"Do the next thing"

When feeling overwhelmed by too many tasks to do, I remind myself of a quote by Elisabeth Elliott: "Do the next thing", a variation on Ecclesiastes 3. I put it on my computer as a screensaver a month or so ago...

Do the Next Thing

Christmas Eve with Gábor and Kati

Christmas Eve is very special in Hungary. After 4 p.m. no public transport is running in Budapest. Everyone gathers with their families. So did I, as I was invited by Gábor and Kati Draskóczy.
When I first celebrated Christmas Eve with them, many years ago, all of their eight children joined us. Now six of the eight have emigrated, the eldest married a Swed, four have moved to London, for reasons of work, study or marriage. The sixth will move to London with his family the middle of January. Making a living in Hungary as a very gifted violin maker has turned out to be impossible.
Gabor's explanation: in today's Hungary it is impossible for young people and their families to make a living without the financial support of their families. In cases where that is not possible only one option remains. Obviously their situation is not unique. The plane which brought daughter Judit from London was full with young people visiting their families over Christmas. Unnecessary to comment that for Gábor and Kati visiting their children and 11 grandchildren often involves using the budget flight options of Europe to the full.
We had a wonderful time together, celebrating Christ's birth and the significance for us today. Gábor and Kati are always an example to me of openness, love and hospitality.
You will not be surprised that according to the famous Hungarian custom I went home with the fruits of Kati's baking gifts, I received the so called: utravaló, "for on the way", the "left overs" you receive after visiting friends.

„Tijd Koude Oorlog nog weinig onderzocht”

15-12-2009 11:30 Kerkredactie

Dr. Beatrice de Graaf.

DEN HAAG – Waar het gaat om het communistisch tijdperk ligt er nog altijd een enorm onderzoeksterrein braak, stelt dr. Beatrice de Graaf. Deze maand is het vijf jaar geleden dat de historica in Utrecht promoveerde op de dissertatie ”Over de Muur. De DDR, de Nederlandse kerken en de vredesbeweging”.

„Ronduit jammer” vindt De Graaf het dat er sinds 2004 niet één proefschrift op dit gebied meer is bijgekomen, zegt ze in het vandaag verschenen nummer van het christelijk familieblad Terdege. „Er ligt nog een enorm onderzoeksterrein braak. Kilometers archiefmateriaal van de voormalige geheime diensten in de Oostbloklanden zijn nog nooit wetenschappelijk onderzocht. Neem ook een thema als de Bijbelsmokkel, of de betrekkingen van Nederlandse kerken met christenen in Roemenië, Tsjechoslowakije of Hongarije.”

Lees verder: http://www.refdag.nl/artikel/1451315/Tijd+Koude+Oorlog+nog+weinig+onderzocht.html?nieuwsbrief=1

Voor delen van het boek: http://books.google.com/books?id=jkQ5N4H4m-kC&dq=Over+de+Muur.+De+DDR,+de+Nederlandse+kerken+en+de+vredesbeweging%E2%80%9D.&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=o8YnS7P6Jo-smwP4zeioDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Onbehagen onder minderheden - Trouw 11 dec. 2009

Roma en Noord-Afrikanen in EU-landen ervaren vaak discriminatie
Roma nemen hun intrek in een verlaten huis in een buitenwijk van Parijs.




Roma nemen hun intrek in een verlaten huis in een buitenwijk van Parijs. © AFP

Overal in de Europese Unie ervaren minderheden discriminatie, Noord-Afrikanen en Roma voorop. De kanalen om te klagen kennen ze niet.

In de 27 lidstaten van de EU is sprake van ’schokkend’ racisme. Dat stelt het EU-bureau voor de grondrechten FRA in een gisteren verschenen rapport. Die conclusie is aanvechtbaar, want het rapport beroept zich geheel op wat geënquêteerden zelf vertellen over hun ’discriminatie’.

Lees verder:
http://www.trouw.nl/nieuws/europa/article2937214.ece/Onbehagen_onder_minderheden__.html.

Future of Christianity depends on theological education. says report

Proper theological education is of strategic importance for the future of Christianity. So is ecumenical formation for the future of active Christian cooperation, says a world report on the future of theological education.

