Budapest - 7th July, 2007
Dear Friends and Family,
Surprises
During a study furlough, you of course spend many hours in a library, particularly if it is one like the Speer library of Princeton Theological Seminary (www.ptsem.edu). It is a gold mine for the study projects I was working on. But my time in Princeton went differently from what I had planned. There were surprises in the form of unforgettable meetings with students (especially the mission committee!) and colleagues. Even more special was that the Lord 'put a new song in my mouth', after a journey through the desert during which I had almost completely lost the desire and capacity to sing.
Figure 1 Singing in the Nassau Presbyterian Church choir
It was an unforgettable experience for two months to (learn to) sing (again) in the choir of the local Nassau Presbyterian Church.
Figure 2Attah, Stephen, William, Daniel and Samuel
I also learned a lot of new songs in the prayer meetings with brothers from Ghana and a sister from Korea. And how great it was at Easter to sing Handel's Hallelujah chorus!
The new song is the 'song' of the rediscovery of God's unconditional love and grace in Christ, of redemption from the power of sin and true freedom. 'It is finished.' It is the song of a new trust that God is willing and able to provide for all our needs; the rediscovery that mission ultimately is God's mission. He is the Rock on which we can build entirely. It is the song that Christ has given us His Spirit to support us, to lead us, and to comfort and teach us everything we have received in Christ. These are old songs, which suddenly light up and become like new. 'God moves in a mysterious way!' Many came to an impromptu farewell party. 'Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord.'
Friends of CIMS
Through the years I got to know many people in the Chicago area (Wheaton) and in Michigan. They continued to faithfully pray through the times of ups and downs and expressed a clear willingness to continue support the Central and Eastern European Institute for Mission Studies (CIMS). It is good to see that new churches are joining the group of Friends of CIMS in Glen Ellyn and Winnetka. As always I was welcomed warmly and felt very much at home. It is such a great privilege to be part of the colourful, worldwide family of Christ and to be upheld by that family.
Back in Hungary
And then after three and a half months in America, to come back home.
Figure 3 Veronika, my mom and "Uncle" Karoly
It was a particularly warm reunion, at the university, and in the Gazdagret Reformed Church: 'they put the flags out'. A few days after my return, an international conference was planned in Papa for those teaching missions and those interested in reflect on the missionary practice from Central and Eastern Europe. For some reason or other, the logistical organisation fell in my lap, study furlough or no. Fortunately we could count completely on a second-year student from Papa, Krisztián. I was so proud of him! The twenty-two participants came from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, America and Australia. The discussions issues related to mission and evangelism in Eastern Europe were very honest and open, and key questions were raised.
Doctorate
It was a special occasion on 12th June, for the first time to act as (second) supervisor at the defence of the PhD dissertation of Rev. Ete Álmos Sipos on the Hungarian mission theologian Gyula Forgács (1879-1941) at the University of Utrecht, the fruit of ten years' diligent work (for the supervisor too!).
Figure 4 Prof. Dr. Jan Jongeneel, Dr. Ete Álmos Sipos and myself
His conclusions are of significant importance for the Reformed Church in Hungary as a missionary church in a post-Communist era and for the teaching and the research of missiology in Central and Eastern Europe. In the previous month Rev. Sipos turned seventy; he has eleven children and twenty-eight grandchildren!
Graduation
Three students of the professional Masters program in missiology graduated in Papa.
Figure 5 Rev. Pluhár, Rev. Szalkay and Rev. Draskóczy
Rev. Gábor Draskóczy defended his thesis about the work of evangelism among Romany children, Rev. Gábor Pluhár wrote about how church structures should be changed in order to be able better to meet the needs of today's youth, and Rev. László Szalkay focussed his study on what it means to be a missionary church. It is no small achievement for them to have completed this program in four years' time along side their full-time work in churches or mission organisations.
Nine students finished their seminary training.
