EEMA Conference 2014: Revolutions in European Mission

EEMA Conference 2014

REVOLUTIONS IN EUROPEAN MISSION

This year’s EEMA conference took place in Bucharest from 18th to 21st November.  As is appropriate on the anniversary of the fall of the Iron Curtain it reflected on 25 years of mission in eastern Europe and where mission to, in and from Europe goes in the next 25 years.

85 people from 23 different countries attended, including a variety of speakers representing mission agencies, Bible colleges and denominations were present, representing a variety of viewpoints both from within and outside Europe.

A dominant theme to emerge from the conference was how much the first couple of decades after the fall of the wall were often characterised by misunderstanding and mistrust between east and west, though we were encouraged to see that in recent years there has been more of an effort at mutual understanding and co-operation.  It could even be said that now, where the shadow of the wall was once very long, a new bridge is being built, bringing together different communities to talk, relate together and collaborate to bring the gospel to unreached communities in Europe and beyond.

Following an introduction our hosts Wolfgang Büsing (Director, AEM Germany) and Martin Lee (Director, Global Connections UK) we were welcomed to Romania with greetings from Rev Virgil Achihai (President, Romanian Evangelical Alliance), Dr Otniel Bunaciu (President, European Baptist Association), and Dr Ioan Ceuta (President, Romanian Assemblies of God).  Our theme of unity was underlined by the evident co-operation between these leaders of the three largest protestant denominations in Romania.

Plenary topics included:

• What has been achieved in 25 years of eastern European mission? (Dr Anne-Marie Kool)
• Geopolitical and economic implications for mission in eastern Europe (Dr Ivo Konstantinov)
• What I wish my foreign mission partners know about mission in my country (Charley Warner)
• 25 years of past and future mission cooperation between east and west Europe (Dr Alexandru Vlasin)
• Younger missional leaders: coming out of the shadow of the past (Anton Ponomarev)

Other speakers included Rev. Tim Herbert (UK), Volodymyr Kondor (UA), Niklaus Meier (CH), Viktor Ormanji (MD), Camelia Vlasin (RO) and Russell Woodbridge (US), and a particular highlight was a guided tour of the People’s Palace in Bucharest together with a speech from Dr Ben Oni Ardelean, a Senator in the Romanian parliament.

Discussion centred around celebrating some of the achievements of mission workers from a variety of eastern European countries, several of whom have significant ministries in other countries, particularly in central Asia, and on working together to pool resources and move forward together in mission in, to and from central and eastern Europe.

We regret that pdfs, powerpoints and audio files are only available to people at the conference.  If you weren’t present, sorry you missed out!  Make sure you come to our next conference.

SMD-Herbstkonferenz Missiologin: Erweckung unter den Sinti und Roma

Missiologin: Erweckung unter den Sinti und Roma

Die Herbstkonferenz der SMD in Marburg. Foto: PR

Marburg (idea) – Unter den Sinti und Roma vollzieht sich ein geistlicher Aufbruch. Die Zahl der Christen unter ihnen liegt inzwischen bei über zwei Millionen in aller Welt. Das berichtete die in Ungarn und Südafrika lehrende Missiologin Prof. Anne-Marie Kool (Budapest), auf der Herbstkonferenz der SMD (Studentenmission in Deutschland), die vom 10. bis 12. Oktober in Marburg stattfindet. Dazu sind rund 400 Besucher gekommen. Die Erweckung habe in den fünfziger Jahren des vergangenen Jahrhunderts in Frankreich begonnen und sich international ausgebreitet. Die Zahl der Sinti und Roma, die früher Zigeuner genannt wurden, beträgt nach Schätzungen zwölf Millionen in aller Welt. Acht bis zehn Millionen leben in den 27 EU-Staaten, die meisten in Südosteuropa. Kool – eine Niederländerin – sprach von einer Missionsbewegung in dem Volk, das seit mehr als 600 Jahren in Europa lebt und immer wieder Verfolgungen ausgesetzt war. Die Missiologin kritisierte eine zunehmende Ausgrenzung der Sinti und Roma in vielen Ländern. Sie dienten als Sündenböcke und würden als Bedrohung dargestellt. Einen Antiziganismus gebe es auch in europäischen Kirchen.

