Anyone Hungary?

During the second full weekend of February, I had the opportunity to travel to and minister in Hungary. Originally, the plan was for me to travel with two colleagues (Dieter Knospe and Paul Schmigall) to Debrecen and Hajduszoboszlo to map out and plan the upcoming Eastern European/Eurasian Leadership Conference for the fall. But while there, we were asked to be involved in the local ministries there.

As it turned out, Paul Schmidgall fell ill (flu) and cancelled at the last minute. Dieter Knopse drove to Hungary and combined it with ministerial responsibilities in Austria. So I ended up doing most of the speaking and teaching in Debrecen.

So.... after a great Friday of planning with our local organizers (Csaba Tenkeley and Dan Smith). I was asked to teach on Saturday in a training program for gypsy pastors (see picture) -- eventually teaching for almost four hours on leadership and conflict resolution and servant leadership. Later that afternoon, I then spoke at the International Church of God in Debrecen. An English speaking congregation serving the university community led by Dan Smith. On Sunday morning, I spoke at the Hungarian congregation pastored by Daniel Kriszt.

This was one of the few trips in Eastern Europe where my knowlege of German came in really handy. One of my translaters worked better from German into Hungarian (leadership classes), while the church services went from English into Hungarian. But then again, when one remembers the strong bonds between Hungary and Austria, it shouldn't come as a surprise that German is used broadly as a second language there.

Accreditation Success

We have some exciting to news from Moscow! During the last week of January, ETSM hosted the "visiting committee" of the EAAA (the Eurasian Evangelical Accrediting Association). We at ETSM had held candidate status and were seeking full accreditation of our two bachalor's degrees. After a thorough investigation of the school's academic programs, administrative procedures, and overall operations, the committee has recommended EAAA to grant us the much sought after accreditation. The final decision will be taken by the annual conference of the entire EAAA assembly this summer.

EAAA is the regional accrediting agency of the International Council of Evangelical Theological Education (ICETE). The Church of God is, in turn, a sponsoring denomination of the ICETE. Thus, ETSM becomes one of select few Church of God schools outside of the United States to achieve such status.

A great amount of appreciation must be expressed to Ilya Okhotnikov (Provost) and Alexei Gorbachev (Academic Dean) and the faculty and staff in Moscow! Way to go guys!

My friend and our provost at ETSM in Moscow gives the following report from his blog about the new family and marital ministry program at ETSM.

Greetings from Moscow, Russia! Last 4 days including Saturday I taught Theology of Mariage and Theology of Family Ministry in a Local Church. The class is #1 class of 12 classes program on Marriage and Family Ministry Extension Program ETSM has opened this January-February 2009.

In my class we have had very good discussions on theology of marrige, theology on divorce, theology on re-mariage, theology of life (pregnancy, birth, church's responsibility), theology of sexuality and in all - the practical application of those in a context of a local church.

I had 12 students in the class. They were leaders of counseling ministry or those who have taken the are of family ministry in their churches. 1 pastor from Moscow (exacutive from a Baptist magazine) came also. Other people came from Belorussia, Ukraine, Russia, including Moscow. When we took the pictures some one would not like to be in it or leave earlier for work (see both pictures on the left side).

Sister Svetlana from Rostov-on-Don, Russia leads Family Ministry. At the end of the last class (after hearing the final test result ;-) she says that this class has helped her to be assured the things she feels and teaches back in her church are the right things! She has been established in the truth firmly and eger to be back and keep teaching and counseling church members for what we've discussed.

Brother Yuri from a Belorussian city has received material he was looking for and the Lord has given him so much of clear teachings on Marriage, Family, divorce, remarrige etc.

Natalia from a Ukrainian city has now found the confirmation of the things she also been for all the time, but not sure. After the class she has a clear theological and so that they would go on in teaching and preaching. Some were saying they wish their pastor would allow them to establish family ministry (which is premarital counseling, family counseling, retreat, etc.)

Sister Olga from one of towns in Russia got it all organized in her mind and on paper, written in order and has a systimic approach to Marriage and Family Ministry from the biblical perspective.

I am encouraged very much! Thank you for your prayers!

On the one of the days of the class - Friday - I got a food poison problem. In 2 hours after lunch I felt growing discomfort and in 2 more hours after finishing the day my body let the poison food out - and I felt right away much better, but for the rest of the day I did not eat. Yet on th enext day I was in class all right in the morning.

While I taught from 8 a.m. till 6 p.m. in between I still had to take care of all the administrative issues of the Seminary, solve conflicts, answer authorities etc. Day-to-day operation had to be supported. And the Lord has given us His favor and His blessing!

The Shack

I just finished reading The Shack: Where tragendy confronts eternity by William Paul Young. Although I had heard about the book in the states, it was our youth pastor here in Germany that recommended and loaned it to me. And boy...what a surpise!

Although it is a novel, it is an extremely theological work that investigates the doctrine of the trinity and how the inter-relatedness of the Godhead should be our leitmotiv in our earthly interpersonal relationships. And then a good discussion ensues of man's free will and "where is God when it hurts." Although it's theological in every way, it is even more so pastoral.

I'm sorry to sound abstract in describing the book. But then again, great books are never superficial.

Our Winter Newsletter Available

This past weekend we mailed out the electronic version of our quarterly newsletter to our friends and sponsors. Didn't you get one? Then you haven't signed up for the newsletter. (See box below to the right.)

In the meantime, one can download the newsletter at
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs072/1101898662382/archive/1102413762277.html

Video - Now on YouTube

Here is a link to the same video that is on Facebook, this time on YouTube

Video - Commercial for ETS Moscow

For anyone that is interest, here is a link to a newly made commercial for the bible school in Moscow. Although the video is in Russian, it still provides a good visual introduction to life at ETSM.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1090159733895

New Family and Marriage Program in Moscow

The school in Moscow is beginning a new program under the leadership of our provost, Dr. Ilya Okhotnikov. This is his blog report.

January 21, 2009 ETSM starts a new Marriage and Family Ministry (MFM) Program for church leaders. Purpose of the MFM Program is to train ministers to help and serve families in the church (and society). Upon completion of the program the graduates will be able to

1. Formulate the Biblical foundations of marriage\family.
2. Know contemporary theoretical approaches to analysis of family issues.
3. To know and develop in self qualities of a counselor. 1Tim.4:16.
4. Receive skills for counseling families (to know how to begin, continue and end a counseling session)
5. Understand psychology of children and teen's behavior
   -- including aspects of human growth according to the age
   -- discipleship of teens for sexual integrity in a local church
6. Be able to conduct premarital, marital, second-marriage, post divorce, while in divorce counseling.
7. Organize Marriage and Family Ministry in a church (formulate goals and aims, direction and methods of reaching the goals)
8. Analyse marital dynamics skilfully using methods of research (PREPARE\ENRICH) and counseling techniques that are in line with the Bible
   

• January 21-24, 2009 Seminar on "Biblical foundations of mariage and family". Ilya Okhotnikov
• January 26-30, 2009 Seminar on "Basic Counseling Theories". Ruslan Naduyk, Pastor, Dean of Sociology Department, Russian-American Christian University, Moscow, Russia
• February 2-6, 2009 Seminar "Premarital Counseling". Rocky and Terri Morris, Clarion Call. Communicating the message of hope.
  http://clarioncall.createsend5.com/t/ViewEmail/r/58B91C3EC496C013/73C4C150156E84722540EF23F30FEDED

Following seminars will be held between June 8 and 26, 2009.

Thank you for your prayers for this event in January.
Ilya Okhotnikov