Take big steps with Team Training!

The new ICP Team Training (2024-2026) starts with an introduction day on April 20! Register via office@icpnetwork.nl if you want to participate or if you want to take a look first. The team training is intended for intercultural leadership teams and suitable for all kinds of different phases. Whether you are starting a new church plant or you have been on your way for a while and are looking for depth and development, the ICP Team Training has an impact on your team and on the walk you take together.

“I wouldn’t know how Taste! would have looked like without the Team Training, because we made great strides during these weekends.” (Pieter-Jan Rodenburg, Taste! Delft)

Read here how the ICP Team Training helped the Taste! team! Delft:. Pieter-Jan tells:

It is difficult to overestimate how much ICP team training helps us as Taste! have meant. Before we joined the ICP training, we had gone through a similar process; in the Navigators LEF variant. Even then we discovered how valuable it is to get away from everyday life for a weekend and have the time to focus on the question: where do we want to go? And how are we going to do that?

Every weekend we received building blocks that help us as Taste! have formed. We received solid input, which helped us take steps that we would not have taken otherwise. For example, the decision to focus more on prayer. A very practical result of this is our ‘pray and thank you’ app, which occupies a very valuable place in our community.

Or the step of asking all residents of the residential community to taste Taste! to let your church be. That was a big step for us at the time, but team training taught us that it was good and important to take that step and how we could best do it.

And we have also grown as a team. The time you spend together, the conversations you have, the relaxation, the praying together: it has made us as a team become who we are. Especially in turbulent times, the team training sessions were oases to connect with each other and with God.

I wouldn’t know how to Taste! would have looked like without the team training, because we made great strides during these weekends.

On March 5, ICP organized a regional lunch at Blend Bloemhof in Rotterdam. It was a wonderful time with 14 people in which we were also able to learn more about intercultural marriage. Corina Mushikangondo is putting the finishing touches to her book about ‘love between two cultures’. A beautiful, challenging and extremely important topic for the churches within our network.

Read here some experiences of pastors and pioneers who participated in the regional lunch:

“For me it was a meaningful meeting because I met some people from other churches in the network… I also found the introduction to the theme of ‘intercultural marriages’ useful, even though I have known Corina for some time and have heard her speak about it before. . There were also some new insights for me…”

“It’s a nice way to meet each other from different municipalities. I also found the theme very appealing and the way it was presented was nice. I am very curious about the book. I am grateful that I was able to attend this lunch and will definitely do it again.”

“Delicious lunch, very well organized! And it’s still cool to meet different pioneers. Very inspired by Corina and looking forward to her book. Definitely worth the drive to the cool Blend. Thanks.”

ICP organizes regional lunches throughout the Netherlands. For example, a lunch is planned for Friday, June 14, 2024 in Zwolle. Other cities will follow. The regional lunch is a great opportunity to meet leaders from all kinds of churches.

Would you like to know more about upcoming regional lunches? Then please contact us.

Micha Nederland and ICP will work together to discuss themes such as equality and inclusion in churches.

In 2023, ICP launched ‘More color in the church’; free interactive material for small groups on the themes of racism, diversity and reconciliation. View the website here and download the free material.

Following this project, Micha Netherlands and ICP decided in January 2024 to work together on this joint mission:How can we start the conversation about social justice church-wide?

As churches we can mean a lot in our society. We can be a witness of Christ and spread His message in many ways, not only with words but also with our actions. Social justice is a theme that challenges us as the ‘church of today’ to take our place, practically live out our hearts and faith and make a difference in the world, near and far.

We believe in ‘together’ and are very hopeful about the fruits that this collaboration with Micha Nederland will produce.

Want to know more about Micha Netherlands? Check out the website…

Want to know more about ‘More color in the church’? Watch a short information video here.

Book a worship leader + one hour of equipment for free between April ’24 and April ’25…

Since 2021, ICP has been working with Paul Hagayi, a Congolese worship leader with a lot of experience, talent and passion when it comes to worship in intercultural churches. ICP has developed a worship training together with Paul that helps intercultural worship teams to grow in worship in their own local context.

This season, Paul (in collaboration with ICP) makes himself available free of charge to lead worship on Sundays in intercultural churches, preferably in collaboration with the local worship team and the congregation.

This is what Paul himself says about it: “This year from April 2024 to April 2025 I would like to encourage churches to go to the heart of worship. I am therefore freely offering my services as a worship leader to come and worship with the congregation during one of the Sunday services.”

Paul can independently provide worship during the service, but can also work together with the local team and in doing so inspire and encourage not only the congregation but also the worship team.

