Ambassadors for a Better World

Onehundred ROM and EDI alumni, together with their family members, from ten countries, celebrated together 16 years of the Renewing Our Minds (ROM) initiative and 8 years of Economic Diplomacy and Integrity Forum (EDI), formerly known as Economic and Diplomacy Seminar, at the 2014 Forum Regathering held on Fruška Gora near Novi Sad, Serbia, 10^th – 13^th October, 2014.

The 2014 Regathering was a time of learning, reflection and celebration of the history of ROM and EDI since 1999. In a special program reflecting on their history Stevo Dereta, the president of Life Center International in Croatia, ROM visionary and its cofounder, spoke about the early beginnings of ROM in the post-war years prior to 1999. Mihaita Lupu from Romania shared his experience of attending the ROM Gathering in 2001. Justin Kagin form USA and Milan Pavlovic from Serbia, cofounders of EDS, now EDI, talked about how ROM inspired the birth of Economic Diplomacy and Integrity Forum in 2006. Mihaela Kovacs from Romania, founder of EDI Transylvania, spoke about how two years ago the vision of EDI in Croatia inspired the birth of EDI Transylvania in Romania. Martha S. Weiss, the chairwoman of Forum for Leadership and Reconciliation (Forum) spoke about the origins and work of Forum, the organization that oversees and supports the activities of both, ROM and EDI since 2011. Maria van Oost, ECPM representative from The Netherlands welcomed the partnership between European Christian Political Movement (ECPM) and Forum for Leadership and Reconciliation (Forum).

Tihomir Kukolja, who has been serving the ROM initiative since the end of 2001 as its director, reflected on the early days of ROM when Vesna Tift and Drazen Glavas, its first directors, set the basic framework and strategy for ROM. He stated that reconciliation, peacemaking, leadership of service and integrity remain to be the key ingredients of ROM. “But it is the centrality of Jesus that has made ROM uniquely successful and genuinely transformative in the lives of its participants in all the years since 1999”, said Kukolja. He said also that ROM is changing too, not in its vision and spiritual focus but in its scope of services, in tune with the changing times and their challenges. He said, “We need to bare in mind that today we are beginning to receive among the ROM participants the children of those who attended ROM gatherings 15 or 16 years ago.”

The overarching theme of the Regathering was “Ambassadors for a Better World”.  Speakers and topics were well selected. They covered ethical leadership, ethics of reconciliation, integrity in economy, struggle against modern-day forms of slavery, and centrality of faith in Jesus in all spheres of leadership. Among the main speakers were Samuil Petrovski and Aleksandar Santrac from Serbia; Allen Belton, Justin Kagin and Jeremiah Collins from USA; Zefjan Nikolla from Albania; Jack Fallow and John Field from UK. The Regathering highlight was the presentation of Marko Stupar and Dobrila Pejin from Serbia, two outstanding activists involved in spreading the awareness about the evils of human trafficking in Serbia and the region.

In addition to the main annual events Renewing Our Minds Gathering (ROM) and Economic Diplomacy and integrity Forum (EDI), both held in Croatia for two weeks every summer; and recently developed project EDI Transylvania in Romania, and a new Middle East reconciliation project, every second year Forum organizes regatherings such as this one with the intention to bring together alumni that have attended its programs at different times since 1999. Some of the previous regatherings took place in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Serbia and USA. The purpose of the entire spectrum of Forum activities, including regatherings, is recognized in its vision and mission statement: “Developing leaders transformed by the person of Jesus in a divided world.”

The 2014 Regathering was organized by Forum for Leadership and Reconciliation from Seattle, USA, in partnership with EUS – Association of Evangelical Students from Serbia, ECPM – European Christian Political Movement from The Netherlands, and LCI – Life Center International from Croatia.