Mission nicht an wirtschaftlichen Kriterien messen

Die Konferenz steht unter dem Motto „Grenzenlos berufen“. Kool vertrat die Ansicht, dass Weltmission für jeden Christen in der Nachbarschaft beginnt: „Die Welt ist nicht mehr weit weg, sondern bei uns um die Ecke.“ So hätten 37 Prozent der 1,4 Millionen Einwohner von München ausländische Wurzeln. In Berlin lebten Bürger aus 186 Staaten. Als Gefahr bezeichnete es Kool, Mission an wirtschaftlichen Grundsätzen zu orientieren und nicht an biblisch-theologischen Prinzipien. Sie dürfe nicht vorrangig an den Kriterien Erfolg, Quantität und Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis gemessen werden. Mission sei oft keine Erfolgsgeschichte nach menschlichen Maßstäben. Sie beginne nicht mit Programmen, sondern dem auferstandenen Christus. Kool warb für eine ganzheitliche Mission, die nicht zwischen Evangelisation und dem Einsatz für Gerechtigkeit und Bewahrung der Schöpfung trenne. Sie nannte es erfreulich, dass Evangelikale und Ökumeniker auf diesen Gebieten zunehmend zusammenarbeiten.

Einführungskurse in die deutsche Kultur

Die SMD will ihre interkulturelle Arbeit verstärken. Dazu diene unter anderem ein Einführungskurs für ausländische Studenten in die deutsche Kultur mit dem Titel „Discover German Culture“, sagte der Generalsekretär der SMD, Pfarrer Gernot Spies (Marburg), gegenüber der Evangelischen Nachrichtenagentur idea. Der in Marburg zusammen mit dem Christustreff entwickelte Kurs habe Modellcharakter und wurde seither in fünf Städten übernommen. Laut Spies machen ein Viertel bis ein Drittel der SMD-Hochschulgruppen Angebote für Studenten aus anderen Ländern, etwa internationale Kreise, Cafés und Deutschkurse anhand der Bibel. In diesem Monat starten die SMD-Hochschulgruppen das missionarische Projekt „uncover“ (enthüllen). Dabei laden Mitglieder ihre Freunde ein Jahr lang zum Bibellesen ein. Als Grundlage dient ein Studienheft mit sechs zentralen Texten aus dem Lukas-Evangelium. Zur SMD gehören Hochschulgruppen in 70 Städten sowie 30 Regional- und Fachgruppen von Akademikern. Sie hat außerdem Kontakt zu rund 600 Schülerbibelkreisen.

Mehrtägige Gebetsaktionen an Schulen

Die Schüler-SMD arbeitet mit der Gebetsbewegung 24/7 (24 Stunden, sieben Tage lang) zusammen, die in England die Aktion „PrayerSpace“ (Gebetsraum) entwickelt hat. Dabei wird für mehrere Tage an Schulen ein Raum mit mehreren Gebetsstationen gestaltet. In Pausen und Freistunden können Schüler dort beten oder für sich beten lassen. SMD-Generalskretär Spies zufolge haben in Deutschland erste Schülerbibelkreise gute Erfahrungen damit gemacht. Zum Teil kämen ganze Klassen und Religionslehrer mit ihren Schülern.

http://www.idea.de/nachrichten/detail/glaube/detail/missiologin-erweckung-unter-den-sinti-und-roma-88242.html

Interview with Christian Vögeli

Christian Vögeli is one of the students of the first MTh in Missiology (MATHEM) program at KRE-CIMS, offered in cooperation with the University of South Africa (UNISA). He is from Switzerland but has been living in Albania for more than 20 years. His love for Albanians started in 1991 after meeting thousands of Albanian refugees in a mission trip to South Italy. God has been using Christian for great things: as a fruit of his work the first Albanian Bible translation was published in 1994. After completing and publishing the Albanian Bible, Christian has developed a twofold ministry in Albania. On one side he is working in supporting the church, on the other hand he has set up a development agency to help in crucial social issues. They see the need for better health-care, social care and life-long education. Presently they are working on establishing an rescue service network, which does not exist in Albania.
Sharing about his ministry, Christian admitted: „I have been reevaluating the understanding of mission and evangelism for the last 10 years. We do not do social work to buy people for conversion. Instead, everything we do in health care and social care and in education is the fruit of the love we have for people. We try to improve the health system, to improve education to give the children a future by developing their talents, and providing opportunities for life-long learning. Whatever I do, I do it without a hidden strategy behind. I have to do it, because I love them.”
Christian Vögeli heard about the MATHEM program at a Consultation for the European partners of the Reformed Mission League (GZB) in Budapest. There he met Dr. Anne-Marie Kool, who was hosting the conference. „We understood what was going on in each other’s mind. I felt this is the time for a program.” Christian sees it as a gift from the Lord that he can study in the MATHEM program. „With my application was l late so I prayed ’Lord please show me if this is the right time for my application.’ And the door was opoened, my application to the course has been accepted.”
For Christian the program is more than a mere study course. „My aim is not only to study or to do research but that my studies have an impact not only in my own life but also in the context where I live. One of my aims with the MATHEM program is to help me to reshape my thinking on mission. Before the program I had more then ten years of brainstorming on mission thinking about questions such as: What is the role of the home church? Are newly planted churches in the mission field depending from so-called sending churches? How should mission be in the context of today's society? How to interact with non Christians? Should churches be involved in social actions and if yes, how? What is mission all about. Often I could recognize that people from the Western world, including myself, have a certain mentality in thinking that we have the solution for everything. But during years in mission I learned that all people are cooking with water. Much more I understood that I can learn a lot from my dear Albanian friends and often they are doing much better than I do...”
As a result of the MATHEM program Christian has found out that he was not alone with his huge questions. Other people have also struggled and deeply thought about these issues and have gone further with some proposals. He admitted: „By studying in the MATHEM program I am developing a synthesis of experiences in mission and knowledge, and it helps me to understand and evaluate what my mission has been so far.”
For Christian the distant learning setup of the course is challenging, since he has had lot of challenges in his context, which made him reorganize his time. However the intensive consultation weeks are very precious for him. „Without these intensive weeks it would not be possible for me to complete the course.” (Interviewed by Rev. Zoltán Ruzsa-Nagy, staff member CIMS)