The key issues were highlighted by Dr Dietrich Werner, coordinator of the Ecumenical Theological Education programme of the World Council of Churches (ETE/WCC), and expressed in a World Study Report on Theological Education released in Nairobi recently.

The 90-page report subtitled "Challenges and Opportunities for Theological Education in the 21st Century – Pointer for a New International Debate on Theological Education" was produced by an international study group as part of the Edinburgh 2010process during the last 12 months.

The world report on theological education – as well as accompanying papers – is available in a shorter and an extended version. It includes case studies on various regions of the world and key recommendations for the future of theological education.

The report states that "theological education is the seedbed for the renewal of churches, their ministries, and their commitment to the unity of the church. If theological education systems are neglected or not given their due prominence, over the following decades the church will experience a decline in the competence of church leadership and in their capacity for ecumenical and interfaith dialogue and for dialogue between church and society."

Read full newsbrief on: http://ekklesia.co.uk/node/10778

See the World Study Report on Theological Education, long version:
http://www.oikoumene.org/fileadmin/files/wcc-main/documents/p5/ete/ETE-WCC%20&%20WOCATI%20November%2009.pdf

or the shorter version:
http://www.oikoumene.org/fileadmin/files/wcc-main/documents/p5/ete/E2010_summary_World_Study_Report11_2009.pdf

Kool News of the Károli - 11

Kool News of the Karoli - 11

Encouragement from Bulgaria

Thank you for the PP from your presentation (on "Re-envisioning theological education and the role of mission in the light of the crisis of the family and its effects on students and pastors", which I held last week at a consultation in Veliko Tarnovo in Bulgaria, amk). I liked it really so much. Of course you are a very good speaker and it is so easy to follow you, but what I really liked was your fairness and the courage to speak so open about this topic in front of all these delegates. In fact you have really something to say and it is a privilege to have you here in Eastern Europe.

Today I read also your article "Leadership Issues in Central and Eastern Europe: Continuing Trends and Challenges in Mission and Missiology". Thank you so much for this. I love it to see that you are from the West but you understand both sides (East and West). Very often people from the East don't really have the courage to say and write these things and many people from the West are not interested to know them. Can you email me please this article too, because I would like to send it to some friends in West and East.
(PB)

Kool Nieuws van de Károli -- 11

Kool Nieuws Van de Karoli - 11 Final

European Social Report 2009 -- Hungary

TÁRKI European Social Report 2009
This book, the second in the series, seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the similarities and differences between the European societies of the enlarged European Union. The report concentrates on the perceptions, opinions and attitudes of Europeans. From the wide range of potential issues we selected those fields that are most relevant to economic activity.

The analyses included in this book were prepared by TÁRKI Social Research Institute Inc., as part of a research programme entitled "The Social and Cultural Conditions of Economic Growth". The research programme included, among other projects, an empirical study called "The Normative Framework of Market Economy", as well as the Hungarian part of the fifths wave of "World Values Survey". The research was conducted by István György Tóth with the assistance of Tamás Keller.

Download the World Values Survey 2009 - Hungary: http://www.tarki.hu/en/research/european_social_report/wvs_hungary_documentation.pdf

Download the whole European Social Report 2009 report :
http://www.tarki.hu/en/research/european_social_report/european_social_report_2009_full.pdf

Bidt voor Hongarije!

GZB Gebedskalender week 2 (3-9 januari 2010): Centraal en Oost-Europa

Anne-Marie Kool werkt sinds 1987 in Hongarije. Zij is hoogleraar missiologie aan de Karoli Gaspar Reformatus Universiteit en directeur van het Central and Eastern Institute for Mission Studies

Zondag 3 januari : Het algehele gevoel van hopeloosheid en apathie als gevolg van de diepe morele en financiele crisis neemt met de dag toe. Bidt dat de boodschap van hoop in Jezus Christus helder mag doorklinken. Bidt voor kerkelijke leiders met visie, geestelijk inzicht en onderscheidingsvermogen. Dank voor zichtbare tekenen van het Koninkrijk! Bidt om vernieuwing en doorwerking van God’s Geest van verzoening en vergeving in het verwerken van het verleden. Bidt vooral dat er visie mag groeien om de grote Roma (zigeuner) minderheid te bereiken.

