Summit 2017

FEIC SUMMIT 2017

SUMMIT 2017

Welcome to our 2017 FEIC SUMMIT! Our annual SUMMIT is a wonderful time for us to gather from around the world to spend a few days together as we resource and connect with each other.

We have kept your afternoons free for you to have a time to connect with each other, grab a coffee in the café, explore the sights of Bratislava or take a nap!

Our theme this year is “Connect.” We’re going to talk this week about the importance of connections with God, within our churches, and how to better connect with our international communities. We want to welcome our special guest Jeff Hartensveld. He currently serves as the Asia Pacific Regional Director with Assembly of God World Missions. Jeff has planted international churches in Indonesia and will really inspire us during the evening sessions.

SPECIAL GUEST: JEFF HARTENSVELD

This SUMMIT has been intentionally designed to create meaningful opportunities for relational connections, to share resources with one another, and as a time of refreshing for you and your ministry team. Each morning we will have a time of prayer and worship

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together before our SUMMIT workshops. We have put together some great options for workshops this year so you’ll be able to choose between three options during each session.

We want to extend a warm welcome to our guests who are here as friends of FEIC. They will have tables set up in the back and we encourage you to take time to get to know them and connect with the resources that they have brought to share with our churches.

We also want to thank Hotel Bratislava, the SUMMIT planning team as well as the team at Vienna Christian Center who have worked to handle all the logistics for our time together. We invite you to Connect in Bratislava! Larry, Tony and the SUMMIT Planning Team

FEIC SUMMIT SCHEDULE

FEIC WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

MONDAY

TUESDAY WORKSHOPS SESSION 1

WEDNESDAY WORKSHOPS SESSION 1

13:00 SUMMIT Registration begins

HARNESSING THE POWER OF MEDIA TO

LESSONS I’VE LEARNED SINCE BIBLE

17:30 Dinner

ENHANCE YOUR CHURCH

COLLEGE

19:30 SUMMIT Gathering - guest Jeff Hartensveld

Dan Desroisers

Randy Carter

PREACHING FOR CONNECTION

WHAT YOUR WORSHIP TEAM NEEDS

Randy Carter

FROM YOU

21:30 SUMMIT SMORGASBORD

TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY 8:00 Breakfast 9:00 Prayer and Worship 9:30 SUMMIT Workshops

Jeff Slaughter and Worship Leader Panel BREAKING THE 100 BARRIER David and Dana Santiago

MULTICULTURAL CONTEXT

11:00 Coffee Break 11:30 SUMMIT Workshops 13:00 Lunch 18:00 Dinner

Tony Gryskiewicz

TUESDAY WORKSHOPS SESSION 2 GROWING YOUR BRAND ONLINE Adam Highfill

19:30 SUMMIT Gathering - guest Jeff Hartensveld

WEDNESDAY WORKSHOPS SESSION 2 HARNESSING THE POWER OF MEDIA TO

21:30 SUMMIT SNACKS / SUMMIT SURPRISE

STUDENTS FOR CHRIST: PROMOTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF UNIVERSITY MINISTRY

THURSDAY

ACROSS EUROPE

8:00 Breakfast

Blair Bonin

Departures…

CONNECTING WITH WOMEN IN YOUR

CONNECTING WITH YOUTH IN A

ENHANCE YOUR CHURCH Dan Desroisers TEAM BUILDING John and Brandi Carrano

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

PROJECT RESCUE, CONNECTING THE

Melinda Henderson

MARGINALIZED Joni Middleton

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CONNECT WITH GOD FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD By Andy Vince Pastor, International Church of Leiden

and it was counted to him as righteousness - and he was called a friend of God.

The Netherlands

Here in the Netherlands, when anyone turns 50, they get labelled Abraham or Sarah. ‘Why?’ you may ask... well, halfway to 100 of course! As I write, these are the immediate days before I myself can receive the Abraham label. And I am going to make the most of it. I have booked in on my actual birthday for a “50 plus” movie showing of ‘Lion’. 50s and above get money off and a free sandwich in the break. Helen (my fab wife) can’t join me on that occasion, she is too young(!) and she will be teaching at the time anyway. Over this weekend, amid various surprise birthday activities Helen planned, I have been thinking a bit about the real Abraham. In James 2:23 we can read, Abraham believed God,

That is quite a statement. We all know of Abraham being described as God’s friend. We are also all very familiar probably with the passages in Genesis about his life. We know of the highs and the lows, the successes and the not so great moments. Abraham’s life is laid before us with all its twists and turns. Abraham was far from perfect but his active faith in the Lord was counted to him as righteousness. Further to this James, inspired by the Holy Spirit, declares Abraham was a ‘friend of God’. How about all of us? We also have plenty of twists and turns in life. Many of our ICs are very fluid, ever changing. There can be all kinds of demands and even set backs, as well as wonderful opportunities. Plus the ‘normal’ realities of being a pastor can

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sometimes take over our perspective and cloud our view of the Lord. Can we make it a heart cry to be a ‘friend of God’? To explore what that might fully look like? To allow the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and show us how being such a friend will bring joy to the Lord? Yet also that an outflow from this will be a positive impact for our families, friends, neighbourhoods, communities as well as congregations. In our service today, I spoke about keeping growing, including in connecting with the Lord. In 2 Peter 3:18, we read, “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever more. Amen” I don’t want to just be able to speak about something like that. As I enter my next 50 years(?) I want to grow in this. May the Lord save us all from being ‘professional God talkers’ or hiding behind titles or positions.. To be a ‘friend of God’ - that is what I am reflecting on as a backdrop for the summit theme of “Connect: God, Church and Community”.