For the MATHEM brochure see: http://www.scribd.com/doc/84123442/MATHEM-Brochure-2012-final

Remény a reménytelen helyzetben -- Fekete Imre

REMÉNY A REMÉNYTELEN HELYZETBEN

2012. február 9 – Friss tudósítás a szabadkai menekültekről

Már tíz napja tart a szibériai eredetű nagy hideg itt Európában. Szerbiában mindenhol nagy hó van és különleges állapotot rendeltek el, az iskolákban például szünetel a tanítás. A menekültek helyzete is kritikusan alakult, akik a magyar határtól 15km-re vannak nejlonsátraikban. Sokan közülük kéz-láb sebekkel vagy tüdőgyulladással lázasan fekszenek a sátraikban. Ebben a nehéz helyzetben maga Isten sietett segítségünkre a következő módon, Pál apostola Rómaiakhoz írt levele 8.28 verse szerint”Jól tudjuk,hogy Isten azoknak,akik őt szeretik…mindent javukra fordít”. Természetesen nem értettük, ez a helyzet hogyan lehetne javunkra nekünk és különösképpen a menekülteknek? Eddig a rendőrség zaklatta kollégáinkat, akik segíteni akartak, a Vöröskeresztnek pedig megtiltották a segítségnyújtást. Meghallotta azonban a média és a bulvársajtó mindezt, akik szeretik a szenzációt és a rendkívüli eseményeket. Most a Kelet-Európa Missziót keresik, hogy adjunk konkrét, hiteles tájékoztatást a menekültek helyzetéről. A bulvársajtóban fényképek és ilyen címek olvashatók: „Emberek fagyoskodnak nejlonsátrakban a mínusz 20 fokos hidegben, a Kelet-Európa Misszió segít nekik”. A hatóságok is felfigyeltek ezekre a hírekre és Szabadka rendőrkapitánya, Varga Tibor kollégánkkal együtt, civil ruhában végigjárta a menekültek sátrait. Másnap a különleges helyzetre való tekintettel kirendeltek a menekülteknek egy olyan panziót, amely már nem működik. Ezen a helyen matracokon alszanak, de már van fűtés és alapvető higiénia a számukra. A menekültek nagyon félnek, ezért egy részük (kb. 40 fő) még mindig a sátrakban lakik. Többségüket azonban már átszállítottuk a panzióba. Számukra garanciát jelent, ha a Vöröskereszttel együttműködve a Misszió munkatársai is velük vannak és segítik a kommunikációt. Nagyon nehéz anyagi helyzetben van a Vöröskereszt: nincs pénzük és nincsenek eszközeik, ezért továbbra is szeretnének, ha a Kelet-Európa Misszió segítene a projektben. Szükség volna téli cipőkre, kabátokra, plédekre, sapkákra, sálakra. A pénz adományból alap élelmiszereket,és téli cipőket veszünk. A menekülteknek hálás köszönetét is szeretnénk tolmácsolni kedves szponzorainknak, akik eddig is segítettetek! Velünk együtt nagyon hálásak a kapott segítségért!

(Nem tudjuk,hogy védett helyen, a panzióban meddig tartózkodhatnak. Lehet ,hogy a szibériai nagy hideg elmúltával ismét mehetnek vissza elhagyott sátraikba? Ez komoly ima témánk,Isten segítségét és tanácsát kérjük hogy adjon végleges megoldást a menekülteknek.)

Mellékeljük a legújabb videofelvételeket, ahol látható a menekültek jelenlegi helyzete.

