Ecumenical Association of Academies and Laity Centres in Europe
Category: News from Oikosnet
Welcome to the official site of Oikosnet Europe!
Each year more than 200.000 people from all walks of life participate in about 2.000 conferences and other gatherings in our about 60 member centres in 14 European countries The OIKOSNET Europe member centres seek in their work to understand and actualise the significance of the gospel for the renewal and unity of the churches as a whole. They work at empowering the laity and they collaborate in dealing with actual social problems by dialogue. They endeavour to assist in giving guidance for necessary changes in living conditions with a commitment to social justice and integrity of creation. They contribute to making it possible for individuals and groups to share in a mature way in the organisation of society and in a peaceful order among the nations.
At the General Assembly of 2022 in Malaga two new board members were elected; Lucia Leonardi andHeinz Joachim Lohmann. Lucia is the director of Agape Centro Ecumenico in Italy and Heinz Joachim Lohmann is director of studies for democratic culture and church in rural regions at the Protestant Academy of Berlin.
Lucia and Heinz Joachim are replacing Jörg Hübner, director at the Academy of Bad boll and Karolina Silna, director at the academy in Prague.
Photo: Alexei Bodrov ( election committee) Lucia Leonardi, Heinz Joachim Lohmann and Gernot Meier, ( election committee).
It was a great joy to see so many members at the General Assembly of 2022 in Malaga October 5 – 9. After several years affected by the Corona virus we could finally meet one another face to face again.
Our host Gloria Uribe Cifuentes from the Lux Mundi Ecumenical Centre did a wonderful in making us all feel so much at home at the beautiful Casa Diocesana de Espiritualidad in Malaga.
The theme of the conference was The Green Deal from a European Perspective and local perspective. Antonis Kalogerakis from the Orthodox Academy in Crete gave a presentation on the European perspective followed up by a lecture by Dr Felix Lopez Figueroa sharing his inspiring work at the University of Malaga.
To those who would like to follow up the speach given by Antonis Kalogerakis he recommends a report from a recent conference given by CEC. Every part of the creation matters
Due to the situation in Ukraine there was also a session about Peace and Reconciliation, where Colin Craig from Corrymeela and Ruth Harvey from Iona shared some thoughts from their many years of work in this field. It was also very valuable to have the possibility to listen to some voices over zoom giving witness on the situation they live with every day.
We had the pleasure to welcome a new member, the community of Iona. We are really happy to have you with us and look forward to see what this will bring for the future.
Where next years conference will take place has not yet been decided but we look forward to see you all where ever it might be.
Cairo 14 – 17 June 2023 As a member of Oikosnet Europe you are most welcome to participate in the upcoming Arab-Europe Citizens’ Dialogue in Cairo, Egypt 14 – 17 June 2023. The Arab-European Citizens’ Dialogue was established in 2010 at the Orthodox Academy of Crete (OAC) as an expansion of a previous Egyptian-German dialogue. The main counterparts are the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services (CEOSS) in Cairo, Egypt, and Oikosnet Europe. From 2010, there has been a series of consultations in Europe and in the Arab region and the focus this year will be the relation between religion and civil society. A more detailed program will be distributed closer to the conference.
Conference Organizers The Arab-Europe Citizens’ Dialogue Conference on Religion and Society is organized jointly by the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services (CEOSS), Oikosnet Europe and the Sigtuna Foundation. On both the Arab side and the European side, there are some possibilities for financial support. This is handled separately by the two regions. Feel free to contact any of the following persons if you have general questions about the conference and/or about the conference organizers:
Corrymeela, Ballycastle Monday 20th – Friday 24th March 2023
Our member organisation Corrymeela will be hosting a Dialogue for Peaceful Change Training in March 2023 at Ballycastle Centre on the north coast of Ireland. Colin Craig, previously the Executive Director of Corrymeela will facilitate the training and as a member of Oikosnet Europe you are most welcome to join.
Cost and Accomodation ( Ensuite bedrooms) Single bedroom £ 680.00 pp Shared bedroom £ 600.00 pp
Financial support from Oikosnet Europe Oikosnet Europe will provide financial support for two participants to join the training. ( You are expected to cover your cost of travel.) Participants with financial support should give a written report about their impressions, and if possible present it at the next General Assembly of Oikosnet Europe. If you are interested to apply for financial support from Oikosnet Europe please contact our treasurer Alf Linderman. alf.linderman@sigtunastiftelsen
You can read more about Dialogue for Peaceful Change at the website www.corrymeela.org
A few weeks ago, as President of Plusbildung, I was invited to a conference in Paris. During a visit to the “Institut Protestant de Théologie” I discovered a cartoon by Bernard Stehr (“Theology of hope”). It accompanies me through this Advent. People long for liberation. Also in Europe. In a way undreamed of until recently. What gives them the strength to build on their skills and resources? What makes them trust in their resilience? What encourages them to exercise patience with great confidence?
The path to freedom can only be found together
In recent years, Escape Rooms or Escape Games have become well-known and popular. A team of players searches for clues and solves tricky tasks in order to be able to leave a room in which they are locked in. The challenge is to share knowledge and imagination, experience and intuition, expertise and daring to experiment by all, to combine approaches and agree on a common course of action. The more complex the puzzles and questions to be solved, the more the joint effort and the contribution of all resources is required. Finally, patience and confidence are needed, hope that together we will succeed in what is too much for me as an individual. The path to freedom can only be found together … and yet remains unavailable.
Education contributes to liberation
When I take up the idea of “Escape Rooms”, it seems to me that many aspects come up that I associate with what I understand as good educational work.
