TOGETHER:                  The AICEME Newsletter
Association of International Churches In Europe and the Middle East	Spring 2002 Together is a quarterly publication of the Association of International Churches in Europe and the Middle East. 2001-2002 AICEME Executive  Committee   President:  Janice Kibler, Berlin   Vice President:  Robert Hunt, Vienna   Sec/Treasurer:  Marian Gaultney,  London Together Editor:  Noel Calhoun, Moscow

The tomb of John, the well of Paul, the cave of Peter – what do these three sites have in common?  They are all located in present-day Turkey, and you will have a chance to visit each site during the post-conference tour this April (if, of course, you have chosen to participate in the tour).

Our gathering as a whole will be more than a conference; it will also be a pilgrimage, a historical adventure.  After Israel, Turkey contains more biblical sites than any other country.  For this reason Turkey is rightly called ‘the other Holy Land.’

Often Christians are unaware of Turkey’s importance because in Bible reference works this strategic peninsula is usually referred to as Asia Minor or Anatolia. Knowledge of this land is especially important in understanding the background of the New Testament.  Approximately two thirds of its books were written either to or from churches in Turkey.

During our teaching sessions we will survey briefly the people and events that brought Christianity to Turkey.  We will then take to the field following routes of Paul’s Journeys and exploring several of Turkey’s most marvelous archaeological sites.  Our exploration will include Ephesus and its newly opened Terrace Houses – jewels, one might say, in the crown of Ephesus.  We will also visit Tarsus, Paul’s hometown; Syrian Antioch, where believers were first called Christians; and the oft-overlooked-but-very-worthwhile site of Miletus, where the Ephesian elders bid a tearful farewell to Paul.  During the conference we will also see some special sites, like Pisidian Antioch, where Paul preached his first recorded sermon, and Myra, where St. Nicholas served as bishop.

So, I hope you are as eager as I am to come together and discuss and explore this early section of our rich spiritual roots.

Dr. Mark Wilson

When the Saints Go Marching Out

by Art Beals, Geneva Press, 2001

“What do you think it would look like if a congregation became fully mobilized for mission?”  Seems this question precipitated Art Beal’s new book, When the Saints Go Marching Out.

This same challenging question that led Beals to become the Pastor of Urban and Global Mission in a large Seattle church.  He brought to the task a rich background, including decades of cross-cultural church planting, leadership training, and para-church organizational leadership. “It is my fervent prayer that this book will help local congregations, both small and large, to more effectively mobilize all of their lay people for effective cross-cultural ministry.”   While the aim sounds passively familiar, the methodology is refreshingly new, for Beals’ appeal is his passion for a decidedly congregational-based ministry.

A busy pastor will appreciate the clear and concise writing style, generously peppered with real life examples that make reading the 158-page text a pleasure for its intellectual stimulation and practical value.  Its basic premise is that the local congregation should be the center for mission planning, mobilization, and outreach.  Subsequent chapters deal with issues such as converting your mission philosophy into an action plan, developing a “theology of vocation,” empowering the laity by “releasing” them for ministry they have discovered, “creatively capturing” attention for mission, and the making of “world Christians” before offering practical organizational advice on developing a model for “congregational-based mission.”

By the way, organizational structures are something Beals knows about.  He is the founder of World Concern International, and has served as pastor of churches in Washington, Oregon, and the Philippines. His book Beyond Hunger: A Biblical Mandate for Social Responsibility was awarded the Golden Medallion Book Award by the Evangelical Christian Literature Association.

Even though you probably do not pastor a three-thousand-member church in a major American city, as an international church leader you no doubt have numerous oppor­tunities for cross-cultural ministry – as close as your own congregation!  And When the Saints Go Marching Out may provide just the guidance you need to help that congregation of yours become the mighty mission force that it was meant to be.

Reviewed by Steve Leuice,

Antalya, Turkey

Pre-conference Perusing Possibilities

Knowing that most who come to the AICEMEA are as scholarly as they are pastorly, I (with Noel Calhoun’s prompting) thought you would appreciate a suggested reading list.  As you will see, the list is very selective, based primarily on the pertinent books I have collected over my years in Turkey.  You may have other, even better, ones.  If you do, perhaps you would be kind enough to share them with me during our time together.

Of utmost importance and relevance are passages from the Bible:  Acts 2:5-12, 13:1 - 21:19; Revelation 2-3; and the salutations and final greetings of Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, and 1 Peter.  One could certainly expand this list, but these passages are most germane to the theme of the conference.

If you would like to read a good book on Paul, you might chose one of the following:

Bruce, F. F.  In the Steps of the Apostle Paul.  Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1995.

Bruce, F. F.  Apostle of the Heart Set Free.  Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988.

Cimok, Fatih.  Saint Paul in Anatolia.  Istanbul:  A Turizm Yayinlari, 1999.

Sanders, E. P.  Paul.  New York:  Oxford, 1991.

Wangerin Jr., Walter.  Paul, A Novel.  Grande Rapids:  Zondervan, 2000.

Wilson, A. N. Paul: The Mind of the Apostle. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1997.