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CONNECT WITH YOUR CHURCH A EUCHARIST OF CROISSANTS AND COFFEE By Kelly Delp Lead Pastor, The Bridge Paris, France One of the most powerful moments in a Sunday morning meeting with believers is that of the Eucharist. It is a moment when we all, as one, pause our lives, pause our mornings, and consider again the body and the blood of our Saviour. I love leading the church in communion. I love sweeping my gaze across the congregation and seeing everyone with eyes softly shut, lips moving in repentance or gratitude. I love reading out of 1 Corinthians where Paul reminded us of Jesus’ words: “This is my body, broken for you...this cup is the new covenant.” I love singing together with the taste of these symbols still on our tongues, hearts full of gratitude and mouths full of praise.

This is a moment for me of deep connection within the church. We are all thinking, saying, doing the same thing at the same time. We hold in our hands the same cup; the same piece of torn bread. CROISSANTS AND COFFEE But this eucharist is not the only deep moment of connection for us. In our worship experience, the bread and the wine (okay fine, it’s juice) are rivaled by our post-service communion of croissants and espresso. We gather in corners and around tables, sipping our coffee and breaking bread together, flakes of croissant falling quietly to the floor. This is where we ask one another about ailing parents, grandchildren who live too far away, or their dating relationships. This is where we pass babies around, marvel at pregnant bellies, and catch the toddlers as they wobble. This is where we cry with those in

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our church who are in pain, or cry happy tears at stories of answered prayer. For up to an hour after each service we partake together in this holy community we call church. Since the very first service we launched, we enjoy coffee and croissants after the service. This is not simply a perk of our Sunday morning experience - this is a strategic effort to engage with the people in our church. This is how we begin relationships that will lead to deep discipleship. We have learned after seven years in the suburbs of Paris that not a lot of people here think they need Jesus. Even believers sometimes think they don’t need the church. But this hour of sharing through this form of communion together is a lifeline. It is a lighthouse in the darkness of loneliness those in the Paris area face. It is the body of Christ functioning as it was meant to - celebrating joy

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together, bearing one another’s burdens, and praying for each other’s needs. It’s a spontaneous sacred moment of our hearts as believers being knit together in the name of Christ. BUILDING THE CHURCH BY BREAKING BREAD In our church it happens over coffee and croissants. It happens over dinner tables with toys strewn in the corners. It happens at midnight with a second cup of tea. It takes effort. It is not always easy or comfortable. But it is church as it was meant to be. Sometimes the body is made evident over a small piece of unleavened bread, and sometimes it’s made flesh over a croissant. In either case, the church grows deeper roots within our hearts and within our love for one another. And whether over a finger-printed cup of juice or a paper cup of espresso, as the church in Acts, we break bread together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God.

CONNECT WITH YOUR COMMUNITY BUILDING COMMUNITY ONE BY ONE By Larry Henderson Pastor, Vienna Christian Center

why Christians were helping Muslims. Eventually, he asked for a Bible to read.

Austria

Muhammad was only 15 years old when he left his country as a refugee heading west with the hope of finding a better life. He heard that others had ‘made it’ and were starting new lives with new names and new opportunities. After 30 days of walking, riding with smugglers, being detained and crossing the sea, Muhammad arrived in Vienna and began to look for Muslim friends who could help him get settled. But the first people who offered help to help were not Muslims - they were Christians from an international church. They brought Muhammad to Vienna Christian Center’s ‘The Meeting Place’, where he received food and clothes, could use the internet and charge his cell phone. But most of all, it was a place where people listened to his journey and showed true compassion towards him. Muhammad had never felt this kind of openness and love from other religious people so he began asking questions about

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He began taking classes in German and Austrian culture that we offered. And day by day, transitioned to Austrian culture and even applied for his residency. The greatest change was not social or physical; it was spiritual. Muhammad began to see that Jesus was more than a prophet; He is the Son of God who died for us and desires to have a living relationship with God. After many months, Muhammad gave his heart to Jesus and served to bring many other new refugees to The Meeting Place. When the refugee wave started a couple of years ago, Vienna Christian Center felt compelled to respond to what was changing in our city. Our heart was to be a representation of Jesus to our community - to respond as Jesus would and build bridges for those whose lives had been turned upside down. God has given us tremendous favor over the last 24 months to connect with our community and we have seen hundreds of refugees come to Jesus through a simple call to help people connect.

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WHAT DOES YOUR CHURCH DO TO ENCOURAGE CONNECTION WITH GOD? “As a Christ-centered community of faith, everything we do is to worship Him and make Him known! Weekend gatherings, prayer meetings, discipleship classes and bible studies are just a few of the ways that we do that. Our hope is to equip people to connect with Him for themselves every single day, and to live a missional life as a result.” John & Brandi Carrano International Church Of Barcelona Spain “We encourage people at our fellowship to Pray, to give thanks and praise God. We want our brothers and sisters to read the Bible every day and meditate on what

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they have read. We invite them to join our Bible studies, and have discussions. We try not to teach so as not to impose our own view, but together discover things in the different passages we read. Mats & Sarah Jönsson ICF MALMO Sweden “We encourage prayer by offering several different times of prayer throughout

the week.We encourage Bible reading by providing Bible Reading guides each year.” Dana Santiago IC Madrid Spain “On a weekly basis we provide 1) a mid-week Bible Study at church. 2) Various prayer times in the church facilities mid-week and weekends.

