Hi folks, I hope you are well? This week we will meet at the Crescent Club in the Sea View Lounge at 7.30pm. We will also pause at 8.00pm for the two mins silence. If that’s not for you just pop to the loo!!
Well, what a fortnight! I have to say being overseas when something momentous happens is rather bizarre. It’s interesting to see how other countries view major world events. So my blog this week is my reflections on my time in Estonia and brief thoughts of the events in the United Kingdom.
Some twenty-seven years ago I arrived in Estonia as part of a team to work in the church and teach English in Parnu. It was an incredible year. I went with two other Brits, Andy and Jane, and an Estonian girl named Helen.
Andy, the team leader had suggested we go back this year to catch up with folk and do some work as part of Andy’s sabbatical. When we contacted Jane and Helen, we discovered that they were going to be in Tallinn anyway to do the half marathon. This sounded like a great opportunity to make a bit more of it. So I reached out and contacted the (not so) young people we worked with as well as the church. The church advertised our return as an opportunity for those who might remember us to come along and catch up with us.
Estonian Seed Team
We organised a silly night of English club activities (Andy’s forte) and shared a little of where we were at in our lives. On Sunday, Andy and I did a short preach as part of the service. We had some great opportunities to meet people and chat about life and where folks were at.
It was a great opportunity to connect and reconnect, not just as a team, but to see where things were at in Estonia. It is a beautiful country with very old buildings merging in with the new. When we were originally there the poverty of mostly Russians was very clearly seen on the streets, with beggars. We didn’t see half as many as I was expecting this time.
When we first visited there was a great sense of optimism about the future, the influence of the West was seeping into their culture, and now it finds itself as one the most expensive places in Europe because of its proximity to Finland and Sweden and its connection to the Euro.
There was a sense of nervousness with some of those we chatted to about the situation in the Ukraine and the rumours about what Russia might do next. The relationship between Estonian speaking Russians and Russians that don’t speak Estonian can be problematic.
It was interesting having conversations with those involved in the leadership of the church – there are lots of big issues at play. They are struggling with communities that view organised religion and institutions sceptically. A few folks talked about a strong atheistic view although we also heard a desire to explore spirituality in new ways. There are still issues around mixing of Estonian and Russian speakers in church contexts.
Of course being in Estonia when the UK was going through so much was a great way to see how things are viewed from a distance. So much like the UK when things happen overseas, they are met with a token response.
There was also a sense of not really knowing how to feel. I’m not a huge royalist, but neither do I think they should be ousted, I find it hard to get my head round the sense of grief that some feel over it, and yet it’s clear they feel it deeply.
From a distance it was interesting seeing polar opposites appear on my social feeds. These polarised views, although helpful to make it clear where we stand, also cause a sense of pain for those who think differently. Even with the situation in the Ukraine, although I have no idea really, it could be as simple as Putin being a megalomaniac, or it could be viewed that Gorbachev gave too much away depending on your perspective.
Dealing with the amount of polarisation that is evident in our world leads me to wonder where we actually end up, we see it so often in our politics about left and right, we see it in our views of religion, surely we can or should be better that that, although I have no idea what that might look like!
Some questions.
Can you recall going back to a place you hadn’t been back to for a long time? What was it like?
How do you view the breakup of the Soviet Union?
What should we do with collective grief?
How can we deal with polarised views better?
What aspects of faith or spirituality could help us explore these things better?
Peace Rob
Rob Wylie is the founder of BeachcomberFX and guides its leadership team. He has worked in the North East for over 20 years and has vast experience from various roles he has held. He has a passion for Fresh Expressions of Church and Pioneer Ministry as well as beer, beaches and Miniature Schnauzers.