Wright, Tom.  What Saint Paul Really Said.  Oxford:  Lion Publishing, 1997.

If you would like a good book on Biblical sites in Turkey, one of these will do (I will make sure these, along with others, are available for purchase at the conference):

 Blake, E. C.  Biblical Sites in Turkey.  Istanbul: Redhouse, 1994.

Cimok, Fatih.  Biblical Anatolia.  Istanbul:  A Turizm Yayinlari, 2000.

Cimok, Fatih.  The Seven Churches.  Istanbul:  A Turizm Yayinlari, 1998.

Edmonds, Anna D.  Turkey’s Religious Sites.  Istanbul:  Damko Publications, 1998.

If you would like to learn more about Eastern Christianity, you might try one of these:

Atiya, Aziz Suryal.  A History of Eastern Christianity.  Millwood:  Kraus Reprint, 1991.  This book is very scholarly and lengthy (448p), but by far the best (& most expensive?).

Dalrymple, W.  From the Holy Mountain.  A Journey Among the Christians of the Middle East.  New York: Henry Holt, 1997.  A fascinating read.  Highly recom­mended!

I could mention so many other books – including books of our presenters, but I leave it now so that I can get on with my preparations, and you ... perhaps with some reading.

By James Bultema  

 Dear AICEMEA Friends,

 It worked!  When I waged my fierce campaign to be the chair of the association for this year, I told you that I was looking for ways to build my resume.  I knew I would be leaving the American Church in Berlin in 2002 (we’re one of those situations where the taxes become outrageous after 5 years) but didn’t know what was ahead.  That was one year ago.  I’m pleased and excited at this point to have accepted a call to serve as Assistant to the Bishop of the Central States Synod of the ELCA, and will begin my work there on June 1.  I couldn’t miss one more opportunity to be at a conference with all of you!

The transition from last year’s knowledge that I would be moving to this year’s knowledge of where I’m moving was a rich adventure.  Thanks to some good books and some helpful advice, I was able to think through my next steps, taking an honest evaluation of my talents as well as re-visiting my personal sense of mission in this world.  I had to check in with myself and my relationship with God in a new way.  I wasn’t always sure where the process would lead, and for an A-1 planner like me who sometimes likes to start with a conclusion and work backwards, that brought some discomfort.  But I’m feeling ready now to leave one wonderful ministry to begin another in a new setting.

Those of us with U.S. diplomats in our congregations know that the diplomats are sent out for awhile, but then they must return to the States for a few years in order to soak up their own culture again.  It’s an attempt to keep them truly American when living in international settings.  They have to check-in with who they are.  I thought of that image often as I took a look at myself and my call to live as a servant of Christ.  I suspect I’m not the only one among us who gets caught up in the business of being a pastor and is guilty of putting off for another time that “checking in” of our true identity.  If I am the only one, don’t tell me.  All of us sinners like to think we have company!

I’m writing this during Lent.  (Depending on the mail, you may be receiving this at Christmas!)  It’s a natural time for all of us to saturate ourselves in our faith identity.  Lent is my favorite season of the church year - I’m Lutheran, after all!  There is such a richness to be found in checking in with our Lord during these weeks, and asking God to shape our hearts and desires.  After the process of Lent, we’re ready for the new adventures and the new settings that are ahead, because we are so confident of who we and whose we are.

The last year contained a lot of wonderful Lenten moments for me.  I hope the same is true for you, too.  May God keep us all firmly grounded in our identity as we minister to the world for Jesus’ sake.

Peace,                                               

Janice Kibler,

American Church in Berlin

NEW  KIDS  ON  THE  AICEMEA  BLOCK

Since I am one of the newcomers to the AICEME, Noel has asked me to write a short piece introducing my family and saying a word about our situation in London.  Linda and I are very happy to be working with Steve and Marian Gaultney at The American Church in London and to be part of this wonderful association of international pastors.  Although the ACL is affiliated with the United Reformed Church here in the UK (a merger in 1972 of the Presbyterians and Congregationalists) and I was inducted into the URC on 30 September, both Linda and I are pastors out of the United Methodist tradition.  We are thrilled to be in London and near Oxford where John Wesley studied and lived and began his ministry.  Of course, it was in London on May 24, 1738, in what we would call a “small group gathering” not far from St Paul’s Cathedral, that Wesley had his evangelical experience of feeling his “heart strangely warmed”.  The rest, as they say, is history.  For those of us with Wesleyan theological roots, coming to London is like “coming home”.

Linda and I came to London from the Baltimore-Washington area where we have served United Methodist churches for many years as members of the Baltimore-Washington Conference.  I am a former professional musician, having played clarinet and saxophone with the United States Marine Band (“The President’s Own”) in Washington, DC, during my younger years.  Linda was an elementary teacher before entering seminary.  My basic seminary work was done at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, VA, and at the Universities of Bern and Basel in Switzerland, while Linda did her work at the Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC.  We have three sons:  Wesley (28), Joshua (25), and Nathan (16), and a Golden Retriever named Lady.

