The training took place on 7-8. 4. 2005. We spent two interesting days together in Montenegro in this way for the third time.
Our focus has several goals: the main thing is to create a space for all of us to stop, share, personally strengthen our future work and also build our relationships. Some lecturers did not know each other before and some established cooperation only thanks to these meetings. These concentration brings new motivation and encouragement from the community we experience in it, and I can confirm this for myself. Members of the Board of Directors also took part in all training sessions. I appreciate their time, which they volunteer for our work as people, busy fully with their own work, and when it comes to concentration, they really look forward to it and meeting the team.
I was equally pleased with the presence of other guests at the camp: the pastor of the non-denominational Christian community Ogden Church (Michigan, USA), Mr. Kurt Bjorklund, who spent six days with us in the Czech Republic and attended five lectures at schools and three leisure club meetings. The church he leads has been supporting our work since last year. Short report from Kurt’s visit can be found here . The time spent together aroused in us a strong motivation for future cooperation, and so we assume that his community will form a team of people who would come to us in the fall and participate in our work in schools. Our experience so far confirms that it is a very effective way of working.
Another guest was the director of the Christian civic association Trans World Radio (TWR-CZ), Mr. Ing. Aleš Bartošek from Brno, who came to help us with an explanation of how to motivate donors from the Czech Republic to support our activities.
This time there were four guests with us, who are connected with us in some other way. Michal Petratur, a new preacher of the Christian community, in which our lecturer Vojtěch Horáček works. Sabina Římanová, volunteer collaborator. And also Michal Vašenda and Ivo Neuvirt from Ostrava, where he works in the civic association Pavučina in a very similar type of work, such as the Healthy Youth program. Ivo also came as our potential future collaborator in this program. At the time I am writing these lines, we have already managed to secure the necessary funds in cooperation with International Needs. Thanks to this, after one and a half years of waiting, Ivo can start his – so far volunteer – work for young people as early as June 1, 2005. You can see Ivo Neuvirt in the photo on the right.
How we spent these two days
The introduction belonged to the mutual introduction of all present – guests, permanent collaborators and members of the board of directors, of which Jiří Krejčí and his wife and Ing. Miloš Rauš.
The afternoon and evening was time for Kurt Bjorklund. Kurt served us twice with simple, encouraging and motivating teachings about the urgency of the Christian message and also about healthy relationships in a team of co-workers. Our meetings are not typical seminars, it’s more like a discussion and sharing on a certain topic. I think this is the ideal form for what we want to gain from concentration. The pleasant environment of the Word of Life center in Montenegro in the middle of nature is also a benefit for us.
The next day we dedicated a topic that is purely practical and significantly affects our service. Fundraising from local sources or how to get and motivate friends of our service – that was the topic for Ing. Aleš Bartošek. The International Needs Foundation has launched a new program that will supplement the financial needs needed to support the service – the so-called Compensation Fund. It will be possible to draw from it if funds from local sources are found first, which the Compensation Fund will supplement and increase. This is a challenge for all our co-workers. Now we have the opportunity to hear how they are doing this in TWR.
This is an important step for the future, which is why we have spent the rest of the afternoon in the debate on the provision of the service. The equalization fund is our new initiative and there has been a lot to explain, debate, encourage so that we can really get into new things. The afternoon part of our training was attended by Ing. Jaroslav Pleva, who is the third member of the Board of Directors.
In conclusion, I would like to express my gratitude to all who this year in Černá Hora came together for the fact that we can go together in this work. We appreciate you all, your contribution and effort.
Mgr. Petr Horáček, Executive Director