Welcome to Values
Welcome to 2009’s first edition of Values, an ezine of the Fellowship of European International Churches.

This ezine features news and information about our network members located in 21 European countries.

In each issue, we feature such sections as: “Current Trends/Challenges.”, “Resource in Focus” and “News & Network Development”. If you have ideas or stories for any of these sections, please let us know using the contact information below.

Enjoy!

Who We Are

The FEIC is a relational network comprised of congregations that minister to the unique opportunities, needs and challenges of international communities in European cities. Our network churches are a tapestry of cultures and traditions, races and people groups, languages and nationalities united under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

What We Do
We endeavor to build personal relationships, establish a strong network to support members, and empower leaders by offering training and development opportunities.

Our Churches
Our congregations are Christ-centered churches with a three-fold purpose:
(1) To lead people to saving
faith in Jesus Christ.
(2) To build people in their relationship with God and others.
(3) To deploy people into servant ministry at home and throughout the world.

Are you keeping up with FEIC Coordinator Terry Hoggard’s ‘Connections’ blog?Terry updates the blog every week with an encouraging article and adds photo albums from his travels.

Be sure to check it out out by clicking here: Connections

Current FEIC-Related Streams:

Continental Theological Seminary
http://www.ctsem.edu/

Convoy of Hope Europe
http://www.coheu.org/

Europe Advance
http://europeadvance.org

Global University
http://www.globaluniversity.edu/

Master’s Commission Europe
www.masterscommissioneurope.com/

David Baroni (Worship Ministry)
http://www.davidbaroni.com/

Jeff Slaughter (Worship Training)
Jeff@thebridgeparis.com

Mark Purkey (Preaching/Evangelism)
http://www.markpurkey.com/

Donelle Painter
International Youth Camp Director
donnelle97@aol.com

Riccardo’s Zevenbergen
Director of School of Ministry in Brazil
razevenbergen@yahoo.com.br

www.feic.org
www.eyeoneurope.org
www.ctsem.edu
www.worldmissions.ag.org
www.bewi.eu

CURRENT TRENDS & CHALLENGES
Autumn Offers Opportunities for Promotion and Growth

Opportunities abound for reaching out to international communities at the start of each new ministry season.

Each summer, most of us involved in international church ministry lose members of their congregation for a variety of life-changing reasons. Such is the nature of an international church.

Because of this annual attrition factor, it’s important that we have strategies in place to promote our churches to new internationals, as well as others who haven’t heard of us.

In this issue of Values, we feature an interview with Arto Sädeaho, (pictured at left with his wife Orvokki), pastor of a new church plant in Vaanta, Finland, and former pastor of a successful church plant in Espoo, Finland.

Arto is an innovator when it comes to developing and applying creative strategies to promote church plants in international communities.

What do you do on an ongoing basis to keep internationals aware of your church and its activities?

Share information of our existence through e-mails & internet, find billboards the migrants tend to check (place our posters there).

Probably the best way is that each member commits him/herself to tell others through their social network of our fellowship (e.g. next service) and bring someone.

Church business cards are handed out as an extension to contacts created.

Letter to Embassies

List of companies having significant amount of foreigners employed and try to reach them.

What do you do each fall to promote your church to those who may have just arrived in your city?

Start a new Bible series in order to attract new Christians to get involved & advertising it.

Have you ever tried something in the past and it worked wonderfully? Tell us about it.

In January of 2006, we participated in the annual Travel Fair of Helsinki (the largest fair of its kind in northern Europe). We shared our exhibition space with two other int’l Christian organizations.

Over three days, we distributed 3000 copies of our ‘Values’ magazines to internationals. On the platform, our church dance & rap team performed. I also visited stands of foreign countries and gave Values magazines to their representatives, asking them to recommend us on their websites to their citizens living/visiting here.

Until the Travel Fair, “hits” to our website had averaged a daily traffic stat of 144 (during 2004-2005 all together 106.000 hits).

Immediately after the Fair, the daily traffic level on our website jumped up to the thousands, then settled to between 1500-4000.

Since that time, most newcomers have told us that they found our church on the internet.

In addition, during the World Championships of Athletes 2006 in Helsinki, we arranged an int’l business breakfast at the Crowne Plaza ballroom (a joint effort with a special guest: four time American Olympian Madeline Manning Mims). The event was attended by 175 guests, mostly foreigners. That was a great success in all ways. We also held joint int’l church events during the Championships and had street evangelism.

Have you ever tried something in the past and it bombed? Tell us about it and why you think it didn’t work.

We tried street evangelism during the Championships. Unfortunately, only a few people from our church joined the evangelism teams going to the streets during Championships. The key reason was that most of them were working. Another obstacle was the negative attitude of local organizers. In Finland there’s a very negative attitude towards any kind of sales or religious activities. However, Madeline Manning Mims (as sports chaplain) brought lots of American athletes to our int’l breakfast

Can you add anything to this discussion?

I still think that a joint FEIC advertising effort of “Where To Go To Church In a Foreign Country” in such media outlets as the CNN channel or Herald Tribune would be beneficial!

RESOURCE IN FOCUS
Master’s Commission Europe

Master’s Commission Europe (MCE) was formed by Master’s Commission International to preserve the integrity and purity of the heart with which this intense discipleship training program was created.

