Serge Borel 1933-1988
On Sunday, August 7, as the 400 people present were getting ready to start lunch, Serge Borel collapsed next to his table, and despite the efforts of all the doctors and nurses present, he could not be revived. The ambulance came from Montreux, then the helicopter from Lausanne, but in vain.
Those of us who were in that dining room still have in mind the extraordinary atmosphere that reigned in that place during the hour of the medical team's efforts. Silence, prayers and contemplation surrounded Serge as he passed away.
Below, we reproduce large excerpts from the text that Daniel Mottu read at Serge's funeral in the church in Montreux.
FOR SERGE
For some of us - and this was the case for Serge - responsibility for the running of this center and the international meetings means looking after the thousand details that make these conferences possible.
It was in the midst of this that Serge was called to God. Since that Sunday, I have been wondering what the Lord wanted to tell us through his death. I believe that he reminds us of something essential: as the saying goes, "man proposes but God disposes" in His own way. Or to put it in more modern language, it is God's unexpectedness that must nourish our reflection and our action.
In this, Serge's death is very much in his style. For our friend, so full of imagination, so creative, so generous too, was constantly looking for this unexpectedness of God, as if his instinct told him that only God could do what is impossible for men.
Like many Swiss people, Serge had once taken the road to Caux and found a new direction in his life. Little by little he felt God's call, a vocation to serve Him through this center of Caux and Moral Re-Armament, and to contribute to His radiance in the world. This did not happen without heartbreak. But God was able to build something solid, in him and through him, whose price we measure today.
I have had the privilege of working closely with him over the past ten years. Serge, with his architectural flair, had great skills that we have benefited from wonderfully at Caux. He knew the center like few of us, and he made a significant contribution to some of the developments.
I have seen him also take on difficult issues where his competence was not initially evident. A few years ago, the status of permanent Moral Re-Armament employees had to be clarified with respect to OASI and health insurance. It was not easy for the administrations concerned to understand our case and some of them had made decisions that seemed unfair to us. Serge took this case in hand with remarkable authority and gained the respect of the lawyer in charge of defending our case before the competent courts. Three times we had to appeal to them and three times they ruled in our favor, urging the administrators in question to do their job better and to find solutions that respect our particular vocation.
Serge was not a man of public speeches and even in small circles he preferred to refrain from speaking if he did not have something authentic to say. When he did speak, however, he often provided the insight that was missing. This relative silence was compensated for by a remarkable quality of listening, and someone reminded us this morning how much he had helped visitors from far away countries outside of conferences who needed to find someone ready to hear their worries and concerns with all their heart.
Serge also expressed himself so well in his correspondence. Many of us here have no doubt received some of those wonderful letters written in his large handwriting, where one would find sometimes an original turn of phrase, sometimes a profound note that reflected his character.
Serge's influence went beyond the borders of Switzerland, of course. He left his mark in countries such as Canada, and a Laotian personality reminded Regula today that they had spent their first wedding anniversary on the banks of the Mekong, a few months before that country lost its freedom.
Finally, how can I not mention the influence of the family unit with Regula, Jean-Denis and Sylviane, to whom I would also like to associate Marie-Claude and Rösli. Thank you for all that we have received from you. And even if words cannot express the reality of what we would like to say to you, know that your friends are totally with you, not only in your ordeal, which goes without saying, but also in the path that you will continue to follow together in the years to come, with God as your father and guide.
Some of our readers may have already received the letter that I sent to many friends. We wanted to reproduce it here knowing that many of you have been thinking about us in the last few weeks.
Serge was a wonderful husband, father, brother and friend who will certainly be missed. Even if, humanly speaking, he left us too early, we know that his life was full and rich, especially rich in human contacts because Serge had a sincere and genuine love and interest for each person he met.
God wanted to call him back to Himself, and He wanted to do so in an unexpected way, surrounded by hundreds of friends who had come to the conferences in Caux. They were able, through their prayers and their presence, to accompany him in a world that Serge had imagined would be "marvelous" and where "the beautiful season would last for eternity" as he had written a few months ago to his friends. God wanted to use his life, but also his death, to remind us all that a life given to his service promises to make us joyful, enriched and peaceful.
The holidays spent with the family at the end of July in a beautiful farm in the Neuchâtel Jura - vacations that Serge had wished for himself for a long time - will remain unforgettable, and Jean-Denis, 10 years old, has certainly never spent as much time with his father as he has in the last few months "thanks" to the weeks of my illness. It is undoubtedly a precious memory for him. Sylviane, 5 years old, will remember everything, especially the stories that Serge, always full of imagination, invented for her from time to time, either to comfort her, or simply to give her his full attention.
A great number of friends from so many countries surrounded us on the day of the funeral, first at the church in Montreux, then at the cemetery in Glion, and I know that many others would also have liked to be there. But the thoughts and prayers of all have comforted and strengthened me throughout this day, however painful. It will be remembered as a day when God was present, giving me His peace. I am deeply grateful for His support and yours.
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