8 August 2024| Maruševec, Croatia [David Neal and Vanesa Pizzuto]
Nestled 56 miles (90km) northwest of Zagreb, Croatia, Maruševec is a picturesque rural village in Varaždin County. This serene location is characterised by its surrounding mountains, forests, meadows, streams, and fertile Maruševec farmland. For those wanting to find the ideal venue to retreat and reflect on life’s deeper meanings, to worship, grow and learn, you would be hard-pressed to find a more idyllic setting.
From Tuesday to Saturday, 6-10 August, that’s exactly what happened when 400 young people and 100 leaders gathered on the campus of Maruševec Secondary School (Srednja škola u Maruševcu s pravom javnosti) and Adriatic Union College (Adventističko teološko visoko učilište) for their 2024 Youth Congress with the theme “Withstand.”
The event marked the second Trans-European Division (TED) Regional Youth Congress, the first taking place in the Netherlands a few weeks earlier. Youth at this congress represented five TED Unions (Adriatic, Baltic, Hungarian, Polish, South-East European), the Greek Mission, and the Cyprus Region. In addition, special guests from Canada, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and the USA were also present.
The Maruševec campus has historical significance not only for the church in Croatia but for all the countries of the former Yugoslavia. The first ministerial training school (Adventist Teoloska Skola) operated in Belgrade suburbs from 1931 to 1974. Still, due to ‘the cutting of a motorway’ through the property, the seminary transferred to Maruševec, widening the educational reach to children in the local community—a new missional step for Adventism at that time and which continues to this day.
Neven Klačmer, Communication director for the Adriatic Union Conference, reports that during the conflict resulting from the breakdown of the former Yugoslavia, the Maruševac Secondary School transitioned to serve refugee children fleeing the theatre of war. As an 11-year-old child, Klačmer was forced to move from the place where he was born with his family to the northwest of Croatia, free from armed conflict and settled in the safer environment of Maruševec. At the time, he had no idea that he would later go on to study at the theological seminary.
Today, Maruševec Secondary School, is comprised of 200 students “mostly from the community with some Adventists,” according to Elizabeta Skobe Barbi, headteacher, who regards this as “a special mission opportunity.” As she welcomes the visiting energetic and inspiring young adult Adventists from across Europe retreating on the school campus, Barbir continued, “When students come to Maruševec, they make new friends and enjoy the surrounding environment, and as boarders, they begin to regard us as their second family.”
With the theological seminary also on campus, Barbir describes the relationship between the school and seminary as a ‘sisterhood’, including the local church community meeting on campus.
As the congress has guests and participants from many parts of the TED territory, it’s worth taking a few moments to remember those who serve here daily.
Featured image: Part of the Praise and Worship team. The full group comprised of: Andrija Kovačević, Jakov Kovačević, Karolina Kovačević, Lana Tesin, Chanel Hadžiefendić, Lidija Đidara, Petar Crnogorac, Filip Stojanović, and Davor Bratić.
