Ready-to-start day Team training 2024-2026

The Ready to Start Day for the new edition of the Team Training is scheduled for April 20, 2024

The next edition of the ICP Team Training is already on the agenda. From the autumn of 2024 to the spring of 2026 we will be on the road with intercultural leadership teams. We take a walk that can help your team grow in team spirit, in vision development, in church building, in discipleship and leadership and in multiplying the intercultural church in the Netherlands.

A fascinating, educational and intense journey, the beginning and end of which is in God’s hands and of which the Holy Spirit is the travel guide.

We will start this journey on20 april 2024 during the Ready to Start day in Voorthuizen. That’s where we meet: the participating teams, the ICP team and the trainers. We start our trip with a day dedicated to team building and travel preparation.
IMPORTANT: The Ready to Start day is also intended for teams that are still unsure about participation and want to spend a day watching and trying to see if it is something for their team.

Do you want to know more? or Check the information on our website or send us an email without obligation

More info on the two-year Team Training

Inspiration day November 11 presents MKIDK

Workshop “More Color In The Church and your church” provides practical tools

On November 11 in Veenendaal, during the ICP Inspiration Day, Patrick and Michele will provide a workshop on the material of Meer Kleur In De Kerk, interactive Bible study material on the themes of racism, diversity and reconciliation.

Christians are called to love and reconcile with one another, even across ethnic and cultural barriers. In practice this is not so easy. The theme of racism evokes feelings of pain, shame and resistance, also within the church. How do we start with real change? What can we do as a church? What does God ask us to do?

The material from Meer Kleur In De Kerk helps us to engage in conversation in small groups, to delve deeper into others and to grow in equality.

Workshop info

This workshop is given by Patrick and Michele, both working for ICP Netherlands. Patrick has been a pastor at home and abroad for a long time and is married to Janine from Brazil. Michele is also from Brazil and married a Dutchman. Together they know what it feels like to be a ‘foreigner’.

The workshop is intended to provide practical explanations about the material developed by ICP and how it can be used in a study group or home small group. We go through part of a lesson together, to let everyone experience what MKIDK is all about.

Want to know more about More Color In The Church? This is already possible via this link…

Would you like to register for the Inspiration Day on November 11? Do it now!

Registration Inspiration Day November 11

Extra Inspiration Day workshop added to the programme

Can a mono-cultural church change into a multi-cultural faith community?

Eric is Burundian by origin and has lived in the Netherlands for a long time. He worked at ICP and has a lot of experience with intercultural community building. On November 11 he will also provide a workshop during our Inspiration Day with the theme ‘Gracism – growing as a church in equality’.

Who else is Eric?

Eric Rufyiritana is the father of three children, married to Vanessa, lives in Best and, in addition to his work for the municipality of Maastricht, is pastor of Crosspoint Kingdom Impact. This religious community was originally Burundian, but was captivated by the intercultural vision of being church. Through a challenging and fruitful process, the church changed and became open to a greater diversity of believers.

Eric’s workshop during the ICP Inspiration Day

In this workshop Eric explains what he and his team have done to transform a mono-cultural church into a multicultural faith community. In addition to an inspiring story, participants also receive three practical tips to apply in practice.

Other workshops on November 11

During the Inspiration Day there will be two workshop rounds, in which you can always choose from different workshops. The following themes are already known:

Michele Atsma and Patrick van der Plaat – Small group material ‘More color in the church’
Rien van der Toorn – Why equality?
Maurice San-a-Jong – Church and slavery, then and now
Brooklyn Mozes – Spoken Word put to practice in the church

Registration Inspiration Day Nov 11 in Veenendaal

Workshop Spoken Word on 11 Nov ICP Inspiration Day

Have you already registered for the Inspiration Day? Brooklyn Mozes will give a performance and a workshop on November 11 in Veenendaal. You don’t want to miss that!

Register and bring your youth leaders, speakers and women’s group leaders. Brooklyn inspires with her personal story, her talent for the spoken word, her passion for God and her courage to stand up for people who think they have lost their voice.

Brief introduction Brooklyn Mozes
When you hear Brooklyn talk, she more than lives up to her name. As if she never left her hometown. Born in the concrete jungle of Brooklyn New York. Where the tough streets of Brooklyn force you to grow up and make tough choices, Brooklyn Moses never bites her tongue.

As a fighter for injustice, she tries to contribute to society by standing up for the black community and women without a voice.

Brooklyn Mozes is a young fiery spoken word artist / mother / rapper / songwriter.

