10 April 2016 | Ter Aer, The Netherlands [Tom de Bruin] Forty-five University students from across Europe gathered at a farmhouse in Ter Aar, the Netherlands, for a thought-provoking weekend congress entitled ‘We Can’t Look Away: The Church and Social Justice’, 8-10 April, 2016.
The congress aims to stimulate highly-educated Adventist young people to think seriously about theology and the church’s role in contemporary society. Organised annually by the Netherlands Union Conference (NUC), the focus this year was social justice, with a particular focus on the refugee crisis. To respect the thinking level of the group, the weekend was much less about delivering black-and-white answers, and more about encouraging discussion, so that students could make a start in tackling some of the most difficult questions facing the church today.
On the afternoon of the first day Mehran shared his story. A Christian student from Iran, he left home both to study and to practice his faith. However, he fell on extremely hard times when his grandfather died. Estranged from the rest of his family, Mehran ended up in a refugee camp in Leusden, near Utrecht. Mehran shared how even in such desperate times, when it felt like no one cared about him, he could always turn to God. He urged the students to remember that, “no matter what, God would be there waiting for them.”
She also stated that the Bible is very explicit that the church should take care of the ‘widows, orphans, and alien residents’, but asked whether this should still apply in our contemporary society. “If so,” she argues, “where does this responsibility start – with the church organisation, or with each individual member?”
“This was the first time I had ever attended a student congress,” reflected Rutger Koffeman. He is currently working on a Master’s degree in mechanical engineering, and is a youth leader in his local church. “I am inspired to go back to my church and bring more theology when I lead out with the youth, and also to the Sabbath School class I teach.” He adds, “I will definitely attend again next year, and will try to bring all the students I know.”
Speaking on the topic of community, he asked students whether they thought it was possible to be a Christian without attending church? “What are the various elements that make up Christian fellowship,” he asked, “and how can we reconfigure church to reach the 13 million people who left the Adventist community in the past three decades?”
“I really appreciated hearing about Public Campus Ministries,” philosophy student Daniël Muller commented. “I’ve been thinking for quite some time about how I can be more involved with fellow students at my university, both in social action and intellectual engagement.” One of the presentations that inspired him most was the idea of an ‘Adventist Forum’ as a way to connect with others through conversation. It is something he intends to implement.
“It was a truly refreshing and mind-stimulating conference,” said Lazic, who works for Public Campus Ministries at the Trans-European Division, as well teaching at Newbold College. “I was glad to have a chance to meet and interact with students so interested in and ready to engage in actual action to help others. It was a pleasure and a privilege.”
“It was nice to meet people who think differently from me, and who have a fresh perspective on things,” said Anne den Hollander, a hotel management student. “It was also very clear that the focus was on youth, which I appreciated.” She did, though, have just one suggestion for improvement: “Next time it would be nice to have some physical activities as well as mental ones, so we don’t have to do quite so much sitting!” [tedNEWS]
tedNEWS Staff: Victor Hulbert, director; Esti Pujic, editor
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