Even though we have just been in London for six months, at times it feels like six years!  Like all of you, we and the people we serve were profoundly affected by the events of 11 September.  The repercussions of that day struck all of us wherever in the world we live, but for Londoners and Americans living here, it was a particularly traumatic time.  New York and London share so much in common economically and culturally, and the past few months have only served to show how strong the ties are between the UK and the US. 

In the days immediately following 11 September, The American Church in London was inundated with visitors and requests for help, with about two thousand people coming by for prayer and solace and counseling the first few days and another couple of thousand attending various services here.  On 16 September our worship service was broadcast nationally and picked up internationally by television and radio, and two mid-week prayer services were filled to overflowing.  The church staff worked so hard to meet the varied needs of stranded Americans, grieving visitors, and people on the street stopping in the sanctuary for prayer and to find comfort in community.

The crisis of 11 September and our church’s response certainly facilitated my getting acquainted with our congregation and my coming to know London much more quickly than would have normally happened.  I was asked to appear on several television and radio shows through the fall, which helped to get out the word about our church’s ministry and which resulted in many new people coming to ACL.

Now that things are beginning to return to some normalcy, Linda and I are having more time to explore this wonderful world capital and cultural center.  It is an amazing city, and we look forward to hosting all of you here for the spring conference in 2004.  As Dr. Johnson is quoted to have said:  When a person is tired of London, he is tired of life.

In closing I want to say how excited I am that Turkey is on my spiritual diet this spring.  In college I was a Classics and Greek major and, of course, read Homer’s Iliad, along with many other classics, and studied the movement of Greek peoples along the Aegean coast of Asia Minor during the first millennium BCE.  Ancient Troy was always a place which tickled my imagination and which I wanted to visit, along with so many of the Biblical place names that became familiar to me in seminary:  Ephesus, Patmos, Smyrna, Sardis, Miletus, Tarsus, Antioch, etc.  So much important history - Greek, Roman, Biblical, Byzantine, Turkish, etc. - took place in this great land.  I confess that, as I anticipate our conference in Turkey, I feel like a kid standing in front of a candy counter looking at five dozen different kinds of chocolate; my mouth is watering.  I’m ready to go.

Linda and I look forward to seeing many of you in Antalya and getting to know you and sharing in Christian fellowship.  Until then, blessings and peace!

By  Steve  Rettenmayer, 

The  American  Church  in  London

Antalya and Its Environs

In Antalya the pine-clad Taurus Mountains sweep down to the sparkling clear sea, resulting in an irregular coastline of rocky headlands and secluded coves.  The region, bathed in sunshine for 300 days a year, is a paradise for people seeking water sports, mountain hiking, and historical sites.  Sometimes called the “Turkish Riviera,” Antalya is one of Turkey’s principal southern coast holiday destinations.  It is an attractive city with shady palm-lined boulevards, parks, and a marina.  In the picturesque old quarter of Kaleiçi, narrow winding streets and old wooden houses abut the ancient city walls.  When the Emperor Hadrian visited Antalya in A.D. 130, a beautifully decorated three-arched gate with Corinthian columns was built into the city walls in his honor.  The shimmering waters in the bay with the mountains behind demonstrate why Antalya has become a popular resort.

The Archeological Museum with artifacts from the “Paleolithic Age” to Ottoman times offers a glimpse of the area’s rich history and is one of the best of its type in Turkey. It includes the amazing gallery of gods from Perge, and some finely carved sarcophagi dating from the Roman era.

Perge, 18 kilometers east of Antalya, was an important city of Pamphilia originally settled by the Hittites around 1500 B.C.  St. Paul visited this city on his first missionary journey.  The theater stage has finely carved marble reliefs.  Amateur archeologists will want to see the handsome city gate flanked by two lofty towers, a long colonnaded road once paved with mosaics, a large agora, the public baths, and a gymnasium.

The ancient city of Myra is west of Antalya.  It was inhabited as early as 500 B.C.  Many splendidly carved rock tombs dating from the 4th century B.C. overlook the magnificent Roman theater.  St. Nicholas, who was born in Patara, was the bishop of Myra during the 4th century A.D. and died there in 326.

Northeast of Antalya is the ancient city of Pisidian Antioch.  The actual time it was founded under the Seleucids is unknown, but it was probably a colony of King Antiochus from 281-261 B.C.  Eventually it became “Colonia Caesarea” of the Roman Empire in 25 B.C. and remained so for 200 years.  Under Rome, the city was made to resemble the capital on the seven hills.  At the end of the 3rd century, the city was a metropolis of Pisidia and continued to be under the Byzantines who increased the number of sacred sites.  This area was visited by Paul and Barnabas around A.D. 46.  Among the ruins to see are the following:  St. Paul’s Bacilica, the aqueducts, the temple to Augustus, the theater, and public baths, all of which were destroyed by Arabs in A.D. 713.

This is just a brief glimpse of what awaits you in Antalya. What could be more appealing than a dreamlike landscape, a rich variety of flora, grand mountains, and the magnificent colors of the sea?  Add to that the amenities of a modern city broaching one million and the quiet of ancient ruins, and you have a perfect conference destination!

Adapted from Ministry of Tourism Brochures

by Angela Leuice,