2010-2011 Speaker's Series

You are invited by

The Anglican Chaplaincy and The International Church of Strasbourg

to join us for an informative and inspiring evening
light refreshments afterwards

Bring your friends too!

When:  Tuesday, March 29^th at 20h00
Where:  Eglise du Bouclier -- 4, rue du Bouclier in la Petite France

Here I Walk: An Ecumenical Pilgrimage

Last August, Strasbourg's Andrew and Sarah Wilson set out from the Augustinian Cloister in Erfurt, Germany, on a 70-day 1000-mile journey to Rome — on foot! Five hundred years ago, the future reformer Martin Luther — who famously said "Here I stand" during his trial — made the same trip. Come relive their journey (and Luther's) as they show and tell what's changed, what's stayed the same, and how Protestants and Catholics can get along after so many centuries of estrangement. The evening will conclude with a time of fellowship and light refreshments.

Click here for directions to Eglise du Bouclier. Click here to see/print a program flyer, or for more information contact:

Past Speaker's Series Programs

Welcoming the Stranger

On January 5, 2011, Lionel Hilaire led us in a discussion about migrations (and thus also immigration) on the European, French, and local level. Treatment of immigrants and asylum seekers is a topic of importance in many countries at this time. Lionel helped us to learn some of the realities of the challenges posed both to individuals and to governments, such as how we welcome, how we treat, and understanding our responsibilities.

About Lionel Hilaire: Upon retirement from a distinguished career in the field of environmental chemistry, Lionel was asked by Amnesty International to serve as an observer at the Committee of Migrations, Refugees and Population of the Council of Europe. At the same time, he started doing volunteer work in CASAS (Collectif d'Accueil des Soliciteurs d'Asile à Strasbourg) and he is a member of their Steering Committee.

Children's Rights

On November 23, 2010, Fred and Reneea Ross shared with us their work in the area of Children’s Rights. Distraught by conditions for orphans in Romania, Fred and Reneea founded a not-for-profit agency named Advocate Voices for Orphans. A lawyer by trade, Fred sat for and passed the British bar exam in order to be able to more effectively advocate for change here in Europe. Two years ago, he was invited to prepare a new draft of the Family Code for Romania and is now completing a Master’s program in Children’s Rights in Switzerland. Fred and Reneea shared their inspirational story of how two people CAN make a difference!

“We don’t do God – Faith in Politics”

This talk by Jane Griffiths was held on Tuesday 3 November 2009 at the Aumônerie Protestant Church. "It has often been said that politics is a profession without honour or morals, and that therefore faith has no place in the profession, which some would call a grubby trade. But the practice of politics,and the work of elected representatives, owe much to the tenets of faith, whatever the party. In these times when public trust in politics and politicians, never high, is at an all-time low, it seems worth trying to demonstrate that most of those who enter the political world do so with the highest ideals, and that the correspondences between the path followed by a candidate for election, who wants to make the world a better place, and that followed by any person who tries to live a good and Christian life, are many - and that these two may be one and the same person." Jane Griffiths was in politics in the UK for over 20 years. She was elected first as a local councillor in Reading, and then, in 1997, to the British Parliament. She served two terms as the Labour Member of Parliament for Reading East before standing down in 2005. She now works in Strasbourg at the European Court of Human Rights, and is an active member of the Anglican congregation of St Alban in Strasbourg. Join us for an interesting and informative evening, and bring your friends. Return often to this website for more-up-to-date information concerning date, time and place on these upcoming events.

Fête du Protestantisme

This program was held during the weekend of October 30-November 1 2009. There is to be a national gathering of Protestants from all over France. Roughly 10,000 were expected to come together for a weekend of celebration around the theme “Témoins Ensemble” (Witnesses Together). There was a wide range of offerings throughout Strasbourg on Friday night and all day Saturday. On Saturday evening a huge concert was held for the Zenith and on Sunday morning worship was held there as well. There was a 500 person choir singing! You can see more information at the website: www.protestantsenfete2009.org. Pastor Simpson led a Bible Study in English on Saturday morning (1 Corinthians 12) and a panel discussion on Saturday afternoon which looked at the many faces of Protestantism today and the challenges of working and witnessing together.

Fall 2009 Ecumenical Daytime Bible Study

For many years, a small group of Christian women has joined together weekly for Bible Study and mutual support. We have used a variety of study guides and have grown in our faith in so many ways. Beginning September 9th, we will begin a new study entitled Open the Door, based on a book by Joyce Rupp. One recent reader writes: “Joyce's book offers hope, possibilities, and openness to change. What lies ahead, none of us knows. Her continuous theme of being open to adventures that are part of change filled me with hope. The analogy of the door is all encompassing: the door to our hearts (first) and then the doors to opportunities. I must embrace the changes that are just on the other side of the door.” Join us as we grow together on this voyage of discovery. We gather in homes to share light refreshments, fellowship and faith. We invite you to join us as we seek to deepen our faith through study and prayer. Contact Alicia Liautaud (03 88 35 26 44), Diana Cowley (03 88 60 31 46), or pastorcms@cs.com for our place of meeting.

"Creating a Designer World: Blind Chance, Instant Creation, Intelligent Design, or ... ?"

This talk by David Cowley on October 6 explored key issues in the search for meaningful stances which do justice to the empirical scientific approach and to biblical theology of creation. Everyone is fascinated by origins: how things came to be as they are now. The explanation of the origins of our amazing world is often represented as a two-corner fight between the rival extreme views of atheistic Evolution and 6-day special creationists where real debate is lost in the smoke of rhetoric and media hype More recently, “Intelligent Design” has been advanced as a less extreme contribution to the debate, but is it really a useful and viable idea with sound scientific and theological credentials?

David Cowley has spent half of his professional career as a UK university professor in physical chemistry, and the other half as a senior scientist in biochemical research for drug discovery in a major pharmaceutical company. He has been a licensed Reader involved in the ministry of the Anglican Church in Strasbourg since 1990.

"Space and Spirituality - How Wondrous Are Your Works!"

A collection of stunning pictures of the cosmos, including some from the Hubble Space Telescope. Paired with scripture texts, these photos will help us rediscover a sense of awe and wonder as we contemplate together God’s wondrous works. Steve Brody is VP for North American Operations at the International Space University. Before joining ISU, Steve held numerous senior positions with NASA in Washington DC, Houston, and in Europe. He was a participant in the first NASA-sponsored summer study of the Colonization of Space with Professor Gerard O’Neill. Steve serves on the boards of the American Astronautical Society (AAS) and the Institute for Science & Judaism.

"Life Before Birth: Some Current Issues in Bio-Ethics"

Reverend Richard Fischer, a Lutheran Pastor currently serving on the Church and Society Commission for the Conference of European Churches spoke to us on this challenging topic.

Dr. Kjell Torbiörn, author of numerous books, professor, and head of the Economic Secretariat of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly in Strasbourg, led us in a discussion of ethical questions surrounding some of the decisions which drive the economy today.

"Human Trafficking"

Lauran Bethell spoke to us about human trafficking. Lauran spent ten years in Thailand rescuing young women from the streets and showing them a better way to live. Click here to this website to read more about Lauran’s exciting ministries.

The Covenant Players – A Christian Drama group provided us with an evening of
thought-provoking and entertaining skits