Signs of Life from Hungary Year XIII No. 100
Budapest, 30th September, 2006
If thou but suffer God to guide thee,and hope in God through all thy ways,God will give strength, whate'er betide thee,and bear thee through the evil days.Who trusts in God's unchanging lovebuilds on the rock that naught can move. George Neumark[1]
Dear Family and Friends,
In recent weeks, Hungary has been in the news a lot. On August 20th a hurricane suddenly sprung up causing chaos and death in downtown Budapest, where a large crowd had just assembled to watch a huge fireworks. Many were injured.
Two weeks ago, a recording of Minister President Ferenc Gyúrcsány, in which he admitted that he and his party had lied to the Hungarian people in the past years, again caused chaos. Because he refused to resign, thousands went onto the streets, and especially in the first days, serious rioting and disturbances broke out. These demonstrations are still continuing. For months the tension in Hungarian society had been tangible. The process of change does not always run smoothly.
One of the eyewitnesses to these demonstrations has been Theo Pieter de Jong, a theology student from Utrecht, who has just arrived to prepare a MTh thesis on the topic of mutual assistance in the twinning links between some local Churches in the Netherlands and Hungary. The following is a 'Sign of Life after week 1', addressed to his supervisor, Utrecht missiologist Dr Martha T. Frederiks:
'It is great to be here. Budapest is wonderful (but you know that). I have already done and seen a lot. In the mornings, jogging along the Danube, up Gellert hill, and during the day, sitting there in the sun and reading for hours. What a good book by Renée Postma (Behind the scenes in Central Europe. From Habsburg to Brussels. AMK), but also quite depressing. How will things ever turn out right in Europe...?
'Yesterday evening, for the third time in a row I participated in the demonstrations. There were considerably fewer people than last week... It is difficult to identify with what it really means to be Hungarian. I have a lot of sympathy and admiration for it, and yet also some hesitations, even slight objections... When does sincere patriotism border on dubious nationalism? A sense of superiority? And when is justified indignation transformed into lethargic, passive self-pity? The melancholy which I had heard and read about is even stronger than I thought. Besides this, with regard to the political situation, I notice much dissatisfaction around me, and it simply keeps going on. I hope that the elections next Sunday (for the local authorities, AMK) will point things a bit in the right direction.'
'I don't know if my feelings of disquiet are justified. Of course I am simply a reasonably level-headed Dutchman (with a healthy patriotism, I believe, greater than the average Dutchman, and appropriate pride), but still I am surprised at the intense, passionate Hungarian consciousness, even among the well-educated Hungarians around me. People are not very self-critical. They are hardly able to see themselves in perspective, and everything is related to Trianon and the concept of the Greater Hungary (in the Versailles peace treaty, after World War I, Hungary lost two-thirds of its territory and one third of its inhabitants, AMK). There is much simplistic thinking in terms of 'them and us'. And when pride is not accompanied by modesty, it is so easily transformed into arrogance, and that is scary, certainly if all sorts of religion is mixed up with it. Then I am afraid of fanaticism...
'It is extremely fascinating to discuss this a bit with the people around me. Fortunately, I also notice that my questions cause them to think. This is already a good principle of mutual assistance, we might say. Good, I am going to do a chapter of my Hungarian course book. Yesterday I was in Kiskunhalas. Very good!!! I just wanted to let you know that it is going well. Theo Pieter.'
A personal note
As you will have understood from previous information, the Karoli Gaspar Reformed University (KRE) has decided to establish a new institute: the Central and Eastern European Institute for Mission Studies (CIMS). From the 1st September, I have been appointed as professor of Missiology.
In the past months, I have continued my work as professor in Papa and my lectures at KRE, while at the request of the Rector of the KRE, I prepared a feasibility study into the possibilities within the KRE of establishing an interdenominational, international institute for missiology. For this, I have worked on a strategic plan with a financial analysis and an implementation plan. In drawing up these plans, I have made grateful use of the input of many from the academic world and from missionary practice, who expressed their ideas about the possibilities of such an institute.
At the end of June, the KRE senate accepted this plan. For the time being, I am working alone, without staff at the institute. A number of members of staff of the university will provide administrative support where possible.
In this period of preparation, besides my work as professor in Budapest and Papa, I will also take time for study in a number of areas (including a paper on the preparation of missionaries for Europe, in Edinburgh on 7th October next), and for the organisational development of the institute. Fundraising is inseparably linked to this. I have determined to round off a number of grant proposals in the foreseeable future.
At the time of writing, it is not yet clear to what extent the library of the Protestant Institute for Mission Institute and its infrastructure will be made available to the university and the new institute. Please pray that a solution will soon be found.
During the past period - in many respects often stormy - I have experienced great support from many of you: in conversations, in prayer, and countless emails, there were repeatedly signs of your concern. But above all, I have experienced God's guidance in recent months. This is guidance I can rely on for the future. And so, singing with you, the beautiful song of George Neumark (Bach Cantate 93) I can face the future, in the knowledge that Christ is the Lord of all the storms of life, whether great or small.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Anne-Marie Kool
Anne-Marie Kool was sent out by the Reformed Missionary Union (GZB) in 1993 and for years was attached to the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies (PMTI) in Budapest (Hungary). Since 1998, she has also been working as a professor of missiology at the Reformed Theological Academy in Papa, and since 1st September, 2006, at the Karoli Gaspar Reformed University. She is also actively involved in the Reformed Church in the residential area of high-rise apartments where she lives (Budapest/Gazdagret).
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.
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 9,
P.O. Box 73,
1461 Budapest, Hungary.
Tel. +36 1-455 90 60.
E-mail: amkool@kre.hu or amkool@t-online.hu.
[1] http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh142.sht
Showing posts with label Signs of Life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Signs of Life. Show all posts
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Signs of Life from Hungary -- 99
Signs of Life from Hungary Volume XIII No. 99
Prayer update on the ministry of the
Dr. Anne-Marie Kool
Budapest, 28th May 2006
'Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit you way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.'
Ps. 37:3-7
Dear Friends and Family,
After seven months of a 'lull', the time is ripe to give another Signs of Life from Hungary, and a long one! It has been a time in which Ps. 37 has constantly provided me with something to hold on to. 'Commit you way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.' For someone who is used to actively taking steps in sorting out difficulties, this is an important lesson! Waiting, being quiet, expecting, trusting, handing over, letting go. Anyone who has ever experienced the reorganisation of a company or organisation knows that this is usually accompanied by times of vagueness, confusion and misunderstandings. In itself, I wasn't surprised about this.
But after a period of nine months in which hardly any progress had been made in the clarification of my new job, in December the Reformed Mission League in the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (GZB) took the difficult decision to withdraw me from the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies and asked me to concentrate my activities more in the Reformed Theological Academy in Papa. After a period of eleven years a door was closed. A period of letting go, which actually began already in April of last year, entered a new phase. I had peace about it. It was not possible to work in such an unclear situation. At this time of 'loss' and in a sense a ‘divorce’, I again realised how rich I am: good health, family and friends worldwide who were prayerfully supporting me, and a very supportive local congregation in Hungary and a fellowship group in which I really feel at home.
'Trust in the Lord and do good ...'
In the meantime, my lectures and responsibilities as a supervisor continued as usual. I found great satisfaction and joy in this. The sixth year students from Papa returned with contrasting experiences of their field placements. In a role play, they depicted in which two ways you can pass on the gospel to young people today: either 'preach' at them, or try to build a bridge between their world and the gospel. My visits to some of them took me as far afield as Belfast in Northern Ireland, and a village near Belgrade in Serbia.
In the second term, an experiment was begun with 'e-learning', the use of the internet in teaching, though a collaborative project with Western Theological Seminary in Holland MI (USA). It was a completely new experience to explore the possibilities of the internet for missiological teaching. During a course on “Internet and mission”, the students from Papa discovered that they are not at all living in such great isolation as they thought, in a small town in the west of Hungary, but that they have a huge library 'in their back yard', which also contains a lot of material about mission and evangelism. Literally and figuratively, a new world opened up to them.
For the first time, I was asked to give a required Missiology course at the Gaspar Karoli Reformed University, for thirty fourth and fifth year students, a record number for me. They ventured to jump in at the deep end by participating in the 'Angel' experiment, 'Angel' being the name of the e-learning programme. We discovered that it can, of course, not be a replacement for personal contact and discussions with one another, but that it does simplify communication with the lecturer, because teaching material can be made available electronically, and assignments can also be submitted electronically.
Surprises (1)
Over the last few months there were constantly surprises, too. At the end of a visiting lecture at the university of economics at the department of sociology of religion, which was attended by eight students, three students came up to me who indicated that they were seriously considering going into mission! They were all active in the Hungarian Christian student movement, which I had known in its infancy, since the late 1980ies.
Four students from the Masters of Theology programme were visibly relieved when they handed in their theses after a time of extremely hard work. In parenthesis, to be honest, their supervisor then often breathes a sigh of relief as well! It is fascinating to go into all sorts of relevant themes with your students, e.g. the role of the laity in the Church between 1945 and 1956 (from 1945-1949 in a time of revival, and then during the first years of Communism); the functioning of discipleship in the local Church fellowship, often a forgotten concept in the Church.
The fact that this is not just theoretical is illustrated by the story of Janet, an American missionary, who told me a few months after handing in her thesis how she was trying to put into practice what had been taught about discipleship at a recently established weekly Bible study group for Mongolian migrants. What a surprise! Janet did not know that the first Mongolian Christians had come to faith in Hungary even before the 'changes', or that I had been in contact with a few Mongolian girls in 1994/95, of whom one had also come to faith.
Three students, busy with their doctoral research, have also made considerable progress, and presented the first version of their dissertation. However, they quickly realised (after I, as one of their supervisors, had been through it with a red pen) that this is only the 'beginning of the end', and that “a lot of water still has to flow down the Danube” before they really finish off their work. To some of them that may have been a surprise too!
New doors opened
A request from the Gaspar Karoli Reformed University came as a complete surprise. Last year I had heard rumours every now and then that the founders, the board and the chairman of the PMTI are considering that PMTI and the Karoli University, one of the founders, would work together more closely. But you hear all sorts of things... In March I had completely reached a point of letting go entirely: Lord, what new ways do you have in store for me? I realised that I had enough work on my plate until the summer of 2007: teaching courses in Papa and at the Karoli, supervising students, preparing my second thesis for publication, giving lectures etc. There was a deep peace in me, that the Lord would show me the way in His time.
A few weeks ago the financial director of the Karoli University asked me to come and see him. He handed me a letter of appointment as a professor, with the request to work out a plan by the end of May for an institute of missiology to be newly established, with an interdenominational and international perspective.
Only in the following days did I really realise what very special doors had opened: not only the possibility to give lectures at the department of theology, but now also to the about 2,000 students studying at other departments (including those who are studying Dutch). Also to be able to provide shorter courses for pastors and other graduates and to be able to continue the postgraduate program in mission studies, as well as to have the possibility to establish a PhD programme in missiology, possibly as the only university in Central and Eastern Europe. And all of this within a clear and stable university structure, providing for the necessary administrative support and infrastructure. I hope that in a later Signs I can report on the outcome of the negotiations of the KRE about transferring the library and some offices of PMTI to the university. 'Lord, my hands were empty; now they are overflowing. Is this not a bit much, all at once?'
There were immediately a few things which came to mind: begin slowly, step by step! Furthermore, how wonderful it is that there are already many more qualified people who can teach missiology than there were ten years ago. Also, that again a great miracle is needed, just as with many similar institutes and departments, to find the necessary financial means, because the university is not able to financially support the new institute other than by providing housing and administrative support. Again the words of Ps. 37 sprang to mind, 'Commit you way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this'.
Even more surprises ...
Within ten days after I had received this request, a number of remarkable surprises came across my path. On the same day, as when Janet shared her story about the Mongolian bible study group, the annual Dutch Queen's Day celebrations were held at the residence of the Dutch ambassador. It was raining cats and dogs (that's what you say, isn't it?), which meant that the garden party was partly a washout. Most of the guests, including many ambassadors, had taken refuge in the marquee. Towards the end of the party, I got into conversation with an African guest, who it turned out came from Nigeria. Already after a few minutes it became clear that he was the pastor of an African Church in Budapest; and that his wife has a high position at the Nigerian embassy. The very day before, I had been giving a lecture about the fact that Europe has become a mission field and that increasing numbers of missionary workers are coming to Europe from, for example, Asia (South Korea) and Africa. I had recently discovered that in Kiev a Church has been started by an African, which now has 25,000 members! And now, at the embassy of all places, I had met such a person in the flesh. I did not even know that there was an African Church in Budapest! Spontaneously I enquired if he would be willing to accept an invitation for a guest lecture at the university, which took place two weeks later. Most students listened attentively. Some students were visibly touched by his testimony of how he was called to come to Europe as a missionary worker.
A few days later, I attended a lecture about the Church situation in China, which was referred to as historical. There appeared to be such a vast interest in China, that for more than an hour, one question after another was posed. Rev. Aiming Wang, vice president of Nanjing Theological Seminary, emphasised that the contacts between the Chinese Church and the Hungarian Church date from a time long before the 'changes', and he made a plea for these to be renewed and strengthened. At the end, in a personal conversation, it turned out that we had many mutual acquaintances.
At the reception, following the lecture, I met the pastor of one of the five Chinese Churches in Budapest, and an elder, also Chinese, who turned out to speaks fluent Hungarian, and Flemish, because he had been born in Belgium! When I told this story later on to the head of the department of Dutch language and culture, she immediately responded, 'But then I'll invite him to give a visiting lecture!'
Finally
In my last Signs of life, I referred to the hymn from which the title of my thesis is derived. In recent times, I have often sung, 'God moves in a mysterious way'. What particularly appealed to me were the words, 'His purpose will ripen fast, unfolding every hour. The bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower.'
In the past year, I have learned a lot about letting go, to rely on Christ in a new way as well as a sort of holy 'independence' from what others think about you, and a new sort of freedom from the time pressure under which we are so often living (of the chronos) and learned to wait more for God's time (the kairos) and to allow my life to be determined by the latter. Of course this does not mean that I do not sometimes really feel the pressure of time, particularly now in with the end of May deadline approaching!
Please pray in the coming days and weeks for wisdom to finishing the plan for the new Institute for Missiology, especially in the light of something a good friend recently asked me, 'What would you like to do with the next fifteen years of your life?' This set me thinking, 'What does the Lord want me to do?' Pray also for the rounding off of the academic year, for the conducting of oral exams, the assessment of theses etc. Pray also for someone to help me for about ten days with filing and organising my administration, preferably in the first half of June.
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 June 2006 at the Gaspar Karoli Reformed University. She is also actively involved in the Reformed Church in the high-rise residential area where she lives (Gazdagret, Budapest).
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
If you would like to support the ministry of new Institute for Missiology of the Gaspar Karoli 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.
Please indicate that this donation is for the KRE/MKI, otherwise we will not receive your contribution. Please also add the designation of your donation.
The Karoli Gaspar Reformed University / MKI, Kalvin ter 9, P.O. Box 64, 1461 Budapest, Hungary. Tel. +36 1-455 90 60. E-mail: anne-marie.kool@kre.hu or amkool@t-online.hu.
Prayer update on the ministry of the
Dr. Anne-Marie Kool
Budapest, 28th May 2006
'Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit you way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.'
Ps. 37:3-7
Dear Friends and Family,
After seven months of a 'lull', the time is ripe to give another Signs of Life from Hungary, and a long one! It has been a time in which Ps. 37 has constantly provided me with something to hold on to. 'Commit you way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.' For someone who is used to actively taking steps in sorting out difficulties, this is an important lesson! Waiting, being quiet, expecting, trusting, handing over, letting go. Anyone who has ever experienced the reorganisation of a company or organisation knows that this is usually accompanied by times of vagueness, confusion and misunderstandings. In itself, I wasn't surprised about this.
But after a period of nine months in which hardly any progress had been made in the clarification of my new job, in December the Reformed Mission League in the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (GZB) took the difficult decision to withdraw me from the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies and asked me to concentrate my activities more in the Reformed Theological Academy in Papa. After a period of eleven years a door was closed. A period of letting go, which actually began already in April of last year, entered a new phase. I had peace about it. It was not possible to work in such an unclear situation. At this time of 'loss' and in a sense a ‘divorce’, I again realised how rich I am: good health, family and friends worldwide who were prayerfully supporting me, and a very supportive local congregation in Hungary and a fellowship group in which I really feel at home.
'Trust in the Lord and do good ...'
