Signs of Life from Hungary Volume XII No. 96
Prayer update on the ministry of the
Dr. Anne-Marie Kool (PMTI)
Budapest, 18th June, 2005
'Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms... Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.' Eph. 6: 11-12, 14-15
Dear Friends,
When I was confirmed years ago in the small countryside village near Dordrecht, Oud-Alblas, many people shook hand with me afterwards, using the words, “welcome to the battle”. I also remember that those of us being confirmed sang together from Ps. 17:5-6, 'My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not slipped. I call on you, O God, for you will answer me, give ear to me and hear my prayer.'
When we consider the life of the apostle Paul, it becomes clear that on his missionary journeys, he experienced ups and downs. He knew from personal experience what he wrote about to the Church in Ephesus: the Christian life in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus is often a battle: a battle against the principalities and powers, against evil spirits... He calls on the Church in Ephesus to put on the armour of God. In this, he points especially to the importance of perseverance in prayer, even for him personally, 'that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains.' (19-20)
Transition
Almost every day, you hear in personal conversations, in discussions on the radio and television, references to the transition which Hungarian society is going through. This transition is often accompanied by a conflict of interests, of retention of power. More authoritarian ways of leadership come into conflict with democratic developments, often accompanied by conflicts between generations. As a response to joining the EU, it is noticeable that some people have a tendency to retreat into their own country, their own nation, their own Church. A new professionalism is blazing a trail, even in the Church, with a call for more efficiency, a stronger orientation towards results, which is of course not wrong in itself. After all, are we not called to be good stewards? But where is the limit? Because of strongly individualist tendencies in society, personal interest, one's own carrier, often takes precedence over the common interest. What does it mean in this situation to follow in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus Christ as a missionary Church? The theatre of the battle is not found in the border area between the Church and the world, but actually within the Church, because this border area often cannot be clearly defined.
It is often pointed out that Hungarian society and that of many other Central and Eastern European countries is in danger of falling apart. How important it therefore is, as a missionary Church of Christ, to have 'the belt of truth buckled round your waist, the breastplate of righteousness in place, and your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace'. A vast amount of duplicity is ingrained in society, which we would regard as being two-faced. What does it then mean to live in the truth? In the midst of many conflicts, is it not important rather to emphasise the ministry of reconciliation, with God and with one another? I particularly like the Dutch word for Saviour, which is 'Heiland'. It is derived from a word which means to heal or make whole. Christ makes us whole. He is the King of Peace, who brings 'shalom', harmony in relationships.
Speaking of feet which are fitted ...
Following in the footsteps of Christ, with our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, often results in suffering. This is the case for many worldwide, even today. In the twentieth century, many people suffered terribly. In recent months, in Hungary as elsewhere much attention has been paid to the fact that it was sixty years ago that the Second World War came to an end.
In mid-April, a shocking monument was unveiled. On the banks of the Danube, close to the parliament building, over a length of thirty yards, there are sixty pairs of shoes, made from cast iron. There are worn out men's shoes, elegant, high-heeled lady’s shoes, and even children's shoes. They are there to commemorate the 20,000 Jews who were shot dead on the banks of the Danube in 1944-45 out of a total of close to 600.000.
Ten years of PMTI
In the midst of these changes in society and the Church, the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies has over the past decade tried to train 'nurses' for the Church, to equip Church members to serve to make society whole, to live a life of testimony 'in the footsteps of Jesus', at home and at work, through a life of compassion and love, to care for one another and for other people. Another focus has been to help (future) pastors, as competent 'doctors', and ‘specialists’ to make a 'correct diagnosis' and to determine the right 'therapy'. On 28th May, we looked back in gratitude on God's faithfulness. In many respects, what has been done in the past years cannot be measured. It is also difficult to point to concrete results. You may wonder whether the work of the PMTI has indeed been effective. One thing is certain: the Lord is going on with His work, and wants to use fragile people like you and me in this endeavour. He calls on us all to fit our feet with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
Personal
In my previous Signs of Life, I told you about the transitional phase in which the PMTI finds itself, in connection with the decision of the board to change my job description. Processes of change and transition take time. This has proved to be the case here too. It is not a simple task to find someone to be the managing director. It is also not yet clear in which direction the reorganisation will develop. It is not always easy to deal with this uncertainty.
Please pray that I may set 'my feet in His footsteps', and also that I will put on the armour of God every day. There are moments when I feel very discouraged and disappointed, in other people, but also in myself. Now in particular, your intercession and concern mean a great deal. Please pray also for the board of the PMTI, for wisdom in taking decisions. For the other members of staff, this is not an easy time either. A number of other sister organisations of the PMTI in Central and Eastern Europe are going through similar processes of change. Please pray for them too!
At the same time, I am convinced that this process is very important, and new paths may open for the future work of the PMTI in providing missionary training for the Church and (follow-up) courses for pastors.
In the meantime, I am enjoying teaching and supervising students. One of the doctoral students has almost finished his study of an important Hungarian missionary theologian. Besides this, it was a great honour for me to take part as an external examiner at the graduation of Rev. Sándor Gaál, head of the faculty of missiology at the Reformed University of Debrecen, at the end of May. Since the Changes, he is the first in Hungary to graduate in the field of missiology. A truly historical moment!
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Anne-Marie
This is the monthly prayer update of Anne-Marie Kool for friends of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies. She has been seconded by the Reformed Missionary League (RML) in the United Protestant Church in the Netherlands in 1993 to the Reformed Church in Hungary. Since 1995 she has served as the director of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies in Budapest. In 1998 she was appointed as Professor in Missiology at the Reformed Theological Seminary in Papa.
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