Report Day Conference Migrant & Church

On September 18, the Day Conference “Migrant and Church – opportunities and bottlenecks” took place in Utrecht. An inspiring day with stimulating topics, courageous conversations and wonderful contacts.

Hans and Michele (ICP) were present. Here you will find a more detailed report, written by Hans. How do you enter into an interreligious conversation? Is a multicultural church a dream for later in heaven or a concrete goal here on earth? The conversation with Jurjen and Eric (see photo) was inspiring and stimulating.

Do you have any questions about this conference or Hans’ report or would you like to register for other similar activities? Please contact us by email or view our range of training and equipment.

God willing, we will again hold the annual ICP inspiration day on November 11, 2023, this time around the theme Gracism – growing in equality. It will be an exciting meeting for all leaders in the church; not only pastors and pioneers, but also elders and deacons, youth workers and speakers are more than welcome. Spread the word …

Gracism was coined as a term by David A. Anderson, an American pastor and author. He combines two words: grace and racism. We know racism as the negative assessment of others based on origin. Grace can be translated as mercy or grace. Gracism is giving positive affection (favor) to other people regardless of and sometimes because of their color, class or culture.

It should be self-evident, but unfortunately we discover all kinds of resistance, prejudice and discrimination in ourselves and in others. Where does that come from and above all: how do we get rid of it? The subtitle of the book Gracism is: The art of inclusion. Inclusive thinking is an art that requires practice.

In that respect, intercultural churches are beautiful places. In a tense society, they form safe havens to put God’s grace into practice. It is precisely there that multi-colored wisdom becomes visible (Ephesians 3:10). So do not be discouraged, but continue to encourage each other to love across cultural boundaries, so that we grow in equality as true gracists.

Come to the ICP Inspiration Day on November 11 in Veenendaal and be inspired, refreshed and encouraged!

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

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!

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

Register now for this inspiring and encouraging day in Veenendaal!

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.

Register now via

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…

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

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)

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.

Open and uninhibited conversations with people of other faiths. How do you do that?
What is true in the interfaith conversation?

This inspiring conference will take place on Monday 18 September. Organized by the working group ‘Migrants and the Church’, in which the organizations ‘Evangelie en Moslims’, ‘Gave’, ‘Geloofsinburgering’, ‘ICP NL’ and the ‘PKN’ work together to bring migrants and the church in the Netherlands together.

From ICP NL, Hans Euser and Michele Atsma will provide a workshop on the theme ‘More color in the church’. The main speaker is prof.dr. Benno van den Toren and the program is also filled with interesting speakers and inspiring workshops.

You can still sign up! Even with early booking discount until September 1. You can also bring an introduction for a greatly reduced price. Check the website:

Are you interested in intercultural community building?
Are you tworking or living with a diverse group and do you need advice or new inspiration?
Or have you used the material from ‘More color in the church’ and do you want to take the next step?

There are currently no free ‘7 keys’ webinars planned. We are working on a booklet about the 7 keys to building an intercultural community. We will keep you informed via our website and social media. You can also follow developments and receive more knowledge about the themes that interest you via our ICP Update (monthly newsletter).

You can also contact ICP for personal advice or guidance. Please contact us at office@icpnetwork.nl

What will the upcoming season look like at ICP? A few dates and sneak previews!

ICP-connected

‘ICP-connected’ is the collective name for activities intended to connect and deepen relationships. In the new season we have the following activities for pastors and pioneers:

Inspiring events and training

ICP is organizing a number of great events and training sessions in the upcoming season. We would like to highlight a few:

View our complete training offer on the website. There is a lot to be found in the field of intercultural communication, familiarizing yourself with foreign cultures, marriage pastoral care and Bible study with foreign speakers.

Do you have specific questions or needs? Get in touch with us.

Beautiful and practical materials

ICP offers very strong content, but also practically applicable material for small groups. View the available materials here.

In the new season we hope to be able to make the material of ‘Meer kleur in de kerk’ also available in English.

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’. This inspiration day replaces the network day on June 17, which was canceled at the time. The program, the theme, the speakers and workshops that we had planned are so valuable and relevant that we cannot help but seize a new opportunity and organize a wonderful day for everyone who wants to grow in equality 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. Get together and meet other teams working on the same mission. You can register from 1 September via the website.

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

The program
10.00 Main program with worship and inspiring lecture about gracism – a combination of racism and grace
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

More information about the workshops will follow as soon as possible.

