Missionary projects in the European Protestant churches

In May a group of eight people from the Evangelical Church of the Czech Brethren came together with representatives of the Protestant Church of the Netherlands and a delegation of the Reformed Church of Hungary. The theme of the meeting between the three churches was their Mission.

“In the centre of Amsterdam we visited the Missionary project De nieuwe Poort (New Gate), which offers a wide range of activities for the employees of large banks and companies. Amidst the high-rise buildings and the performance driven atmosphere, possibilities to rest, regain strength and relax with music and silence are offered, as well as short devotionals during lunchtime. For the evenings the team organises discussion-groups, lectures or concerts. Our impressions of the project are somewhat mixed, in other words, slightly questionable: how can something like this work long-term? One can work, live and relax here, but that hardly leaves any time for anything else, like family”, one of the participants described.

The delegation also visited another church community in a different part of Amsterdam, nowadays mainly inhabited by immigrants. The church rents a property in which the ground floor is designated for a small cafe where the service is provided by people with disabilities. “We witnessed two deaf-mute young men, who communicate with others with the help of an interpreter competent in sign language. The paper placemats on the tables in the cafe display images of different sign-language gestures, informing customers of gestures for, for instance, words like coffee, tea, sugar and hot or cold. The local pastor also showed us the community buildings, where a common room, a playground for pre-school children, as well as accommodation on the top floor for socially vulnerable families in need have been planned”, another group-member continued.

The delegation was also invited to the centrally located church office in one of the historic building between the canals, where they heard a lecture on practical theology and met with the rest of the church staff. This was followed by a walk along the canals. The typical Dutch Architecture, the numerous cyclists and hundreds of parked bikes left a lasting impression.

The working visit to the Netherlands was led by the Synodal Senior of the ECCB Joel Ruml and the Synodal Lay Moderator Lia Valková. Other participants were the leader of the ecumenical department of the Central Church Office Gerhard Frey-Reininghaus, the Editor in Chief of the magazine “Český bratr” Daniela Ženatá, the Head of Education and Training Eva Benesová, two members of the Advisory Committee on Evangelism and Missions of the Synodal Council of the ECCB, Pastor Radím Žarský and Pastor Pavol Bargár and the driver for the Central Church Office Jindřich Lukeš. The highlights of the two-day intensive program were the appraisal and the joint worship service. On the Missionary level the work will continue. The next meeting between the three Churches will take place in Hungary next year, and another meeting will be held in Prague.

Daniela Ženatá