Maandag 4 januari : Vele studenten uit Hongarije en omliggende landen wachten gespannen af wanneer het Master in Theology programma in missiologie weer kan beginnen. Bidt dat alle hindernissen zullen verdwijnen!

Dinsdag 5 januari : Het Zendingsinstituut vervult de rol van een bijtank station en een platform voor geestelijke vernieuwing en inspiratie voor studenten, predikanten en missionaire werkers uit de regio. Bidt voor de velen van hen die worstelen met familieproblemen en burn-out.

Woensdag 6 januari : Anne-Marie is aktief betrokken bij allerlei netwerken in Midden- en Oost-Europa. In de praktijk betekent dit dat ze vaak een rol van mentor vervult voor oud-studenten en (jonge) docenten missiologie. Bidt dat het vak missiologie meer ruimte krijgt als verplicht vak in de predikantenopleidingen.

Donderdag 7 januari : Dankt dat Anne-Marie na een langdurige ziekte weer kan werken. Bidt voor kracht en wijsheid, voor gezondheid en bescherming, en voor dagelijkse vernieuwing in haar persoonlijke gebedsleven om zo „stand te kunnen houden tegen de listen van de duivel” (Cf. Ef. 6: 13). Dankt dat ze zich gesterkt mag weten door de vele gemeenten die achter haar staan, m.n. die van Houten en Oud-Alblas.

Vrijdag 8 januari : Bidt voor de leiding van de Karoli universiteit, om wijsheid, toewijding en volharding, dat de universiteit haar belangrijke roeping mag vervullen als christelijke universiteit in een maatschappij die in toenemende mate geseculariseerd is

Zaterdag 9 januari : Dankt voor jonge mensen die bereid zijn elders in de wereld zendingswerk te verrichten. Bidt dat hun leven zal spreken, dat Gods Geest alle talen spreekt en grenzen doorbreekt. Bidt voor open deuren en dat meerderen hun voorbeeld zullen volgen.

For Diversity - Against Discrimination

DE - FR

01/12/2009

The 2009 Eurobarometer Survey

On Monday 9 November 2009, the European Commission published its third Eurobarometer survey which aims to track perceptions of people in Europe towards different forms of discrimination and diversity. This survey is the third in its kind and it was carried out between 29 May and 15 June 2009, with a sample of 26,756 people interviewed in 30 countries (the three Candidate Countries: Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Turkey were included for the first time). Basic findings and the impact of the economic recession Discrimination on ethnic grounds (61%) is considered the most widespread form of discrimination in the EU, followed by discrimination based on age (58%) and disability (53%). While perceptions of ethnic discrimination remain stable, there has been a significant increase in the number of people who consider the most widespread to be discrimination based on age (+16% points since 2008) and disability (+8% points since 2008). According to the survey, the rise in perception of age discrimination is clearly linked with the economic downturn. The survey also indicates that nearly two thirds of the EU population (64%) expects the current economic situation to lead to more age-based discrimination in the job market. In addition to age discrimination, a majority of Europeans also expects the crisis to lead to higher levels of discrimination on the grounds of disability (56%) and ethnic origin (57%) on the job market. There is also an expectation that the crisis is likely to have a generally negative effect on action to tackle discrimination in terms of political and financial priority given by governments. The poll also indicates that one in six (16%) people in Europe claim to have personally experienced discrimination in the past year. In terms of reporting cases of discrimination, most Europeans would first contact the police (55%), while 35% would get in touch with the national equality body and on average 27% would turn to the trade union. The Commission points out that the trust in the organisations that tackle discrimination varies enormously from one country to another. The Eurobarometer survey furthermore looked at factors influencing people's attitudes to discrimination and concluded that a diverse social network, being highly educated and belonging to a minority all greatly raise awareness about discrimination issues. The complete report The Special Eurobarometer survey on discrimination – summary, report and national Factsheets - can be downloaded from: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/eb_special_en.htm