Practical information
Date November 11
Location De Regenboog, De Grote Pekken 11, Veenendaal
Time Walk in 9:30, walk out/time to network 15:00
Costs 22.50 per person
Registration Ticket sales will start on September 1, 2023 via the website

Keep an eye on the website and socials for more information about the workshops and registration.

Great news: on July 23, ICP will be in the main tent of the New Wine Summer Conference from 4 to 5 pm. Patrick van der Plaat and Sara Mohi, together with spoken word artist Brooklyn Mozes and her musical husband Stevie G., will provide the program around #meerkleurindekerk. You want to be there!

Are you unable to join or do you want a taste? During Opwekking we gave a seminar. You can watch it here.

INFO New Wine Summer Conference:
Date: July 22-28 (Seminar from ICP on July 23 from 16:00 – 17:00)
Location: Velder estate in Liempde
Aanmelden: New Wine Summer conference, July 22 – 28 at Liempde – truetickets.nl

We’re going to do something different. As a replacement for the annual, national network morning in September, we are organizing a lunch for pastors and pioneers in 3 different regions this season, also in September.

In recent years we organized a networking morning twice a year for pastors and pioneers in the ICP network. A moment to connect and to inspire and encourage each other.

We also want to hang out with you again in the coming season. We therefore want to organize 3 regional lunches (Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Veenendaal region) in the second half of September.

At every lunch we invite someone to inspire us and we also like to take a lot of time to catch up with other colleagues from the ICP network.

Lunches start at 11:30 am and last until 2:00 pm. Below are the dates and locations.
Register now quickly for the regional lunch you want to participate in. Of course we advise you to register for the lunch that takes place in your region, but if that date does not suit you, you are more than welcome to join another regional lunch.

Dates and regions: click on the regional lunch of your choice and sign up!

Just like last period, we offer intervision for pastors and pioneers in the ICP network. There has been intervision for the past 2 years and there are still enthusiastic and grateful responses, so we are going to do another round.

What exactly do we offer you?

• Monthly online meetings with colleagues and like-minded people (6 meetings, months of ICP events are avoided)
• Intervision guidance from highly experienced and involved intervision facilitators
• Choose from 3 different groups/times
• Totally free

Er zijn komend seizoen dus 3 groepen bSo there are 3 groups available next season.eschikbaar. These groups meet at different times. You can choose the group that suits you best in terms of data.

Commitment

You sign up for 1 group. We would like to ask you to register if you can attend at least 80% of the meetings. The strength and success of intervision is also largely in a safe atmosphere with people you speak to more often. We prefer to avoid high turnover or volatile participation.

Dates intervision

Group Facilitator Time Dates

Intervision 1 Rien van der Toorn 13:00-14:30 9 Oct, 11 Dec, 8 Jan, 5 Feb, 8 Apr, 13 May

Intervision 2 Coen Legemaate 9:00-10:30 12 Oct, 14 Dec, 11 Jan, 8 Feb, 11 Apr, 16 May

Intervision 3 Beppie Wessels 13:00-14:30 12 Oct, 14 Dec, 11 Jan, 8 Feb, 11 Apr, 16 May

Registration

You can register for the intervision via the button below. In the order form of your ticket you will be asked to choose a group.
The intervision groups have a maximum number of participants in order to guarantee effectiveness and quality. If a group is already full, you will be notified and we will try to find another place for you.

On May 27th we launched our latest project ‘More color in the church’. We are happy with the first reactions to the interactive small group material that we have so much faith in. We may grow together in equality, as a church and as individuals. Grateful that people are blessed.

Below you can read a few reactions from people who have seen and used the material for the first time in recent weeks.

Small group member Anne: “Last night we discussed part 1 of the series as small group. I was positively surprised; how good to discuss this topic together! It immediately got me thinking. I look forward to the next evenings! ”

Pastor intercultural church: “… the material is beautiful in terms of design, working methods and content. … We hope and pray that it will be a great blessing for the church in NL!”

A few reactions from a discussion group that has already taken the first lesson together:

This really gives a lot of (new) insights.
Brings the subject closer by empathizing.
The conversation with Hans and Sara was especially impressive.
What it does to someone when you have to look for new things in a new country your identity.

Have you already ordered the material? It is currently only available in Dutch, but we are already working on the English version. Go to the website of More color in the church and order for FREE!