Charis Europe content (3): on mission together

Charis Europe has been on mission for quite some time…

The first ever Charis Europe consortium (Stuttgart Feb. 1-3, 2008) where 21 people from 6 countries met to pray and peer into the future. The question to which we sought an answer was, “Might God have a collective vision and concerted action for us to pursue?”

So throughout the Charis Europe weekend various people shared stories about their missional experiences. In this way, we hoped to discern what future opportunities we might pursue together.

Louise talked about the Chateau of St. Albain; 4 churches were begun and hundreds of lives changed through this ministry. She also shared about the plan for the europeanization of the Chateau — seeing that ministry become European led and staffed. See: http://www.chateaustalbain.com/about_en.html

John shared about a woman from the Aalen church, Lise, who hopes to be part of the European ministry team at the Chateau. Dietmar (right) is an elder in the Aalen church.

Edite shared about the five Love Your World European young adult conferences — young Europeans reaching young Europeans for Christ — at the Chateau of St. Albain (1998), London (1999), Paris (2000), Berlin (2001) and Porto (2002).

Edite was part of the Love in Action trip to the Balkans that flowed from Love Your World.

Réjane (below) was also on that team and shared some of their adventures of taking love gifts to two Christian humanitarian groups and exploring ways in which European believers could serve Bosnians and plant churches in that region.

"Bob" shared about the troubled situation and spiritual needs in North Africa.

Tom (above) and Tim (below) led us in sharing the Lord's supper. If we had had time they would have also told tales of pilgrimages along the Saint James Way. Sorry guys!

See the August 15, 2005 blog entry "St. James Way: the journey of a mobile church" http://gbimeurope.blogspot.com/2005_08_01_archive.html

Alan, from Christian Associates Dublin, shared about Serve the City — being Good News to urban people in need. (Scott, right, is on the StC coordinating team)

Check out the YouTube clip, "A Word from Our Friend Rita" at http://www.servethecity.ie/

And Malcolm (Birmingham, England) helped us catalog the human resources that God has already given us as a way of discerning how we might be able to serve one another on a pan-European scale.

So reviewing where we have already been, has helped us to see where God might be leading us. More about that in the next episode of Charis Europe, as we move into the future instructed by lessons from the past.
NEXT UP Charis Europe future: lessons from history

Charis Europe content (2): history matters

21 people from 6 countries* met in Stuttgart, Germany for 3 days to pray and peer into the future.

The question to which we sought an answer was, “Might God have a collective vision for us?” (Us being 12 European churches, 25 embryonic spiritual communities, European and American church planters serving side by side.) If so, what strategies need we develop to propel us into concerted action?


To arrive at answers to those questions, our agenda consisted of questions:
Why are we here? How did we get here? Who are we? What should we do? What are our resources? What might our objectives and benchmarks be?

Our Portuguese brother, Afredo addressed the question, « Why are we here? » His conviction is that, for those who embrace Charis Europe values is it time to gather to pray and dream toward common vision, strategies and action.

Charis Europe values challenge us to:

• live community,
• live sustainable family lives,
• share material resources,
• do good in Jesus’ name,
• pray in faith,
• live in love and hope.

All of this in a way that will cause people to ask the question to which Jesus is the answer.

To move us toward a vision that leads to action, Florent Varak — the first president of Charis International — brought the delegates up to speed by reviewing the 300 years of Brethren history by answering the question, « How did we get here? »

Florent rightly went all the way back to Jesus through Pierre Waldo, John Hus, Savonarole… Alexander Mack, Jacob Cassel, Alva McClain. To summarize, the Grace Brethren heritage includes:

• a call to personal conversion
• personal conversion and believer’s baptism
• the Bible only, Christ only, grace only
• local church autonomy
• pacifism and freedom of conscience
• being heavenly minded people = peaceful
• being God centered people = pietistic
• being bible based people = biblicist
• being church oriented people = relationship & accountability

Florent then shared the history of Charis International:

1994, Chateau of St. Albain: Charis International was formed to create bonds and share resources between sister churches.
1996, Toronto: Charis was defined as a multinational fellowship of church planters & developers. A key component of Charis is communication.
1999, Argentina: Charis sought to develop and implement scenarios of cooperation.

Florent concluded, with a borrowed quote from Jacob Cassel, saying that after 300 years… "surely the outlook is altogether hopeful!"

NEXT UP Charis Europe content: on mission together

Charis Europe (1): Charis people

Auf dem Weg zu einer Liebe, die in Mission zum Leben komt

Toward a love incarnate on mission
Vers une incarnation de l'amour en mission
European Grace Brethren leaders, Charis Partners
and GBIM teammates together

February 1-3, 2008 in Stuttgart, Germany

21 people from 6 countries* met for 3 days to pray and peer into the future…

Thot you might enjoy a glimpse of the Charis people who participated in that historic weekend…
A EUROPEAN FAMILY

Alfredo was pleased with the unity and outcomes of the weekend

The French contingent: Réjane, Franck, Florent and Louise

Louise is one of the better thinkers I know
(and I'm not just saying that because she is my wife!)

John translated and transmitted the German ideas

Due to an uprising, Frank had to evacuate his team from the Chad during the weekend

Patty faithfully captured the content of the discussions;
she took 15 pages of notes throughout the weekend !

Alan (Ireland), Scott & Mike (USA) and Edite (Portugal)

"Bob" (France) front and back !

Gisele (Germany) & Réjane (France)

Alfredo (Portugal) & Marcus (Germany)

Archie (England) was center stage for the Saturday night live entertainment

Alan (Ireland) meets Malcolm (England) Scott (left) Tom (USA) & Archie looking on (right)

The French, Germans and Americans (Tim's on the right) all have qahwa in common

Louise, Susanne and the world-traveling ham sandwich

Rainer and Susanne welcomed us to Stuttgart and made it all happen (and all photos courtesy of Rainer). VIELEN DANK to you both !

NEXT UP Charis Europe consortium content: history matters…
* England, France, Ireland, Germany, Portugal and the United States