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3) Home groups, Bible Study and prayer.” Daniel Costanza Brussels Christian Center Belgium “Preach and teach the Bible and prayer meetings.” José María Almarza Cano All Nations Christian Fellowship El Puerto de Santa Maria Spain “Seeking to keep the focus on being ‘Christ centered’ and what might that look like in our lives. Not cluttering people’s lives with too many meetings or ‘church demands’ Allowing space to be real and even express doubts about connecting with the Lord. Giving space for people to learn from one another what helps them to connect with the Lord- be that learning in small groups

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or even discussion times on a Sunday as part of a service. Encouraging everyone to know that we are all different and there is not one set ‘formula’ of how to best connect with God. Yes, it is through Christ and by the Spirit’s help that we come to the Father but there is all kinds of variety in what this can look like.” Andy Vince International Church of Leiden The Netherlands “We are probably not doing enough as of yet. We are a little less than a year old, but we are making progress. We are really trying to make worship a focal point of our church. God has blessed us with some great musicians. Our desire is for the Holy Spirit to have His way during our worship time. We encourage people to enter in. As we grow and have the space, we would like to host worship nights. Our desire is to be a place that has Spiritempowered worship.

Also, we are starting home groups this week, so that people can grow in their faith by studying together but also by praying for one another. We will start with three groups. We are excited about our beginnings, even if they are small!” Chris Hales Heart Prague The Czech Republic “We are passionate about seeing people connect with God through a personal, living relationship. We model what a relationship with God can look like and give opportunities through worship, prayer in the altars and response to the Word for people to respond to God’s invitation to fellowship. Our deepest level of connection comes through discipleship and mentoring where we live out relationships with God and one another.” Larry Henderson Vienna Christian Center Austria

HOW DO YOU AND YOUR TEAM FACILITATE CONNECTION WITHIN YOUR CHURCH? “As a relationally connected church, we are vibrant and diverse. We refer to the church body as a Family. Weekends gatherings, community groups, volunteer teams, and ongoing events are some of the ways that we encourage this. Caring for the family cannot be done only by the pastors, it is the responsibility of every congregant. There must always be room for one more, and we strive to keep open hands and hearts to every person God brings our way.” John & Brandi Carrano International Church Of Barcelona Spain

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“Our Connect Groups hopefully help to build community, support and interaction together as well as pointing to Christ. All Age services being introduced more to encourage a sense of the whole church community together (whatever age or nationality) being on the journey of connecting with the Lord. Encouraging lots of different people to lead, take part, help with services. We are on a journey to look at how can we celebrate more the diversity of nationalities and cultures to help in growing in our connecting with the Lord. We have got someway to go with this. Andy Vince International Church of Leiden The Netherlands

“Amy and I and our kids are the team right now. We do have an MA coming soon and several more in the process. We are committed to meeting people where they are. Regularly, we host the entire church at our home or

we invite everyone to a local pizza place. As a church, we take care of all of the first-time guests bills. We also celebrate big days together like Thanksgiving and Christmas. In addition to this, Amy and I have several meetings each month. She tries to meet with the ladies. I meet with the guys. Sometimes, we will meet people together. We try to meet with every new person that comes to our church, if they are open to it. We also try to make sure that we have met with everyone at least once. There are a few people that we meet with continually. We are trying to ease the pressure of connecting with everyone personally. We are hoping and believing that through home groups, more people can be cared for individually. We have the three groups starting in October, involving three homes with two sets of leaders each. Chris Hales Heart Prague The Czech Republic

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“We facilitate connection through our ‘Connection Cards’ which is our first point of contact with them at which point we contact them either via email, text, phone call, or personal meeting. We offer life groups, outreach ministries, and volunteer opportunities throughout the week.” Dana Santiago IC Madrid Spain

“Through: our Cafeteria before and after Sunday services; small groups; and email weekly communications for prayer requests, praise reports and ministry opportunities.” Daniel Costanza Brussels Christian Center Belgium

“We have united prayer meetings with Bible Studies at homes. We also connect through phone calls, emails, Facebook, fellowship meals and dinners hosted by countries, e.g. Filipino night, South African night.

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José María Almarza Cano All Nations Christian Fellowship El Puerto de Santa Maria Spain

*We encourage people to pray and to think on: What are your gifts? What are your passions? What are you good at? Asking how God can use your passions and gifts, empowering you to empower others.” Mats & Sarah Jönsson ICF MALMO Sweden

“We intentionally work to see people connect, grow and thrive through our Life Groups at VCC. We are a small group-driven church with over 100 opportunities for people to connect relationally and serve together in ministry.” Larry Henderson Vienna Christian Center Austria

HOW DOES YOUR CHURCH CONNECT WITH YOUR COMMUNITY?

“We connect with our community through weekly street evangelism, feeding the homeless, praying with the women who have been prostituted, Thursday English Club for Kids, Back to School outreaches, drama performances, Summer Dance Camp (from a Biblical perspective) and teaching English.”

“As an outward focused church, we believe that we are IN the city, FOR the city. Whether through ministry to the needy, the homeless, or the redlight district, we are always looking for ways to add value and show love to our community. Language exchanges, monthly food & clothing distribution, weekly street evangelism, and day camps for kids and youth are a few of the ways that we reach out to the community. More than programs, we encourage each person to be salt & light in their classrooms, apartment buildings, social circles, families and workplaces.”

Dana Santiago IC Madrid Spain

John & Brandi Carrano International Church Of Barcelona Spain

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“We connect through: home groups in the town where our church is located; our Summer Festival, which is an open air event; and intentional personal evangelism through our people involved in local activities.” Daniel Costanza Brussels Christian Center Belgium “We pick up the garbage in the area on Sunday mornings. And each person at his/her position in society (work, school...) Concerts once in a while. Autumn Party for children, Operation Christmas Child,

No child without a gift for Christmas (run by local shops).” José María Almarza Cano All Nations Christian Fellowship El Puerto de Santa Maria Spain “This is an area for more growth for us. We seek to encourage all to see that the Lord has ‘planted’ them where they are - in their neighbourhoods, work or study places - to pray for opportunities to connect and serve others. We have a Dutch speaking kids club outreach “Fundag’ run every other Saturday on an estate in part of Leiden. Dutch speakers from our congregation lead this. We join with other church congregations with ‘Serve the City’ projects. And our international student ministry has just begun partnering directly with IFES in order to seek to reach out more effectively to students from overseas particularly.” Andy Vince International Church of Leiden The Netherlands

