I have just returned from the International Mission Council which took place in Leutkirch, Germany. Each new meeting of the IMC is held in a different country. This permits us to meet new communities in different regions and zones. In Leutkirch, we were warmly welcomed and generously fed by the communities of Germany.

Agenda
It always hits me that at each of our meetings, our agendas are always very similar. At the Council, we addressed salary politics and international structures. We also spoke of the greatly anticipated assembly that is coming up in Kolkata in October of 2008. I will not make a report about the meeting here, because you will receive more details in the next international issue of Meeting Ground.

International Reflecting Group
Upon our arrival, we joined the International Reflecting Group (IRG). This group had already spent two days with Jean-Christophe and Christine, reflecting on our mission statement. They especially focused on the theme, “Sharing our Lives.” The international group of reflection consists of elected members, theologians and long term members of L’Arche. The IMC was present for the final day of their discussion. Together we reflected on the following question:

Can a L’Arche community exist without the presence of a home, without this dimension of what we call: “to live with” the person with an intellectual disability?

" To Live With "
We did not arrive at an answer to this question, but it is clear that the idea of “living with” is truly at the heart of our lives. Life in the home cannot be put into question. We must therefore continue to support and encourage life in the home. At the same time, however, we must realize that different parts of the world may call for other ways of living L’Arche. We must consider regions like Palestine, where “to live with” the person with a disability does not correspond with the region’s culture and customs.
When I take part in such meetings, I always become conscious that the world we live in is so complex. I become aware that, to a great extent, it is thanks to L’Arche that we have the privilege of glimpsing this great complexity.

Zoël