God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

05/22/2010 • 4:20 pm Comments Off on 22.05.2010 Ball of HOPE

22.05.2010 Ball of HOPE

Coming back from Johannesburg yesterday afternoon – so many things happened in the last 24 hours… preliminary talk for recording the talk-show “Bei Beckmann” in Germany – to be screened on Monday, 7th of June 2010. Then farewell for friends leaving for Bangkok  to take on a new post. And of course all preparations for the Ball of HOPE taking place this evening. 320 guests are expected despite all the sports events taking also place today. All is ready now.. and soon the tuxedo will hopeful still fit 🙂

For the 13th time this meanwhile major charity event will take place – and I think back to the humble beginnings – 80 people and Archbishop emeritus, Desmond Tutu at the first event, at time still called “Dinner-Dance”. Lets hope that all is going well this eve – for the joy of the participants and the benefits of HOPE Cape Town.

Filed under: HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Networking, Reflection, Society and living environment, , , , , ,

05/20/2010 • 12:10 pm Comments Off on 20.05.2010 At the airport again

20.05.2010 At the airport again

After a day of preparation for the Ball of HOPE 2010 I am now at the airport again to fly to Johannesburg. Meeting a friend in the eve to catch up and tomorrow morning a meeting of the working group of the SA-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry on energy efficiency and renewable energy. Then back to Cape Town for a pre-talk regarding my participation at the talk-show “Bei Beckmann” the week after.  In the eve a farewell party for close friends leaving to take a post in Bangkok.

At the airport I again and again notice how bad the SAA staff is trained, hardly able to handle any complaint or request – resulting in a mixture of unfriendliness and left in the dark. So we will not win the hearts and minds of those few coming to watch the Soccer World cup. SAA you can do better and instead of financing all the sports nonsense, give training to your staff and optimize what is called “service”! Don’t follow LH in this regard…

Before I left this morning I had an interesting interview for RTL on HIV and the impact on South Africa – an invite to join a TV session in Salzburg next Tuesday arrived, but not sure I can manage that.. Why don’t get priests a flight licence as part of their studies????

Filed under: General, Networking, Reflection, Society and living environment, , , , ,

05/16/2010 • 11:11 pm Comments Off on 16.05.2010 Muc-FRA-Muenster-Sarmsheim

16.05.2010 Muc-FRA-Muenster-Sarmsheim

In the morning a breakfast meeting with two representatives of the “Aktionsbuendnis AIDS” before starting to pack up and leave for the airport. The machine is completely overbooked, the staff at the boarding area has still to learn that LH is a SERVICE orientated business and that the customer pays for his flight and is not the one to be grateful to be chosen to fly with Lufthansa. It is sometimes amazing for me to see and experience the different standards of service deliver of Lufthansa.

Well, the machine is packed, even the jump-sits are used for passengers – we are late,  but why apologise for the mess….LH at its best again….

In Frankfurt another experience of lack of service oriented business behaviour. It seems that the booking of the car with GPS was just a request – so no car with GPS available. The lady from AVIS is not very helpful – the meaning of the word “service” is completely strange to her… maybe unheard?

Europcar is finally helping out – and we rush to Bingen and then to Muenster – Sarmsheim for the information evening about HOPE Cape Town. It is good to see all the familiar faces and to speak with those whose pastoral care was close to my heart more than 20 years ago.. it feels like coming home after all these years.

It is 11pm until back to the hotel where a bed is waiting – tomorrow an early school appointment is waiting for us.

Filed under: General, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Networking, Politics and Society, Society and living environment, Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

05/16/2010 • 8:46 am Comments Off on 15.05.2010 Third Day of the Ecumenical Church Day in Munich

15.05.2010 Third Day of the Ecumenical Church Day in Munich

Saturday and the last day of the Ecumenical Church Day in Munich. Together with Fr Wim we venture into the city of Munich – all over Munich, the churches are open during day and some during night to give chance for prayer and the experience of silence. On the “Marienplatz” we attend a prayer service – it is amazing to see, how the people join in into the singing even the temperatures are freezing cold today. Then we quickly pop into the “Virtualienmarkt” and later to buy some chocolates for the altar servers of Manenberg – German chocolate is different to their not so tasty South African counterparts… 🙂

The afternoon sees us heading again to the trade fair center – last meetings and an interview for the SWDR are scheduled. In Trier, there will be the nights of lights beginning of June – and the donations obtained at that occasion are partly for HOPE Cape Town. A good opportunity to speak about the work, HOPE Cape Town is doing as well as specific church related problems within the prevention work in our days.

At the OEKT Lounge, I bump into the Federal Minster of Interior –  a brief chat and hopefully we see each other again in South Africa during the Soccer World Cup or latest at the annual HOPE Gala in Dresden. A brief chat with one of  the auxiliary bishops of Trier and Martin, who happened to do an internship in Cape Town and is now a so-called “Gemeindereferent” in German parishes.

Then time to go back again to the inner city of Munich to attend a special service at the St. Lukas parish – a full church, beautiful hymns, a good and dynamic sermon – church as it should be. We leave with inner joy and walk back through the cold night to our hotel for some dinner. Another day full of experiences not to be missed and the reflection shows, that the networking was indeed working: we have many invitations and we had many meetings where a follow-up is needed still this year. All will benefit our work at home a great deal.

Filed under: General, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Networking, Reflection, Society and living environment, , , , , , , ,

05/14/2010 • 12:12 am Comments Off on 13.05.2010 Ecumenical Church Day Munich

13.05.2010 Ecumenical Church Day Munich

Breakfast with Prof. Hilpert, moral theologian of the Theological faculty of Munich to discuss his possible input into our POZ project for HIV positive priests and religious. There after finding our way to the VIP International Visitors Lounge to receive the necessary documentation for the Ecumenical Church Day.

Meeting with a representative of MISEREOR to discuss some financial affairs and possibilities before heading to the Technical University to prepare for the podiums discussion about “HIV positive kids and youth in South Africa”.  the 1.5 h presentation included a film-strip from the film “thembi” and my role is to present the actual situation – social and political – in South Africa  and then the experience of HOPE Cape Town with children infected and their life experience.
During the discussion of course also the questions of condoms arise and the need of change in moral theology.

Interviews, meetings with known and long – not – seen friends surround the podium discussion and then quick back to the hotel – another meeting with a editor of a magazine before heading to the reception of the SPD in the Bavarian parliament. There I meet a lot of known and new people, amongst others Franz Maget, Archbishop Marx, the Vice President of the German Bundestag, Thierse, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs Steinmeier, SPD stalwart Nagel, the Catholic Dean of Munich, the Finance Director of the Archdiocese of Munich, the secretary of the German Bishops Conference and many more. And at the end I agree to be part of the World AIDS Day in Munich and a week early to preach at the Hannover Marktkirche at the traditional service to commemorate the HIV/AIDS victims of the area, which is an honour as they have to show off with an impressive row of preachers in the last year.
So much networking for both of us this evening…

And so much more in between – a really full day and tomorrow the day starts with a breakfast at 7 am. Time to say Good Night…

Filed under: General, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Networking, Politics and Society, , , , , , , , , , , ,

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