Inspired by the mission statement: “To Know God and Make Him Known”, the goal is to network churches and MC programs with one purpose: a changed Europe.

How can MCE benefit FEIC members?

According to Nolan Tarantino of MCE, there are several ways an FEIC church and members can benefit. “Churches can send youth to a Master’s Commission program where they will be trained in ministry, discipled to be more like Christ and taught the Word of God,” he said. “These youth can then come back and make a difference in their churches and communities.”

FEIC members can also start a Master’s Commission program in their church, reaching out to the youth around them, their community and their nation.

In addition, FEIC members can host a Master’s Commission team for missions projects. “Students from one or more MC programs can come and do ministry in churches,” said Nolan. “They will do whatever is needed, whether it is youth ministry, leading a service or practical work.”

Mikael Laursen, of the International Church in Copenhagen, says, “We experience a great blessing as a church by having many students serve as leaders and assistants in the calling of our Church. And we experience that CIMC is impacting the society around us by showing people God’s love in words and deeds.”

For More Information

MC Europe is based in Brussels at the European Ministry Center across from FEIC member church Christian Center.

For more information about getting involved with Master’s Commission, contact Nolan and Hannah Tarantino at: htarantino@gmail.com

Join MCE’s Facebook group by clicking here.

For more information about Master’s Commision Europe see their website by clicking here.

NEWS & NETWORK DEVELOPMENT
FEIC Church News from Paris, Finland & The Hague

The Bridge Church Plant Plans Spring Launch

The Bridge, an FEIC member, is an international church opening to the public next spring in Paris’ western suburbs.

This summer, team leader and lead pastor, Robby Bradford arrived with his wife Tracy and their three sons, welcomed by fellow Dutch team members Jeroen and Maaike Kemperman. Jeroen is one of the officers of The Bridge and Maaike is working three full days a week right now on the administration of the new ministry. The Kemperman’s moved to Paris with a corporate transfer in May 2008 from Hilversum International Christian Center (HICC) , the church the Bradford’s planted with Sebastiaan & Eva van Wessem, along with a team of 8 others.

In that team of eight others at HICC were Todd and Amanda Tyson who arrived in Paris on 23 July with their three children. Todd Tyson will serve as the church’s first Executive Pastor, moving into the position next year full-time after a year of language study in the south Parisian suburb of Massy.

The Bridge also welcomed Welsh team members Nigel and Esther Wiggins, along with their three daughters on 1 September. The Wiggins family also come to Paris from Hilversum where they served competently in many different areas of ministry. Nigel plans to work heavily in the areas of worship, technology and communications. Esther will likely bring her gifts to a variety of ministries, from office work to children’s ministry to small groups.

Beyond these people, The Bridge is planning to welcome more than a dozen other adults over the next ten months who are coming to serve on a full-time basis from the US, including Jeff and Kathy Slaughter, of Brussels Christian Center. Jeff will serve as The Bridge’s first Pastor of Worship and Creative Arts.

The Bridge office opened on Wednesday, 15 July and is open now Monday thru Thursday, 9AM to 5PM. Much development is happening for the entire project and those working there are excited about it and ask for your prayers as they seek to launch a significant work in one of the world’s great cities.

The Bridge also has received legal recognition as an association in France, an important step in its quest to become the first pentecostal/charismatic church in English for Greater Paris’ 500,000 native English speakers. Already, The Bridge Team has made contact with interested people from a number of other countries, including South Africa and America!

The Bridge will begin welcoming short-term teams from Europe and America who would like to pray, work, serve and minister along side us in late October. For more information, please write us at teams@thebridgeparis.com. We would love to see teams from across Europe, Britain and Ireland join us here for a short-term missions trip!

Core Group Meetings are scheduled to begin with interested people on Sunday afternoon, 13 September at 3PM in the western suburb of St.-Germain-en-Laye, featuring worship, teaching, prayer, and planning for The Bridge. Children’s ministry in English will also be offered during the course of the larger meeting. Any interested parties are encouraged to contact The Bridge at +33.1.74.12.10.49 or by email at info@thebridgeparis.com.

The Bridge has more information on their website at: www.thebridgeparis.com

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Finland Church Plant To Celebrate Anniversary

Vantaa International Christian Fellowship, located in Vantaa, Finland will celebrate their first anniversary in January, 2010, according to Pastor Arto Sädeaho, pastor and church planter.

“We have in place now a temporary leadership team consisting of lay people,” said Arto. “And we would ask FEIC member churches and friends to pray for us. This is a faith plant and we started again from ground zero.”

For more information about VICF see their website by clicking: Vantaa International Christian Fellowship

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Thousand Hills International Church in The Hague Launches Core Group Meetings

Frank Bouwens, lead pastor of a new church plant in The Hague, The Netherlands, said that “Thousand Hills International Church” will open its doors on September 6.

“Over these coming months we’ll gather bi-weekly on Sunday afternoons as the core group of Thousand Hills The Hague,” he said. “We are planning an eventful ‘Grand Opening’ with lots of publicity for Easter 2010.”

The church will meet at The International School of The Hague (ISH) which rented the church plant part of their facilities in Kijkduin, a quiet beach resort area of The Hague.

Find more information on the church website: Thousand Hills The Hague