Your Time to Give

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New ROM - Renewing Our Minds Assistant Director Bojan Ruvarac, with his wife Rachel and their son Simon

Dear Friends,

It is that time of the year when Forum for Leadership and Reconciliation looks back with gratitude, and forward with renewed vision, passion and joy.

Let’s first share a few 2016 highlights:

ROM – Renewing Our Minds Leadership and Reconciliation Gathering 2016, held in Fuzine, Croatia this August was one of the most diverse ROM gatherings in many years. In the group of sixty-five participants from 19 countries, five of them were refugees currently staying in Croatia. Their presence and the vulnerability by which they opened their hearts to us were a precious gift and blessing for everyone attending. To the refugees attending ROM was a statement of hope that better days are coming. The words of Jesus, “Whatever you did for the least of those, you did for me” informed the entire two and a half weeks of the 2016 ROM Gathering.

Fuzine, Croatia, Home of ROM and EDI

EDI - Economic Diplomacy and Integrity Forum continues to grow in strength and impact. The EDI Forum 2016 held in July in Fuzine, Croatia gathered 30 participants from 10 countries. The relevance of the themes, all of them anchored in the person of Jesus, and calling for the formation of political and business leadership with integrity, continues to make EDI Forum an appealing and transformative experience. The vision and appeal of EDI is often picked up by the participants who are encouraged to organize EDI weekends in their own countries. Thus, very successful 2016 EDI Albania, 2016 EDI Costa Rica and 2016 EDI Transylvania were held in Albania, Costa Rica and Romania in March, May and November of 2016.

Forum Regathering 2016 was held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania at the end of September. Forum Regatherings take place once every two years with the intention to gather together the alumni who attended any of the Forum projects in the Balkans and beyond in previous years. This time 60 participants from 10 countries came together to share their stories, inspire and encourage each other, and go through the refresher course of what it means to be leaders who pursue leadership of service and reconciliation, informed and modeled by the person of Jesus.

Small Group activity at EDI 2016

Golden Rule Project continues to place a special emphasis on the needs of refugees, who are at this time the most vulnerable group in Europe. Recently a group of refugees, currently staying in Zagreb, Croatia received warm winter jackets, shoes and other winter clothes to help them face the cold winter months in Croatia, and more will be helped soon. Golden Rule Project is a practical tool of Forum through which the principles of servant-leadership, taught at ROM and EDI, are applied in the challenging, real-life circumstances.

Let’s now share the key plans for 2017:

Key Programs in 2017: The 2017 summer months in Fuzine, Croatia will be occupied by the 2017 ROM Leadership and Reconciliation Gathering, and 2017 EDI Forum. Between those two transformative gatherings we are expecting a diverse international group of at least one hundred participants from twenty countries. Also, in 2017 we are planning four EDI national events, and two ROM follow up or team building events in various countries of mostly Southeast Europe, and continue practically serving communities in need through our Golden Rule Project.

ROM 2016 one of the most diverse ROM gatherings

ROM Assistant Director Elected:  The most exciting news and a new development in 2017 will be the investment into developing a sustainable core and regional representatives team in the Balkans with the vision to lead ROM and Forum projects in the Balkans beyond 2019 when we will celebrate 20 years of ROM history and service. To that end the Forum Board recently elected Bojan Ruvarac from Serbia, a young leader with an outstanding and committed history of leadership in the ROM team to assume the role of the ROM Assistant Director from the January 1, 2017.  Tihomir Kukolja, who has been serving as the ROM Director since 2001, will invest the next two years into mentoring the new assistant director, and thus gradually hand over the baton of ROM leadership into the hands of the emerging director. Bojan’s wife Rachel Ruvarac will assist Bojan in his leadership. From now on Forum will be placing a special emphasis in our fundraising efforts to build a sustainable financial platform to help Bojan and Rachel Ruvarac move quickly to the full time directorial commitment to ROM.

JoinUs in Finishing This Year Strong and Starting Next Year Well

To close our expenses in 2016, and with our eyes firmly set on 2017, we would like to ask you to donate generously to Forum for Leadership and Reconciliation at this Christmas Season.

To donate to Forum is easy. Send the check with your generous donation to The Antioch Partners, 7132 Portland Ave, Suite 136, Richfield, MN 55423 (“Forum” in memo), or if you would like to donate online visit CLICK HERE and follow the instructions. Make sure that the “Project of your choice” is set on “Forum for Leadership and Reconciliation”.

Forum Regathering 2016, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Your generous gift will help us finish the current year well, and have an energizing start of the year 2017 as we continue to work on the development of leaders transformed by the person of Jesus in a divided world.

Thank You. May the blessings of our Lord be with you at this Christmas Season and throughout the New Year.

Martha S. Weiss, Board Chair

Forum for Leadership and Reconciliation

Tihomir Kukolja, Executive Director

Forum for Leadership and Reconciliation

More about our needs at this time.

