Early on, when we were discussing the Federal Conference 2024, our thoughts in the Federal Leadership were already focused on the topic of mission. We were delighted by the presence of Revd Dr. Neil Hudson. Neil is the pastor of an Elim church in Salford near Manchester.
In just a day and a half, Neil brought crucial questions to our attention: How and to what extent do we support the brothers and sisters in our communities so that they can live their Christianity joyfully and freely in their everyday lives and radiate the love of God? Is the primary goal to claim the free time of our community members for the goals of the community? Let us also ask the people who are in the community what kind of equipping and support they need for their daily lives and their discipleship in the world. “Discipleship,” says Neil Hudson, “means learning how I can follow the way of Jesus now and in my own community.”
This requires the willingness to live more and more as God wants, to do my work as well as possible, and to spread grace and love. Furthermore, in relation to society, we need the willingness to influence the culture surrounding us, the willingness to spread the gospel, and the willingness to be a mouthpiece for truth and justice. That concludes this brief overview of the message from our speaker, Neil Hudson.
We opened the conference on Friday evening in Salzburg, albeit with obstacles, but with a lively time of praise and a challenging opening talk. After the formalities, the delegates’ meeting on Saturday in Marchtrenk began with the reports on the past year (see the 2023 report booklet, printed copies still available). Since a group from the Graz-Emanuel community now meets in the afternoons in Graz, it has been affiliated with the Federation as its own community, Gnadenkirche Graz (Biserica Baptista Harul).
The Mongolian-speaking worship groups from Linz and Vienna-Krummgasse also introduced themselves. The following members were elected or re-elected in Marchtrenk at the election for the new federal leadership: Dietrich Fischer-Dörl (Vienna), Peter Brandes (Salzburg), Dr. Andreas Cosma (Krems), Paul Turc (Vienna). In addition, there are the members who were elected or re-elected just two years ago, Susanne Gidl (Linz) and David Bunce (Bad Ischl). Pastor Franz Gollatz and Pastor Fritz Kaiser were co-opted with confirmation from the delegates’ assembly. The election process during the conference, as well as the preparation for the elections, did not proceed without difficulties and obstacles. Therefore, special thanks are due to the election committee at this point.
During their first meeting, the federal leadership agreed on the distribution of the following tasks during the lunch break: President is Dietrich Fischer-Dörl, first vice president Fritz Kaiser, second vice president Susanne Gidl, federal treasurer Paul Turc. Dietrich Fischer-Dörl also informed the Delegates’ Assembly that the Federal Executive Board is fulfilling its responsibility to set the course for the future (especially regarding the change in the General Secretariat in mid-2025, when Walter Klimt retires).
Pastor Franz Gollatz, as chairman and spokesman of the council, reported on behalf of the free churches. The Council of Free Churches is working on establishing a general secretariat and a theological commission to advise on doctrinal matters. The fact that the financial statements for 2023 and the budget proposal for 2024 were unanimously adopted in our association is due in no small part to the good fiscal management of Secretary General Walter Klimt and his team in the office (Michaela Kummer, Kirsty Ebadi-Parratt, Doris Schwarzinger).
Among those welcomed as new staff members in the Federation and local congregations were the two new pastors for the groups in Emanuel Graz, Pastor Bogdan-Emanuel Vătămănescu, and in the Gnadenkirche Graz, Pastor Andrei Ile, as well as Pastor Cesar Sotomayor (Graz) as the new church planting coordinator in the European Baptist Federation (EBF) and Michaela Kummer, who was brought into the Federal Office in Vienna last autumn as a new employee for accounting/finance.