In the meantime, my lectures and responsibilities as a supervisor continued as usual. I found great satisfaction and joy in this. The sixth year students from Papa returned with contrasting experiences of their field placements. In a role play, they depicted in which two ways you can pass on the gospel to young people today: either 'preach' at them, or try to build a bridge between their world and the gospel. My visits to some of them took me as far afield as Belfast in Northern Ireland, and a village near Belgrade in Serbia.
In the second term, an experiment was begun with 'e-learning', the use of the internet in teaching, though a collaborative project with Western Theological Seminary in Holland MI (USA). It was a completely new experience to explore the possibilities of the internet for missiological teaching. During a course on “Internet and mission”, the students from Papa discovered that they are not at all living in such great isolation as they thought, in a small town in the west of Hungary, but that they have a huge library 'in their back yard', which also contains a lot of material about mission and evangelism. Literally and figuratively, a new world opened up to them.
For the first time, I was asked to give a required Missiology course at the Gaspar Karoli Reformed University, for thirty fourth and fifth year students, a record number for me. They ventured to jump in at the deep end by participating in the 'Angel' experiment, 'Angel' being the name of the e-learning programme. We discovered that it can, of course, not be a replacement for personal contact and discussions with one another, but that it does simplify communication with the lecturer, because teaching material can be made available electronically, and assignments can also be submitted electronically.
Surprises (1)
Over the last few months there were constantly surprises, too. At the end of a visiting lecture at the university of economics at the department of sociology of religion, which was attended by eight students, three students came up to me who indicated that they were seriously considering going into mission! They were all active in the Hungarian Christian student movement, which I had known in its infancy, since the late 1980ies.
Four students from the Masters of Theology programme were visibly relieved when they handed in their theses after a time of extremely hard work. In parenthesis, to be honest, their supervisor then often breathes a sigh of relief as well! It is fascinating to go into all sorts of relevant themes with your students, e.g. the role of the laity in the Church between 1945 and 1956 (from 1945-1949 in a time of revival, and then during the first years of Communism); the functioning of discipleship in the local Church fellowship, often a forgotten concept in the Church.
The fact that this is not just theoretical is illustrated by the story of Janet, an American missionary, who told me a few months after handing in her thesis how she was trying to put into practice what had been taught about discipleship at a recently established weekly Bible study group for Mongolian migrants. What a surprise! Janet did not know that the first Mongolian Christians had come to faith in Hungary even before the 'changes', or that I had been in contact with a few Mongolian girls in 1994/95, of whom one had also come to faith.
Three students, busy with their doctoral research, have also made considerable progress, and presented the first version of their dissertation. However, they quickly realised (after I, as one of their supervisors, had been through it with a red pen) that this is only the 'beginning of the end', and that “a lot of water still has to flow down the Danube” before they really finish off their work. To some of them that may have been a surprise too!
New doors opened
A request from the Gaspar Karoli Reformed University came as a complete surprise. Last year I had heard rumours every now and then that the founders, the board and the chairman of the PMTI are considering that PMTI and the Karoli University, one of the founders, would work together more closely. But you hear all sorts of things... In March I had completely reached a point of letting go entirely: Lord, what new ways do you have in store for me? I realised that I had enough work on my plate until the summer of 2007: teaching courses in Papa and at the Karoli, supervising students, preparing my second thesis for publication, giving lectures etc. There was a deep peace in me, that the Lord would show me the way in His time.
A few weeks ago the financial director of the Karoli University asked me to come and see him. He handed me a letter of appointment as a professor, with the request to work out a plan by the end of May for an institute of missiology to be newly established, with an interdenominational and international perspective.
Only in the following days did I really realise what very special doors had opened: not only the possibility to give lectures at the department of theology, but now also to the about 2,000 students studying at other departments (including those who are studying Dutch). Also to be able to provide shorter courses for pastors and other graduates and to be able to continue the postgraduate program in mission studies, as well as to have the possibility to establish a PhD programme in missiology, possibly as the only university in Central and Eastern Europe. And all of this within a clear and stable university structure, providing for the necessary administrative support and infrastructure. I hope that in a later Signs I can report on the outcome of the negotiations of the KRE about transferring the library and some offices of PMTI to the university. 'Lord, my hands were empty; now they are overflowing. Is this not a bit much, all at once?'
There were immediately a few things which came to mind: begin slowly, step by step! Furthermore, how wonderful it is that there are already many more qualified people who can teach missiology than there were ten years ago. Also, that again a great miracle is needed, just as with many similar institutes and departments, to find the necessary financial means, because the university is not able to financially support the new institute other than by providing housing and administrative support. Again the words of Ps. 37 sprang to mind, 'Commit you way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this'.
Even more surprises ...
Within ten days after I had received this request, a number of remarkable surprises came across my path. On the same day, as when Janet shared her story about the Mongolian bible study group, the annual Dutch Queen's Day celebrations were held at the residence of the Dutch ambassador. It was raining cats and dogs (that's what you say, isn't it?), which meant that the garden party was partly a washout. Most of the guests, including many ambassadors, had taken refuge in the marquee. Towards the end of the party, I got into conversation with an African guest, who it turned out came from Nigeria. Already after a few minutes it became clear that he was the pastor of an African Church in Budapest; and that his wife has a high position at the Nigerian embassy. The very day before, I had been giving a lecture about the fact that Europe has become a mission field and that increasing numbers of missionary workers are coming to Europe from, for example, Asia (South Korea) and Africa. I had recently discovered that in Kiev a Church has been started by an African, which now has 25,000 members! And now, at the embassy of all places, I had met such a person in the flesh. I did not even know that there was an African Church in Budapest! Spontaneously I enquired if he would be willing to accept an invitation for a guest lecture at the university, which took place two weeks later. Most students listened attentively. Some students were visibly touched by his testimony of how he was called to come to Europe as a missionary worker.
A few days later, I attended a lecture about the Church situation in China, which was referred to as historical. There appeared to be such a vast interest in China, that for more than an hour, one question after another was posed. Rev. Aiming Wang, vice president of Nanjing Theological Seminary, emphasised that the contacts between the Chinese Church and the Hungarian Church date from a time long before the 'changes', and he made a plea for these to be renewed and strengthened. At the end, in a personal conversation, it turned out that we had many mutual acquaintances.
At the reception, following the lecture, I met the pastor of one of the five Chinese Churches in Budapest, and an elder, also Chinese, who turned out to speaks fluent Hungarian, and Flemish, because he had been born in Belgium! When I told this story later on to the head of the department of Dutch language and culture, she immediately responded, 'But then I'll invite him to give a visiting lecture!'
Finally
In my last Signs of life, I referred to the hymn from which the title of my thesis is derived. In recent times, I have often sung, 'God moves in a mysterious way'. What particularly appealed to me were the words, 'His purpose will ripen fast, unfolding every hour. The bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower.'
In the past year, I have learned a lot about letting go, to rely on Christ in a new way as well as a sort of holy 'independence' from what others think about you, and a new sort of freedom from the time pressure under which we are so often living (of the chronos) and learned to wait more for God's time (the kairos) and to allow my life to be determined by the latter. Of course this does not mean that I do not sometimes really feel the pressure of time, particularly now in with the end of May deadline approaching!
Please pray in the coming days and weeks for wisdom to finishing the plan for the new Institute for Missiology, especially in the light of something a good friend recently asked me, 'What would you like to do with the next fifteen years of your life?' This set me thinking, 'What does the Lord want me to do?' Pray also for the rounding off of the academic year, for the conducting of oral exams, the assessment of theses etc. Pray also for someone to help me for about ten days with filing and organising my administration, preferably in the first half of June.
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 June 2006 at the Gaspar Karoli Reformed University. She is also actively involved in the Reformed Church in the high-rise residential area where she lives (Gazdagret, Budapest).
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
If you would like to support the ministry of new Institute for Missiology of the Gaspar Karoli 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.
Please indicate that this donation is for the KRE/MKI, otherwise we will not receive your contribution. Please also add the designation of your donation.
The Karoli Gaspar Reformed University / MKI, Kalvin ter 9, P.O. Box 64, 1461 Budapest, Hungary. Tel. +36 1-455 90 60. E-mail: anne-marie.kool@kre.hu or amkool@t-online.hu.
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Signs of Life from Hungary -- 98
Signs of Life from Hungary Year XIII No. 98
Budapest, 29th October, 2005
'You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With Your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.'
Ps. 18: 28 and 29
Dear Family and Friends,
It was extremely encouraging to meet many of you during a brief visit to the Netherlands in the middle of October. I had been invited by a group of retired pastors of the Reformed Church to give a presentation about my work in Hungary. I met many clergymen there who have meant a great deal to me in the course of the years. Probing questions were asked, even with regard to the Dutch situation. How important it is that the windows of our Church life in Hungary and the Netherlands are open in order to be able to learn from each other and encourage one another. But how inclined we all are to withdraw into the security of our own walls.
Speaking of walls ...
Years ago, someone pointed out to me this text from Ps. 18 in a conversation about conquering difficulties in our lives.
'What do you need to scale a wall with God?' I was asked.
'Faith?' I proffered.
'Yes, that too. But most importantly: a wall!'
In recent weeks again I have often known that I am supported in a miraculous way by your prayers. Many responded to my Signs of Life 97. Sometimes I saw and I see only walls around me. How should I go on? And then suddenly you see a door ajar. Suddenly there seems to be some clarity. But at another moment, it is suddenly dark again and the situation looks hopeless.
What is certain is that the Lord is teaching me very many new things about Himself. Is it not the case that a palm tree grows only grows under a stone? 'He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect... He trains my hands for battle' (vs. 30b, 31, 32, 34a).
I am learning to call on God's promises in a new way: Lord, do not abandon the works of Your hands!
Will you join in praying that in and through this transition phase, His Name will be glorified and His plans will continue? And especially also that obstacles will be removed from my life in order for His streams of living water to be able to freely flow to others? (Ps 84: 6 and 7).
Opened windows ...
One of the highlights of the past month was undoubtedly the awarding of an honorary doctorate to Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, by the theological faculty of the Gaspar Karoli Reformed University in Budapest, which was celebrating its 150th anniversary. As one of the most important reasons for this honorary doctorate, the rector of the university, Prof. Ferenc Szucs, emphasised,
'It is very important for us that there is a prime minister who combines his Christian faith with politics. Balkenende is a truly reformed man.'
With the doctorate, the theological institute wanted to thank the Christian Democratic member of government for his contribution to 'Christian values in national and international politics'. Szűcs also praised the academic work of Balkenende in the time (until 2002) when he was a professor of Christian-social thinking at the Free University of Amsterdam. With this honorary doctorate, the university also wanted to express thanks for all the help which the Netherlands and the Dutch Churches have given to the Hungarian sister Churches and to the university in the course of the years.
Personally it was also very special to be involved in the background with the preparations for this joyful occasion, and unforgettable to be actively involved in the intercession during the Church service in which Prime Minister Balkenende participated. The topicality of this jubilee was emphasised by the fact that this faculty was established in the past as a Protestant theological institution in order to help Hungarian Churches to open the windows of Church life and to break with its provinciality: at that time Budapest was still a German-speaking city!
Is it not of great importance for the Hungarian, and also for the Dutch Churches, even at the beginning of the twenty-first century, to learn from one another and to promote cooperation, even with regard to the education at university level of future leaders of the Church and society?
Open doors ...
For years I have also been teaching at the theological academy in Papa, 175 km to the west of Budapest. As my responsibilities at the Missions Institute have been reduced, it is now possible to be there two days a week. Actually you should come one Monday evening and have a look around the corner of my two-room apartment, which has really become a 'home'. At seven o'clock, the students trickle in with all sorts of 'contributions' to the evening meal. One has tried out a favourite recipe, another brings something tasty from home, a third puts a pot of tea on the table. It is not unusual for there to be fifteen of us, like sardines in a tin, almost a third of all the students! After twenty minutes, all the plates are put aside and the Sing-in or a Bible study starts. At half past eight, everyone goes on his or her way, back to the studies.
I am very thankful for these fellowship evenings, for the closer contact with the students, and also that I can concentrate more on the quality of my teaching. This is not simple, because the library of the missiology faculty is still very small (perhaps a hundred books) and Budapest is not on the doorstep!
We are in the process of planning a web site to make accessible Hungarian, English and German digital sources. If you have any suggestions, I will be pleased to hear from you! Of course this is a project from which later the five other Hungarian language theological courses, which are not in Budapest, will be able to benefit. I also dream of being able to offer missiological courses through E-learning and in this way being able to make better use of the extensive internet access which there is even in Central and Eastern Europe.
Give thanks that through the introduction of the new legislation regarding higher education, the theological academy is now fully recognised at Masters' level.
In recent weeks, I have also been deeply involved in the supervision of Masters' and PhD students. There is constantly another facet of the missionary life of the Churches which is raised: one time it is about being Church in an area of high-rise flats and what should be the characteristics of pastors who lead such Churches; then it is about the way in which a Hungarian missions theologian has 'Hungarianized' input for Church renewal and evangelism from the Netherlands and Scotland. Increasingly frequently, students are occupied by the question about how to conduct missions among the Romany, the gypsies. In all cases, it is about training people who (are going to) play an active roll in the work of mission, evangelism and Church renewal.
Finally: a personal note
Recently still not much has changed in the situation of the Missions Institute. There is still much uncertainty about the future structure and my role in it. It is also not yet clear whether the postgraduate programme will be continued. To be honest, it is not always clear where the problems lie, and neither where the responsibilities and decision-making begins and ends. In some versions, I am the academic director, in others simply one of the lecturers, responsible exclusively for the postgraduate teaching. Whatever it may be, I am trying to continue my work of teaching and supervision, even though the structures are still very fluid and unclear.
Will you continue to pray for the points which I sent in Sign of Life 97? Please pray that the Matter of the extension of God's Kingdom will make progress...
I would like to thank you for your concern. In this time of uncertainty, it means a great deal to know to be supported in prayer. I feel I am very blessed with friends, in the true sense of the word, in Hungary, in Central and Eastern Europe, in the Netherlands and actually all over the world. It is a period of waiting, of learning to take on less myself, and of counting more on the Lord God, a time to look forward actively to what the Lord is going to do, a time of waiting for His surprises. Give thanks that even now the words of the wonderful hymn by William Cowper, God moves in a mysterious way are true.
God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines of never-failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs, and works His sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds ye so much dread
are big with mercy, and shall break in blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.
His purpose will ripen fast, unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower.
Blind unbelief is sure to err, and scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter, and he will make it plain.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Anne-Marie Kool
(look for pictures at: http://members.chello.nl/dvdweerd/english.htm )
Anne-Marie Kool was sent out by the Reformed Missionary League (GZB) in 1993 and seconded to the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies (PMTI) in Budapest (Hungary), a centre for missionary training and missiological reflection, established by the Hungarian Protestant Churches and the Gaspar Karoli Reformed University. Since 1998, she has also been working as a professor of missiology at the Reformed Theological Academy in Papa. To an increasing degree, the PMTI is fulfilling a regional role in Central and Eastern Europe. Anne-Marie is also actively involved in the Reformed Church in the residential area of high-rise apartments where she lives (Budapest/Gazdagret).
If you want to unsubscribe from this list, or would like one of your friends to receive the Signs of Life from Hungary, please send an e-mail to dick@vdweerd.org with the text: (un)subscribe PMTI -news.
Budapest, 29th October, 2005
'You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With Your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.'
Ps. 18: 28 and 29
Dear Family and Friends,
It was extremely encouraging to meet many of you during a brief visit to the Netherlands in the middle of October. I had been invited by a group of retired pastors of the Reformed Church to give a presentation about my work in Hungary. I met many clergymen there who have meant a great deal to me in the course of the years. Probing questions were asked, even with regard to the Dutch situation. How important it is that the windows of our Church life in Hungary and the Netherlands are open in order to be able to learn from each other and encourage one another. But how inclined we all are to withdraw into the security of our own walls.
Speaking of walls ...
Years ago, someone pointed out to me this text from Ps. 18 in a conversation about conquering difficulties in our lives.
'What do you need to scale a wall with God?' I was asked.
'Faith?' I proffered.
'Yes, that too. But most importantly: a wall!'
In recent weeks again I have often known that I am supported in a miraculous way by your prayers. Many responded to my Signs of Life 97. Sometimes I saw and I see only walls around me. How should I go on? And then suddenly you see a door ajar. Suddenly there seems to be some clarity. But at another moment, it is suddenly dark again and the situation looks hopeless.
What is certain is that the Lord is teaching me very many new things about Himself. Is it not the case that a palm tree grows only grows under a stone? 'He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect... He trains my hands for battle' (vs. 30b, 31, 32, 34a).