1. A január 9-én zajlott legújabb látogatásunk során készítettük a város fotósával.

Kollégánk, Varga Tibor nyilatkozik szerb nyelven a médiának. Részletesen elmondja a helyzet kialakulását, múlt év szeptemberétől mai napig:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=Hh7BfWYK9Fw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UFkS3QgBUg&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcvbMpDmIVM&feature=related

2. A Pannon TV részletes riportot készített, melyet egész Szerbiában leadtak és a Magyar Televízió is átvette: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rN87fKDlpv8

Szívélyes üdvözlettel,

Fekete Imre

Kelet-Európa Misszió Alapítvány

imre.fekete@misszio.eu

Bizonyságtétel Kárpátaljából

Good News for the City III Urban Mission and Church Planting Consultation

CECMS study day 22 Feb

Central European Centre for Mission Studies, Prague

 

 

in collaboration with

 

 

 Evangelical Lutheran Theological Faculty, Comenius University in Bratislava

 

 

cordially invite you to a study day on the topic of

 

 

“MISSION AMONG ROMANI PEOPLE: FACTS, CHALLENGES, HOPES”

 

 

which takes place on 22 February 2011 at the Evangelical Lutheran Theological Faculty, Bartókova 8, 811 02 Bratislava

 

 

Program:

• 10.00 – 10.15:            opening
• 10.15 – 11.00:            Tatiana Podolinská, PhD./Tomáš Hrustič, PhD. (ethnologists/religious scholars, Institute of Ethnology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences): “Possibilities for social inclusion of Romani people by way of religion: A report from the project SIRONA” + discussion
• 11.00 – 11.15: break, refreshments
• 11.15 – 12.00: Milan Jurík, PhD. (theologian, Evangelical Lutheran Theological Faculty): t.b.c.
• 12.00 – 13.00: lunch break
• 13.00 – 13.45: Mgr. Iva Pellarová (Romani scholar, Program Executive of the project Somnakuňi Famiľija in the Salesian Center in Ostrava): “Missionary work with children and adults in socially excluded localities in the Czech Republic” + discussion
• 13.45 – 14.00: break
• 14.00 – 14.45: Prof. Dr. Anne-Marie Kool (missiologist, Károli Gáspár Reformed University in Budapest): t.b.c.
• 14.45 – 16.00: final discussion, conclusion

 

 

NB: First three lectures will be delivered in Slovak/Czech; English translation will be provided

 

Please check our website www.missioncentre.eu for updated information. If you have any other questions, do not hesitate to contact us at the e-mail address office@missioncentre.eu or the mobile phone no. +420 608 358 533 (Pavol Bargár). If you could also confirm your participation via e-mail or phone, it would be greatly appreciated.

 

Belarus update 4: Ex-presidential candidates charged with organizing mass riots on Election Day

Ex-presidential candidates charged with organizing mass riots on Election Day

12:59 30.12.10

Euroradio

Ex-presidential candidate Mikalai Statkevich yesterday was charged with staging actions that led to mass riots on December 19, Statkevich's lawyer Tatsiana Stankevich told Euroradio.

Similar charges were presented to six other presidential contenders: Aliaksei Mikhalevich, Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu, Vital Rymasheuski and Andrei Sannikau who are being held in a KGB pre-trial prison. Rygor Kastusyou and Dzmitry Uss were also charged, but they were released after signing a statement not to leave the country.

Lawyers also confirmed that Pavel Seviarynets, an aide to ex-presidential candidate Vital Rumasheuski, and Iryna Khalip, the wife of Andrei Sannikov and journalist with Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, were also charged, reports Belapan

The same charges were also presented to Youth Front deputy chairperson Anastasia Palazhanka and Andrei Sannikov's spokespersn Aliaksandr Atroshchankau.

The charged persons will remain in pretrial detention for two months in the course of investigation.

Belarusian Opposition Candidates Formally Charged Over Protests

Authorities in Belarus are expected today to formally charge a fifth opposition candidate in connection with the protests that broke out in Minsk following this month's presidential election. 

Ales Mikhalevich's lawyer said his client was likely to be charged today with organizing violent mass riots. 

Four other presidential contenders -- Uladzimer Nyaklyaeu, Vital Rymasheuski, Mikalay Statkevich, and Andrey Sannikau-- were already charged with similar offenses on December 29.

All five men are being held in a prison controlled by the KGB security service.

The December 19 election resulted in a fourth term for President Alyaksandr Lukashenka in a vote observers say was flawed and marred by the ensuing crackdown on Lukashenka's opponents.

Two other presidential candidates -- Ryhor Kastusyou and Dzmitry Vus -- were not detained but are barred from leaving the country as they are under investigation.

