Around 12 months ago I was on a summer course run by Bishop Grosseteste University, prior to embarking upon an undergraduate course in Military History aged 54 years after working full-time since my teenage years. Dr Theresa Marriott gave a fascinating talk on imposter syndrome, which I found very helpful after starting uni in the September. For the first few weeks I felt a little lost, but soon found my tribe after volunteering for the Chaplaincy and then later being lucky enough to get a paid part-time job with them. From driving the minibus on trips, helping with tea and toast, and chairing the discussion group, this has proven a great opportunity to meet people. As a matter of fact, I cannot walk across our quite small campus without at least one person stopping to say hello.
Waiting in the lovely small church of St Clare’s attached to the gift shop between the old and new part of Coventry Cathedral I must confess to feeling very nervous, and when finding the other students ranged from a third to half my age Imposter Syndrome kicked in big time. Naomi’s ice breaker quiz to see what we knew about Bonhoeffer helped settle my nerves, as did the tour of the Cathedral where I learnt some new stuff despite having visited several times before. I won’t cover our railway adventures, monsoon, and mixed bag of hotels in this blog, but it was certainly more exciting and better for the environment than simply flying to and from Berlin.
Our first visit in Berlin was to the Niemöller House and it was fascinating to learn of Martin Niemöller's journey as a Christian, from having been a U Boat Commander in the first world war who was awarded the Iron Cross first class for his exploits to becoming a pastor, initially supporting the Nazi’s and finally opposing them to the point he was imprisoned in 1938 in the Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps until 1945. He survived the war and later became heavily involved in the campaign for nuclear disarmament. A short version of a poem he wrote in the 1950’s “After they came” was read to us by our guide which I personally found very moving
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a socialist.Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
The following day we visited the Berlin Wall memorial and Chapel of Reconciliation in the morning. I was 20 when I watched the fall of the Berlin wall with amazement on the television news in 1989 - no internet or mobile phones back then. In the afternoon we visited Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s home in the outer reaches of the Berlin suburbs, another fascinating visit. Kurt, a retired pastor, gave us a tour and a talk. He was a lovely gentleman with a true sense of God’s peace surrounding him. I was blessed to read aloud Bonhoeffer’s poem “Who am I” to the group. The highlight of my pilgrimage, the final lines again I found very moving, especially with my earlier imposter syndrome...
Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine. Whoever I am, thou knowest, O God, I am thine.
On our final day in Berlin we visited the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. The sharp contrast between the historic, very martial and bomb-damaged original part of the Church, and the beautifully modern part is quite breathtaking. I would urge anyone visiting Berlin to add this to their itinerary. The simple metal line leading to the Church remembering the 12 dead of the 2016 terror attack at this location was a stark reminder to us all of the troubled world in which we live. Nevertheless, the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church church stands as a testament to the powerful work of reconciliation that Berlin continues to engage in.
Written by Edward Tooker.