After the service he is available to discuss intercultural worship with the worship team. We are also available at ICP to inspire, support and encourage.

Paul: “We can talk about how to worship with people from different cultural backgrounds; share our experiences and learn from each other.”

Would you like to know more about the possibilities, dates and concrete content of this Church Tour? Please contact Anne-Marie Dane (ICP), anne-marie@icpnetwork.nl

The next ICP regional lunch is already on the agenda: mark it down and make time for it!

Love between two cultures

Regional lunch on March 5, from 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM in Rotterdam (Blend BLEND Bloemhof)!

What can you expect?
The theme is: “Love between two cultures.”
There is a special guest.
A new book is presented.
There is time for meeting and connecting with others.
There is room to share expertise and experience.
It is a place for encouragement and worship.
And of course a delicious lunch is also planned!

Registration

You can register via office@icpnetwork.nl or call 010 304 2019.
We look forward to seeing you!

ICP regularly organizes a regional lunch for pastors, pioneers and church leaders in our network. Would you like to know more about previous regional lunches? Click here…ICP regional lunch is highly recommended! – ICP Network

The rumor is going around that the mobile phone can never be banned from our earthly lives… 😉 and that as a church in the 21^st century we can use what God offers us to make Jesus visible on earth.

This means that we are open to all opportunities to grow towards unity, to connect with each other, to connect in a way that shows that God truly loves everyone and does not exclude anyone from His family.

Donkey Mobile offers an app for churches that contributes to these goals. A virtual place where you can stay up to date with church news, where you can find schedules, have conversations, make appointments and meet new people. There are already a number of churches within the ICP network that use the Donkey Mobile app.

In ICF-Rotterdam-Zuid they recently started using the app, but the response is already very positive.

Rev Rev. Coen Legemaate of ICF Rotterdam-Zuid said the following:
“I am very happy with the first two weeks. It is beautiful to see how brothers and sisters motivate each other and share their lives. Thanks to Donkey Mobile for all the guidance and many blessings in everything that comes!”

Would you like more information about this app for churches or do you have questions for pastors who are already using the app? Please contact us at office@icpnetwork.nl

Also check out the Donkey Mobile website for more information or to contact them.

Interactive Bible study for small groups ‘More color in the church’ is now also available in English! FREE! A way to talk to each other in your church about racism, diversity and reconciliation. Take up the challenge and take steps together to grow as a church in equality and unity.

Interactieve Bijbelstudie voor kleine groepen ‘Meer kleur in de kerk’ is nu ook in het Engels beschikbaar! GRATIS! Een manier om in jouw kerk in gesprek te gaan met elkaar over racisme, diversiteit en verzoening. Ga de uitdaging aan en maak samen stappen om als kerk in gelijkwaardigheid en eenheid te groeien.

In November and December 2023, the online training ‘7 keys for intercultural community building’ was given by Hans, Michele and Patrick (ICP core team members). In seven evenings, seven keys were discussed that are important to open closed doors that we sometimes encounter when working with interculturality and community building. What wealth we have in God’s Word, in each other, in experiences and lessons learned in practice.

Read here what participants experienced. What is their feedback on the training? What insights were important to them?

Some reactions from participants

Easily accessible, available online. Being able to exchange many practical experiences.

Put the shoe on the other foot. Think out of your comfort zone.

Very informative, good to look back later and delve deeper into the topics. The different practical experience of others is very helpful.

Even as a seasoned worker there are always new things to learn. If you are new to this kind of work there is a need to be aware of these things or become aware of them.

It is valuable to take this course to discover interculturality in all its diversity. Especially for those who have not experienced or experienced much. On the other hand, you also learn how unique every person is, regardless of which country they come from.

Our ICP team member Patrick participated in the training and also taught two of the seven online lessons. This is what he said afterwards about his experience with the training:
The seven keys course provides new insights that are important in an intercultural context. You learn by sharing with each other and trying to apply the keys provided in your daily life. Recommended for people who also want to make the transition from mono to multi (inter)cultural.

7 keys training 2024

We have plans for training in the coming season. We hope to make the online training available via our Online Training Platform, which is already used by the students of two-year Team Training. We also want to publish a booklet in which the keys are described and explained. Keep an eye on our website and social media for more information about this.

Also view our current range of training and materials on the website…

Be inspired beyond borders! The Itzinya Community builds bridges between enterprising Dutch people and migrants with entrepreneurial blood. Itzinya connects, inspires, trains and contributes to a society in which newcomers also flourish.

