HEKS and ECCB Workshop

Issues and priorities for further cooperation

In October a meeting of HEKS (Swiss Interchurch Aid) and ECCB (Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren) representatives took place. The aim of this intense two-day workshop was to determine the current situation of our Church and to suggest directions for further collaboration.

On behalf of HEKS their director Ueli Locher and the referent for East Europe, Matthias Herren spoke. Moderator Joel Ruml and other members of the synod, the director of Diakonia, and the associated dean for ecumenical relations at the Protestant Theological Faculty also took part in the discussions as representatives of the ECCB. Other aspects of the Churches' ministry were included by representatives of the synod, the 'Hieronymus Werk', the Churches' recreational houses / facilities and the central Church office.

Thursday morning was dedicated to presentations of various aspects of the Churches' life: What are the current issues in the ECCB? How does Diakonia work? What is the relationship of the Protestant Theological Faculty at Charles University to the Church, bearing in mind that most of the students are not ECCB members? In the afternoon the challenges of the possible future direction of the collaboration with HEKS in different fields were tackled. Amongst these challenges, which surpass the Church boundaries and affect society, are Diakonia, which cares for its clients without regard of their religious affiliation and still wants to maintain the characteristics of a Christian organization, even if only 20% of its employees are believers who have the theological training provided by the ETF. A good opportunity to present a better insight into the Churches activities to the wider society is the series of relevant jubilees in the coming years 2013 to 2018. Also functional and friendly recreational homes and facilities are a good 'business card' to show to the wider society. Challenges exist within the Church, especially when it comes to parish work training with mission focus in all shape or forms.

On Friday HEKS representatives reported about the wider context of aid projects, about the preparation and selection of projects, their processing and realization including their evaluation. A big advantage lays, in their opinion, in the great similarities between the protestant Churches in Switzerland and here. The inter-church cooperation has great potential.

The aim of the workshop was to find themes and priorities for the collaboration between HEKS and ECCB for the next five years. Promising areas for this kind of collaboration are training, Diakonia, and help in the administration of buildings and partnerships between parishes.

Daniela Ženatá