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“During winter we for two years now have set up shelters for homeless people. We have recently established a network of different English speaking churches in town such as : The Swedish Lutheran Church, The Catholic Church, and the university priests of Malmö and Lund. We are on the streets to pray for people and to tell them about the Good News at the annual Malmo festival.” Mats & Sarah Jönsson ICF MALMO Sweden “Our church members are given Heart Prague invite cards to pass out when they are at a meal. Also, we host our

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new guests and fellowship meetings at the same Italian place. Each month, Amy hosts a women’s brunch at a local French restaurant. We are slowly forming relationships with people. Also, during holidays we try to take small gifts to people that we know and the restaurants we frequent. We also try to bless the staff at the hotel we meet at with small gifts as well. This year, we are looking for ways to be more involved with our community and minister to those in need. Chris Hales Heart Prague The Czech Republic

We are regularly engaged in our community through religious classes in public schools, working in asylum homes through service and compassion projects, through our ministry facility called “The Meeting Place” for refugees, serving the homeless, outside celebration in the park with games for kids and many other ways of serving through special days like “I Love My City.” We have a physical presence in 6 of our 23 districts in the city so that we can connect with the diversity of cultures and language groups in Vienna. Larry Henderson Vienna Christian Center Austria

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ONALLY & COMMITTED FE TOGETHER FEIC

FEIC MEMBER CHURCH SPOTLIGHT

ALL NATIONS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Pastors Jose and Carlotta Almarza

DESCRIBE ALL NATIONS IN TERMS OF YOUR ‘INTERNATIONAL CULTURE’ We do everything in English and Spanish: worship, preaching, kids, prayer, etc. We have people coming from different backgrounds and cultures. We have Americans and Spaniards from the Naval base in Rota and San Fernando, also from the International flight school in Jerez (Dutch, South Africans, British, etc.) plus Filipinos, Latin Americans, Swiss, Germans, Ukraine, Indians and Chinese.

DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL FOCUS OR THEME FOR 2017? This year is the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation so we have been studying the book of Romans and the “Solas” of Luther:

TELL US ABOUT ALL NATIONS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP. All Nations Christian Fellowship was founded in 1967, so this year we will be celebrating our 50th anniversary. It was planted to serve the American Naval Base in Rota, but it now reaches beyond the Base. It has been an English-only church for most of her life but has been a totally bilingual church for about 7 years. We now have about 130 active members. Because of its turnover, growth is not exponential but we get to send people all over the world!

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• • • • •

Sola Gratia: by grace alone Sola Scriptura: the Word only Sola Fide: by faith alone Soli Deo Gloria: to God alone be the glory Solo Christus: by Christ alone

We have also joined the Bible Society in giving away a special edition of the Bible to commemorate this event. Our church will be giving over 120 Bibles as special and individual gifts throughout this year.

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TELL US ABOUT SOME CHALLENGES YOU GUYS HAVE SUCCESSFULLY LED YOUR CHURCH THROUGH. WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THIS THAT YOU COULD SHARE WITH US? When we came to pastor this church had been without a pastor for over two years. The church was very small, there were people who had suffered great losses and were still grieving as they hadn’t had a pastor. But as we listened to them and prayed for them they have blossomed and are serving in the church and helping others. There was a lot of strife and conflict and the first years were very difficult. But as we moved slowly, we gained the people’s trust and have been able to see the church move forward in their walk with God and hunger for more of His Holy Spirit. Being that the church is multi-denominational it has been a huge challenge to move forward in what we know God has for each believer but God has His timing and He is working deep in people’s lives.

• Pray for wisdom for us as pastors and for the pastoral team. • For laborers to come and help us. • And for a renewed love for the people.

CHURCH CONTACT INFORMATION: Lead Pastor(s): Jose and Carlota Almarza Church name: All Nations Christian Fellowship Church Address: C/ Río Barbate s/n. 11500 El Puerto de Santa María. Church Website: allnationsrise.org Church E-mail: christian.fellowship.puerto@gmail.com

WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP FOR YOUR CHURCH IN TERMS OF GROWTH AND THE FUTURE? Our church growth is determined by the people we have in the congregation every year. We rely on people’s gifts and availability so every year it’s an adventure. HOW CAN FELLOW FEIC CHURCHES PRAY FOR YOUR CHURCH? • Please pray as we teach about the Holy Spirit, that people will receive all that God has for them.

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FEIC MEMBER CHURCH SPOTLIGHT

BRUSSELS CHRISTIAN CENTER

PLEASE SHARE BRIEFLY ABOUT CHRISTIAN CENTER’S HISTORY. “Brussels Christian Center is over three decades old and runs 600-700 each week with weekly services in English and French. The Lord has blessed us with a number of devoted staff, an experienced lay leadership council, a spacious property on the south side of Brussels, and a ministry and outreach-oriented body of believers.

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WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP FOR CHRISTIAN CENTER IN TERMS OF GROWTH AND THE FUTURE? “We are working to re-engage with the expat community in Brussels, minister to refugees, develop a stronger home group network, and to enter unreached communities. We seek to be a greater blessing to the greater Pentecostal community in Belgium.”

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DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL FOCUS OR THEME FOR 2017? “Our 2017 focus is ‘Pursuing the Purpose of God.’ We plan to develop the theme through two conferences in 2017 as well as periodic teaching and preaching on the subject.” DESCRIBE BRUSSELS CHRISTIAN CENTER IN TERMS OF YOUR ‘INTERNATIONAL CULTURE’ “We have a relatively small percentage of expats, but up to 50 nationalities represented. Our majority groups include: Belgians, Congolese, Filipinos and Latinos.”