I am learning to call on God's promises in a new way: Lord, do not abandon the works of Your hands!
Will you join in praying that in and through this transition phase, His Name will be glorified and His plans will continue? And especially also that obstacles will be removed from my life in order for His streams of living water to be able to freely flow to others? (Ps 84: 6 and 7).
Opened windows ...
One of the highlights of the past month was undoubtedly the awarding of an honorary doctorate to Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, by the theological faculty of the Gaspar Karoli Reformed University in Budapest, which was celebrating its 150th anniversary. As one of the most important reasons for this honorary doctorate, the rector of the university, Prof. Ferenc Szucs, emphasised,
'It is very important for us that there is a prime minister who combines his Christian faith with politics. Balkenende is a truly reformed man.'
With the doctorate, the theological institute wanted to thank the Christian Democratic member of government for his contribution to 'Christian values in national and international politics'. Szűcs also praised the academic work of Balkenende in the time (until 2002) when he was a professor of Christian-social thinking at the Free University of Amsterdam. With this honorary doctorate, the university also wanted to express thanks for all the help which the Netherlands and the Dutch Churches have given to the Hungarian sister Churches and to the university in the course of the years.
Personally it was also very special to be involved in the background with the preparations for this joyful occasion, and unforgettable to be actively involved in the intercession during the Church service in which Prime Minister Balkenende participated. The topicality of this jubilee was emphasised by the fact that this faculty was established in the past as a Protestant theological institution in order to help Hungarian Churches to open the windows of Church life and to break with its provinciality: at that time Budapest was still a German-speaking city!
Is it not of great importance for the Hungarian, and also for the Dutch Churches, even at the beginning of the twenty-first century, to learn from one another and to promote cooperation, even with regard to the education at university level of future leaders of the Church and society?
Open doors ...
For years I have also been teaching at the theological academy in Papa, 175 km to the west of Budapest. As my responsibilities at the Missions Institute have been reduced, it is now possible to be there two days a week. Actually you should come one Monday evening and have a look around the corner of my two-room apartment, which has really become a 'home'. At seven o'clock, the students trickle in with all sorts of 'contributions' to the evening meal. One has tried out a favourite recipe, another brings something tasty from home, a third puts a pot of tea on the table. It is not unusual for there to be fifteen of us, like sardines in a tin, almost a third of all the students! After twenty minutes, all the plates are put aside and the Sing-in or a Bible study starts. At half past eight, everyone goes on his or her way, back to the studies.
I am very thankful for these fellowship evenings, for the closer contact with the students, and also that I can concentrate more on the quality of my teaching. This is not simple, because the library of the missiology faculty is still very small (perhaps a hundred books) and Budapest is not on the doorstep!
We are in the process of planning a web site to make accessible Hungarian, English and German digital sources. If you have any suggestions, I will be pleased to hear from you! Of course this is a project from which later the five other Hungarian language theological courses, which are not in Budapest, will be able to benefit. I also dream of being able to offer missiological courses through E-learning and in this way being able to make better use of the extensive internet access which there is even in Central and Eastern Europe.
Give thanks that through the introduction of the new legislation regarding higher education, the theological academy is now fully recognised at Masters' level.
In recent weeks, I have also been deeply involved in the supervision of Masters' and PhD students. There is constantly another facet of the missionary life of the Churches which is raised: one time it is about being Church in an area of high-rise flats and what should be the characteristics of pastors who lead such Churches; then it is about the way in which a Hungarian missions theologian has 'Hungarianized' input for Church renewal and evangelism from the Netherlands and Scotland. Increasingly frequently, students are occupied by the question about how to conduct missions among the Romany, the gypsies. In all cases, it is about training people who (are going to) play an active roll in the work of mission, evangelism and Church renewal.
Finally: a personal note
Recently still not much has changed in the situation of the Missions Institute. There is still much uncertainty about the future structure and my role in it. It is also not yet clear whether the postgraduate programme will be continued. To be honest, it is not always clear where the problems lie, and neither where the responsibilities and decision-making begins and ends. In some versions, I am the academic director, in others simply one of the lecturers, responsible exclusively for the postgraduate teaching. Whatever it may be, I am trying to continue my work of teaching and supervision, even though the structures are still very fluid and unclear.
Will you continue to pray for the points which I sent in Sign of Life 97? Please pray that the Matter of the extension of God's Kingdom will make progress...
I would like to thank you for your concern. In this time of uncertainty, it means a great deal to know to be supported in prayer. I feel I am very blessed with friends, in the true sense of the word, in Hungary, in Central and Eastern Europe, in the Netherlands and actually all over the world. It is a period of waiting, of learning to take on less myself, and of counting more on the Lord God, a time to look forward actively to what the Lord is going to do, a time of waiting for His surprises. Give thanks that even now the words of the wonderful hymn by William Cowper, God moves in a mysterious way are true.
God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines of never-failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs, and works His sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds ye so much dread
are big with mercy, and shall break in blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.
His purpose will ripen fast, unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower.
Blind unbelief is sure to err, and scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter, and he will make it plain.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Anne-Marie Kool
(look for pictures at: http://members.chello.nl/dvdweerd/english.htm )
Anne-Marie Kool was sent out by the Reformed Missionary League (GZB) in 1993 and seconded to the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies (PMTI) in Budapest (Hungary), a centre for missionary training and missiological reflection, established by the Hungarian Protestant Churches and the Gaspar Karoli Reformed University. Since 1998, she has also been working as a professor of missiology at the Reformed Theological Academy in Papa. To an increasing degree, the PMTI is fulfilling a regional role in Central and Eastern Europe. Anne-Marie is also actively involved in the Reformed Church in the residential area of high-rise apartments where she lives (Budapest/Gazdagret).
If you want to unsubscribe from this list, or would like one of your friends to receive the Signs of Life from Hungary, please send an e-mail to dick@vdweerd.org with the text: (un)subscribe PMTI -news.
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Signs of Life from Hungary -- 97
Signs of Life from Hungary Volume XII No. 97
Budapest, 24th September, 2005
“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart.”
Ps. 27: 14
Dear Family and Friends
Attached to the frame of my computer monitor, I have a card, which I once received from a good friend, with this Bible verse taken from ps. 27 in Afrikaans. “Vertrou op die Here! Wees sterk en hou goeie moed.” It is a great encouragement to me. Will you please continue to pray for the process of change in the Missions Institute?
Sunday
Give thanks for the new students who have started their theology studies at the Reformed Theological Academy in Papa. In the middle of September, a retreat was held on the theme of mission and evangelism. Please pray for the continuing work of the Holy Spirit, so that they will begin this school year with new vision. The sixth year students have begun their year of practical work, for which I am responsible, together with another colleague. Last week we started with a fellowship evening in my new apartment in Papa, where I stay two days a week.
Monday
Give thanks for the summer camp of the Budapest/Gazdagret Church, my Hungarian home church, in July, which was attended by almost 120 Church members (of the 250-300 who now regularly attend the services). Give thanks that the Church is growing strongly under the leadership of the pastors, Rev. András Lovas and Eszter Dani. Please pray for the single people, who are often bearing a huge emotional burden, that they may experience the healing hand of the Lord Jesus.
Tuesday
Hungary is in a state of transition. More authoritarian methods of leadership clash with democratic developments, often causing conflict. As a reaction to joining the EU, there is a noticeable tendency for people to withdraw into their own culture, their own people and their own Church. Please pray for an openness to cooperation with others, even in the Church.
Wednesday
As you know, there are also processes of change going on in the Missions Institute. It is still not clear in which direction the reorganisation will develop. This causes uncertainty, for me as well as for the other members of staff. Please pray for wisdom for the board, and for a spirit of love and reconciliation in the team. Pray especially that the changes will contribute to the strengthening of the work of missionary training of the Churches, and that at the same time reflection on and study of key missiological issues matters and the missiological education of pastors and other graduates will not disappear into the background.
Thursday
Please pray for the students in the postgraduate Masters program, who often combine work and family with study, pray for strength and perseverance in rounding off their Masters theses. Pray also for the plans to start a new program next year. Pray that the hindrances will disappear.
Friday
Give thanks for the many hundreds of people, young and old, who have participated in the courses and conferences of the Missions Institute over the years. Please pray that they will be useful instruments in God's hands, among the unchurched and the dechurched, and also among the Romanies and the refugees. Recently dozens of young Christians from the Middle East have been baptised.
Saturday
Like any other missionary worker, I notice that I am constantly in the midst of struggles and conflict. Please pray for good health, for strength to stand firm in the battle, and for protection. In this time of change in the Missions Institute, I sometimes feel discouraged and disappointed. Pray for much blessing and joy in giving lectures and supervising students, which I enjoy doing so much. Now in particular, your prayers and support mean a great deal.
Yours in our Lord and Saviour,
Anne-Marie Kool
Budapest, 24th September, 2005
“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart.”
Ps. 27: 14
Dear Family and Friends
Attached to the frame of my computer monitor, I have a card, which I once received from a good friend, with this Bible verse taken from ps. 27 in Afrikaans. “Vertrou op die Here! Wees sterk en hou goeie moed.” It is a great encouragement to me. Will you please continue to pray for the process of change in the Missions Institute?
Sunday
Give thanks for the new students who have started their theology studies at the Reformed Theological Academy in Papa. In the middle of September, a retreat was held on the theme of mission and evangelism. Please pray for the continuing work of the Holy Spirit, so that they will begin this school year with new vision. The sixth year students have begun their year of practical work, for which I am responsible, together with another colleague. Last week we started with a fellowship evening in my new apartment in Papa, where I stay two days a week.
Monday
Give thanks for the summer camp of the Budapest/Gazdagret Church, my Hungarian home church, in July, which was attended by almost 120 Church members (of the 250-300 who now regularly attend the services). Give thanks that the Church is growing strongly under the leadership of the pastors, Rev. András Lovas and Eszter Dani. Please pray for the single people, who are often bearing a huge emotional burden, that they may experience the healing hand of the Lord Jesus.
Tuesday
Hungary is in a state of transition. More authoritarian methods of leadership clash with democratic developments, often causing conflict. As a reaction to joining the EU, there is a noticeable tendency for people to withdraw into their own culture, their own people and their own Church. Please pray for an openness to cooperation with others, even in the Church.
Wednesday
As you know, there are also processes of change going on in the Missions Institute. It is still not clear in which direction the reorganisation will develop. This causes uncertainty, for me as well as for the other members of staff. Please pray for wisdom for the board, and for a spirit of love and reconciliation in the team. Pray especially that the changes will contribute to the strengthening of the work of missionary training of the Churches, and that at the same time reflection on and study of key missiological issues matters and the missiological education of pastors and other graduates will not disappear into the background.
Thursday
Please pray for the students in the postgraduate Masters program, who often combine work and family with study, pray for strength and perseverance in rounding off their Masters theses. Pray also for the plans to start a new program next year. Pray that the hindrances will disappear.
Friday
Give thanks for the many hundreds of people, young and old, who have participated in the courses and conferences of the Missions Institute over the years. Please pray that they will be useful instruments in God's hands, among the unchurched and the dechurched, and also among the Romanies and the refugees. Recently dozens of young Christians from the Middle East have been baptised.
Saturday
Like any other missionary worker, I notice that I am constantly in the midst of struggles and conflict. Please pray for good health, for strength to stand firm in the battle, and for protection. In this time of change in the Missions Institute, I sometimes feel discouraged and disappointed. Pray for much blessing and joy in giving lectures and supervising students, which I enjoy doing so much. Now in particular, your prayers and support mean a great deal.
Yours in our Lord and Saviour,
Anne-Marie Kool
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Signs of Life from Hungary -- 96
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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or to:
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We greatly appreciate your kind generosity in helping us equip future church leaders for Central and Eastern Europe! The doors are still open!
The Protestant Institute for Mission Studies, Kalvin ter 7.II, P.O. Box 150, 1461 Budapest, Hungary. Tel/fax + 36 1 216 20 54. E-mail: kool@pmti.edu.hu or amkool@t-online.hu.
If you want to unsubscribe from this list, or would like one of your friends to receive the Signs of Life from Hungary, send an e-mail to dick@vdweerd.org with the text: (un)subscribe PMTI -news.
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.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
If you would like to support the ministry of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies (ProTIMS), you may send your tax-deductible gifts to:
1. Overseas Council International - P.O. Box 17368, Indianapolis, IN 46217-0368. Please indicate that this donation is for ProTIMS, otherwise we will not receive your contribution. Please also add the designation of your donation.
or to:
2. The Reformed Church in America, P.O. Box 19381, Newark, NJ 07195-1938 or, in Canada, to the Regional Synod of Canada, RR #4, Cambridge, Ontario, N1R 5S5. Please include the name of the person, project or program you are supporting.
We greatly appreciate your kind generosity in helping us equip future church leaders for Central and Eastern Europe! The doors are still open!
The Protestant Institute for Mission Studies, Kalvin ter 7.II, P.O. Box 150, 1461 Budapest, Hungary. Tel/fax + 36 1 216 20 54. E-mail: kool@pmti.edu.hu or amkool@t-online.hu.
If you want to unsubscribe from this list, or would like one of your friends to receive the Signs of Life from Hungary, send an e-mail to dick@vdweerd.org with the text: (un)subscribe PMTI -news.
Saturday, May 14, 2005
Signs of Life from Hungary -- 95
Signs of Life from Hungary Volume XII No. 95
Monthly prayer update on the ministry of the
Dr. Anne-Marie Kool (PMTI)
Budapest - 14th May, 2005
Dear Family and Friends,
'... He gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised ... You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses ...' Acts 1:4, 8
Wait, receive power and be witnesses
In the overture to Pentecost, the disciples are told to wait. It is a time of looking forward, waiting and expecting. And then follows the promise: You will receive power ... and you will be My witnesses. These three things: waiting, receiving power and being witnesses belong very closely together in missionary work. I think we often reverse the order, and begin by organising campaigns and programmes to be a witness. Then we pray for the power of the Holy Spirit, and after that, we wait to see if the Lord will bless our plans.
Be ready and willing to do everything, ... to do nothing, ... to become a nobody
Recently I have frequently recalled the words of Chris Davies, an Englishwoman who for years helped in secret (as a “holy spy”) to equip Christian students in Central and Eastern Europe. When I was asked in 1985 to take over part of her work, she entrusted me with the following, 'Be ready and willing to do everything, be ready and willing to do nothing, and be ready to become a nobody.' In the past eighteen years, I have sometimes known times in which I was asked to wait, 'to do nothing', but also times of intense activity, 'to do everything', and times in which I had the feeling that I was of no significance whatsoever, 'to become a nobody'.
Changes
In the past years in which the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies has grown so expansively, there has been little time “to do nothing”. More and more has been put on my plate - teaching duties, supervisory tasks, and also many managerial responsibilities.. Over three years ago, I presented a plan to the board of the Missions Institute with a proposal to transfer those managerial tasks to someone else which were not related to academic matters and training. Last year, the board took the decision to appoint a business manager, but not much progress was made. I am therefore glad that just over a month ago, the decision was taken to appoint me as academic director, responsible only for the academic department of the Missions Institute, for program’s related to missiological education, and that an interim business manager has been appointed in the person of the present chairman of the board. This is an important step in the reorganisation of the Missions Institute. In the coming period, a business manager will be appointed. I am very pleased that in the meantime, the Reformed Missionary League (GZB) has decided to renew my contract for five years. Will you give thanks with me for these decisions, and also for the good discussions with the GZB delegation last month. Please pray especially for the board of the Missions Institute as they take further decisions about the reorganisation.
Please pray that these decisions will mean that the Missions Institute is even better than hitherto able to achieve its goal of training and equipping pastors and Churches to be witnesses 'in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth'. Will you also pray for me in these times of change?
Being witnesses in 'all Judea and Samaria'
One of the high points of recent times was undoubtedly the study trip with about twenty-five students from Hungary and the Netherlands to Vojvodina (Serbia). In this province of Serbia, which until 1921 was part of the great Hungarian Empire, there now live about two million people, of whom about twelve percent, over 200,000 people, are of Hungarian ethnic background. The Hungarian Reformed Church has about 12,000 members. Everywhere you see signs of the recent war, not only in the buildings and the infrastructure, but also among the people themselves. Suddenly the 'land of Milosevic' takes on a face. Here are some responses of the students. A Dutch student writes:
'There are many things which touched me, which I experienced as being special and which were inspiring. One of the things which touched me was the prayer topic, which the pastor of the Church in Piros presented to us, namely not intercession for a project or for the enthusiasm of the Church members, but for the fact that they were often themselves so selfish, that they might have the courage to live closer to the Gospel, and that they might have the courage to pray. Perhaps it is my Reformed point of view, but I found it very special that prayer should be requested for things, for matters, which primarily concern the relationship between man and the Word. It also indicates what is necessary here under the influence of all the ethnic tensions which there are: the power of prayer must be experienced. On the basis of this, people can work towards unity, as was demonstrated in the Baptist seminary. Despite all the differences in background and history, the Bible remains central everywhere. This must (and shall) be the beginning of unity.'