Education finds ways out. Education contributes to liberation. Education is a collaborative enterprise. Education encourages collective action, leads to concrete deeds. Education does not deny complexity. But church-based education also reckons with the unavailable, with that which cannot be calculated. It therefore remains patient and at the same time alert for the kairos, the right moment.
I wish that in this way we will remain committed together in Oikosnet Europe and beyond. We feel the responsibility. We feel the necessities of our time. We know the obligation of solidarity. Let us not give up the faith that together and with God’s help we can make a difference for a better Europe and for the many people who live in fear and need.
Rooted in the Northern Irish reconciliation experience of Corrymeela since 1965, four Corrymeela members have developed an extensive and practical reflective learning resource, “Nurturing Hope”. In July you have the possibility to take part of their summer school.
Each day participants will work in groups exploring the different approaches and themes within the new Nurturing Hope Materials. Developed from 50 years plus reconciliation practice in Northern Ireland, Korea and North America Summer School participants will explore how:
Together, a ‘more reasoned public voice’ might be built
through offering people opportunities to reflect on the reasons they have for
acting in various ways and support them reassert their choices or make new ones
together. Participants will enhance their facilitation skills in developing
group and organisational programmes of encounter that Nurture Hope.
Rooted in the Northern Irish reconciliation experience of Corrymeela since 1965, four Corrymeela members have developed an extensive and practical reflective learning resource, “Nurturing Hope”.
Keynote Contributions:
In addition to the presence of the four authors of Nurturing Hope and some learning partners/ practitioners from the USA and Korea we have as speakers:
Professor
Josefina Alvarez, of the Kroc Institute and
a lead monitor on the Columbian Peace Process
Baroness
May Blood, a cross bench peer in the House of Lords, the Chair of the
Integrated Education Fund and a founder member of the NI Women’s Coalition.
Professor
Monica McWilliams, a former Human Rights
Commissioner, a signatory to the Good Friday Agreement 1998, and a founder
member of the Women’s Coalition.
Ade
Solanke, a leading British Nigerian Playwright and former Fulbright
scholar at Columbia who is now preparing a play on Phylis Wheatley for Boston. Phillis Wheatley was
the first African American and second woman (after Anne Bradstreet) to publish
a book of poems.
JC Clapsaddle, is a retired United States Air Force Colonel. He served in various positions including a post at the US Embassy in Iraq as a liaison to the Iraqi Government. He was a National Defense Fellow to the US Senate advising on nuclear and defence policy.
It is with great sadness that we had to say goodbye to our former President, Treasurer and Board Member Jaap van der Sar who passed away after long illness on March 11 at home in Wageningen/The Netherlands. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Tineke and his family and friends.
Jaap was
not only an inspirator and driving force of our association, he was for many
years the heart and center of it, leading, supporting, enabling our work,
enveloping us in his friendship, challenging us when necessary, even preparing
us very carefully personally and the association structurally for his passing
away. Especially the “Dialogue for a Peaceful Change” was close to his heart.
Together with others he developed the project and brought together thousands of
participants and trainers from all over the world for trainings in non-violent
conflict management.
The General Assembly of Oikosnet Europe in
Sigtuna Sweden was no doubt affected by the travelling restrictions caused by
Covid-19. But nevertheless we had a representation from 11 members on site and
four members taking part in the business session digitally. Some additional
members were represented by proxy.
It was such a joy to finally see one
another again. Work together, learn together, share ideas and simply spend time
together in person.
Digitalization as a humanistic and existential issue
The theme of the study day this year
was Digitalization as a humanistic and existential issue. Speakers on
this topic was Lisbeth Gustafsson, journalist and Dr. Honoris Causa
in Theology, Amanda Lagerqvist, Professor Media and
Communication and Mia Lövheim, Professor Sociology of Religion. Their
academic perspectives gave a valuable insight to this field of research and
their reflections also fueled a discussion on how digital life affect us, both
as individuals and the work that we are engaged in at our academies.
Excursion day in the first town in Sweden
The excursion day is something one always
look forward to at the General Assembly. As the venue this year was Sigtuna,
Swedens first town, we had the opportunity to explore the Christian roots of
Sweden on site. As Karin Sallander at the office of Oikosnet Europe
in Sigtuna also has a background as archeologist we were given a guided tour of
old town Sigtuna including runic stones, a visit to the local museum and the
old Monastery church of St Marys.
Keep building relations and hang in there…
On the last day of the conference, the General Assembly had Jonas Jonsson, bishop emeritus in the Church of Sweden and former assistant General Secretary at the World Council of Churches, as our special guest. Jonas Jonsson shared some memories from his lifelong experience of ecumenical work. Some words that probably stayed with many of us was “keep building relations and hang in there”. With that said we hope that we will be able to gather again at the General assembly of 2022!
Kjell Riise, representing the Norweigian Church Academies, was elected as a new member of the board at the General Assembly of Oikosnet Europe. Kjell is a parish priest in the cathedral of Tromsø in Norway and also a board member of the Norwegian Church Academies.
The motto „schaut hin“ (take a look) (Mark 6:38) is at the centre of the 3rd Ecumenical Kirchentag. In terms of content, it is the common thread running through the programme of the major digital event in Frankfurt am Main.
The 3rd Ecumenical Kirchentag will be
digital and decentralised. The programme will thus be focussed, but as usual a
colourful mix of topics, culture and spiritual content. The Ecumenical
Kirchentag offers some events with English subtitles or in English for the international
friends. See: https://www.oekt.de/en/