CHURCH CONTACT INFORMATION: Lead Pastor(s): Daniel Costanza Church name: Christian Center Church Address: 47 Steenweg op Waterloo, 1640 Sint Genesius Rode, Belgium Church Website: www.christiancenter.be Church E-mail: info@christiancenter.be

TELL US ABOUT SOME CHALLENGES YOU GUYS HAVE SUCCESSFULLY LED YOUR CHURCH THROUGH IN THE LAST FEW YEARS. WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THIS THAT YOU COULD SHARE WITH US? “The church has undergone a pastoral change in the last two years. We are navigating through some challenges related to change, aligning ministries, and readying ourselves to move to a deeper level of spirituality, more engagement with the lost, and a higher level of discipleship.” HOW CAN FELLOW FEIC CHURCHES PRAY FOR YOUR CHURCH? “We would ask for prayer for unity and love within the church and to pray for a worship pastor for the church.”

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FEIC MEMBER CHURCH SPOTLIGHT

EUROPOORT INTERNATIONAL CHURCH Pastor Ken Linneweh

Why did the Lord send us here, the one city we didn’t want to go to. Where are our cute students? Where is the beautiful Dutch architecture? Rotterdam was leveled by German bombs in World War 2 and is called the city without a heart. But God wants the heart of the city to beat with His heart as His plans are activated and unfolding. He has asked us to be a small part of them by starting an international church within an existing Dutch church in the heart of the city. The first chapter is now being written but the author is famous, panned by some, celebrated by others. We are the rough hewn paper that he will write on. We started in midOctober and the story is just beginning. WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP FOR YOUR CHURCH IN TERMS OF GROWTH AND THE FUTURE? As a new church we want to grow because that means we are on the right path and we doing our job to reach the lost and the city of Rotterdam. We are working on bringing awareness to the city that we exist and build a relational opportunity to meet other internationals. It can be lonely when you are no longer home and may not speak the language.

PLEASE GIVE US A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF YOUR CHURCH’S HISTORY AND THE PROGRESS IT HAS MADE TO DATE. We started our first international church in Maastricht: Damascus Road International Church. A fairy tale of a city full of international students at the university was a church planter’s dream. Beautiful young people full of the passion and dreams of a life just beginning to unfold.

DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL FOCUS OR THEME FOR 2017? Our focus this year is simple. We are in the building stage and we want to build a strong foundation built on Jesus and not ourselves. We are developing a sense of family where we can all belong and feel accepted. We are becoming a community and we emphasize that at every service.

Fast forward to Rotterdam, the largest and the poorest city in The Netherlands. Its color is grey and brown and a rough wind, tinged with violence blows. Frustration walks the street and displaced people hide in the shadows. This is where we’re planting ‘Europoort International Church’ (EIC).

DESCRIBE YOUR CHURCH IN TERMS OF YOUR ‘INTERNATIONAL CULTURE’. WHAT KINDS OF FOLKS TYPICALLY ATTEND? Rotterdam is over +50% non-Dutch and a great city to reach the world. When you walk out the doors of EIC you feel like you are in Istanbul. The western-born person on the street is probably 1 in 10. It is

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therefore reasonable to expect the congregation to be a mirror of your surroundings. People who have come to “check out” the new kid on the block have been from Africa, Indonesia, the old Dutch colonies, England, America, Estonia, Armenia and the Middle East. Also we have some of these people married to Dutch nationals. Because of the inner city location of the church we also have some spontaneous visits from people with addictions. There is Erasmus University and Colleges with over 60,000 students, some international. We want to find a way in to meet and reach them.

to the existing Dutch mother-church vision, yet attempting to exercise the vision God is showing us in order to reach immigrants and internationals has its confinements and compromises. HOW CAN FELLOW FEIC CHURCHES PRAY FOR YOUR CHURCH? Please pray for us, the Linnewehs, that we will be able to lead this new work with vision, faith, purpose and humility. We have a national team of around 15 people from the Dutch church who have volunteered to help us launch EIC. Europeans have different values than their crazy American counterparts. Pray that their desire to reach their city will grow and they

TELL US ABOUT SOME CHALLENGES YOU GUYS HAVE SUCCESSFULLY LED YOUR CHURCH THROUGH. WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THIS THAT YOU COULD SHARE WITH US? Since EIC is new, the plans God has for it are still unfolding. We have the challenge of embracing and releasing “our” plans to follow a more divine design and the greater vision of our Dutch hosts, Evangelism Center Europoort. ARE YOU FACING ANY CHALLENGES RIGHT NOW THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE? Rotterdam is a large city (2.1 million) with an extremely diverse culture. We have everything from street people, alcoholics, druggies, a large middle-eastern base, hard-nosed Dutch and Expats everywhere. It is hard to reach them all well because it is so diverse.

will find energy and joy in serving. Pray we can love and lead Rotterdam to the Lord and point them to the plans God has for their lives. Pray we can build a lasting work that will grow and thrive beyond us. CHURCH CONTACT INFORMATION: Lead Pastor(s): Church name: Church Address: Church Website: Church E-mail:

Kent & Leslie Linneweh Europoort International Church (EIC) Nieuwe Binnenweg 324-26 www.europoortinternational.nl info@europoortinternational.nl

Since there are about 60,000 students here, we would like to reach them better. We could really use a Campus Outreach person as well as a Children’s pastor/director. Working within a Dutch-church context also has its trials. Remaining true

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FEIC MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

IYOUTH CAMP : CHANGING LIVES OF INTERNATIONAL YOUTH IN EUROPE

facilitate the camp.” Donnelle served at iYouth Camp when it was first founded by Chad and Dargan Phillips in 2001. She served on the worship team and as a counselor, where God gave her a heart for the young people of Europe. “Our mission is to educate and equip international students to have a deeper walk with Christ and to develop a relationship with him - not just have religion,” she says. “Europe has religion but not a lot of relationship, so we focus on teaching these kids how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. “WE WANT TO SEE YOUNG PEOPLE’S LIVES CHANGED” In 2009, Donnelle grew the iYouth Camp leadership by inviting Donetta Hunter and Paul Travers to serve as camp pastors. The camp experience affected Paul and his wife, Lori, so deeply that they are now serving as missionaries in Germany with Assemblies of God World Missions.

iYouth, a network partner of the Fellowship of European International Churches, holds its 16th camp this summer for international youth ages 13-19.