Figure 6 Graduation ceremony in Papa
During their church examinations, the exam board listened with great interest to how they explained missiological questions such as the relationship between mission, witness and dialogue, as well as explaining the need for contextualisation, applying it to their work as pastors in the western part of Hungary.
Farewell to Papa Theological Seminary
At the beginning of this year, it had become very clear that my work in Papa as professor of missiology could not be combined with my new appointment at the Károli University.
Figure 7Farewell from students in Papa
After nine years, I decided to resign from my position at Papa as of 1st August next, in order to be able to concentrate completely on the unique challenges of the Central and Eastern European Institute for Mission Studies (CIMS) at the Károli. Let me share a few! And so to prayer...
Praise and prayer
1. Give thanks for the study furlough and the time of personal renewal at Princeton. Give thanks for the many valuable meetings and new friendships, especially with students and colleagues from non-Western backgrounds!
2. Give thanks for open doors to contribute to strengthening the Christian identity of the Karoli Reformed university with four thousand students. Please pray for the plans to develop formal and non-formal programs like lunchtime lectures, and for the numerous opportunities of (in)formal meetings with staff and students.
3. Give thanks for the possibilities to teach courses in missiology to students from all departments, and so to help train them to be witnesses of Jesus Christ in church and society.
4. Pray for wisdom in setting priorities (very necessary!), in order to enable the CIMS to be salt, light and yeast in the KRE university. “Lord, what do you want us to do?” The central location and the library are extremely suitable for making it into a meeting place, and an international learning community including for those from other Central and Eastern European countries come for a study leave.
5. Pray for the upcoming courses and the students of the new PhD programme and thank God for the unique opportunity of the formation for mission of future leaders of the church Pray for the supervision of PhD students and the development of a new Master's programme.
6. Pray for the necessary financial means to have the library up and running again, for scholarships and for the development of new programs. The university is able to contribute financially in very limited ways to the new Institute. Pray for a spirit of sacrificial giving among the Friends of CIMS!
7. Give thanks for the sacrifical voluntary help of Mrs. Mineke Hardeman in setting up the organisational side of the CIMS. Pray for volunteers in establishing a circle of Friends of the CIMS, in developing a web site, in formatting and editing English texts (like this newsletter) and for a couple to serve as a host family (host and hostess) for a period of half a year to a year.
Thank you all for your love and support. It was good to meet many of you in May and together to worship our Lord! I pray that you will all have a restful holiday season, in which you too can learn a 'new song'.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Anne-Marie Kool
Anne-Marie Kool was seconded by the Reformed Mission League in the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (GZB) in 1993 to the Reformed Church in Hungary, with the assignment to establish the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies (PMTI) in Budapest. In 1998, she was appointed as a professor of missiology at the Reformed Theological Academy in Papa, and from 1 September 2006 at the Gaspar Karoli Reformed University as Professor of Missiology and director of the Central and Eastern European Institute for Mission Studies. She is also actively involved in the Reformed Church in the high-rise residential area where she lives (Gazdagret, Budapest).
Great news!
If you would like to support the ministry of the Central and Eastern European Institute for Mission Studies of the Karoli Gaspar Reformed University (KRE) you may send your tax-deductible gifts to:
I.D.E.A Ministries, 4595 Broadmoor—Suite 237, Grand Rapids, MI 49512, USA. We are pleased to inform you that we are now able to process online donations (for U.S. residents). Please visit our website http://www.ideaministries.org/, and click on the “donate to IDEA’ link for your supporters they would go to “OTHER” and type in the comments box KRE/CIMS.
If you have any questions please call Robin Skestone at the Idea Ministries Grand Rapids office (tel. 616.698.8393).
Please indicate that this donation is for the KRE/CIMS, otherwise we will not receive your contribution. Please also add the designation of your donation.
The Karoli Gaspar Reformed University / CIMS,
Kalvin ter 7.II,
P.O. Box 73,
1461 Budapest, Hungary.
Tel. +36 1 2162054.
E-mail: amkool@kre.hu or amkool@t-online.hu.