A Hungarian student writes:
'In Belgrade - it may sound rather strange - I was actually jealous of the tiny Church without a church building. I noticed that the minority position of this Church, the shared past which is so full of suffering, the times of testing and the financial problems, have brought them very close together. It was very clearly noticeable that the love, the fellowship and the shared plans are important for them. Personally, I come from a large city Church, in which people hardly know one another, let alone love one another. They have plenty of money, but their spiritual growth often stagnates. This is why I was so impressed by this Church.'
And to conclude, another Hungarian student:
'In comparison with many Churches in Hungary, the small Churches which we visited were in many respects disadvantaged. And yet, they trust in the Lord Jesus, and so they remain standing. It was incredibly good to hear of a Church which, even during the war, was busy extending the Church centre. These people did not give up, but placed their trust in God. I also learned a lot from the pastors. They do not look at the circumstances, at the many difficulties, but look to their work in the fellowship.'
Finally
In two weeks time, we hope to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Missions Institute. Please pray for a good day, on which we can thank the Lord together for everything that He has brought about for the Missions Institute. God is faithful. He will not abandon the work of His hands!
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.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
If you would like to support the ministry of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies (ProTIMS), you may send your tax-deductible gifts to:
1. Overseas Council International - P.O. Box 17368, Indianapolis, IN 46217-0368. Please indicate that this donation is for ProTIMS, otherwise we will not receive your contribution. Please also add the designation of your donation.
or to:
2. The Reformed Church in America, P.O. Box 19381, Newark, NJ 07195-1938 or, in Canada, to the Regional Synod of Canada, RR #4, Cambridge, Ontario, N1R 5S5. Please include the name of the person, project or program you are supporting.
We greatly appreciate your kind generosity in helping us equip future church leaders for Central and Eastern Europe! The doors are still open!
The Protestant Institute for Mission Studies, Kalvin ter 7.II, P.O. Box 150, 1461 Budapest, Hungary. Tel/fax + 36 1 216 20 54. E-mail: kool@pmti.edu.hu or amkool@t-online.hu.
If you want to unsubscribe from this list, or would like one of your friends to receive the Signs of Life from Hungary, send an e-mail to dick@vdweerd.org with the text: (un)subscribe PMTI -news.
Monthly prayer update on the ministry of the
Dr. Anne-Marie Kool (PMTI)
Budapest - 14th May, 2005
Dear Family and Friends,
'... He gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised ... You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses ...' Acts 1:4, 8
Wait, receive power and be witnesses
In the overture to Pentecost, the disciples are told to wait. It is a time of looking forward, waiting and expecting. And then follows the promise: You will receive power ... and you will be My witnesses. These three things: waiting, receiving power and being witnesses belong very closely together in missionary work. I think we often reverse the order, and begin by organising campaigns and programmes to be a witness. Then we pray for the power of the Holy Spirit, and after that, we wait to see if the Lord will bless our plans.
Be ready and willing to do everything, ... to do nothing, ... to become a nobody
Recently I have frequently recalled the words of Chris Davies, an Englishwoman who for years helped in secret (as a “holy spy”) to equip Christian students in Central and Eastern Europe. When I was asked in 1985 to take over part of her work, she entrusted me with the following, 'Be ready and willing to do everything, be ready and willing to do nothing, and be ready to become a nobody.' In the past eighteen years, I have sometimes known times in which I was asked to wait, 'to do nothing', but also times of intense activity, 'to do everything', and times in which I had the feeling that I was of no significance whatsoever, 'to become a nobody'.
Changes
In the past years in which the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies has grown so expansively, there has been little time “to do nothing”. More and more has been put on my plate - teaching duties, supervisory tasks, and also many managerial responsibilities.. Over three years ago, I presented a plan to the board of the Missions Institute with a proposal to transfer those managerial tasks to someone else which were not related to academic matters and training. Last year, the board took the decision to appoint a business manager, but not much progress was made. I am therefore glad that just over a month ago, the decision was taken to appoint me as academic director, responsible only for the academic department of the Missions Institute, for program’s related to missiological education, and that an interim business manager has been appointed in the person of the present chairman of the board. This is an important step in the reorganisation of the Missions Institute. In the coming period, a business manager will be appointed. I am very pleased that in the meantime, the Reformed Missionary League (GZB) has decided to renew my contract for five years. Will you give thanks with me for these decisions, and also for the good discussions with the GZB delegation last month. Please pray especially for the board of the Missions Institute as they take further decisions about the reorganisation.
Please pray that these decisions will mean that the Missions Institute is even better than hitherto able to achieve its goal of training and equipping pastors and Churches to be witnesses 'in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth'. Will you also pray for me in these times of change?
Being witnesses in 'all Judea and Samaria'
One of the high points of recent times was undoubtedly the study trip with about twenty-five students from Hungary and the Netherlands to Vojvodina (Serbia). In this province of Serbia, which until 1921 was part of the great Hungarian Empire, there now live about two million people, of whom about twelve percent, over 200,000 people, are of Hungarian ethnic background. The Hungarian Reformed Church has about 12,000 members. Everywhere you see signs of the recent war, not only in the buildings and the infrastructure, but also among the people themselves. Suddenly the 'land of Milosevic' takes on a face. Here are some responses of the students. A Dutch student writes:
'There are many things which touched me, which I experienced as being special and which were inspiring. One of the things which touched me was the prayer topic, which the pastor of the Church in Piros presented to us, namely not intercession for a project or for the enthusiasm of the Church members, but for the fact that they were often themselves so selfish, that they might have the courage to live closer to the Gospel, and that they might have the courage to pray. Perhaps it is my Reformed point of view, but I found it very special that prayer should be requested for things, for matters, which primarily concern the relationship between man and the Word. It also indicates what is necessary here under the influence of all the ethnic tensions which there are: the power of prayer must be experienced. On the basis of this, people can work towards unity, as was demonstrated in the Baptist seminary. Despite all the differences in background and history, the Bible remains central everywhere. This must (and shall) be the beginning of unity.'
A Hungarian student writes:
'In Belgrade - it may sound rather strange - I was actually jealous of the tiny Church without a church building. I noticed that the minority position of this Church, the shared past which is so full of suffering, the times of testing and the financial problems, have brought them very close together. It was very clearly noticeable that the love, the fellowship and the shared plans are important for them. Personally, I come from a large city Church, in which people hardly know one another, let alone love one another. They have plenty of money, but their spiritual growth often stagnates. This is why I was so impressed by this Church.'
And to conclude, another Hungarian student:
'In comparison with many Churches in Hungary, the small Churches which we visited were in many respects disadvantaged. And yet, they trust in the Lord Jesus, and so they remain standing. It was incredibly good to hear of a Church which, even during the war, was busy extending the Church centre. These people did not give up, but placed their trust in God. I also learned a lot from the pastors. They do not look at the circumstances, at the many difficulties, but look to their work in the fellowship.'
Finally
In two weeks time, we hope to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Missions Institute. Please pray for a good day, on which we can thank the Lord together for everything that He has brought about for the Missions Institute. God is faithful. He will not abandon the work of His hands!
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.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
If you would like to support the ministry of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies (ProTIMS), you may send your tax-deductible gifts to:
1. Overseas Council International - P.O. Box 17368, Indianapolis, IN 46217-0368. Please indicate that this donation is for ProTIMS, otherwise we will not receive your contribution. Please also add the designation of your donation.
or to:
2. The Reformed Church in America, P.O. Box 19381, Newark, NJ 07195-1938 or, in Canada, to the Regional Synod of Canada, RR #4, Cambridge, Ontario, N1R 5S5. Please include the name of the person, project or program you are supporting.
We greatly appreciate your kind generosity in helping us equip future church leaders for Central and Eastern Europe! The doors are still open!
The Protestant Institute for Mission Studies, Kalvin ter 7.II, P.O. Box 150, 1461 Budapest, Hungary. Tel/fax + 36 1 216 20 54. E-mail: kool@pmti.edu.hu or amkool@t-online.hu.
If you want to unsubscribe from this list, or would like one of your friends to receive the Signs of Life from Hungary, send an e-mail to dick@vdweerd.org with the text: (un)subscribe PMTI -news.
Friday, April 8, 2005
Signs of Life from Hungary -- 94
Signs of Life from Hungary Volume XII No. 94
Monthly prayer update on the ministry of the
Dr. Anne-Marie Kool (PMTI)
Budapest - 8th April, 2005
Dear Family and Friends,
This time a Signs of Life from a 'guest writer', Rev. Bas van der Graaf, pastor in the cathedral of Gouda (yes, where the cheese comes from!) Thank you for your prayerful concern. In the coming days and months it is important than ever to support the work of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies in prayer!
A-M
Anne-Marie took her chance to ask someone else to write an issue of Signs of Life. I also view this as an opportunity, because it gives me the chance to compile and share a few experiences. Since Wednesday 30th March, I have been staying in one of the guest rooms at the institute as part of my study furlough. I had at least five reasons for choosing to come here: 1. I wanted to get away for a while; 2. I have been learning Hungarian for a few years and wanted to make some progress in this; 3. I wanted to renew and deepen my acquaintance with Anne-Marie; 4. I wanted to spend a few weeks in a missionary environment; 5. I wanted to be open to the possibilities of doing something in the future in the area of missionary Church development in Eastern Europe. As I write this, I still have a few days to go, but I can already say, I have amply achieved the first four aims, and with regard to the fifth, the desire has only grown. Of the abundance of impressions, I will now mention three.
A special institute
I will not be the first to write this, but it is of great importance to underline and to continuing to underline the fact that the PMTI is a special institute. Undoubtedly it is unique in Eastern Europe, and unusual in Europe. Anyone who knows anything about Church life in the Netherlands will realise that it is certainly not a matter of course that Churches are really missionary-minded. Swallowed up by all sorts of internal affairs in the Church, the missionary calling is often pushed to the background. In the Church in Hungary - because of all sorts of historical factors - this is even more the case. Anyone who spends some time at the institute with this knowledge in the back of his head soon realises how special and how essential it is that there is a think tank, which gives impetus to the missionary calling. I have been impressed by the commitment and inspiration with which the staff is working. I have also greatly enjoyed the splendid library, which not only contains a large collection of missiological literature, but is also a wonderful place in which to 'refuel' for mission. On the other hand, I have understood from the past and the practices of the present that this institute is by no means yet a 'certainty'. It is a gift from above that it has been established here and - amidst the many uncertainties that are simply part of the Hungarian situation - it will have to be maintained from above. I would therefore encourage everyone reading this to remember the PMTI and the work of Anne-Marie in payer.
A special Church
On Sunday 3rd April, I attended a Church service in Gazdagrét, the Church to which Anne-Marie belongs. To my delight, I realised that I was able to follow the essence of the sermon, so this already made the service for me. But I was much more pleased about what I heard and saw. To start with, the building. All the churches I had seen in Hungary and Romania - even the new ones - were traditional in form. This building was different. With its octagonal shape, its beautiful section of stone wall with a cross in it, and the arrangement of the chairs, this church served completely and entirely for the meeting of the Church as a fellowship. And it is a fellowship, this Church. A fellowship in which people look out for one another, but where there is also an openness to the community in which the church is situated. The pastor - András Lovás - gave a wonderful sermon about John 21, in which in a special way, he was in conversation with the Church. Very consciously, he went into particular Hungarian traits, such as not directly referring to problems which we have with others. Based on the pastoral conversation of Jesus with Peter, he showed how different the Gospel is on this point. The whole service breathed an atmosphere of sincere involvement with the heart of the Gospel, and with the specific people of today. I have to say that I got a lot out of this service. Fellowships such as this will be necessary to give a future to the Church in Hungary. And I believe that the PMTI can help in this too.
A special group of students
On Wednesday 6th April, at the invitation of Anne-Marie I gave a guest lecture for a group of students. I shared something about the process of renewal which has taken place in my congregation in Gouda to give form to being a missionary Church. As a result of the large number of people attending the Alpha course, as a Church we were faced with new issues and challenges, which led us into a process of renewal, with all the joys and concerns of this. I have to say that it was a great joy for me to interact with this group of young theology students. They demonstrated a great eagerness to learn and openness to new ways in which God's Spirit wants to go. At the same time, everything makes it apparent that in their (Church) culture, they are not used to acting in the freedom of the Spirit in the world or the Church, or to using their gifts. Undoubtedly, there is still a lot of work to be done here and there are still many opportunities in this. It was precisely this afternoon that I felt the desire growing in myself in the future to share in Hungary what we received in the Netherlands a number of years ago. Of course, this will not be a question of 'exporting' things, but in open discussions stimulating one another to have great expectations of the power of the Holy Spirit, who prescribes ways in season.
Finally
I found it a privilege to spend almost two weeks in this beautiful city (with thanks to my wife, who is taking care of three teenage daughters alone). Hungary is facing huge challenges to discover in the new world after the Wall fell what 'real life' is. At the moment, incredibly many young people in Budapest believe that life is concealed in the mobile phones and all the other blessings of the new time. However, two in five young people regularly contemplate suicide, I was told be an unchurched youth. How will they believe if they have not heard? The PMTI is undoubtedly a link in God's searching love in Hungary.
Bas van der Graaf
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.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
If you would like to support the ministry of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies (ProTIMS), you may send your tax-deductible gifts to:
1. Overseas Council International - P.O. Box 17368, Indianapolis, IN 46217-0368. Please indicate that this donation is for ProTIMS, otherwise we will not receive your contribution. Please also add the designation of your donation.
or to:
2. The Reformed Church in America, P.O. Box 19381, Newark, NJ 07195-1938 or, in Canada, to the Regional Synod of Canada, RR #4, Cambridge, Ontario, N1R 5S5. Please include the name of the person, project or program you are supporting.
We greatly appreciate your kind generosity in helping us equip future church leaders for Central and Eastern Europe! The doors are still open!
The Protestant Institute for Mission Studies, Kalvin ter 7.II, P.O. Box 150, 1461 Budapest, Hungary. Tel/fax + 36 1 216 20 54. E-mail: kool@pmti.edu.hu or amkool@t-online.hu.
If you want to unsubscribe from this list, or would like one of your friends to receive the Signs of Life from Hungary, send an e-mail to dick@vdweerd.org with the text: (un)subscribe PMTI -news.
Monthly prayer update on the ministry of the
Dr. Anne-Marie Kool (PMTI)
Budapest - 8th April, 2005
Dear Family and Friends,
This time a Signs of Life from a 'guest writer', Rev. Bas van der Graaf, pastor in the cathedral of Gouda (yes, where the cheese comes from!) Thank you for your prayerful concern. In the coming days and months it is important than ever to support the work of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies in prayer!
A-M
Anne-Marie took her chance to ask someone else to write an issue of Signs of Life. I also view this as an opportunity, because it gives me the chance to compile and share a few experiences. Since Wednesday 30th March, I have been staying in one of the guest rooms at the institute as part of my study furlough. I had at least five reasons for choosing to come here: 1. I wanted to get away for a while; 2. I have been learning Hungarian for a few years and wanted to make some progress in this; 3. I wanted to renew and deepen my acquaintance with Anne-Marie; 4. I wanted to spend a few weeks in a missionary environment; 5. I wanted to be open to the possibilities of doing something in the future in the area of missionary Church development in Eastern Europe. As I write this, I still have a few days to go, but I can already say, I have amply achieved the first four aims, and with regard to the fifth, the desire has only grown. Of the abundance of impressions, I will now mention three.
A special institute
I will not be the first to write this, but it is of great importance to underline and to continuing to underline the fact that the PMTI is a special institute. Undoubtedly it is unique in Eastern Europe, and unusual in Europe. Anyone who knows anything about Church life in the Netherlands will realise that it is certainly not a matter of course that Churches are really missionary-minded. Swallowed up by all sorts of internal affairs in the Church, the missionary calling is often pushed to the background. In the Church in Hungary - because of all sorts of historical factors - this is even more the case. Anyone who spends some time at the institute with this knowledge in the back of his head soon realises how special and how essential it is that there is a think tank, which gives impetus to the missionary calling. I have been impressed by the commitment and inspiration with which the staff is working. I have also greatly enjoyed the splendid library, which not only contains a large collection of missiological literature, but is also a wonderful place in which to 'refuel' for mission. On the other hand, I have understood from the past and the practices of the present that this institute is by no means yet a 'certainty'. It is a gift from above that it has been established here and - amidst the many uncertainties that are simply part of the Hungarian situation - it will have to be maintained from above. I would therefore encourage everyone reading this to remember the PMTI and the work of Anne-Marie in payer.