Founder of the Respect the Crown foundation. Owner of Loyalty Enterprises and founder of Rappen om de Hoek and Brooklyn Bridges. Writer and producer of her own one-woman show: QUEEN ” for mothers by a mother”. And writer and producer of one-woman show: “Naked”.

Workshop Inspiration Day
During the workshop we will learn different writing techniques and try to apply them immediately. At the end of the workshop, everyone has made a wonderful start on their own written text and everyone takes different writing styles home with them to continue on their own.

Registration Inspiration Day Nov 11 in Veenendaal

Practical information

Date November 11
Location De Regenboog, De Grote Pekken 11, Veenendaal
Time Walk-in 9:30, end 15:00
Early booking discount: ticket reserved for October 10 – 17.50 euros, including lunch and present. After October 10, 22.50 euros.

Registration is possible until November 6.

Also read this article about the Inspiration Day…

Practical orientation day CHE Ede

13 September 2023

On Wednesday, September 13, there was a practical orientation day at the CHE in Ede. ICP was also present to show who we are and what we do. The goal: to help students orientate their next steps and explore options for finding internships in the ICP network.

Oase for Nieuw-West from Amsterdam and De Wegwijzer from Almere were also present to inform and attract potential interns. These two churches are actively looking for interns who want to gain experience in church work in an intercultural context. What a great opportunity!

Are you interested in an internship within the ICP network? Please contact us! Send an email to: office@icpnetwork.nl

Day conference ‘Migrants and the Church: Opportunities and bottlenecks’

For pastors and church leaders, Monday September 18, 2023, Utrecht

Prof.dr. Van den Toren: how do you respond to uncomfortable questions of truth in conversations with migrants?

For many people in Europe, questions of truth are quite uncomfortable when it comes to religion. Isn’t faith primarily something of experience and very personal? Speaking during the day conference Migrants and the Church: opportunities and bottlenecks on September 18 in Utrecht
prof.dr. Benno van den Toren about the discomfort that Christians can feel when talking to migrants.

The multitude of religions makes it very difficult to believe that Jesus is unique. But others can question you about it. Is it possible to confidently share what the basis of your life is and at the same time be open to others?

Prof. Van den Toren: “In conversations with people from other religious traditions, we are perhaps primarily curious. But in the long run, very difficult questions can also arise. Not only about how we think we should live, but also about what we believe. Do we know the deepest reality through Jesus, do we discover it in the Koran or through a special experience of enlightenment?”

There are an estimated 1.2 million migrant Christians in the Netherlands. The annual day conference wants to pay attention to how churches and Christians can jointly shape faith between different cultures in a good way. The conference takes place in Utrecht and is intended for pastors, church leaders and interested parties. Other speakers are Jurjen ten Brinke and Eric Rufyiritana about the journey of discovery at their multicultural churches: how do you overcome obstacles and get congregation members on board with a new vision?

After lunch there are seminars. Full program is up gave.nl/dagconferentie.

Ministers of the Dutch Reformed Churches and Protestant Church can earn PE points by participating. Participants can bring an introduction.

The conference is organized by: Intercultural Church Plants, Gospel & Muslims Foundation, Gave Foundation, Faith Integration Foundation and Protestant Church.
Registration: Gave.nl/dagconferentie

Freedom Focus for Healing Emotional Wounds

By: Corina Mushikangondo, relationship therapist (EFT) has her own practice and regularly contributes to the ICP network as a trainer in intercultural marriage ministry.

We want to help but what, when and how?
They had been coming to our church for years. A woman with a face marked by disappointment and pain. She smiled a lot and liked to chat but wasn’t really happy. And then that young lady, always lavishly dressed but sometimes so withdrawn and defensive in contact. I could go on and on…

As a pastor or pastoral worker you look into the eyes of some sisters and you suspect a deep pain. You would like to give them all more attention and love and tell them that there is restoration with God! But you lack time, and sometimes also insight on how to approach it. Fortunately, since last year we have been given a beautiful tool that helps women recover from emotional wounds. The Freedom Focus course, developed in ICU Gouda. (also read this article of February 1, 2022).

Report first course evening ICF Rotterdam
In ICF Rotterdam we started it last week, with a group of 13 women from 9 different countries. It went beyond expectations! Everyone participated well, despite the enormous differences in culture and level of education. Each lesson is divided into 6 or 7 parts and that makes the program lively. There is room for personal exchange in small safe groups. Even the shy and withdrawn types shared their story. The openness was remarkable. Back in the car with my Ugandan sister, I suggested that she might make new friends in the group. “Oh, but I’ve already made three,” she responded delightedly: the other three sisters in her small group. Another (shy) sister was almost overflowing with gratitude and joy, and wanted to say thank you for this course at the final prayer. We had never seen her like this before, she was radiant, and we were impressed as a team ourselves. God is at work through this program in this group!