The next Community Event will take place in Rotterdam on January 11. A fascinating speaker who will update you on a relevant topic, migrant entrepreneurs who tell their own story, live international music and a snack to chat with each other at the end.

More information and registration: Laat migrant-ondernemers groeien – Itzinya Rotterdam

How do you shape a missionary lifestyle in the neighborhood where you live and the network you are part of? Hans and Carolien Euser moved to Rotterdam with this question and found answers that are relevant in many other contexts. . They have developed a tour in which they provide insight into their own learning process based on a number of principles and provide tools for everyday missionary practice.

The program consists of the following ingredients:

1. A visit to BLEND where business, care and meaning are combined for the flourishing of the neighborhood. You start with a delicious coffee + cake and the origin story.
2. Then follows a walk through the neighborhood in which the five steps to missionary life are explained from Luke 10. We read, listen and let ourselves be inspired.
3. We end in BLEND for an evaluation and reflection: what do we take with us to our own place and how do we apply the discovered principles in practice?

The duration of the tour is 2 hours and can be planned in consultation. Can possibly be expanded with a lunch or dinner on location. BLEND’s address is Lange Hilleweg 220A in Rotterdam and the neighborhood we explore is called Bloemhof. Number of participants: 5-25. Costs per participant: 25 euros incl. coffee or tea and cake. A lunch can be booked from 10 euros per person.

More info: bloemhof@blend.nl | www.blend.nl

“The regional ICP lunch with colleagues from other intercultural churches within the network was a valuable moment for me to make time for relationships again and to talk about topics where we can use each other’s input.”

(Maarten Blom – ICF Gouda)

On November 30, ICP organized a regional meeting for pastors and pioneers in the network. In Wageningen, leaders from Gouda, Utrecht, Ede and Wageningen came together to encourage and build each other up.

You are cordially invited to be there next. More information about the dates in 2024 will come soon. Would you like to have information in advance? Send us an email.

You can also participate in an intervision group that is offered free of charge by ICP. View more info.

Recently ICF Wageningen followed in the footsteps of ICF Utrecht. A group of 12 intercultural couples got together to discuss the marriage challenges of being from different cultural backgrounds.

Claude and Corina Mushikangondo, churchworkers in ICF Rotterdam, led two workshops to help the couples reflect on their situation. The couples did exercises on intercultural communication and discussed how culture impacts men/women roles and money matters (the top two reasons why couples fight). The groups then continue by their own, and decide which topic they want to discuss and how. It is wonderful to see the enthusiasm in the groups. Participants get to know each other in a different way. Couples with a longer track record are happy to share experience with the younger ones.

Some quotes from participants:

“I feel reconnected with other ICF members over food and the word of God. For me this is already serving the families/couples. The topics discussed improved our open communication, and at the same time challenged what I thought we knew”.

“Outstanding is the simple fact of Claude and Corine’s intercultural example – from about as opposite poles as you can imagine, yet in love and ministering together. Fabulous examples of how it can work. And inspiring to any couples trying to see how to grow their relationship.”

“It worked well to discuss the questions about forgiveness as a couple! It’s very special how open people are in the group.”

Are there intercultural couples in your church or community and do you need training and guidance for these couples and/or for your pastoral staff? Then you can invite Claude and Corina. More info? Call Corina: 06-28812666 or request more information via office@icpnetwork.nl

What challenges do we encounter? What solutions are available? How do you work out what God intended when He brought forth the church? Do we really need training for that?

What can go wrong?
Church-being 21^st century; it’s a great challenge in a challenging time! What can go wrong in the process of church planting and church building?

4 breakpoints:
Church visitor: “I didn’t intervene. I couldn’t connect with these people.”
Team leader: “I can’t get people motivated to take their place and work together.”
Church leader: “I have become tired. I may have carried too much alone.”
Outside observer: “They seem to be having a good time together, but it remains a small club and what are they actually talking about?”

The church is a living body; always movement, always growth, always new people and increasingly deeply rooted members. At least, that’s how we’d like to see it.

What does the ICP Team Training offer?
The ICP Team Training takes you and your team through the process of team building and community building over 2 years in 4 weekends and interim guidance. Four important themes are discussed, the themes that help us avoid the above breaking points:

• Go on a mission together
• Making disciples
• Train leaders
• Multiplying the community

Ready to start day 2024
The FREE starting day of the ICP Team Training will take place on April 20, 2024. All participating teams will start their training there, which will run from 2024 to 2026. But also if you are considering participating or if you are curious about ICP’s vision on team training and church planting in an intercultural context, then you are very welcome on that day and in the right place!