A special Church
On Sunday 3rd April, I attended a Church service in Gazdagrét, the Church to which Anne-Marie belongs. To my delight, I realised that I was able to follow the essence of the sermon, so this already made the service for me. But I was much more pleased about what I heard and saw. To start with, the building. All the churches I had seen in Hungary and Romania - even the new ones - were traditional in form. This building was different. With its octagonal shape, its beautiful section of stone wall with a cross in it, and the arrangement of the chairs, this church served completely and entirely for the meeting of the Church as a fellowship. And it is a fellowship, this Church. A fellowship in which people look out for one another, but where there is also an openness to the community in which the church is situated. The pastor - András Lovás - gave a wonderful sermon about John 21, in which in a special way, he was in conversation with the Church. Very consciously, he went into particular Hungarian traits, such as not directly referring to problems which we have with others. Based on the pastoral conversation of Jesus with Peter, he showed how different the Gospel is on this point. The whole service breathed an atmosphere of sincere involvement with the heart of the Gospel, and with the specific people of today. I have to say that I got a lot out of this service. Fellowships such as this will be necessary to give a future to the Church in Hungary. And I believe that the PMTI can help in this too.
A special group of students
On Wednesday 6th April, at the invitation of Anne-Marie I gave a guest lecture for a group of students. I shared something about the process of renewal which has taken place in my congregation in Gouda to give form to being a missionary Church. As a result of the large number of people attending the Alpha course, as a Church we were faced with new issues and challenges, which led us into a process of renewal, with all the joys and concerns of this. I have to say that it was a great joy for me to interact with this group of young theology students. They demonstrated a great eagerness to learn and openness to new ways in which God's Spirit wants to go. At the same time, everything makes it apparent that in their (Church) culture, they are not used to acting in the freedom of the Spirit in the world or the Church, or to using their gifts. Undoubtedly, there is still a lot of work to be done here and there are still many opportunities in this. It was precisely this afternoon that I felt the desire growing in myself in the future to share in Hungary what we received in the Netherlands a number of years ago. Of course, this will not be a question of 'exporting' things, but in open discussions stimulating one another to have great expectations of the power of the Holy Spirit, who prescribes ways in season.
Finally
I found it a privilege to spend almost two weeks in this beautiful city (with thanks to my wife, who is taking care of three teenage daughters alone). Hungary is facing huge challenges to discover in the new world after the Wall fell what 'real life' is. At the moment, incredibly many young people in Budapest believe that life is concealed in the mobile phones and all the other blessings of the new time. However, two in five young people regularly contemplate suicide, I was told be an unchurched youth. How will they believe if they have not heard? The PMTI is undoubtedly a link in God's searching love in Hungary.
Bas van der Graaf
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.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
If you would like to support the ministry of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies (ProTIMS), you may send your tax-deductible gifts to:
1. Overseas Council International - P.O. Box 17368, Indianapolis, IN 46217-0368. Please indicate that this donation is for ProTIMS, otherwise we will not receive your contribution. Please also add the designation of your donation.
or to:
2. The Reformed Church in America, P.O. Box 19381, Newark, NJ 07195-1938 or, in Canada, to the Regional Synod of Canada, RR #4, Cambridge, Ontario, N1R 5S5. Please include the name of the person, project or program you are supporting.
We greatly appreciate your kind generosity in helping us equip future church leaders for Central and Eastern Europe! The doors are still open!
The Protestant Institute for Mission Studies, Kalvin ter 7.II, P.O. Box 150, 1461 Budapest, Hungary. Tel/fax + 36 1 216 20 54. E-mail: kool@pmti.edu.hu or amkool@t-online.hu.
If you want to unsubscribe from this list, or would like one of your friends to receive the Signs of Life from Hungary, send an e-mail to dick@vdweerd.org with the text: (un)subscribe PMTI -news.
Saturday, February 26, 2005
Signs of Life from Hungary -- 93
Signs of Life from Hungary Volume XII No. 93
Monthly prayer update on the ministry of the
Dr. Anne-Marie Kool (PMTI)
Budapest
26th February, 2005
'Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.' 1 Tim. 4:16
Dear Family and Friends,
'More and more Hungarian pastors are becoming infected by the Dutch disease!' I heard this remarkable statement yesterday in a fascinating discussion with a colleague about the Church situation in Hungary. 'For Dutch pastors, Church work has become more a job with a forty hour working week than a calling in which you are available to your Church day and night.' This mainly affects some young pastors. We were discussing this topic following an address by Bishop Dr István Szabó, in which he was evaluating his first two years in office. Of the thirteen goals he had set for himself, he had only been able to achieve one and a half of them... He was chiefly involved in finding a solution to unresolved issues from the past. Many pastors isolate themselves from their colleagues, and are not willing to be accountable neither to their presbitery, nor to the head of the diocese. Any attempt from outside to coordinate certain tasks is seen as outside interference.
The number of unchurched and dechurched people is steadily increasing. His great concern is how this large group could be activated. Much in this analysis sounded familiar to me. On the other hand, I also encounter many pastors who are near to burnout. How to respond to such this discussion?
Looking back on my furlough
After a very intense home assignment period of five weeks - the mileage on my car increased by nearly 4,000 miles, with 2,000 miles in the Netherlands alone! - I have been able to pick up the thread again relatively well. I recall the excellent meetings with my sending Churches in Houten and Oud-Alblas. Also elsewhere in the country I met great interest in our ministry. What increasingly strikes me is, that the issues of mission and evangelism which we are (trying to) dealing with in Hungary are very close to those in the Netherlands. What a challenge to be open to learning from one another!
I am very encouraged by your prayerful concern for my work here, which was evident from the pertinent questions which were asked! It was good that in Oud-Alblas there were young people taking such an active part as well. It is wonderful that Junior High School students like John are so willing to be witnesses in their classes. They are the missionaries of the future! I am also very thankful for your personal care for my well-being. In this sense, as someone put it, my home assignment really was a 'hot bath'. How wonderful to be greeted with a Sing-in. My birthday party, which so many attended, was unforgettable. I am enjoying the CD's and the beautiful books. The 'survival pack' for my retreat following, was extremely useful too.
Another highlight was the outing with my five sisters to Brussels, on the invitation of my sister Corien, who has been a Member of the European Parliament since last summer (see attached photo).
Looking back on my furlough or home assignment period, to be honest, to an increasing extent I wonder what the word 'furlough' really means. It is certainly not a 'Dutch disease'! Actually, I was more tired when I got home than when I left. 'Pay close attention to yourself ...' Please pray for wisdom in this.
Hungary, at the start of 2005
On my return, the newspapers were full of the commemoration of the 108-day siege of Budapest in 1944-45. I caught a conversation with a niece of Raul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who saved the lives of so many Jews and who mysteriously disappeared. There is also a lot of talk about the 'Hungarian tragedy of 1945': after 1945, more than 700,000 were deported to Siberia. Meanwhile in Budapest, hundreds of farmers with their tractors have been striking, because the promised EU subsidies have not been paid on time, and the national debt is apparently increasing at a record pace... Sometimes it seems as if nothing changes.
Back to work ...
Yet at the same time, there is much that is changing. For a few months now we have been busy working on modifying the curriculum of the theological seminary in Papa. It appears that throughout Hungary the level of the students who are applying to further education institutes has dropped considerably. How can we better fit in with this? It surprises me in this discussion that the question is actually not raised as to what a pastor in the Hungary of the 21st century actually ought to be able to do. The structure of the curriculum at theological schools in Hungary has actually not changed in the last twenty years. There is relatively little attention paid to how to involve Church members in Church life, how to deal with conflicts, what it means to be a missional Church etc. In short, what should be changed in the training of pastors in order for them to be able to respond to the missionary challenges of today, to the questions which Bishop Szabó was discussing? In the final interview, Levente, one of the sixth year students, who has just concluded his practical work placements, thanked me that I had given him assignments which stimulated him to leave his comfort zone and to get in touch with people on the fringes of the Church and the unchurched.
The missionary challenge of living as a minority
During her field placement in Transylvania, Noémi discovered that evangelism and missionary work also means associating with the Rumanian majority. The temptation is great for the Hungarian Church in a minority situation to concentrate on surviving, but actually the missionary challenge is to step over the ethnic boundaries! There seems to be an increasing interest in receiving training in this. Many of you who have sister Churches in Central Europe are talking about this. Could you help to make the courses and training material of the PMTI more widely known? Perhaps you know a pastor who would like to join the postgraduate program in missions, evangelism and church development, or just one or two courses. Or perhaps a youth group who would be interested in the course 'Worldchristian'.
Changes
I notice even in the team of the PMTI that there are changes taking place in society. People are much more willing to accept responsibility and take the initiative than some time ago, and this requires a different type of leadership. I often used to feel like a bus driver, who was holding the steering wheel, with the passengers patiently waiting to see where they would be taken. Now I notice that I can much better be like the conductor of an orchestra, helping each of the members of staff to play their own instrument as well as possible. This suits me better, but it means making a big adjustment! It is wonderful to notice on returning that everyone has been practicing hard to play his/her part.
Finally
You will already have gathered that in one thing, the last three months have not yet brought much change. I still have a lot on my plate. Sometimes I really have the feeling of being at the limit, but then suddenly I notice I receive new strength to go on. Please pray for wisdom to say no. 'Pay close attention to yourself...' Please pray also that I may really find moments of peace and relaxation, or to read a good book.
Yours sincerely Christ,
Anne- Marie Kool
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.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
If you would like to support the ministry of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies (ProTIMS), you may send your tax-deductible gifts to:
1. Overseas Council International - P.O. Box 17368, Indianapolis, IN 46217-0368. Please indicate that this donation is for ProTIMS, otherwise we will not receive your contribution. Please also add the designation of your donation.
or to:
2. The Reformed Church in America, P.O. Box 19381, Newark, NJ 07195-1938 or, in Canada, to the Regional Synod of Canada, RR #4, Cambridge, Ontario, N1R 5S5. Please include the name of the person, project or program you are supporting.
We greatly appreciate your kind generosity in helping us equip future church leaders for Central and Eastern Europe! The doors are still open!
The Protestant Institute for Mission Studies, Kalvin ter 7.II, P.O. Box 150, 1461 Budapest, Hungary. Tel/fax + 36 1 216 20 54. E-mail: kool@pmti.edu.hu or amkool@t-online.hu.
If you want to unsubscribe from this list, or would like one of your friends to receive the Signs of Life from Hungary, send an e-mail to dick@vdweerd.org with the text: (un)subscribe PMTI -news.
Monthly prayer update on the ministry of the
Dr. Anne-Marie Kool (PMTI)
Budapest
26th February, 2005
'Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.' 1 Tim. 4:16
Dear Family and Friends,
'More and more Hungarian pastors are becoming infected by the Dutch disease!' I heard this remarkable statement yesterday in a fascinating discussion with a colleague about the Church situation in Hungary. 'For Dutch pastors, Church work has become more a job with a forty hour working week than a calling in which you are available to your Church day and night.' This mainly affects some young pastors. We were discussing this topic following an address by Bishop Dr István Szabó, in which he was evaluating his first two years in office. Of the thirteen goals he had set for himself, he had only been able to achieve one and a half of them... He was chiefly involved in finding a solution to unresolved issues from the past. Many pastors isolate themselves from their colleagues, and are not willing to be accountable neither to their presbitery, nor to the head of the diocese. Any attempt from outside to coordinate certain tasks is seen as outside interference.
The number of unchurched and dechurched people is steadily increasing. His great concern is how this large group could be activated. Much in this analysis sounded familiar to me. On the other hand, I also encounter many pastors who are near to burnout. How to respond to such this discussion?
Looking back on my furlough
After a very intense home assignment period of five weeks - the mileage on my car increased by nearly 4,000 miles, with 2,000 miles in the Netherlands alone! - I have been able to pick up the thread again relatively well. I recall the excellent meetings with my sending Churches in Houten and Oud-Alblas. Also elsewhere in the country I met great interest in our ministry. What increasingly strikes me is, that the issues of mission and evangelism which we are (trying to) dealing with in Hungary are very close to those in the Netherlands. What a challenge to be open to learning from one another!
I am very encouraged by your prayerful concern for my work here, which was evident from the pertinent questions which were asked! It was good that in Oud-Alblas there were young people taking such an active part as well. It is wonderful that Junior High School students like John are so willing to be witnesses in their classes. They are the missionaries of the future! I am also very thankful for your personal care for my well-being. In this sense, as someone put it, my home assignment really was a 'hot bath'. How wonderful to be greeted with a Sing-in. My birthday party, which so many attended, was unforgettable. I am enjoying the CD's and the beautiful books. The 'survival pack' for my retreat following, was extremely useful too.
Another highlight was the outing with my five sisters to Brussels, on the invitation of my sister Corien, who has been a Member of the European Parliament since last summer (see attached photo).
Looking back on my furlough or home assignment period, to be honest, to an increasing extent I wonder what the word 'furlough' really means. It is certainly not a 'Dutch disease'! Actually, I was more tired when I got home than when I left. 'Pay close attention to yourself ...' Please pray for wisdom in this.
Hungary, at the start of 2005
On my return, the newspapers were full of the commemoration of the 108-day siege of Budapest in 1944-45. I caught a conversation with a niece of Raul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who saved the lives of so many Jews and who mysteriously disappeared. There is also a lot of talk about the 'Hungarian tragedy of 1945': after 1945, more than 700,000 were deported to Siberia. Meanwhile in Budapest, hundreds of farmers with their tractors have been striking, because the promised EU subsidies have not been paid on time, and the national debt is apparently increasing at a record pace... Sometimes it seems as if nothing changes.
Back to work ...
Yet at the same time, there is much that is changing. For a few months now we have been busy working on modifying the curriculum of the theological seminary in Papa. It appears that throughout Hungary the level of the students who are applying to further education institutes has dropped considerably. How can we better fit in with this? It surprises me in this discussion that the question is actually not raised as to what a pastor in the Hungary of the 21st century actually ought to be able to do. The structure of the curriculum at theological schools in Hungary has actually not changed in the last twenty years. There is relatively little attention paid to how to involve Church members in Church life, how to deal with conflicts, what it means to be a missional Church etc. In short, what should be changed in the training of pastors in order for them to be able to respond to the missionary challenges of today, to the questions which Bishop Szabó was discussing? In the final interview, Levente, one of the sixth year students, who has just concluded his practical work placements, thanked me that I had given him assignments which stimulated him to leave his comfort zone and to get in touch with people on the fringes of the Church and the unchurched.
The missionary challenge of living as a minority
During her field placement in Transylvania, Noémi discovered that evangelism and missionary work also means associating with the Rumanian majority. The temptation is great for the Hungarian Church in a minority situation to concentrate on surviving, but actually the missionary challenge is to step over the ethnic boundaries! There seems to be an increasing interest in receiving training in this. Many of you who have sister Churches in Central Europe are talking about this. Could you help to make the courses and training material of the PMTI more widely known? Perhaps you know a pastor who would like to join the postgraduate program in missions, evangelism and church development, or just one or two courses. Or perhaps a youth group who would be interested in the course 'Worldchristian'.
Changes
I notice even in the team of the PMTI that there are changes taking place in society. People are much more willing to accept responsibility and take the initiative than some time ago, and this requires a different type of leadership. I often used to feel like a bus driver, who was holding the steering wheel, with the passengers patiently waiting to see where they would be taken. Now I notice that I can much better be like the conductor of an orchestra, helping each of the members of staff to play their own instrument as well as possible. This suits me better, but it means making a big adjustment! It is wonderful to notice on returning that everyone has been practicing hard to play his/her part.
Finally
You will already have gathered that in one thing, the last three months have not yet brought much change. I still have a lot on my plate. Sometimes I really have the feeling of being at the limit, but then suddenly I notice I receive new strength to go on. Please pray for wisdom to say no. 'Pay close attention to yourself...' Please pray also that I may really find moments of peace and relaxation, or to read a good book.