In total, 26 people, including the candidates' campaign managers and other opposition activists, have been identified as suspects in a probe into the mass postelection rally on December 19, when more than 10,000 people took to the capital's central square to protest alleged vote-rigging.

If found guilty of organizing violent unrest, they could face up to 15 years in prison. Belarus has in the past leveled similar charges against Lukashenka's opponents. In 2006, former presidential candidate Alyaksandr Kozulin was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison. He was pardoned in 2008 under EU pressure. 

Authorities on December 29 began releasing people detained during the post-election demonstrations. Some 600 people were arrested after police violently broke up the rally.

In the meantime, the lawyer for Uladzimer Nyaklyaeu says she fears for his health and called for his immediate hospitalization. Tamara Sidarenka said Nyaklyaeu, who was severely beaten before the rally, was unable to speak and was suffering from high blood pressure when she visited him in prison in Minsk on December 29.

"His health condition is very critical," she said. "Nyaklyaeu isn't being hospitalized, despite the fact that he is facing a big risk of a second hypertension crisis and stroke, especially considering the fact that he has been in [doctors'] records since 1999 when he suffered a stroke."

Two other Lukashenka challengers -- Rymasheuski and Sannikau -- also reportedly sustained injuries during their arrest, with rights group Amnesty International claiming that Sannikau has been tortured in detention. Amnesty quotes Sannikau's lawyer as saying that the candidate's legs appear to have been broken and that the way he speaks and carries himself indicates he may have brain damage.

Crackdown Condemned

According to official results following the December 19 vote, Lukashenka, frequently referred to as "Europe's last dictator," won 80 percent of the vote. 

Western governments and international observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe criticized the election as flawed and condemned the crackdown on protesters.

It took a week for Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to formally congratulate Lukashenka on his victory. Interfax reports that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin formally endorsed Lukashenka's reelection on December 29.

"I did not follow these elections, but it seems clear from the amount of voters the choice of the Belarusian people should be respected," Putin told journalists. "I am not ready to evaluate the circumstances of these elections."

Lukashenka has ruled Belarus for 16 years.

written by Farangis Najibullah, with contributions form RFE/RL's Belarus Service and agency reports

Belarus Update 2 and 3: Urgent: our concerns -- Olga from Belarus

From my friend Olga -- Belarus

Dear friends,

 

thanks for your support and your desire to help us.

What concerns the ideas what you could do, I will share with you some.

- organise picketing of the Belarusian embassies http://www.belembassy.org/index_eng.html condemning violence and repressions and demanding to free the prisoners and follow the democratic rules, punish those guilty of violent actions (of course, this was sanctioned by the authorities, but still it is important to demand justice). We are concerned about Christian Democrats Vital Rymasheuski, Paval Sieviarynets (both Orthodox Christians) in the first place, but surely about all arrested and beaten ex-candidates and their representatives http://naviny.by/rubrics/english/2010/12/23/ic_articles_259_171791, as well as hundreds of people who are now in prison in overcrowded cells with bad sanitary conditions and food. It would be great if journalists will write about your initiatives in the mass media.

 

- make enquiries with your Ministries of External Affairs and ask if they are following up the situation. The reaction of the EU and the USA was strong in condemning the actions of the authorities in Minsk, but concrete sanctions have to be applied to influence the regime (visa sanctions, economic measures, etc.)

 

- contact the churches in Belarus and ask them if they are following up the situation, if they are providing moral and pastoral support for those who are in prison.

Orthodox http://www.church.by/resource/Dir0056/Dir0083/Dir0108/Page0112.html

Catholic http://www.catholic.by/2/en/belarus/dioceses/minsk-mohilev2.html

Baptist http://baptist.by/index.php

Union of the Evangelical Christian Baptists in Belarus. Tel.+375(17) 295-6784
Mob. +375(29) 389-8221, +375(29) 278-3095

Pentecostal http://www.cxbe.by/

 

Some priests have offered their assistance on personal level, but that is very little.

 

- spread the information about the events to your Belarusian friends if you have any, as the state mass media provide only one-sided information and many people even in Belarus don't know what actually happened.

 

- organise prayer circles for Belarus

 

- financial support is also needed, but difficult to be delivered to Belarus, and has to be discussed by skype.

 

Best regards,

Olga

 

p.s. tomorrow 27 December the Belarusian Christian Democrats are organising a press-conference, where Vital's wife, Nasta is going to speak. Please, pray for her and for the event. Please, pray for Vital and all prisoners of the Belarusian regime.