Do you want to know more?
In a few weeks I will write again about how things are going. Want to know more about the Freedom Focus course? Check on geloofsinburgering.nl of write to Esther van Schie esther@geloofsinburgering.nl. You also can send me an whatsapp! Corina Mushikangondo-van der Laan 06-28812666 or churchworkers@icfrotterdam.nl

ICP board is looking for treasurer!

Do you want to help build a movement of intercultural churches in the Netherlands?
Do you have financial skills that you can use for the Kingdom?
Are you available for consultation four half-days a year?

ICP is looking for a board member (m/f) who wants to fulfill the task of treasurer.

You participate in meetings four times a year, check the quarterly and annual figures and help decide on the vision, mission and strategy.

The board consists of Beppie Wessels (chairman), Hans Wulffraat (secretary), Rick Wan and Raffic Osman (general board members).

More info: www.icpnetwork.nl and via Beppie Wessels (email: beppie.wessels@gmail.com / phone: 06-16859396)

In this church we are all foreigners

No first or second class members in the Body of Christ. …

Harvey Kwiyani writes inspiring and stimulating blogs, which you can all read at his website.

We want to bring one to your attention. The title is: ‘There is no other host but God’. There is no host other than God alone. In the Bible we read (in 1 Cor. 12:21) that no member of the Body of Christ can say to another member, “I don’t need you.” Harvey states: “I am convinced that the gospel comes to us with a multicultural necessity. The vitality of the worldwide Body of Christ depends on the mutual exchange between its parts (Eph. 4). All parts must receive from other parts. All parts must give something to other parts. No part is self-sufficient.”

In short, there are no first-class or second-class members in the Body of Christ. But how does this work in practice? One way to think about this is that God has drawn us together in Christ to the heavenly table, where God alone is host and we are all guests. The table metaphor allows us to reflect on the fact that we all bring and share our authentic cultural food in God’s presence. To taste the gifts of another part of the Body—from brothers and sisters from another part of the world—just look around the table. This works well when we successfully curb the urge to dominate and assimilate each other in our ways, but instead embrace diversity for what it is: a gift from God.

Given the global dynamics of our segregated existence, the challenge is whether we can really all be guests at God’s table. This requires a great deal of self-emptying for all of us, a letting go of our power and rights (Phil. 2). It is not necessary for those on the margins to parrot what the powerful and influential among us say and do in order to be accepted.

An older and wiser friend of mine, a white American man, led a multicultural congregation that was a safe haven for asylum seekers in St Paul, Minnesota. When I visited him, he told me, “In this church we are all foreigners.” The key to his theological conviction was that Christ decentralizes us all so that He can be our only Center.

Read other blogs on Harvey Kwiyani’s website…

Ticket sale Inspiration Day 11 November starts on 1 September!

On November 11, 2023, ICP is organizing an inspiration day for leaders and workers of churches in the network. The theme is ‘Gracism – growing as a church in equality’. It promises to be a wonderful day for everyone who wants to grow towards and contribute to more diversity in the church in the Netherlands!

The program will be very varied with fascinating and practical workshops for all leaders in the congregation. There will be a performance by Spoken Word artist Brooklyn Mozes, an inspiring lecture by Hans Euser and Godwin Arhin, worship with an intercultural worship team and a delicious lunch in between. Get together and meet other teams working on the same mission. You can register from 1 September via the website.

Workshops
There will be two rounds, in which you can always choose from four different workshops. The following themes are already known:
Michele Atsma and Patrick van der Plaat – Small group material ‘More color in the church’
Rien van der Toorn – Why equality?
Maurice San-a-Jong – Church and slavery, then and now
Brooklyn Mozes – Spoken Word put to practice in the church

For whom
This day is intended for everyone who gives leadership in the congregation, such as small group leaders, pastoral workers, youth leaders, pastors and elders.

The program
10.00 uur Main program with worship and preaching
11.30 Workshop round 1: choice of four options
12.45 p.m. Fully catered lunch and time for networking
1.30 pm Workshop round 2: choice of four options
2.45 pm Closing
3 p.m. Time to network

Practical information

Date November 11
Location De Regenboog, De Grote Pekken 11, Veenendaal
Time Walk-in 9:30, end 15:00
Early bird discount: ticket reserved before October 10 – 17.50 euros, including lunch and gift. After 10 October 22.50 euros.

Registration is possible until November 6.

Ready-to-start day Team training 2024-2026