Yours sincerely Christ,
Anne- Marie Kool
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.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
If you would like to support the ministry of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies (ProTIMS), you may send your tax-deductible gifts to:
1. Overseas Council International - P.O. Box 17368, Indianapolis, IN 46217-0368. Please indicate that this donation is for ProTIMS, otherwise we will not receive your contribution. Please also add the designation of your donation.
or to:
2. The Reformed Church in America, P.O. Box 19381, Newark, NJ 07195-1938 or, in Canada, to the Regional Synod of Canada, RR #4, Cambridge, Ontario, N1R 5S5. Please include the name of the person, project or program you are supporting.
We greatly appreciate your kind generosity in helping us equip future church leaders for Central and Eastern Europe! The doors are still open!
The Protestant Institute for Mission Studies, Kalvin ter 7.II, P.O. Box 150, 1461 Budapest, Hungary. Tel/fax + 36 1 216 20 54. E-mail: kool@pmti.edu.hu or amkool@t-online.hu.
If you want to unsubscribe from this list, or would like one of your friends to receive the Signs of Life from Hungary, send an e-mail to dick@vdweerd.org with the text: (un)subscribe PMTI -news.
Saturday, December 4, 2004
Signs of Life from Hungary -- 92
Signs of Life from Hungary Volume XII No. 92
Monthly prayer update on the ministry of the
Protestant Institute for Mission Studies
by Anne-Marie Kool
Budapest, 4 December, 2004
'The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear?... Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.' Psalm 27:1, 14
Dear Friends,
This letter was planned to be written at least ten times, finally I manage to spend a few hours to “visit” you and to share some highlights and disappointments of this past year. I was a year with ups and downs. Often I felt stretched to the limit, especially when our financial director resigned unexpectedly in August and I had keep things going till we found a replacement in October. But I feel a great sense of thankfulness and reward when observing students stepping out of their own little world and develop a sense of importance for their churches to be involved in missions. Pastors in remoted areas hunger to be equipped to help their churches grow into missionary congregations. I am also very thankful for the growth in our PMTI team. Thank you so much for your faithful support and prayers!
Recently it has struck me how often the word 'fear' is used. There is fear about the political tensions in Ukraine, which might get out of hand, fear of terrorist attacks, of extremist expressions of Islam. In our personal life too, we may, consciously or subconsciously, be carrying fear, anxiety around with us: fear of illness; of people - how we can fulfil expectations; of the future - will we still have a job next year, how will we manage financially? Does it sound familiar to you? Psalm 27 talks about a different sort of fear: fear, respect for the Lord. In times of uncertainty, in which it seems as if the situation in which we are living may cause us to be seized by fear, we are called upon to fix our eyes on Him. After all, He has this world in His hand, does He not?! This has a liberating effect. Advent time, like Psalm 27, is a reminder to us that we should depend on Him for everything in our lives, and place our trust in Him, the Child of Bethlehem, the Saviour of the world.
How do we deal with minorities?
Even in Hungary, the events around the murder of a famous Dutch cineast Theo van Gogh raised a dust. It is striking how often concerns are expressed in one-sided generalisations: Islam wants to marginalize Christians in the Netherlands; foreigners are not willing to integrate into Dutch society; they only want to take advantage. Perhaps these responses reflect something of the way in which people themselves deal with minorities. This is one of the great issues in Central and Eastern Europe!
Missionary challenge of the first degree
During a seminar for pastors who are working on their doctoral research, the subject of minorities and mission was raised. What does it mean to be a missionary congregation as a small Protestant minority in Poland? How should the Churches in Slovakia (and elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe) deal with the gypsy minority? The questions came very close to home when we realised that our society actually consists of a large number of minority groups: those who live in the large suburbs, those in the rural areas, but also the business world, etc. Actually, in the work of missions and evangelism, it is always a matter of a meeting with people who are 'different' from us. But what we all have in common is that we are created by God. It is a question of building bridges, of working to transcend borders. As the Church of Jesus Christ, we can show something of the grace of God to the world in which we are placed.
Some random comments from Hungary ...
Some random remarks from the discussions which stayed with me. Actually they are questions which have occupied us for a long time in the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies.
* Both in Hungary and in the Netherlands there is a growing aggressive, militant secularised conviction. Anything related to God is mocked. It seems as if there is selective tolerance.
* Many Christians in Europe have a deep sense of uncertainty: does our faith have anything to say to our secularised society, to public life? Can our Christian faith cope with a discussion with those of different opinions and a different faith? How can we conduct a dialogue which is a testimony? Is it not much safer to withdraw behind safe walls and to conserve what we have?
* To an increasing extent, we are experiencing that Europe is a mission field, in which we all, pastors and Church members, must learn to put into practice the lessons of global mission - for example, how do you deal with people of another religions, another ethnic or cultural backgrounds. We can also learn a lot from Churches on different continents about what it means to live as a minority in a non-Christian society.
* To what extent are our Church structures a help or a hindrance in being a witnessing presence in our society? To what extent do they provide a platform to strengthen our faith and from which to discuss the issues which come up in conversation with others? To what extent are they attractive to young people who believe in 'something'?
* Whether the minorities in our midst are called Muslims or gypsies, the question is, to what extent should society as a whole adapt and be open to 'the stranger in its midst'? What could be the role of the Churches in this?
Dealing with minorities in practice
Recently I visited a Church just to the south of Budapest, which actually came into being through concern for a minority, for a group of twenty (former) alcoholics! It is, therefore, no surprise that in four years time, this Church has grown to over 130 people. Last year, about twenty young families joined, after a meeting was started for mothers with young children. In the kitchen, I have a chat with his wife. It is something I often hear, 'Actually, we are at the end of our tether! András is so busy with Church work that he hardly has time for his family. It is very difficult to involve church members.'
Training to deal with minorities
Indeed, it often seems very difficult for Church members to accept more responsibility. It is not easy to break through old thought patterns and structures. This made it an extremely impressive occasion at the beginning of November when the first students on the Light for the World course were commissioned with the laying on of hands to take an active role in their Churches in the work of missions and evangelism.
Tina, one of the students on the postdoctoral course, is also confronted with this daily. She told me how in Estonia she struggles to involve the dechurched and the unchurched more in Church life, and to proclaim the Word of God to them in a relevant way. The day before she came to Budapest, she had to bury a mafia boss. She was still broken by the experience. The great question which occupies her is how theological education in her country can be more directed towards mission.
The question of minorities and equipping pastors for this crucial issue is actually central to the work of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies. Soon we will again be starting the postgraduate (MTh) course for pastors, aimed at this difficult area. You recently received an information leaflet about this. Please contact Enikő Ferenczy (ferenczy@pmti.edu.hu) if you know someone interested in this program.
Finally
In our efforts to teach and train students to deal with minorities from a missions perspective we are in need of some specific educational and library tools. Audiovisual equipment (videocamera, computer projector etc.) would greatly extend the quality of our education, a licence for access to electronic journals would be of great help our students in their research. One of our partners (OCI) informed us that someone in America is willing to match donations to the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies for such educational tools and library development up to 10,000 USD. The condition is that the gifts towards this match be transferred to the bank account of OCI by 31st December at the latest. This project will greatly help us improve our efforts to teach and train students to become agents of renewal in their churches. Could you help us make the impossible possible?
On 17th December I will leave for a month’s home assignment to the Netherlands. The first two weeks of January I embark on an intensive speaking tour. Please pray for joy and strength in meeting my family and friends in the Netherlands.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Anne- Marie Kool
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.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
If you would like to support the ministry of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies (ProTIMS), you may send your tax-deductible gifts to:
1. Overseas Council International - P.O. Box 17368, Indianapolis, IN 46217-0368. Please indicate that this donation is for ProTIMS, otherwise we will not receive your contribution. Please also add the designation of your donation.
or to:
2. The Reformed Church in America, P.O. Box 19381, Newark, NJ 07195-1938 or, in Canada, to the Regional Synod of Canada, RR #4, Cambridge, Ontario, N1R 5S5. Please include the name of the person, project or program you are supporting.
We greatly appreciate your kind generosity in helping us equip future church leaders for Central and Eastern Europe! The doors are still open!
The Protestant Institute for Mission Studies, Kalvin ter 7.II, P.O. Box 150, 1461 Budapest, Hungary. Tel/fax + 36 1 216 20 54. E-mail: kool@pmti.edu.hu or amkool@axelero.hu.
PLEASE NOTE THAT MY COMPUSERVE ADDRESS HAS BEEN DISCONNECTED!!
If you want to unsubscribe from this list, or would like one of your friends to receive the Signs of Life from Hungary, send an e-mail to dick@vdweerd.org with the text: (un)subscribe PMTI -news.
Monthly prayer update on the ministry of the
Protestant Institute for Mission Studies
by Anne-Marie Kool
Budapest, 4 December, 2004
'The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear?... Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.' Psalm 27:1, 14
Dear Friends,
This letter was planned to be written at least ten times, finally I manage to spend a few hours to “visit” you and to share some highlights and disappointments of this past year. I was a year with ups and downs. Often I felt stretched to the limit, especially when our financial director resigned unexpectedly in August and I had keep things going till we found a replacement in October. But I feel a great sense of thankfulness and reward when observing students stepping out of their own little world and develop a sense of importance for their churches to be involved in missions. Pastors in remoted areas hunger to be equipped to help their churches grow into missionary congregations. I am also very thankful for the growth in our PMTI team. Thank you so much for your faithful support and prayers!
Recently it has struck me how often the word 'fear' is used. There is fear about the political tensions in Ukraine, which might get out of hand, fear of terrorist attacks, of extremist expressions of Islam. In our personal life too, we may, consciously or subconsciously, be carrying fear, anxiety around with us: fear of illness; of people - how we can fulfil expectations; of the future - will we still have a job next year, how will we manage financially? Does it sound familiar to you? Psalm 27 talks about a different sort of fear: fear, respect for the Lord. In times of uncertainty, in which it seems as if the situation in which we are living may cause us to be seized by fear, we are called upon to fix our eyes on Him. After all, He has this world in His hand, does He not?! This has a liberating effect. Advent time, like Psalm 27, is a reminder to us that we should depend on Him for everything in our lives, and place our trust in Him, the Child of Bethlehem, the Saviour of the world.
How do we deal with minorities?
Even in Hungary, the events around the murder of a famous Dutch cineast Theo van Gogh raised a dust. It is striking how often concerns are expressed in one-sided generalisations: Islam wants to marginalize Christians in the Netherlands; foreigners are not willing to integrate into Dutch society; they only want to take advantage. Perhaps these responses reflect something of the way in which people themselves deal with minorities. This is one of the great issues in Central and Eastern Europe!
Missionary challenge of the first degree
During a seminar for pastors who are working on their doctoral research, the subject of minorities and mission was raised. What does it mean to be a missionary congregation as a small Protestant minority in Poland? How should the Churches in Slovakia (and elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe) deal with the gypsy minority? The questions came very close to home when we realised that our society actually consists of a large number of minority groups: those who live in the large suburbs, those in the rural areas, but also the business world, etc. Actually, in the work of missions and evangelism, it is always a matter of a meeting with people who are 'different' from us. But what we all have in common is that we are created by God. It is a question of building bridges, of working to transcend borders. As the Church of Jesus Christ, we can show something of the grace of God to the world in which we are placed.
Some random comments from Hungary ...
Some random remarks from the discussions which stayed with me. Actually they are questions which have occupied us for a long time in the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies.
* Both in Hungary and in the Netherlands there is a growing aggressive, militant secularised conviction. Anything related to God is mocked. It seems as if there is selective tolerance.
* Many Christians in Europe have a deep sense of uncertainty: does our faith have anything to say to our secularised society, to public life? Can our Christian faith cope with a discussion with those of different opinions and a different faith? How can we conduct a dialogue which is a testimony? Is it not much safer to withdraw behind safe walls and to conserve what we have?
* To an increasing extent, we are experiencing that Europe is a mission field, in which we all, pastors and Church members, must learn to put into practice the lessons of global mission - for example, how do you deal with people of another religions, another ethnic or cultural backgrounds. We can also learn a lot from Churches on different continents about what it means to live as a minority in a non-Christian society.
* To what extent are our Church structures a help or a hindrance in being a witnessing presence in our society? To what extent do they provide a platform to strengthen our faith and from which to discuss the issues which come up in conversation with others? To what extent are they attractive to young people who believe in 'something'?
* Whether the minorities in our midst are called Muslims or gypsies, the question is, to what extent should society as a whole adapt and be open to 'the stranger in its midst'? What could be the role of the Churches in this?
Dealing with minorities in practice
Recently I visited a Church just to the south of Budapest, which actually came into being through concern for a minority, for a group of twenty (former) alcoholics! It is, therefore, no surprise that in four years time, this Church has grown to over 130 people. Last year, about twenty young families joined, after a meeting was started for mothers with young children. In the kitchen, I have a chat with his wife. It is something I often hear, 'Actually, we are at the end of our tether! András is so busy with Church work that he hardly has time for his family. It is very difficult to involve church members.'
Training to deal with minorities
Indeed, it often seems very difficult for Church members to accept more responsibility. It is not easy to break through old thought patterns and structures. This made it an extremely impressive occasion at the beginning of November when the first students on the Light for the World course were commissioned with the laying on of hands to take an active role in their Churches in the work of missions and evangelism.
Tina, one of the students on the postdoctoral course, is also confronted with this daily. She told me how in Estonia she struggles to involve the dechurched and the unchurched more in Church life, and to proclaim the Word of God to them in a relevant way. The day before she came to Budapest, she had to bury a mafia boss. She was still broken by the experience. The great question which occupies her is how theological education in her country can be more directed towards mission.
The question of minorities and equipping pastors for this crucial issue is actually central to the work of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies. Soon we will again be starting the postgraduate (MTh) course for pastors, aimed at this difficult area. You recently received an information leaflet about this. Please contact Enikő Ferenczy (ferenczy@pmti.edu.hu) if you know someone interested in this program.
Finally
In our efforts to teach and train students to deal with minorities from a missions perspective we are in need of some specific educational and library tools. Audiovisual equipment (videocamera, computer projector etc.) would greatly extend the quality of our education, a licence for access to electronic journals would be of great help our students in their research. One of our partners (OCI) informed us that someone in America is willing to match donations to the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies for such educational tools and library development up to 10,000 USD. The condition is that the gifts towards this match be transferred to the bank account of OCI by 31st December at the latest. This project will greatly help us improve our efforts to teach and train students to become agents of renewal in their churches. Could you help us make the impossible possible?
On 17th December I will leave for a month’s home assignment to the Netherlands. The first two weeks of January I embark on an intensive speaking tour. Please pray for joy and strength in meeting my family and friends in the Netherlands.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Anne- Marie Kool
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.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
If you would like to support the ministry of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies (ProTIMS), you may send your tax-deductible gifts to:
1. Overseas Council International - P.O. Box 17368, Indianapolis, IN 46217-0368. Please indicate that this donation is for ProTIMS, otherwise we will not receive your contribution. Please also add the designation of your donation.
or to:
2. The Reformed Church in America, P.O. Box 19381, Newark, NJ 07195-1938 or, in Canada, to the Regional Synod of Canada, RR #4, Cambridge, Ontario, N1R 5S5. Please include the name of the person, project or program you are supporting.
We greatly appreciate your kind generosity in helping us equip future church leaders for Central and Eastern Europe! The doors are still open!
The Protestant Institute for Mission Studies, Kalvin ter 7.II, P.O. Box 150, 1461 Budapest, Hungary. Tel/fax + 36 1 216 20 54. E-mail: kool@pmti.edu.hu or amkool@axelero.hu.
PLEASE NOTE THAT MY COMPUSERVE ADDRESS HAS BEEN DISCONNECTED!!
If you want to unsubscribe from this list, or would like one of your friends to receive the Signs of Life from Hungary, send an e-mail to dick@vdweerd.org with the text: (un)subscribe PMTI -news.
Friday, September 24, 2004
Signs of Life from Hungary -- 91
Signs of Life from Hungary Volume XI No. 91
Monthly prayer update on the ministry of the
Protestant Institute for Mission Studies
by Anne-Marie Kool
Budapest, 24th September, 2004
'Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.' 1 Th 5:16-18
Dear Friends,
Once a year I am asked to supply a contribution to the prayer calendar of the Reformed Mission League (GZB) within the Reformed Church in the Netherlands. This is a very useful tool to pray in a very specific way for missions as a family, prayer group or Church. This prayer letter contains the contribution to this prayer calendar.
Give thanks ...
After having experienced the building of the Gazdagret church at close quarters for three years, it was a great blessing to be at the official opening last week. It was very encouraging to see a large delegation from my Dutch sending church, Houten. How enjoyable it was to have you to dinner! It is good to strengthen the links again. The church really stands as a token of God's Kingdom at a very central location in the neighbourhood. Every Sunday morning, we see new faces. There is growth, in the spiritual sense as well. It recently struck me that since last year, in three families a husband or wife that was inactive up to now has been to Church every Sunday and is (again) actively involved.
