An Unexpected Answer to Prayer in Croatia
An Unexpected Answer to Prayer in Croatia
P r a g u e – The European Baptist Federation’s (EBF) President, the Croatian Toma Magda (Cakovec), reported on an unexpected answer to prayer at a session of the EBF’s Executive Committee in Prague in late April. In Moldova, he had become acquainted with a Baptist congregation in Razeni near the capital of Chisinau. Since its founding only a few years ago, it has grown from 40 to 140 members. Because it had gotten cramped in its chapel, Iurie Braga, the congregation’s pastor, approached local authorities and was unexpectedly offered a piece of property free-of-charge on which his congregation could build a new chapel. Yet no money was available for the construction of the building. After returning to Croatia, Magda presented the building project to his own Baptist Union and invited its annual assembly, which met in Cakovec, to donate. On such occasions in the past, around 1.000 Euros would be collected from the roughly 700 delegates. But he had decided while praying that it would be more appropriate this time if one Euro per Baptist were collected. Being that the country’s 50 congregations have approximately 2.000 members, he would have been very pleased if the collection totalled 2.000 Euros. Yet he did not mention the matter during the assembly. The offering amazingly enough did then total 2.400 Euros. Magda recognizes the hand of God in this. “I think we are making progress in some things,” he stated at the EBF meeting in Prague. He has now been instilled with the hope that his Baptist Union will make up for the “missing” 400 members. That would be an increase in membership of 20%.
Baptists for closer cooperation between Europe and Africa
It also became apparent at the Prague meeting that European Baptists desire closer contact with the Baptists of Africa. Initial steps have already been taken and the EBF’s 16-member Executive Committee has decided accordingly. It also applauded the desire of the All-Africa Baptist Fellowship for stronger cooperation. It was stated in Prague that one could learn a great deal from one another. As an expression of solidarity, the Europeans passed on to the Africans a subsidy of 3.000 Euros from the Baptist World Alliance. Because the Baptist World Alliance was hit by the global economic crisis, it had cut its subsidies to the regional Baptist alliances by 30%. The Africans had therefore received only $14.200 US instead of the planned $20.000. Because the Europeans still had other sources of income, they felt themselves capable of doing without a portion of their subsidy. The EBF budget for 2008 totalled 266.000 Euros, 205.000 Euros of that was contributed by its member unions. Harrison G. Olan’g (Arusha/Tanzania), General-Secretary of the African Baptists for an interim period, had himself also appealed for closer cooperation. He had noted that a historical relationship already consists between our two continents. It was indeed Europeans who had initiated Baptist missions work in Africa. Africa now has roughly 40 million Baptists. Olan’g sees peace, reconciliation, unity, human rights and religious freedom as possible common concerns.
IMP: ‘Seeing what God does’
The Pole Daniel Trusiewicz (Wroclaw), Director of the RBF’s church-planting programme, the ‘Indigenous Missionary Project’ (IMP), reported that it plans to support 11 new church-planting initiatives during the coming year, including one each in Iraq and Israel. The project is active in 21 countries, primarily in Eastern Europe. A waiting list also exists: Prospective church planters in five countries are still hoping for EBF support. Trusiewicz described himself as ‘privileged’, for he is allowed to see ‘what God is doing’. The project’s annual costs of 200.000 Euros are ‘a good investment in the kingdom of God’. One of the most successful church planters, the Ukrainian Volodia Omelchuk, will be at the Amsterdam 400 anniversary congress this summer in order to report on his work. With only a few friends, Omelchuk had begun a church plant in Kiev in 2003. Now, that congregation not only has 250 members, it has also planted two daughter congregations. Although his initiative was only funded by the EBF for five years - which is the case for all such projects, Omelchuk keeps up his contact with Trusiewicz.
Baptists will be celebrating an anniversary in Amsterdam: In the backroom of an Amsterdam bakery, the world’s first Baptist congregation was founded 400 years ago. The celebrations will take place from 24 to 26 July in Amsterdam’s RAI conference centre. The congress will be dealing not only with the past, it also hopes to develop a ‘vision for the future’. Further information and registration forms can be found under: www.amsterdam400.org.
Back
Baptists for closer cooperation between Europe and Africa
It also became apparent at the Prague meeting that European Baptists desire closer contact with the Baptists of Africa. Initial steps have already been taken and the EBF’s 16-member Executive Committee has decided accordingly. It also applauded the desire of the All-Africa Baptist Fellowship for stronger cooperation. It was stated in Prague that one could learn a great deal from one another. As an expression of solidarity, the Europeans passed on to the Africans a subsidy of 3.000 Euros from the Baptist World Alliance. Because the Baptist World Alliance was hit by the global economic crisis, it had cut its subsidies to the regional Baptist alliances by 30%. The Africans had therefore received only $14.200 US instead of the planned $20.000. Because the Europeans still had other sources of income, they felt themselves capable of doing without a portion of their subsidy. The EBF budget for 2008 totalled 266.000 Euros, 205.000 Euros of that was contributed by its member unions. Harrison G. Olan’g (Arusha/Tanzania), General-Secretary of the African Baptists for an interim period, had himself also appealed for closer cooperation. He had noted that a historical relationship already consists between our two continents. It was indeed Europeans who had initiated Baptist missions work in Africa. Africa now has roughly 40 million Baptists. Olan’g sees peace, reconciliation, unity, human rights and religious freedom as possible common concerns.
IMP: ‘Seeing what God does’
The Pole Daniel Trusiewicz (Wroclaw), Director of the RBF’s church-planting programme, the ‘Indigenous Missionary Project’ (IMP), reported that it plans to support 11 new church-planting initiatives during the coming year, including one each in Iraq and Israel. The project is active in 21 countries, primarily in Eastern Europe. A waiting list also exists: Prospective church planters in five countries are still hoping for EBF support. Trusiewicz described himself as ‘privileged’, for he is allowed to see ‘what God is doing’. The project’s annual costs of 200.000 Euros are ‘a good investment in the kingdom of God’. One of the most successful church planters, the Ukrainian Volodia Omelchuk, will be at the Amsterdam 400 anniversary congress this summer in order to report on his work. With only a few friends, Omelchuk had begun a church plant in Kiev in 2003. Now, that congregation not only has 250 members, it has also planted two daughter congregations. Although his initiative was only funded by the EBF for five years - which is the case for all such projects, Omelchuk keeps up his contact with Trusiewicz.
Baptists will be celebrating an anniversary in Amsterdam: In the backroom of an Amsterdam bakery, the world’s first Baptist congregation was founded 400 years ago. The celebrations will take place from 24 to 26 July in Amsterdam’s RAI conference centre. The congress will be dealing not only with the past, it also hopes to develop a ‘vision for the future’. Further information and registration forms can be found under: www.amsterdam400.org.