EDI Transylvania a Big Inspiration and Success

Mihaela Kovacs reporting from Romania

Sighisoara, Romania, November 25-27, 2016, Hotel Central Park was the place of the third edition of Economic Diplomacy and Integrity Seminar in Transylvania, Romania. The Theme for this year was "Involvement Brings Transformation". We where honored to have 50 professionals coming together from different backgrounds including politics, social engagements, education, health system and pastoral care. Our speakers Tudosie Liviu, Dan Nichita, Bogdan Burghelea, Adrian Moldovan, and Lars Rise challenged and inspired the participants with their presentations. Some of the themes included discussions on the reality of Romanian politics, the perspectives of Jesus followers,  and Jesus’ principals in politics.  During those 2 days we had the opportunity to share our experiences in small groups. The highlight of the event where the interviews shared by various participants involved in practical community building activities and projects.

Mihaela Kovacs, EDI Transylvania, Director

Coming Event: Ambassadors for a Better World, Houston 2016

Welcome to a special evening of learning, inspiration and sharing “Ambassadors for a Better World Houston 2016”, Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church (MDPC) Parlor, Houston, on Tuesday, November 15, 2016, starting 6.30pm.

Tihomir Kukolja, ROM (Renewing Our Minds) Director; Hope Manley, TAP (The Antioch Partners) Communications Coordinator; and Liviu Bocaniala, a well-known Romanian Christian musician will share the latest stories of grace and transformation in the lives of young leaders in Southeast Europe (Balkans) who have encountered Jesus through the ministry of Forum for Leadership and Reconciliation, and its leading projects ROM – Renewing Our Minds and EDI – Economic Diplomacy and Integrity Forum. 

The special highlight of the evening will be the transformational stories of refugees who took part in ROM and EDI gatherings in the summer of 2016. Having a group of refuges integrated in our 2016 summer projects was a blessing to the refugees and everyone attending our leadership gatherings.

A special treat of the evening will be the music interpreted by Liviu Bocaniala from Romania. Liviu will share some of his music and music of his close friends involved in the ministry of ROM over the past years.

We are looking forward to seeing you at MDPC Parlor, Tuesday,, November 15, at 6.30pm. Invite you friends. Your RSVP will help us plan the evening program even better.

Coming Event: Ambassadors for a Better World Seattle 2016

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Forum presentation one year ago at UPC, Seattle

Ambassadors for a Better World Seattle 2016, a special program of learning, inspiration and sharing will take place at the University Presbyterian Church (UPC), Geneva B Room, Sunday, November 6, 2016, starting 11.45am.

Martha S. Weiss, Forum President; Tihomir Kukolja, ROM (Renewing Our Minds) Director; Justin Kagin, EDI (Economic Diplomacy and Integrity) Director; Allen Belton, Senior Partner, Reconciliation Ministries; Ken Kierstead, UPC Outreach Director; and Liviu Bocaniala, a well-known Romanian Christian musician will share the latest stories of grace and transformation in the lives of young leaders in Southeast Europe (Balkans) who have encountered Jesus through the ministry of Forum for Leadership and Reconciliation, and its leading projects ROM – Renewing Our Minds and EDI – Economic Diplomacy and Integrity Forum. 

The special highlight of the program will be the sharing of transformational stories of refugees who took part in ROM and EDI gatherings in the summer of 2016. Having a group of refuges integrated in our 2016 summer projects was a mutual blessing to the refugees and everyone attending our leadership gatherings.

A special treat of the program will be the music interpreted by Liviu Bocaniala from Romania. Liviu will share some of his music and music of his close friends involved in the ministry of ROM and EDI over the past years.

We are looking forward to seeing you at UPC, Geneva B Room, Sunday, November 6, 2016, at 11.45am. Invite you friends. Your RSVP will help us to plan the evening even better.

What Are You Going to Do with Jesus?

What are you going to do with Jesus? Tihomir Kukolja, Renewing Our Minds (ROM) Director, delivers his closing message to the community of international participants attending the 2016 ROM leadership gathering in Fuzine, Croatia, August 2016.  His message was an elaboration of Jesus’ healing of a man born blind in John 9. Tihomir asks: “What happens when we manipulate with the witness of Jesus in our lives?” He concludes his message with the message that “we only see clearly when we see Jesus”, and invites the listeners to take Jesus seriously. Tihomir’s message is followed by a song “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made”, interpreted by Liviu Bocaniala and written by Alex Dezen. Time: 22.25 

Moldovan TV Journalist about ROM

Tatiana Cojocaru, a well known Moldovan TV journalist and producer, attended the 2016 ROM - Renewing Our Minds leadership and reconciliation gathering in Fuzine, Croatia in August 2016. One month ago Tatiana presented her ROM experience in her 45 minute weekly TV program “Fii Tanar”. Language: Romanian.

Lizzie Francis: Design, Rights and Redefinitions

“God created everything with purpose, in orderly fashion, in tune with God’s laws and relationally. But today our relationships are harmed, and values designed by God twisted”, said Lizzie Francis in her presentation “Design, Rights and Redefinitions”, which she delivered at the 2016 Regathering in Cluj-Napoca, Romania on September 30, 2016. Lizzie Francis is a young UK politician, with faith firmly grounded in the person of Jesus.

Video: The Prayer of St. Francis

Zachary Schmidt sends his video greeting from Spain to the participants attending the 2016 Regathering in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and shares his song “The Prayer of St. Francis”. Zachary Schmidt is a talented American artist who served for many years in the leadership teams of the Renewing Our Minds (ROM) and Economic Diplomacy and Integrity (EDI) programs.