A meeting was set in 2007 in Papa to continue discussing the issues of CEEAMS. This meeting in Balatonfüred became possible because of the IAMS meeting that offered space and possibilities for participants from primarily Central and Eastern Europe to meet. 25 persons are present at that meeting, led by Peter Penner and Anne-Marie Kool (members of the steering committee of CEEAMS). Laszlo Gonda is also present as part of the CEEAMS steering committee. All other members were for various reasons absent.
Peter Penner was primarily leading the meeting supported by the two other CEEAMS steering committee members. Following issues were worked on during that meeting.
1. General report and introduction to the work of CEEAMS
• CEEAMS was initiated 2002 by a small group of missiologians
• Two major conferences were held in the past: Budapest and Papa
• Present meeting of CEEAMS at IAMS points to a clear relation between the two and with IAMS in Central Europe, we had a privilege to point to the special situation in this region.
• CEEAMS is still on the way from a movement to an organization. This meeting should be another step toward a formation of CEEAMS
• Some aspects of history of CEEAMS were discussed and names related to CEEAMS listed.
2. Issue of formal membership of CEEAMS
• In the past meetings, there was no clear membership definition and this was now discussed and agreed.
a. Members can be those who have an earned doctorate or are in the process to earn their PhD/ThD, as well as reflective practioners.
b. Members are from the region of Central and Eastern Europe or are interested in the region.
c. It was agreed that 10 Euro will be the yearly membership fee for students and for those from CEE applying for a reduced rate. Otherwise the membership fee is 20 EURO. Every member will receive CEEMS journal publication for free: ACTA MISSIOLOGIAE
• It was agreed unanimously by all participants that Vija Esenberga would act as Secretary of IAMS, develop a membership list and collect the 10 Euros
• A number of people who have not been in the past part of CEEAMS became members of CEEAMS.
3. Voting on the new and past members of the steering committee.
• CEEAMS has been in the past year a fluid body with a constantly changing group. A few of the original steering committee were present and involved in the past in all meetings and only three were able to come to IAMS.
• It was proposed and agreed that this meeting would be a new start but building at least partly on the past to keep the continuity.
• It was proposed and agreed that some members from the past steering committee may remain in the committee but only for two years and that some new members would be elected for the period of 4 years. This way there would be a guarantee of continuity as well as some new impulses keeping the group vivid, keeping the tension between change and continuity.
• The previous model on the steering committee was discussed and agreed that between the chair and the two vice chairs one would be Orthodox, one Catholic and one Protestant. It was also agreed that responsibilities such as Secretary, Treasurer and Publishing/Editorial would be duties inside of the steering committee.
• From the previous group, the following persons were suggested and agreed. The previous members had offered during the meeting to leave the place so that a discussion could be open on new members. The whole group agreed to keep those 4 previous members for 2 years to maintain continuity. In 2010 at the European IAMS meeting those four members can be replaced or again voted into the position.
– Anne-Marie Kool
– Laszlo Gonda
– Scott Klingsmith
– Peter Penner
• The following new members have been proposed and affirmed by the group for 4 years:
– Gheorghe Petraru
– Grzegorz Wita
– Vija Esenberga
– Olga Zaprometova
• The steering committee comprises the following persons with their respective responsibilities:
– Anne-Marie Kool (chair [Reformed])
– Gheorghe Petraru (vice-chair [Orthodox])
– Grzegorz Wita (vice-chair) [Catholic]
– Vija Esenberga (secretary)
– Laszlo Gonda
– Scott Klingsmith (Publication/Editorial)
– Olga Zaprometova
– Peter Penner (treasurer)
• All colleagues who previously were members of the steering committee were asked to continue helping within CEEAMS, as there is a lot of work to be done:
– Acta Missiologiae: Wojtek Kowalewski and Vladimir Kozhuharov offered to be part of the editorial team, assisting Scott Klingsmith in editing and publishing. Abraham Kovacs was proposed also to be part of the editorial group, to develop the book review part of the journal. Vladimir Fedorov and Jan Gorski were also asked to help in different areas of publication, public relation and developing the theme of dialogue in Central and Eastern Europe.
– CEEAMS DABOH group was organized by:
* Danut Manastireanu
* Corneliu Constantineanu
* Walter Sawatsky
* Others interested to participate
– CEEAMS Website: It was agreed that a homepage for CEEAMS is needed that would be constantly updated. Different people showed interest in working and developing the presently existing homepage of CEEAMS. Apart from Abraham Kovacs Vija Esenberga as CEEAMS secretary will work on this committee, others are welcome to participate as well.
– Special interest groups. Other groups were in the process of development and there was a lot of enthusiasm of involvement, participation and new projects that needs to be picked up at the next CEEAMS meeting. One example is that of Roma issues.
4. Conferences in the next two years
• It was agreed that the next CEEAMS conference should be in Kishinev, Moldova. The proposed and agreed conference time is 3rd-6th of June 2009. For the planning, following people were agreed:
– Mihai Malancea (Moldova, Baptist)
– Levente Horváth (Cluj, Reformed)
– Gregorz Wita (Poland, Roman Catholic)
– Peter Penner (Czech Republic, Mennonite)
– Etc.
• For the conference, different topics were suggested in a session of brainstorming to be picked up by the planning team of the conference in Kishinev among which are:
– Our role in Edinburgh 2010
– Mission vs Proselytism
– Dialogue between different churches / Islam
– European Union
– Church in mission after communism
– Renewal of Churches
– Mission as liturgy
– Etc.
• A conference in our region has been agreed by the European members of IAMS to be held in Iasi, what was very much supported by CEEAMS, to strengthen this way the role of the Orthodox Church.
– In some way this is a conference after Edinburgh 2010
– The dates are set for the 18th to the 21st of August 2010
• A coordinating team has been discussed and among the members of this team, the following people were named:
– Gheorghe Petraru
– Anne Marie Kool
– Gregorz Wita
– Mika Vähäkangas
– László Németh, RC, Serbia
– Etc.
5. The meeting was closed with a jointly spoken Lord’s Prayer (each in their own language) and a prayer and blessing by Father Gheorghe Petraru.
Minutes taken by Gábor Czágány and Peter Penner.