 

 

http----- Original Message -----

From: Olga

Sent: Saturday, December 25, 2010 11:21 PM

Subject: urgent: our concerns

 

Dear friends,

 

some of you have received from me the news about the results of the last presidential elections and massive acts of violence from the side of the current authorities in Belarus. Some news in English are here http://www.rferl.org/section/Belarus/152.html,

http://www.spring96.org/en, http://euroradio.by/en/1439/ (the office of the Euroradio is being searched in the time when I'm writing to you, so I don't know if it will work tomorrow).

 

19 people were arrested and now are suspected in organising and implementing mass riots (this from 5 to 15 years in prison), about 700 people from the protesters and some accidental people are now in prison for 10-15 days. Arrests and searches continue the whole of this week, even today during Christmas day. We don't know how far the Belarusian regime is going to go. They carefully planned the scenario of putting an end to any opposition in the county.

 

The patriarch Kirill congratulated our dictator with the victory of the elections, so did the Russian president today. It is hard to expect any help from the side of the majority churches (Orthodox and Catholic), all official church leaders (Protestant as well) are silent.

 

One of the democratic presidential candidates, Vital Rymasheuski, who represents Belarusian Christian Democrats, is a close friend of mine, we are in one church community for more than 10 years. Vital is now also arrested and facing the danger of being sentenced to 5-15 years of prison. He met his advocate only once, his physical state was normal on Monday 20 December, but he had headache, because he was hit on the head during the attack by the riot police. Now we are helping his family, his wife and daughter. All Vitals friends may be suspected of participating in the criminal activities and plans to overthrow the power.

 

President Lukashenko promised to reveal the secrete plans of the opposition and the dirty materials prepared by his servants are expected to appear next week in the state mass media (there's almost now independent mass media apart from internet, which is also being controlled).

 

We don't know what will happen tomorrow, so we urge you to monitor the information from Belarus yourself and organise protest actions at all available levels (Ministries of External Affairs, political parties, Christian and human rights organisations and churches). Before 2006 the authorities were using the oppressive law on freedom of religion to arrest and make searches in the flats and houses where "unregistered religious groups" were conducting religious activities. Bible readings and church home group meeting are illegal in our country for all Christian confessions. So if they would wish so, the authorities can start the same repressions against Christians and any other "dangerous" groups.

 

At the moment we need to advocate for the release of all prisoners in Belarus among whom there are many Christians as well. We need do demand to stop violence and repressions against citizens of Belarus. The county is paralised by fear and only few people dare to do things openly.

 

Many of you know my mobile and home phones, it would be great if you could now and then check if everything is fine. My skype name is grammatea (Vol'ha), so you could also use this for connection.

 

Best wishes for your Christmas celebrations,

 

Olga

 

 

Belarus Update 1: Lukashenko's scenario used to manipulate the peaceful protest actions and make criminals out the democratic presidential candidates

My friend Olga from Minsk sent this information to inform us of the situation in Minsk. Please keep her and many other friends in Minsk in your prayers, as they seek to live out their faith in the public arena.

 

 

 

Lukashenko’s scenario used to manipulate the peaceful protest actions and make criminals out the democratic presidential candidates

 

The Belarusian Christian Democracy Party, presidential candidate for the BCD Vital Rymasheuski as well as other democratic presidential candidates and activists are not responsible for the acts of violence, which took place on Independence Square in Minsk during a peaceful mass protest against the presidential election fraud on 19 December 2010. 

 

During the rally the democratic candidates for presidency decided to negotiate with the representatives of the Government in its headquarters, but no one opened the doors and there were a large number of riot police inside the building. Several provocateurs from the Belarusian security service started breaking the doors of the Government headquarters and then the riot police attacked the democratic presidential candidates and started beating up the protesters dividing and dispersing them all over the square. Vital Rymasheuski and activists of the BCD were trying to stop the provocateurs, but they were blocked and beaten by the police.

 

Here’s the video where Mr. Rymasheuski explains what happened (in Russian):

http://bchd.info/index.php?newsid=4174

"When we came to the Government house to knock on the door and call someone for the negotiations, drunk disguised provocateurs - 8 people - began to break the glass. There were many people from the security services with small cameras, who made a tight circle around the door; it was not possible to come close. We have organized the guards group and came to push out the agents-provocateurs and we have almost succeeded. But as soon as they stopped beating the windows immediately the riot police jumped out of the building".

 

The organizers of the protest rally planned to hold a peaceful demonstration. And the rally was peaceful indeed. Vital Rymasheuski announced this before 19 December and during the demonstration on Independence Square he was calling people to withstand the provocations performed by KGB agents. There were about a thousand drunken people in the crowd who had been sent there by the security service.

