, to help bring home the reality of the horror which this place represented.
At the central memorial we sat together and pooled thoughts for framing a friendship document between our two churches...
- Someone said we may forgive, but not forget.
- Another said we should focus on what brings us together, and not what divides.
- Another observed how similar our experiences of ordinary life would have been, and yet we were at war with each other.
- Another explained that by making friends, we won't want to drop bombs on one another.
- Another suggested we learn to use the brakes, not the accelerator.
- Another pointed out that at the heart of Christianity is the belief that from every Good Friday experience can come Easter Resurrection and new life.
- Another recalled that Jesus broke down the barriers of nationhood and so should we.
- Another suggested that on Remembrance Sunday we read out the names of the war dead in Bansin as well as our own; and that in Bansin they remember ours on their "People's Mourning Day" (also in November).
So the old adage of our "burying the dead but not the past" need not be the case. There is hope for the future.
We went back to our campsite and wrote the friendship document "Hopes for the Future" which has already been "wholeheartedly welcomed and endorsed" by our Parochial Church Council. When the suggestion for Remembrance Sunday was discussed one person said that alone would make her attend a Remembrance Day service which she wouldn't otherwise do, and some others agreed.
So did all this go above the heads of our young people? Apparently not. Here are a few comments, all from different people, from the visit feedback forms...
- "When I think of Germany (especially during the wars) I forget that they are real people, very similar to ourselves. But now I know some people almost my age, it's different" (14 yr old)
- I learned "not to use violence in a difficult situation (but to) talk it over and come up with a compromise" (14 yr old)
- I learned "the need for reconciliation and avoiding prejudice. I hope to be less prejudiced in the future and try to extend my friendship to as many people as possible" (17 yr old)
- "I think I have learned that you should not judge people until you have met them face to face" (14 yr old)
- "In future I will be able to look at the war from the Germans' point of view and not just my own" (14 yr old)
- The visit "has taught me that I should accept other cultures and not judge them only from the standpoint of my own" (17 yr old)
A "Link Parish Planning Group" is being set up so we can build on this valuable experience and involve more people in it. November's Family Service at Burwell (the Sunday before Remembrance) will focus on this visit and the themes of Forgiveness, Friendship and the Future.
Jesus came to break down all kinds of barriers and draw us closer to God and to one another; and it cost him his life. Our responsibility is not to let the suffering of the past (our Lord's and of others) pass by without grasping the opportunity for bringing light out of darkness, and hope for the future.
Stephen Earl
August 1999
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Noon on Saturday 21 August and twenty young people and adults assembled on the vicarage steps for a photo call before the start of a 33-hour journey by train and ferry to Bansin, our church link in the north-east of Germany.
The link has grown out of an initial encounter between Stephen Earl and Pastor Peter Niebur during Stephen's training. Peter and a group of young people came to Burwell last year and camped in the Vicarage garden. Many of our own young people and adults met them then on a BBQ evening. Thus the seeds of a link were sown, but more of that later.
We duly arrived in Bansin after a night at sea, a morning sailing up the River Elbe to Hamburg and a ridiculously cheap rail journey (200 miles for less than £3 each) at about nine o'clock on the Sunday evening. Fortunately Hazel, Alan and Andrew Williams had arrived a day or two before and erected all the tents in Peter's garden which were to be home for the next six days. The Hoopers struck it lucky - they got the sofa bed in the summerhouse!
Monday morning and the opportunity to explore the little town of Bansin and its beach and to recover from the long journey of the previous two days. Bansin is a small seaside town with a population of 3000 on the island of Usedom on the Baltic coast. The island itself shares a boundary with Poland. Formerly a popular holiday resort for politicians of the old Communist German Democratic Republic, reunification has had mixed effects. On the one hand, West German wealth is transforming the town as buildings and the town generally are renovated and improved, providing high quality holiday accommodation. But there is a cost that the casual visitor may easily miss.
Few of the former East German population could afford the seaside apartments now largely owned by their West German brothers and were forced to move to basic apartments and houses further inland, causing some resentment. There is also high unemployment, up to 60%, and 10% of the population are alcohol-dependent. Another by-product of unification is drug taking and dealing, unknown in the days of the GDR. A comment was made that political oppression was being replaced by economic repression. No system is perfect.
The trip was more than a holiday. The purpose was to build up and develop our link with the church in Bansin and our theme was reconciliation and forgiveness. Visits to Peenemünde, where the VI & V2 rockets were developed; and to Golm, where there lie buried 23,000 people, killed in a single Allied air-raid, graphically illustrating the horrors of war and the need for reconciliation and forgiveness. (Ironically most of those buried at Golm are women and children, refugees fleeing from the advancing Russian army).
A visit to the mediaeval and former ship building town of Wolgast on the mainland included a visit to Peter's former church. Highlights included a fine view of the town from the tower reached by 184 steps and a chance encounter with the organist who played Bach and complimented the visitors with a rendering of "God Save the Queen." Another interesting visit was to the Polish town of Swinoujscie (formerly the German town of Swinemünde) at the other end of the island, a 45 minute ferry ride by sea. The contrast was quite stark. Clearly poorer, Adidas shoes at £50 seemed a paradox with the information that a doctor earned £100 a month Other goods, however, were priced to suit the local economy - e.g. shirts at £2.
Thursday was BBQ night - the only time it rained - and we were joined by members of the local church and community and a number of young people. The language barrier was easily broken by the young people as they got stuck into volley ball and other games. For the adults limited German and English respectively proved a little more challenging and skill at charades came into its own. Abi's German 'A' level recently refreshed was our salvation. Friendships were established and recipes exchanged. The event was recorded the next day in the local paper including a photograph.
Our final evening had two highlights. The first was a visit by the Mayor of Bansin when we explained the background to the link between the churches, how we had prepared a draft friendship agreement and hoped that this link could be extended beyond both churches into the wider communities of both Bansin and Burwell. The second was a service held in the church at Bansin led by Sue and Hazel.
Early Saturday morning we made our fond farewells and began the journey back to Hamburg. A two night stopover in a church hall in a village near Hamburg enabled the group to explore the city before sailing on Monday evening, arriving back in Burwell on the Tuesday afternoon.
The visit was a very rewarding experience. Fun on the beach was mingled with deep reflections on the causes of dissension between not only peoples of different tribes and nations, but also between ourselves at a deeply personal level. The need to form friendships, to learn to love and forgive very much came home to us, with the recognition that we can only do so in a deep and lasting way with God's help and in the love of Christ.
We hope the link will continue and develop as an example of the way such friendships can be created. A document was drawn up between us entitled "Hopes for the Future - a framework for friendship between the churches of Bansin and Burwell". Its text is here in English and German.
John Hooper
12.9.99
