In our workshop "Building Sustainable Communities", we found that the first principle is the importance of the local level. This is the level at which we are able 1) to see the values of our society in operation - for example the real meaning of "globalisation"; 2) to test our commitment to an inclusive society. Here the marginalisation of most of the people living on earth becomes clear. People are excluded from the food market, the labour market and from participation in decision-making.

In our neighbourhood in Antwerp for example, 25% of the people have to live on social benefits which are too low. About 20-25% of people are of non-Belgian origin, and around 30% of them live below the "poverty level".

At the local level, one really sees that unjust, painful experiences have become part of people's souls, and also part of the soul of our neighbourhood. One can speak of "forgotten people in forgotten places" in Antwerp, in Most, in Rome, in Liepaja, and other places in Belgium. People have been forgotten not only by governments, but sometimes also by the churches.

In a lot of our diaconal work, of course, we are trying to do something for them, believing that the church must be a kind of "achiever", making better whatever the society has let fall. But where in our "diaconal soul" are we convinced of the strength and the spirit in all people? Do we know it can be found even in those who are "victims of St. Resignatius" (as Thomas said), and especially in those who are victims of oppressive structures? These people are really strong because they have learned from day to day how to survive, and how to overcome pain in very creative ways. People can also strengthen each other. They know creative ways to sustain, to resist all the horrible things that threaten our conviviality!

ECG, the European Contact Group on Urban, Industrial and Rural Mission - the UIRM network in Europe - brings together grass-roots people from very different countries and places and very different circumstances. Last summer we were in Bochum, in the Ruhr region of Germany, in a political camp. Unemployed people from nine locations all over Europe shared their personal stories, and experienced together what the loss of work in the mines meant to the people in the Ruhr. We experienced the influences of European economic policies on our personal lives. We visited a reconverted mine area and found a completely new building with solar energy, totally built of glass. An impressive piece of new technology, nice, clean and civilised. We walked around it, wondering whether this reconverted mine has brought any new work to the unemployed miners, but none of our local participants knew anyone who works there - although everyone knew unemployed miners. These kinds of projects - very nice, creative, new - still do not bring in the poeple who were already excluded. European Urban Money to transform older areas in European cities is not always in the interests of the people who had previously been marginalised.

If we want to build sustainable communities, we have to search for and work on ways for people to experience that all of us have strength and spirit. It is a big challenge - especially for the churches - to gather up all this strength and spirit and really bring people together.

To explore these strengths, we have to show more appreciation for personal his/herstories, biographies, for the cultures, histories, religions and economic positions of all the different communities within our society at the local and European levels. That means also that some religions, histories and cultures must be given more room - even more emphasis, temporarily - than others.

For example, Muslims, who haven't really been able to practice their religion in our society, must have space and the same chance as others to develop their religion in an open, inspiring way.

Another example: white people must listen very well to the painful racist experiences of black people in our society; one can never listen too long and too often. In this way black people can help white people find ways to join in the struggle against racism.

It will only be possible to build sustainable communities if we take seriously the idea of a plural, diverse society. In this diverse society, we need people who are convinced that the starting point is to treat the histories, religions and cultures of all the people in a locality with the same respect! All these human factors have the same right to exist, serving the cause of humanity and justice.

So the building of sustainable communities starts with people's needs, strengths, and beliefs, and with public discussions. The place to hold these may not be the church itself, but there where people are who know about suffering and getting up again! To build such communities we need all the gifts and qualities that people and traditions have.

We need old people because of their long-suffering patience, children because of their cheerfulness, migrants because of their solidarity and hospitality, refugees and illegals because of the strong survival systems they have developed. Through resisting oppressive economic and political structures, some people have learned long-term survival skills. They have been watching with concern the reshaping of world power relationships since 11 September 2001.

So we need to begin to learn conviviality, living together, there where people are. Then perhaps - with a lot of patience and good cheer and hospitality and survival actions - we shall find together the solidarity that we need for sustainable communities, in which we can resist difficulties, fight against injustice and racism, and experience a really inclusive, diverse society. And I believe that this will bring a lot of joy and thankfulness back into our European churches.