 

Now the Ministry of Internal Affairs has initiated a criminal investigation into yesterday’s mass protest on the square. The official press-release of the Ministry falsely states that the protesters used drain pipes, stones and chunks of ice. It also lies about a large number of wooden sticks, pieces of armature and bottles of alcoholic beverages allegedly found on the square. http://mvd.gov.by/ru/main.aspx?guid=1131

Here is the way how the Ministry of Internal Affairs views the situation http://mvd.gov.by/main.aspx?guid=26493. It has to be noted that the people on the video do not belong to the democratic opposition.

 

The Belarusian National TV puts the blame of vandalism and violence on the democratic leaders and on Vital Rymasheuski in particular. Now the KGB forces the remaining ex-presidential cases to make statements on TV against their colleagues, who are now imprisoned.

 

Now the BCD co-chairmen Vital Rymasheuski and Paval Sieviarynets are in the KGB pre-trial prison. Other former presidential candidates are also reported to be there.

The Belarusian Christian Democracy requests you to write appeals condemning the ignoble violent actions taken by the current Belarusian authorities, to conduct open and fair investigation of the events, to release the more than 600 of people held now in prison, some of them without warm clothes and even food and drink (http://nn.by/?c=ar&i=47794 in Belarusian).

 

Belarus election ends with violent protests

President Alexander Lukashenko re-elected to a fourth term in office
Last Updated: Sunday, December 19, 2010 | 9:59 PM ET.CBC News

Protesters rally in Minsk on Sunday to denounce an election they say was rigged. (Sergei Grits/Associated Press)Thousands of opposition supporters tried to storm Belarus's main government building in Minsk after Sunday's national election, which a government exit poll showed — and official results later confirmed — President Alexander Lukashenko had won by a landslide.

About 40,000 opposition supporters rallied in central Minsk to call for the longtime authoritarian leader to resign. But the crowd, the largest opposition rally since 1996, was dispersed by baton-wielding police. Dozens of protesters were injured in clashes with riot police and their leader, as well as two other candidates, were beaten.

Lukashenko garnered 79.1 per cent of the vote, while Grigor Kostusev won 4.2 per cent, according to the Minsk-based EcooM research centre. Official results released later by the state electoral commission showed Lukashenko won his fourth term in office with 79.7 per cent of the votes, Reuters reported.


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/12/19/belarus-presidential-election.html#ixzz19FihCnCU

International Orthodox Mission Network Conference in Veliko Tarnovo

From Oct. 20-24, 2010 the International Orthodox Mission Network held its second conference in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria. The first one took place in February in Minsk, Belarus. It was hosted by the Holy Metropolia of Veliko Tarnovo. One of the main organisers of the event was Miss Olga Oleink from Minsk, Belarus. The Central and Eastern European Institute for Mission Studies and the Central and Eastern European Association for Mission Studies was represented by Mrs. Nóra Sümegi, a graduate from the Faculty of Divinity of the Károli Reformed University in Budapest, a member of Wycliffe Bible Translators.

International Orthodox Mission Network Veliko Tarnovo Oct. 2010 Bg Patriarshia Website Info Eng

Symposium Leadership Development in the Church and Roundtable discussion on cooperation Jonathan Edwards Center

For the second time an Erasmus program visit took place of the Faculty of the Evangelical School of Theology, Wroclaw, to the Károli Gáspár Reformed University in Budapest.

On September 28th a Symposium was held on Leadership Development in the Church. The next day papers dealt with Jonathan Edwards and we discussed possibilities of closer cooperation in the Jonathan Edwards Center of Yale Divinity School.

The program:
Program Erasmus Visit EWST KRE Version3

For a picture impression:

Impressions from Mission Conference for pastors of the Slovakian Reformed Christian Church

From 20 - 25 September three different mission conferences were held for Hungarian speaking and Slovakian speaking pastors of the Slovakian Reformed Christian Church. In total about 200 Hungarian speaking and 25 Slovakian speaking pastors participated. There was a great openness and interest, warm hospitality from hosting congregations all over. The vision for these conferences came from Bishop Rev. László Fazekas, and they were organised in an excellent way by the mission pastor, Rev. Árpád Molnár. Give thanks for this important initiative and pray for wisdom in taking next steps.
The title of my lecture was Crises, Shifts and Changes in Mission. My notes (in Hungarian) http://www.scribd.com/doc/38342672 and the Powerpoint Presentation http://www.scribd.com/doc/38342712 can be downloaded here..., although in each different place my talk took different shapes...
Would you like to get an impression of the conferences:

