Taking cue from an African proverb: “if you want to go fast, walk alone; if you want to go far, walk with others,” Chris and I hosted a vision casting gathering of 50 remarkable leaders to cast the Center for Reconciliation and hear feedback on ‘what can such a center distinctively contribute?’ The feedback helped shape the Center towards three strategic goals:
- cultivating new leaders
- communicating wisdom, insights, hope, and practices
- connecting in partnership to strengthen leaders globally, nationally and locally.
At the launch, as Chris and I lead a plenary session within the Pastors Convocation under the general theme: A new Creation: Building a Ministry of Reconciliation Conference’ – I was all the while intensely aware that Duke is a long way from Africa. But as we shared the key convictions about the journey of reconciliation, it was clear that the vision of the center was very much about things I deeply cared about: Africa and a new future for Africa.
Talking about a New Future for Africa: November saw the release of my new book. A Future for Africa (Scranton Press) a mix of essays ranging from Idi Amin’s legacy, to AIDS, the Rwanda Genocide… http://press.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/hfs.cgi/00/170775.ctl A Future for Africa was also featured on the Duke Divinity School Website Spotlight page for March-May: http://www.divinity.duke.edu/news/spotlight/afutureforafrica/
But November also brought another strange: the gift of a house in Durham-
a home away from home. My nephew, Godfrey , and his fiance, Agnes, visited my in this new home, and we were able to celebrate Christmas as ‘family’. With this gift I am humbled and yet constantly reminded: “If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its builders toil (Ps 127:1).
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