January 11th -- The Power of Stories...and Storey

by Whitney

Our first full day in Cape Town began with a tour of Robben Island. Robben Island is a place of complex beauty. It was named Robben Island after the Dutch name for penguin. It has also been used as a graveyard for lepers in the 1800s and was the site of a prison during Apartheid, where former president, Nelson Mandela, was imprisoned for 18 years.  The visit to the island included a brief bus tour, followed by a walking tour of a unit, and ending with Mandela’s cell. Many of the tour guides are former inmates of the prison. For many of the class, our trip to Robben Island raised many questions:

How can people want to get married on an island where so much oppression has occurred? (The church on the island boasts a number of weddings every year)

AND

Why would former prisoners and prison guards choose to live together after Apartheid?  (A village has been built on the island where guards and guarded become neighbors)

The island has a history of brokenness and suffering, yet is surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation. The visit left the class with lingering questions as well as awe at the power of God.

After Robben Island, we ate a traditional South African meal of snook and chips. One student response was: “that was so good it can be my last meal!” The afternoon a scenic drive through Hout Bay to the Cape of Good Hope, the most southwestern point in South Africa.

By far, the crowning glory was the evening spent with pastor, Peter Storey. He is a retired Methodist pastor whose ministry has included being a chaplain at Robben Island, president of the General Alliance of Churches, pastor of Central Methodist Church in District 6, bishop of the S.African UMC Church, and visiting professor at Duke Divinity School. He was also one of the strongest voices against the Apartheid regime, working alongside men, like Desmond Tutu, who were continually putting their lives on the line for justice in South Africa. Storey gave us a well-rounded, deeply theological overview of the church’s role in Apartheid and it’s aftermath. Storey spoke about 4 essential ingredients in the church's witness:

1.)   Naming the Truth

2.)   Binding up the broken

3.)   Living the alternative

4.)   Creating and participating in strategies aligned with Christ

Storey inspired and challenged us by his words and thoughts on what it means to be the body of Christ both in our American context and globally. I, personally, could have soaked up his wisdom for hours.