Topics in this newsletter

• Editorial from Thomas Bucher
• Materials General Assembly
• Introducing EEA Good News Café
• Mission Net Congress

  Dear EEA friends, A very enriching General Assembly lies behind us. The theme was Europe: Doomsday or Work in Progress. Together we were able to look at the state of Europe. Jim Memory and Jeff Fountain did an excellent job in showing the state of Europe and also conveying the message that YES there is hope. They were able to show the participants that our future hope encourages us to invest into the now and here. Jan Wessels, the General Secretary of the EA Netherlands, supported this hope with well founded and illustrated bible studies from the book of Nehemiah. Several inputs and sessions helped the participants to connect with the vast resources present through the representatives of the National Alliances and the Affiliated Members. I was acknowledged as the new General Secretary. I am excited to fully embrace this role and yet also aware that without God’s mercy and help it will not be possible to move forward. One step to give the EEA more visibility is the new and attractive website which went online just before the General Assembly. We will try to post regular updates, build a rich resource of helpful papers and have helpful links. This is work under construction. Make sure you let us know if you have suggestions how we can server you better. The prayer we finished the General Assembly with is from the Philippines: Shake us up… Make us restless, Lord, when we are too complacent; When our dreams seem fulfilled, because they were all too small; When we believe that we have already reached our destination while still being in the safe harbour, Because we sailed all too close to the shore   Make us restless, o Lord, when we because of the abundance of the things we have, Have lost the thirst for the waters of life; When we, in love with this earthly time, have stopped dreaming of eternity; When we in all our efforts we invest getting the new crop in, have a fading vision of the new heaven.   Shake us up, o Lord, so that we get bolder and we dare to venture out in the open sea. Where the storms reveal us your omnipotence, Where we, with dwindling sight of the shore, see the stars light up.   In the name of the one who moves the horizon of our hopes further out. In the name of the one who has called the bold ones to follow him. Amen I hope that this prayer will be in our mind as we continue the journey as an EEA to do an even more effective work as we Connect, Equip and Represent. With my best wishes     Thomas Bucher General Secretary

Materials General Assembly

Lectures The lectures of Jim Memory, Jeff Fountain and Jan Wessels can be on the new EEA Website.  All PowerPoint’s will be made available in the EEA database for the general secretaries.  Reports, & pictures of the General Assembly At the General Assembly we had Peter Schmidt writing short reports on the lectures of Jim Memory and Jeff Fountain. You can find them on the EEA website under as news reports. Theme and Country Reports We have heard from many people during the General Assembly. We have tried to capture some of the stories told. You can find the presentations here. If you have additional stories or reports, feel free to send them to so we can add them in the newsletter or on the website.  

Introducing EEA’s Good News Café

EEA members have a unique role to play in sustaining hope in the Evangelical community and to inspire and equip them to be and share the Good News of Jesus Christ.   Networks and Affiliate members bring specific expertise.  Evangelical Alliances can take a lead in encouraging prayer and response, speaking to society and bringing stakeholders together to explore more effective action. It is good to celebrate excellent Gospel work and to learn from it so that we can all be more effective in our roles.  You are invited to do just that… and to invite others to do the same. EEA’s Good News Café is a new opportunity to interact online, learning good practice principles and ideas on a variety of themes.  It is an hour to invest in learning, sharing and praying so that Evangelical Alliances are better at being Good News themselves and at helping their members. What’s on the menu? Each café will have a couple of speakers presenting good practice principles and examples, followed by a time of interaction and prayer. The café is open for discussion on any good practice examples of Gospel impact outside the walls of the Church, whether that is how an Evangelical Alliance can improve its impact or a ministry example that you will want to share among young members so that they can get involved.  We would love your ideas. Who is invited?  EEA members’ staff, board members and volunteers or relevant people that you pass the invitation to.  We ask each of you to look out for invitations and to pass on the information to the right person.  The café is by “invitation only” so thanks for not advertising it generally but approach individuals you think would benefit &/or have something to share. The café will take place every couple of months at 16h30 CET online.  People will need to register a week in advance and to follow a few technical instructions. We are grateful to the World Evangelical Alliance Leadership Institute for providing the Adobe Connect software and technical support. So come along and/or invite others.  Enjoy the interaction and go away with new ideas and hope in the power and relevance of the Gospel. Thomas Bucher & the rest of the EEA Staff Team

Missional Concepts for European Contexts

This year in a new format! At Mission-Net 2013 our Theological Leaders Track (ThLT) will be highly improved through a strategic cooperation with the Association of Evangelical Missiologists (www.missiologie-afem.de). The ThLT is a unique European platform to get to know each other, reflecting, discussing and sharing what is the role of theological leaders to impact a young generation with a genuine missional lifestyle, growing out of a deep personal relationship and commitment with Jesus Christ. We are inviting all speakers, teachers, church leaders and staff at the exhibitions to use the chance to discuss together the future of our dear continent. We will talk about “Missional Concepts for European Contexts” between practitioners, mission leaders and missiologists, listening to the experience from missionaries from outside Europe, from European church planters, from young leaders and academic mission experts. Don’t worry if you cannot attend the whole ThLT. A comfortable lounge will be available for you to meet the speakers and other participants to continue discussions and network throughout the congress. We hope you will be able to join us in Offenburg and look forward to your contribution. Practicalities If you have already registered for the Congress anyway (https://register.mission-net.org/node/12) you don’t need to do anything in addition – just check the programme guide and turn up for the ThLT meetings. You will get the most from the track if you take part in as many as possible of the ThLT- Plenary meetings. Do let us know if there is a specific topic you are interested in and ready to contribute from your experience/knowledge. It would help us with more specific planning! Please write to Martin Voegelin () if you feel this is you. Thank you! If you are yet to register and are only planning to be present at the Congress in order to follow the part AfeM/ThLT, please register at http://52063917.swh.strato-hosting.eu/cgi-bin/formmanager.php.cgi?action=ext_preview&fid=5  Helpful information and a special deal are available on the website. http://www.missiologie-afem.de/afem-mission-net.html (German only – if you need help, write to in)