Fethullah Gulen and the Gulen Movement

I am Michael McGee; I am a Unitarian Universalist minister. When I think about this trip, I think most people go to distant places as tourists and they go take pictures and see things but they don’t really get an understanding of the places they go to. You have given us the opportunity to able to come here as pilgrims. For me a pilgrim is a person that goes to a distant place to deepen their own faith, and that’s what’s happening to me. This has really deepened my faith by understanding your faith more than I ever have. To share what you have done with us: you have been so generous to us in so many ways but the biggest generosity; the greatest generosity of all is that you shared your stories with us. That’s where I learned so much more where I find that commonality between all people and it is the best peacemaking tool that we have is to share our stories with each other. You enabled us to hear the stories of people here in Turkey but most important of all is to hear your stories, all of you that have guide us and lead us on this trip. You could have just given this information and you have a lot of information. Every time we had questions you have answered them, and that’s a wonderful blessing itself, but to hear the stories you faith and what it means to you; that is really wonderful for me, and I am sure for all of us. So I thank you for that! You have also given me another great gift and that is hope. Because I need hope in this troubled trouble world and our world needs so much hope, and to see what’s happening in Turkey and to see what’s happening with Gulen (movement) and the hope that you are bringing through your love and commitment is just; it is really transforming and so inspiring to me. So I thank you all for all of that, but please more rest., hahhah, we need more rest, because not just so we can survive but also we can reflect on all that’s happening (laughs)… I am going to be preaching a sermon on this trip on this Sunday morning, believe it or not. So I am gonna be trying to remember, I gotta a lot of processing to do. You know, I feel so excited about bringing what I have learnt at this trip back to my congregation in Arlington, VA. Hopefully for those of you who can bring their friends their colleagues because I think there is great hope…(laughs)… thank you, thank you!”