January 1, 2009

Dear Friends,

I am finishing this letter on New Year’s Eve, fully aware that it is only the second of the three messages that I should have prepared during 2008. Nevertheless, I want to assure you that during the autumn months, I have “written” to you several times in my mind.  

In September, when after Presbyterian Women’s “Global Exchange” moved on to Hungary after spending six days in the Czech Republic, I composed a letter in my head about respectful, enthusiastic, and tender spirit with which the American guests responded to the powerful stories that their Czech hosts shared. Czech women told stories about their work with Roma children, migrant youth, homeless families, imprisoned men, and victims of abuse and forced prostitution in an agnostic society, which is just starting to realize that life’s deep questions require a more thoughtful response than consumerism typically offers. I felt the anguish demonstrated by the shouts of a traumatized woman in the shelter that several of us visited; I saw one of our hostesses eagerly waiting with rain-drenched clothes and wind-blown hair to welcome us to her community; I heard the rich melodies when the U.S. participants in the Global Exchange sang a beloved tune whose Czech words we carefully rehearsed.

In October, following the partnership conference that brought members of congregations of the PC(USA) and ECCB (Ecumenical Church of Czech Brethren) together, another letter took shape in my mind in which I affirmed the care that had been taken to prepare PC(USA) participants to enter into partnerships based on principles of equality. That remembrance celebrated the humility and wisdom of the American contingent, and extolled the candor and warmth of the Czech hosts. In my mind’s eye, I saw people listening with intense concentration, laughing with genuine relish, and sowing seeds that may one day give rise to deep ties and empathetic understanding. I felt the plea of the woman pastor who expressed hope that a partnership could re-ignite a sense of vitality and service within the small village church that I visited. I recalled the inspiring account that my friend, Alena Zikmundová, gave of her life and work, and the amazing conclusion to my vesper devotions when a master Czech musician picked up one of his ancient lutes to accompany an impromptu rendition of the song that I had taught the Global Exchange members. Thanks to Alena’s faithful example and the music’s depth, conference participants were united in a special way that evening.

In November, after a two-day celebration of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the ECCB, I felt like writing another letter rejoicing in the creativity and vitality that our partner denomination has cultivated, in spite of its tenuous position as a minority body in a secular society. I wanted to describe the sense of wonder that I felt upon joining over sixty international guests in the main hall of the Municipal House where the ECCB was birthed on December 18, 1918. What a fitting prelude to the subsequent theatrical production in Bethlehem Chapel, which recounted the history of the ECCB, and the day of lectures, panel discussions, and worship, which began the next morning at the majestic Salvator Church.

I heard the appreciative applause that reverberated when Cardinal Miloslav Vlk stood in the very chapel where the Czech Reformation had begun and affirmed the common features that bind Catholics and Protestants together in the 21st century. I felt a sense of respectful gratitude as a specially assembled choir of ECCB pastors warmly intoned some classic Czech hymns and as lectures and panel discussions about the future of the ECCB were followed by the concluding worship service. As I watched my dear Czech friends and colleagues leave the chancel area after receiving Communion, I knew that the ECCB would continue to be faithful to the theme of the celebration, which called each of us to go forth, “freely and without fear.” At that moment, the song that had complemented the Global Exchange and the partnership conference came to mind: “Give us wisdom, courage too, for days of fear and days of trouble. To go with you across the chasm, give us wisdom, courage too.”

Regrettably, I did not get any of those letters written. On the one hand, it was an intense autumn with so many special events requiring continued concentration and steady effort. On the other hand, I wanted to give you an accurate update on where things stand with regard to John’s health and our position with Presbyterian World Mission. Unfortunately, these are still “in process.” Thus, I will end this letter simply by expressing my profound gratitude for your continued care for John and your steady support of our work in the Czech Republic. Above all, I want to send each of you a heartfelt wish that a graceful melody will fill you with a sense of meaning and purpose throughout the year, which will be well underway by the time this letter reaches you. May abundant wisdom, steady courage, and enduring hope bless each of you during 2009.

Truly,

Joyce Michael and John, too

The 2009 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 176