Apr 23 2007
Breaking Down the Wall–Building Partnerships for Mission
1. Europe staff 2. The Wall 3. Curt Peterson & Ansgar Horsting in Berlin Conference 4.Brandernberg Gates
April was a full month of making connections with our colleagues and ministry partners throughout Europe, as well as friends and family visiting from the U.S. The month started with our Euro Retreat at the monastery in Santander that I mentioned in my previous post. It finished last week at the International Federation of Free Church assembly in Berlin. I will mention more about that later. In between these important events, we hosted family and friends here in Barcelona over Holy Week, and began conversations with Nate Finch, a short-term missionary now serving in La Coruña, about his possible move to Barcelona to help with the Latino Cell group [remember our friend Fabio?] and also help with the Mosaics project where possible.
This month is almost over and I can hardly believe it. The pictures in this mosaic tell a bit of the story. However, even though a picture is worth a thousand words, it would be hard for you to get the significance of the happenings they are capturing without a little commentary. Last week’s conference in Berlin may characterize in some measure the importance, in part because of where the event was hosted, and secondly because of the people included in the event. Our conference was held in a youth hostel about a kilometer from where the iron curtain divided East from West Berlin for about 46 years, ending in 1989. That wall symbolically, ideologically and physically divided nations, families and most of the parents of the participants at this conference from each other.
The theme of the conference was “Joining Hands for Mission in Europe,” and brought together people from many European International Federation of Free Churches plus several mission organizations from the U.S., including the Covenant Church. There were folks from Germany, France, Norway, Finland, England, Sweden, Ecuador, the Czech Republic, Spain, Russia, and the United States, among others. We shared in worship, Bible study, workshops, case studies, prayer and church visits. Afternoon walks, meals times and late evening ice cream runs provided more time to develop friendships and share about ministry and life. We talked about ministries in our respective places of service, challenges we face and ways to collaborate more in the future.
It was very encouraging to add to my list of contacts those that I can call on for help, encouragement and shared ministry. Names like Bertil, Lars, Fidel, Timo, Krister and Johannes to name just a few. It is so important to be part of the Body of Christ, to connect with other colleagues and the national church where we serve.
The Berlin wall was once a strong reminder of the depths of human suspicion, depravity and enmity that can develop between people, nations and even colleagues in ministry. The conference was a fresh reminder that in Christ, things can be different. “For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity…that in Himself he might make the two into one new human, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.” Ephesians 2:14-16.