Register now for the FREE starting day on April 20 in Voorthuizen!
Or request more information by email. office@icpnetwork.nl
Also check our website for more information. http://www.icpnetwork.nl

Our country is under high tension, especially when it comes to the subject of ‘Migration’. The NBG recently published the Migration Bible. What timing…

For migration theologian Samuel Lee, theMigration Bible is ‘a dream come true’. He is a member of the international editorial team that wrote this Migration Bible, a publication of the Dutch-Flemish Bible Society. “I believe that the Netherlands is the first country in the world to publish an English-language Migration Bible.”

What a contrast to the movement we see in our country. But that is also characteristic of the church, of the message of Jesus and the people who follow Him; against the flow…

Are you curious about the ‘Migration Bible’? Read more via the links below.

NBG presenteert Migration Bible
Eerste Bijbel over migratie komt geen moment te vroeg

At the beginning of September, the Opwekking Foundation came up with something new: a unique and user-friendly platform where you can watch Opwekking videos. Unlimited and 24/7! For ‘Vrienden van opwekking’. Check the website for more information about that.

On the video platform you will find videos of the Pentecost conferences, including services, seminars and concerts from various years, from young people, teenagers, children and the Special People Tent.

Last year ICP also organized a seminar ‘More color in the church’ in the church’ in the big tent of Opwekking. You can also find these recordings on this video platform.

Check the platform here: Opwekking Media

From October 5-7 we had the third Team Training Weekend with 9 intercultural leadership teams in Voorthuizen. A great time in which we learned a lot. Thanks to interesting lectures, in-depth conversations, valuable team time, beautiful worship and pleasant encounters, we have grown and gained more insight into important processes in the formation and construction of our intercultural communities. The theme was ‘Training leaders’ and that starts with ourselves.

We have zoomed in on the Bible book of Nehemiah and the leadership lessons we receive from Nehemiah. We listened to trainers who took us to the heart of leadership and the challenges that our intercultural context brings us. And we enjoyed Alexander Emoghene, pastor of Claypot Church, who got us excited about building a Jesus Church with leaders who grow up in a vision based only on Jesus.

Responses from participants to the question ‘What did you benefit from most?’:

The mutual conversations with trainers and team leaders.

Team time, valuable as always.

Sara and Rien’s stories about leadership. Nehemiah as a practical example of leadership.

Worship evening, reading and meditating on Nehemiah, the practical examples.

Good, challenging questions for our team.

A couple of photos:

More information about the Team Training: Two-year ICP training for teams – ICP Network

Ready for the start day of the new Team training round 2024-2026
The Ready to Start Day will take place in Voorthuizen on Saturday, April 20, 2024. A day for participants of the new Team Training that starts in October 2024. This day is also intended for teams that are interested, but still want to discover whether it is something for their team.

You can request information without obligation via office@icpnetwork.nl

Rien van der Toorn will give a workshop during the Inspiration Day on November 11. The theme of the day is: ‘Gracism – growing as a church in equality’. The theme of Rien’s workshop is: ‘What do you mean equality?’…

Of course, everyone thinks equality is a good idea. But what do we mean by it? Isn’t our definition of equality colored by our cultural lenses? Are we perhaps selectively equal? Is the leader equal to the members, or are we served with a degree of inequality? Isn’t distinction necessary?

Enough to think about together in this seminar.

Rien van der Toorn is a non-Western sociologist and, together with his Iranian wife, runs a training and consultancy agency for intercultural work. He trains organizations, companies, government and churches in dealing with diversity. In addition, they have developed an acculturation method for newcomers in Dutch society for the municipality of Leiden. Rien lectures at Tyndale Theological Seminary, the Evangelical College and Foundation Academy of Amsterdam.

Have you already registered for the Inspiration Day?
On Saturday, November 11 from 9:30 AM – 3:00 PM in Veenendaal.
Do not miss it! You can register here.

On September 19 and 21, ICP organized regional lunches in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. The regional lunch in Veenendaal, which was planned for September 26, unfortunately could not take place. This lunch will be organized at a later date.

In Amsterdam we were guests at Oase for Nieuw-West and in Rotterdam we met at ICF Rotterdam-Noord. It is very nice to set aside some time with fellow pastors and pioneers for meeting, conversation, encouragement and deepening. While enjoying a delicious lunch, we got to know each other better and exchanged experiences.
Here you can see some pictures 🙂

We hope to organize these meetings more often. Hopefully you will be there next time!