Moving to Poissy
(located about 15 miles from the center of Paris). We've been working towards this for about 2 years, and concretely for the past 4 months: moving, shipping, cleaning, chucking and renting. Our children have alternated from crying when tired about "wanting to return to our old house in Oakland" to "I'm excited to move. Can we do it today?" So now the time is finally coming. I think we're all a bit fearful and also excited to finally make the move after so many goodbyes and transitions.
Poissy is a town outside of Paris, known historically for a failed attempt of reconciliation between French Catholics and Protestants in 1561, a Peugeit car factory and (new to me) a liquor made from distilled apricot pits (Noyau de Poissy) - I must try! Poissy's 36,000 inhabitants are similar in make up to Oakland: diverse in culture, racial background, social class and wealth.
We go there because I've accepted a call to serve as pastor of the Poissy parish of the Eglise Reformée de France (the historic, native protestant church of France: the church of the Reformation and Jean Calvin: who was actually French not Swiss). This community has diverse ages, enough children and youth for them to take on a building project for more room, and a multicultural perspective in membership and leadership. Although I have a vague idea of what I'll be doing, I don't really know until we go.
In thinking about blogging and exploring the use of technology and online social networking in this next season I'm not committing to any strategies until we assume our new context, and I am anticipating to:
1. start a new blog in French
2. continue Montewskewed, but with some tweaking: I want to focus it more, turning to the theme "thoughts on Fatherhood, food, faith and life in France." Not sure about the bumper stickers, as they don't really do that in France....I might need to stock up before leaving.
3 comments:
No bumper stickers in France? Somehow I thought the French would be ground zero for that. The liquor from apricot pits sounds delicious. Have a glass for me.
Change "Oakland" to "Poissy" in your site sub-text, and you're there. Except the lack of bumperstickers, it won't be so different. Well, no more than expected :-)
I've enjoyed your blog over the year or so since I found it. It's been great to read your ruminations on authentic faith in Oakland as well as your occasional dispatches from the Woods. (I really miss that place.)
If you do start the french blog, it will give me a good excuse to dust off my language skills. By the way, one of my professors used to insist on the "Jean Calvin" spelling.
Anyhow, best wishes on the move and new ministry. I'll be reading...
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