European Baptists are Facing New Challenges
European Baptists are Facing New Challenges
Amsterdam – The first Baptist congregation in history was founded by refugees from England exactly 400 years ago in the backroom of an Amsterdam bakery. Now there are 13.000 Baptist congregations with more than 800.000 members in virtually all European countries. With over 100 million adherents globally, Baptists form the world’s largest Protestant denomination. What challenges are facing Baptists today? The anniversary congress “Amsterdam 400”, which will meet in Amsterdam’s RAI-Conference Centre from 24 to 26 July, will attempt to answer that question. A total of 1.000 longer-term and one-day participants are expected to attend. Worship services, Bible studies, seminars and an exhibition are all part of the programme.
Speakers will include representatives of the Baptist World Alliance, including its President David Coffey (Didcot) as well as its General-Secretary Neville Callam (Falls Church near Washington). Speakers representing the European Baptist Federation (EBF) will include its new President, Valeriu Ghiletchi (Chisinau), a delegate to Moldova’s parliament and former President of the Moldovan Baptist Union, Teddy Oprenov (Sofia), the General-Secretary of the Bulgarian Baptist Union, and the Nabeeh Abassi (Amman), President of the Jordanian Baptist Union.
European Baptists are heavily involved in issues of human rights and religious freedom, including the matters of forced prostitution and human trafficking. Local congregations are most interested in how to reach today’s people with the Christian message. The RAI-Centre will consequently also include “Focus Zones” intending to support the exchange of ideas. Questions for discussion will include mission and religious freedom as well as theology and supplementary training for pastors and Baptist history. Seminars will discuss issues such as attracting interest among the secularised population of major cities, or how to best express are faith in a way which will awaken interest among our neighbours and friends. A further topic will be how Christians from different ethnic backgrounds can jointly express their faith in a convincing fashion.
A Dutch music group at the conference will be directed by the British pastor and musician Paul Merton (Newcastle-upon-Tyne). The Hungarian Baptist Union’s central choir will also perform as will as the Russian choir “Logos”. The internationally-known Spanish pantomime Carlos Martinez will not only perform – he will also demonstrate his talents during a seminar. The Ukrainian music group “Living Drop” was denied a visa.
EBF-General-Secretary Tony Peck (Bristol/Prague) is certain the event will be highly-inspiring to all participants. “These days will certainly become a rich experience and a blessing for all,” he writes in the newly-appeared conference programme. Just as the first Baptists had wanted to be different in expressing their faith 400 years ago, so also will conference participants in the future express their faith as Christians with renewed conviction and enthusiasm
Back
Speakers will include representatives of the Baptist World Alliance, including its President David Coffey (Didcot) as well as its General-Secretary Neville Callam (Falls Church near Washington). Speakers representing the European Baptist Federation (EBF) will include its new President, Valeriu Ghiletchi (Chisinau), a delegate to Moldova’s parliament and former President of the Moldovan Baptist Union, Teddy Oprenov (Sofia), the General-Secretary of the Bulgarian Baptist Union, and the Nabeeh Abassi (Amman), President of the Jordanian Baptist Union.
European Baptists are heavily involved in issues of human rights and religious freedom, including the matters of forced prostitution and human trafficking. Local congregations are most interested in how to reach today’s people with the Christian message. The RAI-Centre will consequently also include “Focus Zones” intending to support the exchange of ideas. Questions for discussion will include mission and religious freedom as well as theology and supplementary training for pastors and Baptist history. Seminars will discuss issues such as attracting interest among the secularised population of major cities, or how to best express are faith in a way which will awaken interest among our neighbours and friends. A further topic will be how Christians from different ethnic backgrounds can jointly express their faith in a convincing fashion.
A Dutch music group at the conference will be directed by the British pastor and musician Paul Merton (Newcastle-upon-Tyne). The Hungarian Baptist Union’s central choir will also perform as will as the Russian choir “Logos”. The internationally-known Spanish pantomime Carlos Martinez will not only perform – he will also demonstrate his talents during a seminar. The Ukrainian music group “Living Drop” was denied a visa.
EBF-General-Secretary Tony Peck (Bristol/Prague) is certain the event will be highly-inspiring to all participants. “These days will certainly become a rich experience and a blessing for all,” he writes in the newly-appeared conference programme. Just as the first Baptists had wanted to be different in expressing their faith 400 years ago, so also will conference participants in the future express their faith as Christians with renewed conviction and enthusiasm