Pray ...
The Protestant Institute for Mission Studies is buzzing with activity at the beginning of the academic year. On Saturday of last week, we held the first exams based on the missions course for Church members. It was extremely encouraging to hear how the course days, the essays and the practical placements had helped the students gain new insight into the task and calling of missions and evangelism. They had carried out their course assignments with much dedication and faithfulness.
Please pray that they may really be a shining light and salt for the earth wherever the Lord has placed them or will place them.
Pray, too, for two important vacancies in the Mission Studies Institute. We are urgently looking for a director of finance, as well as a managing director. Pray also that the Lord will provide the necessary finances.
Give thanks and pray
Recently we heard from one of our partners (OCI) that someone in America is willing to match donations to the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies for educational tools and library development (computers, audiovisual equipment, book acquisition etc.) up to 10,000 USD. The condition is that the gifts towards this match be transferred to the bank account of OCI by 31st December at the latest. This project will greatly help us improve our efforts to teach and train students to become agents of renewal in their churches. Please pray for a miracle, that this matching opportunity be used to its fullness for the improvement of our library and training programs!
Prayer calendar – Why not stick it on your notice board?
Sunday
Give thanks for the Church in Budapest-Gazdagret, where a new church building was recently officially opened. Give thanks for the many new faces. Please pray that the Church may grow as an open, witnessing, missionary fellowship under the leadership of the pastors, Rev. András Lovas and Rev. Eszter Dani. Give thanks for the good contacts that Anne-Marie has with her neighbours, and pray that they may find the way to Christ.
Monday
Give thanks that an awareness is growing in the Hungarian Churches of the mission field close to home: between 600,000 and one million Gypsies. Pray that the love and care for this minority may increase and that prejudices will disappear. Pray for Boglarka, a recently graduated theology student, who has started to work with Gypsies. There is much division among those involved in this difficult work. Please pray for wisdom for the head of the department of missions and evangelism of the Reformed Church of Hungary, Ms Zita P. Toth, in establishing the relevant missionary structures.
Tuesday
In a short time, much has changed in Hungarian society. Many, often overburdened, pastors are struggling with the problem of how to keep young people in the Church. They often feel powerless. Some of them decide to proceed with graduate studies. Please pray for these students in the Master of Theology program, who frequently have to combine study with work and family, that they will have strengt, perseverance, time and money to complete their studies. Pray also for the initiative to start a new entering class soon.
Wednesday
A young surgeon from a town sixty kilometres to the south of Budapest, who until a year and a half ago was addicted to alcohol, took part in our “The World Christian” course. After his two-week practical placement, he felt called to set up a refuge for alcoholics and the homeless. Please pray for him and for the nine other graduates, that they will be useful instruments in God's Kingdom, a real light for the world! (“Light for the World” is the Hungarian title of the course.)
Thursday
There is a definite increase to be seen in the need for missionary training. The Mission Institute organises training conferences, provides courses in missions and evangelism, and publishes handbooks and training material for this. Give thanks for the staff and the board, for their dedication and efforts. Because of the great increase in the cost of living, there are still worries regarding to the budget of the Mission Studies Institute. Will you pray for a solution?
Friday
A praying home front is a great blessing for a missionary worker. Give thanks for the interest of the Church in Houten and also in Oud-Alblas. But the foundation is too narrow. Please pray that the coming period of home assignment (18th December - 14th January) will lead to a lasting broadening and deepening of contacts with Churches in the Netherlands who want to make a contribution to the work of missions and evangelism in Hungary and Central and Eastern Europe. Praise the Lord also for the many churches in America who have pledged to support the ministry of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies.
Saturday
Give thanks for the fruit of Anne-Marie Kool's work. Just like Nehemiah, a missionary worker experiences blessing in the work, but also opposition. Please pray for good health, for strength to stand firm in the battle, and for protection. Pray especially that she may follow her Lord and Saviour in all faithfulness and humility."
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Anne- Marie Kool
Anne-Marie Kool was commissioned by the Reformed Missionary Union (GZB) of the Dutch Reformed Church in 1993 and is working as the Professor of Missiology and Director of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies (PMTI) in Budapest (Hungary). This is a centre for missionary training and missiological reflection for the Hungarian Churches. To an increasing extent, the Mission Institute is also fulfilling a regional role in Central and Eastern Europe. Anne-Marie is also actively involved in the Reformed Church in the area of high-rise residential buildings where she lives (Budapest-Gazdagret).
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
If you would like to support the ministry of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies (ProTIMS), you may send your tax-deductible gifts to:
1. Overseas Council International - P.O. Box 17368, Indianapolis, IN 46217-0368. Please indicate that this donation is for ProTIMS, otherwise we will not receive your contribution. Please also add the designation of your donation.
or to:
2. The Reformed Church in America, P.O. Box 19381, Newark, NJ 07195-1938 or, in Canada, to the Regional Synod of Canada, RR #4, Cambridge, Ontario, N1R 5S5. Please include the name of the person, project or program you are supporting.
3. I.D.E.A Ministries, 4595 Broadmoor—Suite 237, Grand Rapids, MI 49512, USA. Also in this case please indicate that this donation is for ProTIMS, otherwise we will not receive your contribution. Please also add the designation of your donation.
4. You could also send your donation directly to our Hungarian Bank:
You can also send a donation directly to Hungary:
Account No: USD account number: HU36105600000772300102010108
EUR account number: HU28105600000772300122010100
Name of account: Protestáns Missziói Tanulmányi Intézet Alapítvány
Name of bank: General Banking and Trust Co.Ltd, H-1092 Budapest, Ráday u. 42-44.
Swift code: AEBBHUHB
Bank swift code: AEBBHUHB
We greatly appreciate your kind generosity in helping us equip future church leaders for Central and Eastern Europe! The doors are still open!
The Protestant Institute for Mission Studies, Kalvin ter 7.II, P.O. Box 150, 1461 Budapest, Hungary. Tel/fax + 36 1 216 20 54. E-mail: kool@pmti.edu.hu or amkool@axelero.hu.
If you want to unsubscribe from this list, or would like one of your friends to receive the Signs of Life from Hungary, send an e-mail to dick@vdweerd.org with the text: (un)subscribe PMTI -news.
Monthly prayer update on the ministry of the
Protestant Institute for Mission Studies
by Anne-Marie Kool
Budapest, 24th September, 2004
'Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.' 1 Th 5:16-18
Dear Friends,
Once a year I am asked to supply a contribution to the prayer calendar of the Reformed Mission League (GZB) within the Reformed Church in the Netherlands. This is a very useful tool to pray in a very specific way for missions as a family, prayer group or Church. This prayer letter contains the contribution to this prayer calendar.
Give thanks ...
After having experienced the building of the Gazdagret church at close quarters for three years, it was a great blessing to be at the official opening last week. It was very encouraging to see a large delegation from my Dutch sending church, Houten. How enjoyable it was to have you to dinner! It is good to strengthen the links again. The church really stands as a token of God's Kingdom at a very central location in the neighbourhood. Every Sunday morning, we see new faces. There is growth, in the spiritual sense as well. It recently struck me that since last year, in three families a husband or wife that was inactive up to now has been to Church every Sunday and is (again) actively involved.
Pray ...
The Protestant Institute for Mission Studies is buzzing with activity at the beginning of the academic year. On Saturday of last week, we held the first exams based on the missions course for Church members. It was extremely encouraging to hear how the course days, the essays and the practical placements had helped the students gain new insight into the task and calling of missions and evangelism. They had carried out their course assignments with much dedication and faithfulness.
Please pray that they may really be a shining light and salt for the earth wherever the Lord has placed them or will place them.
Pray, too, for two important vacancies in the Mission Studies Institute. We are urgently looking for a director of finance, as well as a managing director. Pray also that the Lord will provide the necessary finances.
Give thanks and pray
Recently we heard from one of our partners (OCI) that someone in America is willing to match donations to the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies for educational tools and library development (computers, audiovisual equipment, book acquisition etc.) up to 10,000 USD. The condition is that the gifts towards this match be transferred to the bank account of OCI by 31st December at the latest. This project will greatly help us improve our efforts to teach and train students to become agents of renewal in their churches. Please pray for a miracle, that this matching opportunity be used to its fullness for the improvement of our library and training programs!
Prayer calendar – Why not stick it on your notice board?
Sunday
Give thanks for the Church in Budapest-Gazdagret, where a new church building was recently officially opened. Give thanks for the many new faces. Please pray that the Church may grow as an open, witnessing, missionary fellowship under the leadership of the pastors, Rev. András Lovas and Rev. Eszter Dani. Give thanks for the good contacts that Anne-Marie has with her neighbours, and pray that they may find the way to Christ.
Monday
Give thanks that an awareness is growing in the Hungarian Churches of the mission field close to home: between 600,000 and one million Gypsies. Pray that the love and care for this minority may increase and that prejudices will disappear. Pray for Boglarka, a recently graduated theology student, who has started to work with Gypsies. There is much division among those involved in this difficult work. Please pray for wisdom for the head of the department of missions and evangelism of the Reformed Church of Hungary, Ms Zita P. Toth, in establishing the relevant missionary structures.
Tuesday
In a short time, much has changed in Hungarian society. Many, often overburdened, pastors are struggling with the problem of how to keep young people in the Church. They often feel powerless. Some of them decide to proceed with graduate studies. Please pray for these students in the Master of Theology program, who frequently have to combine study with work and family, that they will have strengt, perseverance, time and money to complete their studies. Pray also for the initiative to start a new entering class soon.
Wednesday
A young surgeon from a town sixty kilometres to the south of Budapest, who until a year and a half ago was addicted to alcohol, took part in our “The World Christian” course. After his two-week practical placement, he felt called to set up a refuge for alcoholics and the homeless. Please pray for him and for the nine other graduates, that they will be useful instruments in God's Kingdom, a real light for the world! (“Light for the World” is the Hungarian title of the course.)
Thursday
There is a definite increase to be seen in the need for missionary training. The Mission Institute organises training conferences, provides courses in missions and evangelism, and publishes handbooks and training material for this. Give thanks for the staff and the board, for their dedication and efforts. Because of the great increase in the cost of living, there are still worries regarding to the budget of the Mission Studies Institute. Will you pray for a solution?
Friday
A praying home front is a great blessing for a missionary worker. Give thanks for the interest of the Church in Houten and also in Oud-Alblas. But the foundation is too narrow. Please pray that the coming period of home assignment (18th December - 14th January) will lead to a lasting broadening and deepening of contacts with Churches in the Netherlands who want to make a contribution to the work of missions and evangelism in Hungary and Central and Eastern Europe. Praise the Lord also for the many churches in America who have pledged to support the ministry of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies.
Saturday
Give thanks for the fruit of Anne-Marie Kool's work. Just like Nehemiah, a missionary worker experiences blessing in the work, but also opposition. Please pray for good health, for strength to stand firm in the battle, and for protection. Pray especially that she may follow her Lord and Saviour in all faithfulness and humility."
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Anne- Marie Kool
Anne-Marie Kool was commissioned by the Reformed Missionary Union (GZB) of the Dutch Reformed Church in 1993 and is working as the Professor of Missiology and Director of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies (PMTI) in Budapest (Hungary). This is a centre for missionary training and missiological reflection for the Hungarian Churches. To an increasing extent, the Mission Institute is also fulfilling a regional role in Central and Eastern Europe. Anne-Marie is also actively involved in the Reformed Church in the area of high-rise residential buildings where she lives (Budapest-Gazdagret).
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
If you would like to support the ministry of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies (ProTIMS), you may send your tax-deductible gifts to:
1. Overseas Council International - P.O. Box 17368, Indianapolis, IN 46217-0368. Please indicate that this donation is for ProTIMS, otherwise we will not receive your contribution. Please also add the designation of your donation.
or to:
2. The Reformed Church in America, P.O. Box 19381, Newark, NJ 07195-1938 or, in Canada, to the Regional Synod of Canada, RR #4, Cambridge, Ontario, N1R 5S5. Please include the name of the person, project or program you are supporting.
3. I.D.E.A Ministries, 4595 Broadmoor—Suite 237, Grand Rapids, MI 49512, USA. Also in this case please indicate that this donation is for ProTIMS, otherwise we will not receive your contribution. Please also add the designation of your donation.
4. You could also send your donation directly to our Hungarian Bank:
You can also send a donation directly to Hungary:
Account No: USD account number: HU36105600000772300102010108
EUR account number: HU28105600000772300122010100
Name of account: Protestáns Missziói Tanulmányi Intézet Alapítvány
Name of bank: General Banking and Trust Co.Ltd, H-1092 Budapest, Ráday u. 42-44.
Swift code: AEBBHUHB
Bank swift code: AEBBHUHB
We greatly appreciate your kind generosity in helping us equip future church leaders for Central and Eastern Europe! The doors are still open!
The Protestant Institute for Mission Studies, Kalvin ter 7.II, P.O. Box 150, 1461 Budapest, Hungary. Tel/fax + 36 1 216 20 54. E-mail: kool@pmti.edu.hu or amkool@axelero.hu.
If you want to unsubscribe from this list, or would like one of your friends to receive the Signs of Life from Hungary, send an e-mail to dick@vdweerd.org with the text: (un)subscribe PMTI -news.
Friday, August 27, 2004
Signs of Life from Hungary -- 90
Signs of Life from Hungary Volume XI No. 90
Monthly prayer update on the ministry of the
Protestant Institute for Mission Studies
by Anne-Marie Kool
Budapest, 27th August, 2004
'When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed... But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.'
Neh. 4:1; 9
Dear Friends,
'There's no place like home!' Do you know that feeling after a period of being away that it's wonderful to be home again? I am 'tending my pot plants', and enjoying the magnificent oleander on my terrace. After a few weeks holiday and an unforgettable two-week stay in Malaysia at a conference with fellow missiologists, I have the feeling that I can face the challenges again, spiritually and physically.
I returned to Hungary just in time to meet the almost eighty-five year old Dr János Bütösi, one of the founders of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies, now living in America. In his highly prophetical address, he emphasized that if we take the business of mission and evangelism seriously, we should not be surprised to meet 'Sanballat's', who, just as in the time of Nehemiah, oppose us in building our 'wall'. For me, it was as if the penny dropped. I determined in the future to dedicate myself more to prayer than before. 'But we prayed to our God'.
Two days later, quite unexpectedly our head of finances and administration handed in her resignation, and the next day (yet again) reported sick. For the last three months, for various reasons she had already been at work less than half the time. You will understand that this situation considerably delayed the progress of the work of the Mission Institute. Might this be seen as the work of 'Sanballat'? Please pray that we will soon be able to fill this vacancy.
Itinerant Romany seminar
Early on a beautiful May morning, we left in two minibuses for a study trip of five days to various projects for mission to the Romany (gypsies). The intention was to offer the more than fifteen students the opportunity to explore the complicated issues of ministry among the gypsies in Hungary, who are often treated as outcasts, and to help them to put into practice their missiological insights gained in the Master of Theology program thus far. In some places, we were struck by the extreme poverty. Elsewhere, for example in a tiny village in the eastern part of the country, Rohod, we were put to shame by the tremendous hospitality. Afterwards one of the students wrote:
'We took part in a prayer meeting in which we heard extremely vibrant, deep prayers. It was really a prayer meeting, in the literal sense of the word. People prayed. It became clear to us that the prayer life of this Church, consisting of gypsies and non-gypsies, was very important, and that they had experienced very clear and specific answers to prayer.'
(link to picture): Figure 1 Prayer meeting in Rohod
http://home.hccnet.nl/d.v.d.weerd/annemarie/roma.htm
Elsewhere we heard, that 'It was difficult to convince the presbytery to hold their (gypsy) services in the church on Sundays. In the end, it was a great step that they allowed it.' One of the students, originally from Romania, had a special experience when visiting a nursery school for gypsy children. She tried out the Romanian she knew from the past on the children, who spoke a language derived from old Romanian.
'It was a really beautiful, unforgettable moment for me. When I was little, I grew up with a deep revulsion against speaking Romanian. Now this language is helping me to make friends with some gypsy children. In the Kingdom of God, everything becomes completely new, and takes on a new value and meaning.'
One of the students who took part in this study trip was Boglarka. She graduated from Papa in June, as the first student specialising in mission studies. The assessment of her thesis was so good that the dean, who was on the examining board, immediately proposed to publishing it. During the Church examination a few weeks later - with an examining board of about thirty pastors - Bogi was asked what she envisioned to do after her studies. With fervour, she made a plea for the importance of the Churches to accepting their responsibility for 'the strangers in their midst', for work among gypsies. She emphasised that social work and evangelism should be closely interlinked: word and deed must go hand in hand.