“We want to see young people’s lives changed,” says Paul. “Europe is very dark spiritually, with less then four percent of Europeans claim to know Jesus Christ. We want to see that change.”

“iYouth Camp is a Christian camp open to international youth ages 13-19,” says Donnelle Johnson, camp director since 2003. “The camp offers an encouraging environment for international youth to grow in the Lord. Our passion - to touch lives with the hope of Jesus Christ - permeates everything we do from our activities, to chapel, to the counselors who

iYouth Camp partners with FEIC member churches to organize the camp, which has been held in Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, France, Italy, Hungary and Germany.

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“We’ve seen youth from as many as 28 nationalities at the camp,” says

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Donnelle. “It’s a beautiful cross-pollination of cultures, languages and nationalities coming together to worship God, study His word and pray – it’s a very powerful thing. Paul adds, “Worship is a centerpiece to all that we do at this camp. It’s about bringing the young people to a place at certain times of day or evening where they can connect with the Lord.” “WE’VE SEEN GOD DO SOME AMAZING MIRACLES” The camp is packed with activities designed to build relationships with God and with each other. Each day is long and full with chapel services, small group meetings, breakouts, workshops, recreation and evening services. “We do have a lot of fun at iYouth Camp,” says Donnelle. “We’ve found that the more fun we have with the kids, the more their walls begin to fall. “And because we’re ‘neutral’ and not from their home church, they’re more likely to open up to us with some challenges they’re facing. We’ve dealt with some pretty deep issues but we’ve also seen God do some amazing miracles and heal a lot of kids over the years.”

• In 2006, three camp kids were so committed to make a change in their city that they returned to Brussels and formed a youth ministry called, ‘Explosion’. After more than 10 years, that ministry continues to touch the youth of Brussels, with hundreds coming together every month to worship God and hear His Word. • And one young camper from Austria now organizes secular kids camps in which she weaves Christ creatively into that camp. As iYouth camp holds its 16th camp in Gersfeld, Germany this summer, the team is expectant that God will continue the work He began in 2001. My hope for iYouth is to encourage and equip European cross cultural youth to impact their circle of influence for God,” says Donelle. “May iYouth shape the next generation to impact their world for Christ.

“MY HOPE IS TO IMPACT THEIR CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE FOR CHRIST” Here are just a few testimonies of how iYouth Camp has impacted lives: • “After serving with the camp for several years, I was at a leadership conference where I met a missionary mom from Europe. She told me that before attending iYouth Camp, her daughter was battling depression. But after camp, the mother said her daughter returned home with her joy restored.

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FEIC MEMBER CHURCH SPOTLIGHT

ALETHEIA INTERNATIONAL CHURCH MUNICH Pastors: Bernd & Ryoko Armbruster

shanghaifellowship.org) where we found our spiritual home. We grew up in this community, served there and also got to know each other. In 2006, we got married and now have three beautiful children, Anna, Noah and Abigail. From 2011 – 2016 I worked fulltime for SCF as Outreach Director. It was a very rewarding and very fruitful season, seeing dozens come to Christ each year. However, we always knew that our time at SCF was a training ground for what God had for us next. We didn’t know what or when. All we knew was that “God was still preparing us for our long term calling”. WHAT GOD SPOKE In 2015, God then brought it all together: He spoke to us about starting an International Church in the city of Munich, Germany. He called us to take some of what we have received in Shanghai and bring it back to my own country. SCF is a unique church, very different from the average church in Germany. SCF puts a strong emphasis on “living in a relationship with God”, hearing God’s voice and community. So being obedient to God’s calling, we left Shanghai in summer 2016 and now live in Munich.

WHO WE ARE Our names are Bernd & Ryoko Armbruster. I was born and grew up in the Black Forrest in Germany, while Ryoko grew up in Japan. Though our upbringings were very different, we had one thing in common: Neither of us had any interest in or saw any relevance in Christianity. HOW WE MET However, God brought both of us to Shanghai, China, where he brought Ryoko into His kingdom in 2002, and me in 2004. We both became members of Shanghai Community Fellowship (SCF, www.

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SHANGHAI VS. GERMANY Of course, there are significant differences between the two countries: In Shanghai, life is difficult, especially for foreigners. Many people realize that they need help: they need friends, they need a community that supports and understands them. That’s why many people are more open towards the church, even if they are not yet Christians. In Munich, the atmosphere is different, because life is just very comfortable. This city is the most expensive city in Germany, because the average income is the highest. As a result, people believe they have everything they need. Add to that the common misconceptions of “cultural Christianity” and it’s very hard to get people interested in Jesus.

