Meeting place, exchange zone and second home: the networking zone from the point of view of the Evangelical Church in Switzerland
The Networking Zone managed the balancing act between cozy living room and discussion room – from cheerful music making to theological challenges. Almost 80 interested people came spontaneously to one of our first panel discussions; SwissHub didn’t have nearly enough cardboard stools for this event, which was organized by our aid organization HEKS. But the people stayed and listened spellbound to the Ukrainian Reformed bishop Sándor Zán Fábián, who cares about such banal things as fertilizer, tractors and diesel for his parishioners and those seeking help as well as the success of diplomacy and ecumenical work for peace. In the “red mountain” of the SwissHub, we were particularly moved by the testimonies of acceptance and change. Whether church leaders (Rita Famos, Annette Kurschus and Emmanuelle Seyboldt discussed at eye level), rainbow pilgrims, secularization, the churches‘ Combating climate change, minority churches, contemporary mission (represented by Mission 21 and DM) or interfaith dialogue, those who spoke honestly about themselves and their beliefs on the sofa in front of them “mountain”. Led by Heinz Fäh, our delegates reported directly from the debates. Switzerland was represented by the young, versatile and highly professional Emma van Dorp, Suzanne Schild and Sarah Bach. Ecology, creating peace and living together – you have broken down the central elements of the economic plenum for the Swiss at community level. When our Head of External Relations, Serge Fornerod, was re-elected to the Central Committee, spontaneous cheers erupted at SwissHub.
At SwissHub we have always felt a hunger for contacts, an openness to encounters and an honest exchange about denominational and thematic differences. A look through the hall was like a piñata: Was that an archbishop at the bar table, is the church president standing in the coffee line, is a jet-lagged activist taking a nap on one of the huge pillows? Isn‘Not that an old friend from Canada plays for the EKD‘s foosball table?
Some came to our desk from an island so exotic we had to google the country. Others brought roses, were looking for delicious chocolate or just wanted to charge their cell phones. That “red mountain” turned out to be a fisher of men who understood every language. We overcame that with the Swiss ROstigraben [cultural boundaries between the German and French-speaking Swiss], and we have broken down cultural prejudices with people from the Middle East. With Africa we have found our happy unity and after many years met friends again. At the Bossey alumni meeting, which we helped to organize, everyone was very happy to see each other again.
In addition to our enthusiastic volunteers, the “Holzdame” had by far the most contacts: the Gutenberg printing works. Day after day, attendees printed hundreds of meeting posters on this medieval piece in the middle of the Networking Zone. Insert paper, apply paint, press gently – this tactile experience inspired people, whose heads were overflowing from the assembly. We have‘I don’t see anyone who did it‘don’t smile This was often followed by a nice chat along the lines of “Tell me who you are and what’s on your church’s mind”. For example, our Councilor Pierre-Philippe Blaser conducted dozens of pastoral talks in the Networking Zone, celebrating what this space is all about: real human-to-human encounters.