Where Worlds Meet May 2014
Reprinted in NCN News
As a new believer for just one year, Adelina* was nervous about attending the Central Europe Field conference 30 April to 4 May. A native of Kosova who speaks Albanian, Adelina now lives in Sweden where she found Christ through friendship with Juliene and Philip Munts. The Munts are American Nazarene tentmaker missionaries pioneering the Church of the Nazarene there. Except for the Munts, Adelina didn't know any other Nazarenes.
When Adelina met the Nazarene group from Kosova and Albania at the conference, everything changed.
"In Sweden, I don't have any Albanians who I can share my faith and belief with," she said. "Then I saw the Kosova-Albanians and it was more beautiful — my faith, my belief — because I had to share it … in my mother language. It sounded like beautiful music when they read the Bible. Meeting those people made me more strong in my faith."
That was exactly the objective of the conference, according to field strategy coordinator Jay Sunberg: to provide time and space for Nazarenes across the field to connect with one another, draw strength from each other and fellowship, along with picking up ministry ideas and tools that they could implement in their own ministry contexts.
The Central Europe Field is made up of Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Denmark, Sweden, Albania, Kosova, Finland, Norway, and Croatia. One hundred and twenty-six Nazarenes attended.
"I think it's been beyond what we hoped it would be," Sunberg said.
Romania District Superintendent Tamara Hudson brought 29 people to the conference, including seven teens and two children.
"I've been watching our people with the spiritual encouragement they've received and the fellowship with people across the field; it's been really beautiful." Hudson said. "Particularly with the Power of One seminars, I feel like some real critical issues came up. We were able to talk about some action steps. We're going home with ideas of next steps."
The Power of One is a region-wide initiative to help local churches become more missional.
Several people said a highlight was a workshop taught by missionary Betsey Scott, who serves in Croatia, about learning one's spiritual life rhythms in order to connect with God more intimately in the unique ways each person has been created.
"Learning how I can express my spirituality in a natural way for me, it brought much freedom into my relationship with God and it made it more enjoyable," said Galin Ivanov from Sofia, Bulgaria.
Other workshops covered topics such as healthy marriages, parenting, anti trafficking ministry, coffee shop ministry, evangelism, and church planting.
Pastor Relu Cristurean, pastor of the Sighisoara, Romania, Church of the Nazarene, said the parenting class opened his eyes to the necessity of helping the next generation have direct, personal experience with God.
The class instructor explained that the first generation of Christians believe because they have first-hand experience with God's love and faithfulness; then the next generation — even if they don't personally experience God — may still believe in God simply because their parents believe. The third generation is twice removed from first-hand experience with God if they don't have personal experiences themselves, and then are at risk of walking away from God.
Regional Director Arthur Snijders and his wife, Annemarie, who is a church planter in the Netherlands, as well as Scandinavia District Superintendent Kaj Ove Bollerup, Cristurean, and Sunberg preached in the worship services, offering encouragement to those in attendance.
During free times, attendees gathered in the conference center café to play games, talk, and relax together. Adelina stayed up until nearly 1 a.m. playing Monopoly with her new friends from the Kosova-Albania District.
"I am born in Kosova and I live in Sweden and I hang out with Americans," she said. "Sometimes I am feeling lost — I don't know who I am, where I belong, but being here with all these people, I realize that I'm not lost. I have a big family. We are one family in Christ."
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