Belfast – Baptists are intensifying their support for religious freedom and human rights worldwide. The Swedish Baptist leader Christer Daelander (Stockholm), the European Baptist Federation’s (EBF) Representative for Religious Freedom, will now also serve as an observer with the United Nations’ Human Rights Committee in Geneva. The appointment is being made by the Baptist World Alliance (BWA/Falls Church, Virginia), which is officially registered with the UN as an NGO. At its most recent gathering in Belfast/Northern Ireland, the EBF’s Executive welcomed the appointment. EBF General Secretary Tony Peck (Prague) explained that Daelander will be attending week-long sessions in Geneva twice per year. Daelander told the European Baptist Press Service that his appointment gives him the right to speak during sessions and to comment on the reports made by individual countries. Daelander has been Missions Secretary for the Swedish Baptist Union since 2000. Prior to that, this 57-year-old pastor had served as a missionary in Congo, as a Bible school instructor and as a high school teacher. He is married and the father of three children.

The EBF’s Executive met for the first time in Northern Ireland in 2011 in order to strengthen its ties with Irish Baptist Networks (IBN). This organisation was formed in 2010. It comprises of some congregations and individual members and its aim is to …'encourage fellowship with the global Baptist family and in particular to promote engagement with and membership of BWA and EBF'.  The Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland (ABCI) has 94 Baptist congregations in Northern Island as well as 21 in the Republic of Ireland. Total membership is 8.500; roughly 20.000 persons attend worship services weekly. ABCI is not affiliated to BWA.

Ten members of the EBF’s Executive, including President Valeriu Ghiletchi (Chisinau/Moldova), Vice-President Hans Guderian (Berlin) and Keith Jones (Prague), Rector of International Baptist Theological Seminary (IBTS), attended Sunday morning worship services across Northern Ireland in order to give words of greeting or to preach. All of them were greatly impressed by the hearty welcome, the lively spirituality and the close co-operation between young and old. Some of these congregations have an attendance of around 50 and others ranged up to 400. Tony Peck also offered a very positive response: 'We feel that the EBF has much to learn from Irish Baptists and we are excited about the potential of Irish Baptist Networks to provide ever closer ties between us and to build a real ‘partnership in the Gospel’.

In meetings, the Executive’s members voted unanimously in support of the projected budget of 467.000 euros for 2011 and began preparations for the next annual Council meeting. It will take place from 21 to 25 September in Nazareth/Israel. Prior to that, the Executive will also be meeting in Bethlehem on the West Bank in order to greet and encourage Christians there. Israel has 19 Baptist congregations with roughly 800 members. The EBF consists of 51 national Baptist unions in Europe and the Middle East with more than 800.000 members.