Newsletter from the local committee preparing the 12th General Assembly of IAMS

Balatonfüred, Hungary
August 16-23, 2008
Human Identity and the Gospel of Reconciliation:
Agenda for Mission Studies and Praxis in the 21st Century


Introduction

Greetings form Budapest: winter is coming soon. We have enjoyed the magnificent colors of autumn and are talking about next summer here in Hungary. It will be a special summer, we are sure. A summer we can partially share with you,
Colleagues and friends from Central and Eastern Europe and from all over the world. To enjoy each other’s company, to listen, to reflect, to study, to pray and sing together during our 12th assembly which will take place in Balatonfüred.
Lake Balaton is the place to be for Hungarians and many others in our region in the summertime. The decision to organize our conference in Balatonfüred instead of Budapest has been taken by the executive committee on the basis of recommendations of the local committee.
In this newsletter and in the coming issues we would like to inform you about the preparation of the conference but above all we want to make you acquainted with our region. This part of the world with its rich history, and its many challenges and experiences of making a difference inspired by the Gospel will form the heart of our newsletters. To give you a glimpse of the conference center visit: (http://picasaweb.google.com/amkool1/IAMS2008Preparation_visitBalatonfRed_10_2007)

Local committee
As usual in the preparation of our assembly’s the local committee is doing its utmost to create the best conditions for the participants to learn more about Hungary and Central and Eastern Europe. The general assembly`s host is the Central and Eastern Institute for Mission Studies of the Károli Gaspar Reformed University in Budapest. Ms. Nike Szkárosi, the universities chief Coordinator of International Affairs is the local committee’s prop and stay.

Figure 1 Mrs. Margit Szirmai (Left) , Ms. Niké Szkárosi (Right)

Together with Mrs. Margit Szirmai, retired head of the department of external relations of the Lutheran Church in Hungary she is taking care for all the logistics regarding the conference.

Registration
The deadline of applications to the 12th IAMS Assembly is the 1st of January 2008 for those who need visa. The Karoli University will need the list of participants with all their data in order to provide an invitation letter for the visa applications. For visa the following data are indispensable:
. name ( as in passport)
. mother’s name
. place and date birth
.address
.date of emission and expiry of passport

Figure 2 Anne-Marie Kool, Niké Szkárosi, Jan van Butselaar (General Sec), Margit Szirmai

Chair of the local committee, Prof.Dr Anne-Marie Kool, member of the executive committee of IAMS, together with members from various churches and organizations in the region are preparing exposure trips and morning worship.

If you haven’t registered yet, do visit the IAMS website: www.missionstudies.org, and follow the instructions at the tab: Balatonfüred assembly. Limited scholarships are available for people from Central and Eastern Europe and non-western countries.

In the coming issues of the newsletter we will inform you more in detail about these site visits so close related to the assembly’s theme.

The conference theme

Mission Studies is concerned with academic reflection on the missionary practice of the church and on the future of its missionary calling. As such, it utilizes an interdisciplinary approach that includes theological disciplines, the humanities, the social sciences, and other academic fields. Religion—Christian religion included—is often perceived as contributing to conflicts of identity, sometimes resulting in violent encounters. On the other hand, Christian faith finds its fundamental identity in the Gospel of reconciliation.

What is the relationship between the different, even conflicting, human identities and the gospel of reconciliation? Is there a human identity that supersedes all specific identities—national, religious, gender, and/or economic, etc.? How can apparently conflicting identities be reconciled? How can one achieve a wholesome self-identity that includes the possibility of change and transformative mobility? And what is the role of reconciliation as offered by the Gospel to the Christian community and by the Christian community?

The 12th assembly of IAMS will bring together scholars of different disciplines who will share their research and their evaluation with respect to these questions. It is hoped that a fruitful cross-fertilization can be realized that might stimulate further missiological research and set an agenda for future mission studies and ongoing praxis. It is also hoped that churches and other religious institutions might gain fresh insights from this assembly for their day-to-day work in a world where conflicting identities seem to subvert reconciliation efforts.

The goal of the Assembly will be to identify and explore ethnic, gender, political, and religious dimensions of human identity as challenge, opportunity, and obligation for Christian churches in mission, from the vantage point of scholars whose academic disciplines intersect with mission studies. Papers from across a range of intersecting or vitally related themes—such as ethnicity, race, gender, violence, poverty, nationalism, religion, ecclesiastical tradition, inner renewal, etc.—will be presented.

Since the Assembly will convene in Hungary, special attention will be given to issues of identity, reconciliation and the church’s mission in Central and Eastern
Europe.


CEEAMS preparing the conference

Last June the members of CEEAMS, the Central and Eastern European branch of IAMS, co-hosting the Assembly, organized a regional conference to make participants from the whole region aware of the specific challenges in the region. The following topics were discussed:
Trends and challenges in mission and missiology in post communist Europe
Education in mission and ecumenism in post communist Europe
Evangelical protestant – orthodox dialogue on mission
Mission and reconciliation in Central and Eastern Europe
Western missionaries in Central and Eastern Europe
In the coming issues of the newsletter some aspects of the above mentioned themes will be discussed.


Hungary
Ever heard from Hungary?
Indeed it is a country somewhere in the heart of Europe. It is a country with a stirring history. Last but not least during the last Century. It was an important part of the Austrian Hungarian monarchy, split up after World War I. Nowadays parts of Serbia, Romania, Ukraine and Slovakia have a significant Hungarian speaking population, mainly minorities. After World War II after the German occupation Hungary became part of the communist Central and Eastern Europe. In 1956 the freedom movement started a revolution, after a few days oppressed by the Soviet army. A new period in the so called cold war started. The communist system has lost its fundaments and believers at the end of the eighties of last century and also many changes were initiated in Hungary. Since 2004 Hungary is full member of the European Union, as from 21s. December 2007 also part of the Schengen agreement (important for those needing visa!). So far a very short summary of Hungary’s history. When reading between the lines someone might detect many questions: what about the position of the minorities in the region? What are the long term effects of living in a communist ideology for people, are there still consequences of World War II explicit or latent, what is going on in society and which role do churches play in society, and what mission work is going on?
The theme chosen for the conference is Hungary’s everyday theme, as well of those living in Central and Eastern Europe. Hungary and the Hungarians have still to deal with the effects of the communist period and the fast westernizing processes in the last years.

A few figures about religion in Hungary:
. 52 % of the population is Roman Catholic
. 16% member of the Reformed Church
. 3% member of the Lutheran church
. 3% Greek Catholic
. 0.1 % followers of Judaism
. 15% no religious affiliation
. rest other denominations

According to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll 2005,
44% of Hungarian citizens responded that "they believe there is a God".
31% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force".
19% answered that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force".

Program matters

The IAMS executive committee will discuss important programmatic issues of the conference at the end of January.

For more information:
IAMS General Secretary: Dr. G. Jan van Butselaar (secretary@iams.org)