'Many testimonies of Christ’s presence and action - even in the midst of challenges' 
 

This is not an easy time in Europe, but there was a genuine sense of community - unified through faith in Christ and a call to mission - when Baptists gathered from 40 unions for the recent European Baptist Federation Council, writes Ali Boulton  

The church itself was inauspicious, an older building updated to accommodate the development of technology and contemporary worship styles. The traditional wooden pews faced a small platform with screens on either side and the worship group ready to lead the singing. I could have been in a Baptist church almost anywhere. 
 
The unsurprising building stood in stark contrast to the congregation that gathered that Wednesday evening in September in Riga, Latvia. After some opening worship, a role call began that reminded me of a geography game that my children used to play to recite all the countries in Europe, for this was a gathering of the European Baptist Federation (EBF) council. Country after country was called out and people representing the Baptist Unions stood up to a welcome of applause.

Alongside those from Europe were Baptists from Central Asia and the Middle East (European Baptist Federation is a slight misnomer) alongside those originating from further afield - Brazil, Mexico, the United States and Australia - who had a call to serve in Europe or connect through the Baptist World Alliance (BWA).

Whilst the service that evening did reveal some culture differences, more significantly it showed a group of Baptist Christians who were determined to be the Body of Christ together, unified through faith in Christ and a call to mission. 
 
It was this commitment that set the tone for the council gathering. There was a strong sense of being community together. We were all facing many similar issues spiritually, politically, and socially. We were able to learn from the practical and theological wisdom and insight of others and share what wisdom we could bring.
 
This is not an easy time in Europe and while we all knew something of the impact of the war in Ukraine and Russian action, being together helped raise awareness of the breath of the impact, shortages of food and fuel and the cost-of-living crisis across the whole of the EBF area. It particularly revealed the depth of impact on Ukraine and the countries neighbouring both Ukraine and Russia. It was humbling, and challenging, to hear how people are embodying Christ and joining in with the mission of God in the midst of severe challenges; how people are loving, serving and welcoming one another across geographical and cultural boundaries; and how Christians are called to stand between truth and grace.



We were reminded that ministry in Ukraine has had to change with the context. Ministers did not have the luxury of service preparation time, they must respond to the situations around them, listening to God on the go in order to share with others. It was powerful to pray together and to remember again that when one part of the body hurts, we all hurt.
 
And it was good to rejoice together. It was noted that there was hope even in an uncertain world and there were testimonies of Christ’s presence and action even in the midst of challenges. ‘God is disturbing the equilibrium and uniting people around action’.
 
Mission and church planting are a key focus for EBF and we were also able to rejoice and celebrate people coming to faith and new Baptist churches emerging. We heard stories from Latvia, Serbia, Germany and Italy in the main sessions, although there was more being told in conversations and smaller meetings. It was significant to see the way God was at work in different ways in different contexts, but with similar outcomes. Commitment, listening, serving, evangelism and God working in unexpected ways were emerging themes. It was very encouraging to hear of the development of work amongst youth and families and to have children, youth and family workers amongst us.

It was humbling to see how recently formed and tiny Baptist Unions, often staffed by volunteers, were making a difference in their countries, among adults and young people and ambitious missional targets they set themselves. It challenged me afresh that as the largest union, we, Baptists Together, have a spiritual and moral responsibility to stand alongside our Baptist siblings in smaller unions, both to support and to learn. To this end, Baptists Together is supporting mission in a variety of ways and several of us serve on commissions or core teams which helps develop the mission and ministry of Baptists across the region. This engagement is significant, particularly for the countries with smaller unions.

But the support and learning are certainly not all one way! For example, I am excited to be coming away with the possibility of partnering with EBF and learning from an EBF project to nurture pioneering mission in Britain.
 
EBF supports mission, church planting, children and youth ministry, theological education as well as taking a stand in political situations such as lack of religious freedom, refugees, migration and war. In all these areas EBF is helping Baptists to develop strategic policies and approaches as well as speaking with a unified voice against injustice. 
 
On a completely different note (pun intended!) it was an absolute joy to be introduced to the EBF songbook. If you would like to incorporate songs and hymns that reflect the spiritual, cultural and political life of the EBF area do check it out! 



It is my privilege to serve on the mission core team, which among other things, facilitates an annual mission conference. I would encourage British Baptist leaders to join in where appropriate and learn and share with our wider Baptist family. Next year is a particularly significant year as we will all be joining together across the EBF and BWA to gather in Norway on 5–9 July for SENT 2023 to explore God’s mission together. It will be a mixture of a conference and festival and we are including younger leaders both to attend and contribute.

It would be great to see lots of you at SENT and, if you aren’t a younger leader or minister in training yourself, why not bring one with you! 
 

Alison Boulton serves on the EBF's Mission and Evangelism core team. The 2022 EBF Council took place on Wednesday 21 – Saturday 24 September 2022