Invitation -- Symposium Leadership development in the church

KRE-CIMS and EWST

(Central and Eastern European Institute for Mission Studies
of the Károli University of the Reformed Church in Hungary, Budapest, Hungary and the Evangelical School of Theology, Wroclaw, Poland)

invites you for a

SYMPOSIUM

Leadership Development in the Church

Monday 27 September 2010, 10.00 -15.00 hrs.
Budapest, Kálvin tér 7.II

Program:
http://www.scribd.com/full/37215201?access_key=key-1n89pelnd0owwpbnyka

Language: English

Organised by:
- The Evangelical School of Theology, Wroclaw, Poland (EWST)
- CIMS: Central and Eastern European Institute for Mission Studies of KRE

Place: CIMS (Kálvin tér 7.II, 1091 Budapest)

Registration :Attendance is free, but registration is necessary due to restricted space in the meeting room. Registration by email at the latest by 23nd September, 2010 at: CIMS, Mónika Józsa, Kálvin tér 7.II, 1091 Budapest, tel. 216 20 54 cims@kre.hu.

CIMS Roma Mapping Conference Impressions

Around 35 participants from seven countries in Central and Eastern Europe with unique experiences in the field, gathered for a mapping conference on Roma and Christianity on August 30 and 31, 2010, in the Central and Eastern European Institute for Mission Studies. The conference was sponsored by the Protestant Church in the Netherlands Kerk in Actie program office.

Untimely death of Dr. Davorin Peterlin

With great sadness, and a feeling of "this cannot be true", I received the news of the untimely death of a dear friend and colleague of ours, Dr. Davorin Peterlin, Professor of Early Christianity and History of Minority Religious Groups, Head of the Research Department and Academic Resources Officer at the Evangelical Theological Faculty in Osijek, Croatia, died at the age of 51, on the 14th of June, 2010, in Zagreb, Croatia.

I just called Prof. Dr. Peter Kuzmic, the President of the Evangelical Theological Faculty in Osijek, Croatia, to express my condoleances. Dr. Kuzmic, a lifelong friend of Prof. Peterlin stated: ‘The unexpected passing of Prof. Davorin Peterlin is a great shock to all of us his friends and colleagues. To use a biblical metaphor, death came to him as a thief in the night – unexpected, unwanted and unwelcomed. It robbed him of a life full of anticipation, research and writing, teaching and mentoring. Davorin was an effective leader, a constructive team player and a scholar who had the capacity to think critically and comparatively. The academic community at the Evangelical Theological Faculty will miss him greatly for we were all convinced that along with all of his many accomplishments his best work still lay ahead of him’.

Davor died of a massive heart attack, just a week after he remarried.

For the first time I met Davor in 1985 in the Netherlands at an IFES conference on evangelism, and since then many many times. I greatly respect him as friend, as a colleague, as a scholar. I have no words to express my grief, and with you I pray that our Lord will comfort his wife, his children, and those who have been working so closely with him ont he ETS staff.

In the sudden passing away of Dr. Peterlin, we are all reminded of the fragility of our lives, that this life is „just a passing through”, „shadow lands” (C.S. Lewis) and to live each day with a view to eternity and to set our priorities from that perspective.

The funeral service will be held on the 17th of June at 10 AM at the Zagreb Crematorium, in Zagreb, Croatia. A Memorial Service will take place in Osijek at the Evangelical Theological Faculty on the 24th of June at 11 AM.

Read obituary of ETS: http://www.scribd.com/full/33131956?access_key=key-2i078ursns6kn1zjucoo

Greetings from Poland - Response (4) -- Martin

Here are my warmest thanks for both of you, for the kindness and imagination of sending me this marvellous, truly inspiring letter from Poland. Curiously enough I think the Lutheran Church in Wroclaw was one of the first I visited on my first visit to Poland, back in 1966, so it bears an added layer of memory and prayer for me. Via Texas and Hungary seems a bit odd, yet via treasured friends from wherever in the world is an inspiring example of the unity Christ prayed for as he prepared for an untimely death ....

Yours as ever in the joy and peace of the risen Christ, Martin C.

Greetings from Poland - Response (3) -- Thea

Thank you for sending on the beautiful, heart-rending, hopeful, eloquent letter from Poland. What a beautiful example of gathering together in loving tribute with music and memories, and to do this all together, realizing how finite we all are, and yet how bound together in the love of God and the beauty He has given us.
...We only know WHO holds the future.
Love,
Thea

Greetings from Poland - Response (2) -- Tim

Thank you for sending me this very powerful letter. I am deeply moved in ways I cannot fully articulate at the moment. In the midst of so much tragedy, God seems to stir hearts and draw people to himself. It is an especially important time for all of us who serve leaders, students, and other Christians to do what we can to keep in step with the Holy Spirit.
In Christ's service with you,
Tim