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At the same time, many people feel lonely. Friendships are superficial and temporary. Marriage is rejected by many as an outdated concept, because lifelong commitments are not the norm any longer. As a result, people live in marriage-like relationships (even with children), but feel insecure and lonely all the time. We are still praying about how to best reach out to the community. But obviously, offering genuine friendship and community will be a key to get people to open up to the church. ABOUT OUR CHURCH PLANT The name of our new church is Aletheia, which is the Greek word for Truth in the original text of the Bible. It is found many times in the New Testament, e.g. John 8:32, John 4:23 or John 14:6 Many people in Germany THINK they know what Christianity is all about. But digging a little bit deeper, we would quickly find out that they don’t know. Biblical Truth is mixed together with cultural Christianity, wrong teachings from school and wrong messages from people who call themselves Christians. That’s why we want to bring the True Gospel, the Truth of Jesus Christ, to people here, confronting all the cultural misinformation that has confused people over the many centuries.

come alongside us in prayer. We need people who simply commit to “being there whenever possible”. And we need people to help us invite others. PLEASE PRAY FOR US We are doing our part. But with me doing freelance work to provide for the family, and Ryoko doing the Integration and Language Course, we are limited. We need more people who have the heart and maturity to support us, to reach our next goal. We would appreciate your prayers to support us for this need. If you would like to keep in touch with us, then you can do that through several channels: AIC Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/aicmunich Our personal blog: www.simplesecrets.info/blog.php Our personal Facebook page: www.facebook.com/berndryoko The church webpage: www.aicmunich.org (Very simple for now) To contact us directly: mail@aicmunich.org or (+49)-176-2965 8617

We run one small group on Friday nights. Our next goal is to have a regular Sunday service. We believe that such a service would make it a lot easier for people to “give Aletheia a try”, since they feel intimidated to join a small group with people they don’t know. Our greatest need to reach this goal are people who have the maturity and commitment to come alongside us. We need a worship leader who can lead under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We need people who

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FEIC NETWORK PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

day I was changed! I began working in Children’s Ministry as a pre-teen. I

FEIC Kids

went on my first mission trip to Ecuador at the age of 17 and that is where

Directed by: Kay Farmer

graduated with a Bachelor’s in Biblical Literature with a minor in Missions.

God called me to Missions. I went to Bible College in Neosho, MO and Every summer I would come home and work on staff at my home church in the Children’s Ministry. After graduation, I came on staff full-time at my home church in Children’s and Bus Ministries. TALK ABOUT YOUR MISSIONS EXPERIENCE SO FAR - WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING? While at Bible School in the summer, I completed missions assignments in El Salvador, Haiti and Mexico. I took a hiatus from missions and ministry for about seven years and then went to the country of Tanzania where we worked with the Maasai tribes. In 2011, I returned to the mission field in Italy. I was at ICF Padova for 2 1/2 years and became the Kid’s Pastor there. Every summer we did 7 weeks of VBS, with over 100 kids from international backgrounds. We taught an after-school English

According to Larry Henderson, co-director of FEIC, Kay Farmer is

program in the spring and fall in addition to regular Children’s Ministries.

developing a new program in cooperation with FEIC called ‘FEIC

I began to feel the need to help a church start a Kid’s Ministry from the

KIDS’. The program provides strategic development and resources for

ground up, so I accepted a position in Antwerp, Belgium with Centraal

international church children’s ministries involved in new church plants as

Community.

well as existing churches.

WHAT ARE THE TRENDS OF CHILDREN’S MINISTRY THAT YOU SEE IN

LET’S START WITH A BIT OF BACKGROUND - WHERE YOU ARE FROM,

TODAY’S CHURCH?

HOW GOD CALLED YOU INTO CHILDREN’S MINISTRY AND THEN INTO

One of the biggest needs in Children’s Ministry is a lack of volunteers and

MISSIONS.

training for them. Also, many churches want to reach a lot of children

I am from Pace, Florida, was raised in church and gave my heart to Jesus

at one time through Children’s Church, but not many take the time to

every Sunday. But at the age of eight I made a decision that this was the

disciple them in smaller more personal settings.

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WHAT ARE THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF INTERNATIONAL CHURCH

each individual church. No program will be the same. In International

CHILDREN’S MINISTRY AND HOW DO YOU MEET THOSE?

Ministry, we understand that every country in Europe has its own separate

There are more resources available than ever before and the biggest issue

cultural needs and what worked in one country will not work in another.

for our International Churches is how to access those resources! Bilingual

or duo-lingual curriculum is the biggest question I get the most. In an

WHY IS MINISTRY TO CHILDREN SO IMPORTANT?

international setting we use English as the main language, but we know

“Nearly 80% of people in our churches today decided to follow Jesus

that there are non-English speakers and we need to include all of the

before age 18. 50% of them decided to follow Jesus before age 12. In fact,

children in the learning process each week. No international church is the

it becomes exponentially rarer and exponentially harder for a person to

same. We have to understand that every church will have to meet their

decide to follow Christ after age 18.” -incm.org

needs in a different manner and what works in America will not always work in our church context!

Getting the Word of God in the heart and mind of a child will be the key to a personal relationship with Jesus as an adult. Building a solid

WHAT IS YOUR NEXT MOVE?

Christ-centered foundation for our kids is key and begins at home and in

I will be moving from Antwerp to Budapest where I will base my work.

Children’s Ministry.

I’ll serve with David and Karmi Buckley at Riverside Church as their Kid’s Pastor. My plan is to help the church grow in the area of Kid’s Ministry and to teach and train the people of the church to be the ones to eventually lead the Kid’s Ministry. TELL US ABOUT FEIC KIDS I am so excited about FEIC KIDS! This is something I have had in my heart since I was in Italy. FEIC KIDS exists to create Strategic Development for new Children’s Ministries including Church Plants, Training your Children’s Ministries Team for new and existing ministries and Resourcing your International Children’s Ministries. DESCRIBE THE PROGRAM YOU’LL BE PUTTING IN PLACE. As far as FEIC KIDS, I will be working to specifically meet the needs of

FEIC

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The Fellowship of European International Churches [FEIC] is an expression of an Assemblies of God World Missions [AGWM] mandate that calls for strategic European International church ministry development. FEIC will continue to build on that mandate & work in full cooperation with AGWM & our national church partners to accelerate the work of the Gospel among Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diverse population. Fellowship of European International Churches [FEIC] is a relational network comprised of congregations that minister to the unique opportunities, needs and challenges of international communities in European cites. Our network churches are a tapestry of cultures and traditions, races and people groups, languages and nationalities united under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

FEIC

M ISSI O N STAT EM E N T

NE T WO RK ME MB E RS H IP PRO CE SS

Accele rat i n g t h e wo r k o f t h e Go s p e l a m o ng Europ e â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s d i ve r s e in te r n at io n a l p o p u lat io n .

