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.
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