A few days ago I heared that she is appointed to establish work among gypsies in her Church district. Praise God for the first students who have graduated from Papa, and especially for Boglarka! Please also pray for her as she takes up this pioneering work.
Feeling at home!
For some years I have been in the habit of inviting ten or fifteen students to my home at the end of the term for a so-called pizza party. The idea was actually born of necessity several years ago. Some students were to coming to my home for dinner, but I still had to start making the pizza when they arrived. There was nothing else for it than 'many hands make light work'. I simply set them all to work, which was a great success! Since then my pizza parties have become a tradition. One kneads the dough; others chop onions, peppers, salami; someone else makes the pizza sauce; and always someone offers to coordinate the lot. It is a fantastic exercise in cooperation, in which everyone can use their gifts. Often at a certain point there is the question, 'What topping shall we put on the pizzas?' Invariably my answer is, 'You must decide about that yourselves. Discuss it among yourselves!' These are unforgettable evenings, in which the students - sitting on the floor - often ask very personal questions.
At home in my Church?
In the middle of July, the theme of 'home' was again on my agenda. I was asked to speak at a women's conference with about 250 participants about the rather abstract subject, 'My Church is my home'. For many, this is taken for granted. 'I have been going to Church all my life. I feel at home there, because all my friends and relations belong there too.' But for many, it actually is a question. They do not (or no longer) feel at all at home in the Church. The question is, how can we make our Churches a home for the unchurched and for people on the fringes of the Church? How can we lower the doorsteps? Perhaps we are obstacles ourselves!? Many Churches in Hungary are rather closed to newcomers. Probably our Churches, including ourselves are in need of conversion as well! And how can we help others to feel at home in our Church; how can we love and accept them in such a way that they come to know the love of the Lord Jesus through us? Perhaps Christian women in Hungary can learn something from you in the States! Or in Netherlands? Please let me know!
Learning from one another
At the beginning of May, a unique conference was held in the Mission Institute organized by the Central and Eastern European Association for Mission Studies (CEEAMS), which was established eighteen months ago. With about twenty participants from eight different nationalities and various denominational backgrounds, we reflected together what are the issues and challenges in the area of missiology and evangelism in our region. We realised that independently of one another, we have lots of contacts with the West, but that there is hardly any exchange of thought or experiences among ourselves. In many places, missiology or mission studies is still in its infancy. There is much we can learn from one another, for example with regard to the issue of minorities (work among gypsies), the relationship with other religions (e.g. Islam), the role of the Church as a missionary community in a post-Communist society, etc. The conference was an important first step in coming together and building bridges. We realised that there is more to bind us together than to divide us!
Talking about meeting people and sharing, it was a very special experience to represent the CEEAMS at the International Conference of the International Association for Mission Studies in Malaysia at the beginning of August. For the first time in my 'career' as a missiologist, I had the opportunity to meet colleagues from all over the world and to hear from them what issues they consider important and how they go about in their teaching. Besides this, the conference was held in Asia, where I had once been, fifteen years ago. It was a particularly stimulating conference, because I was confronted with completely new questions from the Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist contexts, which tend to be outside your horizon in Hungary, such as interfaith dialogue and witness.
(Link to picture) Figure 2 Meeting with a lecturer at the Islamic university in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
http://home.hccnet.nl/d.v.d.weerd/annemarie/maleisie.htm
Meeting with colleagues, many of whom I only knew 'on paper', was extremely enriching. New ideas for international cooperation in research projects were discussed. Regarding the question of coming to terms with the Communist past in Central and Eastern Europe, and the ethnic and denominational division and conflicts associated with this, we could learn for instance from the process of reconciliation in South Africa. Mission is more than calling people to conversion. It means teaching them as followers of Christ to translate their Christianity into all the areas of life. For more information about this conference, and the papers that were presented, see http://www.missionstudies.org/.
(Link to picture) Figure 3 Visit to a big, new mosque in Putrajaya
http://home.hccnet.nl/d.v.d.weerd/annemarie/maleisie.htm
Of course, it was also wonderful after the busy conference to be able to relax and spend a few days with a colleague from Utrecht, Martha Th. Frederiks, seeing something of Malaysia. One unforgettable visit was to Malacca, where the influence of the Dutch colonial past is still clearly discernable. We stood by gravestones from the seventeenth century, and visited a Church built by the Dutch in 1753, next to which was the 'Stadhuys' (town hall).
Finally
I’m sure you can image that I returned home full of good intentions to spend more time in study and reflection, with friends, doing sport, in brief, in short: living a more 'normal' life. For the time being, it looks as if the resignation of our business manager puts these good intentions on hold. I am extremely thankful for the good cooperation with the board, who recently took a decision to appoint a 'managing director', or CEO to be responsible for the day-to-day management of the Mission Institute. Please pray for the board, and especially for the chairman, Dr Ákos Bodnár, as two important vacancies have to be filled in a short period of time. I would also like to thank you for your concern and prayers. I received many responses to my last Signs of Life.
Yours in Christ, our Lord and Saviour,
Anne- Marie Kool
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.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
If you would like to support the ministry of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies (ProTIMS), you may send your tax-deductible gifts to:
1. Overseas Council International - P.O. Box 17368, Indianapolis, IN 46217-0368 (Yes, this is a new address!).
or to:
2. I.D.E.A Ministries, 4595 Broadmoor—Suite 237, Grand Rapids, MI 49512, USA.
In both cases please indicate that this donation is for ProTIMS, otherwise we will not receive your contribution. Please also add the designation of your donation.
3. You could also send your donation directly to our Hungarian Bank:
You can also send a donation directly to Hungary:
Account No: USD account number: HU36105600000772300102010108
EUR account number: HU28105600000772300122010100
Name of account: Protestáns Missziói Tanulmányi Intézet Alapítvány
Name of bank: General Banking and Trust Co.Ltd, H-1092 Budapest, Ráday u. 42-44.
Swift code: AEBBHUHB
Bank swift code: AEBBHUHB
We greatly appreciate your kind generosity in helping us equip future church leaders for Central and Eastern Europe! The doors are still open!
The Protestant Institute for Mission Studies, Kalvin ter 7.II, P.O. Box 150, 1461 Budapest, Hungary. Tel/fax + 36 1 216 20 54. E-mail: kool@pmti.edu.hu or amkool@axelero.hu.
PLEASE NOTE THAT MY COMPUSERVE ADDRESS HAS BEEN DISCONNECTED!!
If you want to unsubscribe from this list, or would like one of your friends to receive the Signs of Life from Hungary, send an e-mail to dick@vdweerd.org with the text: (un)subscribe PMTI -news.
Monthly prayer update on the ministry of the
Protestant Institute for Mission Studies
by Anne-Marie Kool
Budapest, 27th August, 2004
'When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed... But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.'
Neh. 4:1; 9
Dear Friends,
'There's no place like home!' Do you know that feeling after a period of being away that it's wonderful to be home again? I am 'tending my pot plants', and enjoying the magnificent oleander on my terrace. After a few weeks holiday and an unforgettable two-week stay in Malaysia at a conference with fellow missiologists, I have the feeling that I can face the challenges again, spiritually and physically.
I returned to Hungary just in time to meet the almost eighty-five year old Dr János Bütösi, one of the founders of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies, now living in America. In his highly prophetical address, he emphasized that if we take the business of mission and evangelism seriously, we should not be surprised to meet 'Sanballat's', who, just as in the time of Nehemiah, oppose us in building our 'wall'. For me, it was as if the penny dropped. I determined in the future to dedicate myself more to prayer than before. 'But we prayed to our God'.
Two days later, quite unexpectedly our head of finances and administration handed in her resignation, and the next day (yet again) reported sick. For the last three months, for various reasons she had already been at work less than half the time. You will understand that this situation considerably delayed the progress of the work of the Mission Institute. Might this be seen as the work of 'Sanballat'? Please pray that we will soon be able to fill this vacancy.
Itinerant Romany seminar
Early on a beautiful May morning, we left in two minibuses for a study trip of five days to various projects for mission to the Romany (gypsies). The intention was to offer the more than fifteen students the opportunity to explore the complicated issues of ministry among the gypsies in Hungary, who are often treated as outcasts, and to help them to put into practice their missiological insights gained in the Master of Theology program thus far. In some places, we were struck by the extreme poverty. Elsewhere, for example in a tiny village in the eastern part of the country, Rohod, we were put to shame by the tremendous hospitality. Afterwards one of the students wrote:
'We took part in a prayer meeting in which we heard extremely vibrant, deep prayers. It was really a prayer meeting, in the literal sense of the word. People prayed. It became clear to us that the prayer life of this Church, consisting of gypsies and non-gypsies, was very important, and that they had experienced very clear and specific answers to prayer.'
(link to picture): Figure 1 Prayer meeting in Rohod
http://home.hccnet.nl/d.v.d.weerd/annemarie/roma.htm
Elsewhere we heard, that 'It was difficult to convince the presbytery to hold their (gypsy) services in the church on Sundays. In the end, it was a great step that they allowed it.' One of the students, originally from Romania, had a special experience when visiting a nursery school for gypsy children. She tried out the Romanian she knew from the past on the children, who spoke a language derived from old Romanian.
'It was a really beautiful, unforgettable moment for me. When I was little, I grew up with a deep revulsion against speaking Romanian. Now this language is helping me to make friends with some gypsy children. In the Kingdom of God, everything becomes completely new, and takes on a new value and meaning.'
One of the students who took part in this study trip was Boglarka. She graduated from Papa in June, as the first student specialising in mission studies. The assessment of her thesis was so good that the dean, who was on the examining board, immediately proposed to publishing it. During the Church examination a few weeks later - with an examining board of about thirty pastors - Bogi was asked what she envisioned to do after her studies. With fervour, she made a plea for the importance of the Churches to accepting their responsibility for 'the strangers in their midst', for work among gypsies. She emphasised that social work and evangelism should be closely interlinked: word and deed must go hand in hand.
A few days ago I heared that she is appointed to establish work among gypsies in her Church district. Praise God for the first students who have graduated from Papa, and especially for Boglarka! Please also pray for her as she takes up this pioneering work.
Feeling at home!
For some years I have been in the habit of inviting ten or fifteen students to my home at the end of the term for a so-called pizza party. The idea was actually born of necessity several years ago. Some students were to coming to my home for dinner, but I still had to start making the pizza when they arrived. There was nothing else for it than 'many hands make light work'. I simply set them all to work, which was a great success! Since then my pizza parties have become a tradition. One kneads the dough; others chop onions, peppers, salami; someone else makes the pizza sauce; and always someone offers to coordinate the lot. It is a fantastic exercise in cooperation, in which everyone can use their gifts. Often at a certain point there is the question, 'What topping shall we put on the pizzas?' Invariably my answer is, 'You must decide about that yourselves. Discuss it among yourselves!' These are unforgettable evenings, in which the students - sitting on the floor - often ask very personal questions.
At home in my Church?
In the middle of July, the theme of 'home' was again on my agenda. I was asked to speak at a women's conference with about 250 participants about the rather abstract subject, 'My Church is my home'. For many, this is taken for granted. 'I have been going to Church all my life. I feel at home there, because all my friends and relations belong there too.' But for many, it actually is a question. They do not (or no longer) feel at all at home in the Church. The question is, how can we make our Churches a home for the unchurched and for people on the fringes of the Church? How can we lower the doorsteps? Perhaps we are obstacles ourselves!? Many Churches in Hungary are rather closed to newcomers. Probably our Churches, including ourselves are in need of conversion as well! And how can we help others to feel at home in our Church; how can we love and accept them in such a way that they come to know the love of the Lord Jesus through us? Perhaps Christian women in Hungary can learn something from you in the States! Or in Netherlands? Please let me know!
Learning from one another
At the beginning of May, a unique conference was held in the Mission Institute organized by the Central and Eastern European Association for Mission Studies (CEEAMS), which was established eighteen months ago. With about twenty participants from eight different nationalities and various denominational backgrounds, we reflected together what are the issues and challenges in the area of missiology and evangelism in our region. We realised that independently of one another, we have lots of contacts with the West, but that there is hardly any exchange of thought or experiences among ourselves. In many places, missiology or mission studies is still in its infancy. There is much we can learn from one another, for example with regard to the issue of minorities (work among gypsies), the relationship with other religions (e.g. Islam), the role of the Church as a missionary community in a post-Communist society, etc. The conference was an important first step in coming together and building bridges. We realised that there is more to bind us together than to divide us!
Talking about meeting people and sharing, it was a very special experience to represent the CEEAMS at the International Conference of the International Association for Mission Studies in Malaysia at the beginning of August. For the first time in my 'career' as a missiologist, I had the opportunity to meet colleagues from all over the world and to hear from them what issues they consider important and how they go about in their teaching. Besides this, the conference was held in Asia, where I had once been, fifteen years ago. It was a particularly stimulating conference, because I was confronted with completely new questions from the Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist contexts, which tend to be outside your horizon in Hungary, such as interfaith dialogue and witness.
(Link to picture) Figure 2 Meeting with a lecturer at the Islamic university in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
http://home.hccnet.nl/d.v.d.weerd/annemarie/maleisie.htm
Meeting with colleagues, many of whom I only knew 'on paper', was extremely enriching. New ideas for international cooperation in research projects were discussed. Regarding the question of coming to terms with the Communist past in Central and Eastern Europe, and the ethnic and denominational division and conflicts associated with this, we could learn for instance from the process of reconciliation in South Africa. Mission is more than calling people to conversion. It means teaching them as followers of Christ to translate their Christianity into all the areas of life. For more information about this conference, and the papers that were presented, see http://www.missionstudies.org/.
(Link to picture) Figure 3 Visit to a big, new mosque in Putrajaya
http://home.hccnet.nl/d.v.d.weerd/annemarie/maleisie.htm
Of course, it was also wonderful after the busy conference to be able to relax and spend a few days with a colleague from Utrecht, Martha Th. Frederiks, seeing something of Malaysia. One unforgettable visit was to Malacca, where the influence of the Dutch colonial past is still clearly discernable. We stood by gravestones from the seventeenth century, and visited a Church built by the Dutch in 1753, next to which was the 'Stadhuys' (town hall).
Finally
I’m sure you can image that I returned home full of good intentions to spend more time in study and reflection, with friends, doing sport, in brief, in short: living a more 'normal' life. For the time being, it looks as if the resignation of our business manager puts these good intentions on hold. I am extremely thankful for the good cooperation with the board, who recently took a decision to appoint a 'managing director', or CEO to be responsible for the day-to-day management of the Mission Institute. Please pray for the board, and especially for the chairman, Dr Ákos Bodnár, as two important vacancies have to be filled in a short period of time. I would also like to thank you for your concern and prayers. I received many responses to my last Signs of Life.
Yours in Christ, our Lord and Saviour,
Anne- Marie Kool
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.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
If you would like to support the ministry of the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies (ProTIMS), you may send your tax-deductible gifts to:
1. Overseas Council International - P.O. Box 17368, Indianapolis, IN 46217-0368 (Yes, this is a new address!).
or to:
2. I.D.E.A Ministries, 4595 Broadmoor—Suite 237, Grand Rapids, MI 49512, USA.
In both cases please indicate that this donation is for ProTIMS, otherwise we will not receive your contribution. Please also add the designation of your donation.
3. You could also send your donation directly to our Hungarian Bank:
You can also send a donation directly to Hungary:
Account No: USD account number: HU36105600000772300102010108
EUR account number: HU28105600000772300122010100
Name of account: Protestáns Missziói Tanulmányi Intézet Alapítvány
Name of bank: General Banking and Trust Co.Ltd, H-1092 Budapest, Ráday u. 42-44.
Swift code: AEBBHUHB
Bank swift code: AEBBHUHB
We greatly appreciate your kind generosity in helping us equip future church leaders for Central and Eastern Europe! The doors are still open!
The Protestant Institute for Mission Studies, Kalvin ter 7.II, P.O. Box 150, 1461 Budapest, Hungary. Tel/fax + 36 1 216 20 54. E-mail: kool@pmti.edu.hu or amkool@axelero.hu.
PLEASE NOTE THAT MY COMPUSERVE ADDRESS HAS BEEN DISCONNECTED!!
If you want to unsubscribe from this list, or would like one of your friends to receive the Signs of Life from Hungary, send an e-mail to dick@vdweerd.org with the text: (un)subscribe PMTI -news.
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