FE IC i s a re l ati o nal are acco untabl e to and i de nti f y wi th a Asse mbl i e s O f G o d partne r.

ne two rk o f churche s that an o rgani z ati o nal network nati o nal ne two rk wi th which Wo rl d Mi ssi o ns [AGWM] is a

VALUE S/ P RI ORI T I E S Su p p or t i ve re lat io n s h ip s t h at p rov id e m e a n i n g f u l co n n e ct io n Sh a r i n g of re so u rce s t h at a re s p e c i f i c to i n te r n at io n a l m in ist r y St rate g i c c h u rch re n ewa l a n d l e a d e r s h ip d eve lo p m e n t op p or t u n i t i e s

T H E PRO CE SS O F JO INING INCLU DE S : Re co mme ndati o n f ro m FE IC me mber Approval f ro m bo th o rgani z ati o nal and nati o nal ne two rk Co mmi tme nt to wal k i n agre e me nt wi th FE IC

PLAN OF AC T I ON P l a n t n ew c h u rch e s Pos i t i on ex i stin g ch u rch e s fo r st rate g i c d eve lo p m e n t Pa r t n e r w i t h n at io n a l ch u rch e s to d o inte r n at i on a l m in ist r y

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CEN TR A L

S O U T H EASTERN

WE STE RN

(7 Countries/14 Churches)

(9 Countries/11 Churches)

(4 Countries/15 Churches)

Austria Czech Republic Germany Hungary Poland Slovakia Switzerland

Albania Bosnia Croatia Greece Kosovo Montenegro Romania Serbia Slovenia

Belgium France Luxembourg Netherlands

NOR TH E RN (9 Countries/13 Churches) Denmark Finland Iceland Ireland Norway Sweden England Scotland Wales

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S O U T H ERN (5 Countries/18 Churches)

OTH E R NATIO NS (4 countries/4 churches) Ukraine Turkey Morocco Russia

Canary Islands Italy Malta Portugal Spain

VI E W F U L L D I R E C TO RY O N L I N E : WWW. F E I C .O R G

PERHAPS FRIENDS Pastor Randy Carter rcarter@northsideaog.org

Several years ago when I was experiencing one of the darkest moments of my ministry, the Lord used a message by Dr. James Bradford to help me recapture my faith. He preached from 1 Samuel 14:6 (NIV) Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.” Dr. Bradford said that while all of us want a clear, “Thus says the Lord,” sometimes, all we have to stand on is a “perhaps.” I knew the answer to my “dark night of the soul” was to find my “perhaps.” I had to take my eyes off myself and place them firmly on the next step of faith that God was calling me to. It was a life changing moment. I meditated on that verse for months and finally shared it with our church family along with an impossible challenge. A friend in the congregation came up to me after the message and shared that his favorite part of this story was the next verse, Jonathan’s armor bearers response to his crazy plan. 1 Samuel 14:7 (NIV) “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.” For months I had been so focused on the “Perhaps” that I had failed to even see the armor bearer’s response. It was amazing. Go ahead and do this crazy thing you believe the Lord is asking you to do, “I am with you heart and soul.” Here’s what I learned, It is always easier to step out on a “Perhaps” when we have a friend that will step out with us.

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The scriptures give us many traits of Perhaps Friends. Perhaps Friends encourage us. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV) Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. William Arthur Ward said, “Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me and I may not like you. Ignore me and I may not forgive you. Encourage me and I will never forget you.” Perhaps Friends encourage us to be all that we can be. Perhaps Friends take risks with us. Romans 16:3-4 (NIV) Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. 4 They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. Perhaps Friends refuse to live the Perhaps life vicariously, they get off the sidelines and get into the game with us. Karl Wallenda said: “Life is being on the wire, everything else is just waiting.” Perhaps Friends create an atmosphere where failure isn’t fatal. Proverbs 24:16 (NIV) for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity. I am convinced the number one reason we are reluctant to step out on a Perhaps is the fear of failing. Perhaps friends create an atmosphere that says, “I would rather fail trying than fail by doing nothing.” The next time your friend comes to you with a crazy Perhaps Idea, I hope we say, “I am with you heart and soul.” Don’t be a Perhaps destroyer, be a Perhaps supporter. Dare to dream God-sized dreams with the Perhaps dreamers. Let’s help each other become all that God desires for us to become.

FEIC

IN MEMORIUM: STEVE AND PATTI GRAY Steve and Patti Gray, our friends and missionary colleagues, went to be with the Lord December 18, 2016 during a tragic fire at their home in Padova, Italy. Steve and Patti planted ICF Padova in 1998 and pastored the church until they left this earth. They were faithful and beloved members of the Fellowship of European International Churches and among many things are credited with organizing and hosting the FEIC Relational Retreat in Caorle, Italy each May; and supporting the iYouth Camp for international teenagers each summer. It is difficult to imagine another relational retreat, iYouth Camp or Summit without Steve and Patti there: smiling, cracking jokes and worshiping Jesus with us. But we know where they are and we look forward to seeing them again one day, when ‘we shall be like Him.’ ‘A presto’, Steve and Patti. You are loved and dearly missed. The FEIC Leadership Team

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FEIC

CONNECTING LEADERS BECAUSE RELATIONSHIPS MATTER W W W. F E I C .O R G