Foundation for Church Parish Support in Eastern Europe

Stichting Kerkelijke Gemeenteopbouw Oost-Europa SKGO

The Foundation for Church Parish Support in Eastern Europe SKGO was established in 1995 to help in the building up and maintaining of church parishes in Eastern and Central Europe.

SKGO supports this aim by organizing and (co)financing the exchange of theology students to and from the Netherlands and Eastern and Central Europe and by translating and editing books which have a theological background. In addition SKGO supports symposia, seminars and training sessions around priesthood and catechism.

SKGO promotes and finances activities which enable the building of church parishes in Eastern and Central Europe. For example SKGO financed the renovation of the building of the Evangelic Theological Faculty in Prague in 1994. At that time a larger building was required as a result of the explosive growth of the number of students of theology after the political revolution in the early nineties. Presently the Theological Faculty is a full part of the Charles University in Prague.

The present activities of SKGO are mainly concentrated on the Czech Republic.

Students exchange

Supplementary scholarships were granted to Dutch and East European students of theology in the past years. We believe that there are young people who want to become acquainted with the church outside their country and who are consequently prepared to become familiar with the foreign language. Therefore SKGO invites students of theology from Eastern and Central Europe for one year of study at a theological faculty in the Netherlands. In addition Dutch students of theology are offered to study one year at a theolological faculty in one of the countries in Eastern or Central Europe.

SKGO substantially helps to finance such a year. In this respect the foundation wants to support the education of students of theology for their future discharge in their pastoral duties in a church parish.

Not every student is entitled to a governmental grant, due to the absence of bilateral agreements in the country of origin or where a post-doctoral study is concerned. In a number of these cases SKGO may contribute grants ranging from € 4.000 to € 9.000 for one year of study.

Symposia and seminars

SKGO regularly supports and organizes symposia, seminars and study meetings for students of theology and pastors in Eastern and Central Europe. Training has been given to pastors in Rumania and the Czech Republic in cooperation with the Foundation for KPV-training (Clinical Pastoral Education). Support has been given to interfaculty conferences of the associated protestant theological faculties in Eastern Europe, Vienna and the Netherlands. SKGO has contributed to a symposium which was profoundly reflecting on the attitude of churches under communist regimes in the various Eastern European countries.

Recently cathechetic seminars were supported, organized by the Pastors Association of the Evangelic Church of Bohemian Brothers, (ECBB in the Czech Republic), where seminars were guided by the Dutch theologian prof. dr. E. Jonker. In addition a seminar was given in the field of pastoral interviewing on the basis of work of the German theologian Timm H. Lohse. Seminars in the area of Contextual Pastoral Care have also been set up. These seminars are highly valued by participating Czech pastors; they bring these pastors intensively into contact with theologic impulses which are new to them; they appear to help them in their search for a new selfunderstanding as pastor and for authentic communication of the gospel to youth and to ‘new’ people interested in the Christian faith. These seminars are all considered as part of the Permanent Educational Programme of the ECBB.

Book translations

Translation of Dutch language books as a support to the theological development of churches in Eastern Europe is organized and financed by SKGO. Also support is given to own book releases of poor churches in the area. A number of books with a theological background were translated by SKGO into the Czech and Latvian language, such as:

• De God van de filosofen en de God van Pascal – Prof. dr. Th. de Boer
• Aan het woord komen – Prof. dr. E.R. Jonker
• Het verhaal gaat – Ds. Nico ter Linden
• Bijbels ABC – Prof. dr. K.H. Miskotte
• Edda en Thora – Prof. dr. K.H. Miskotte
• Koning op een ezel, de kinderbijbel NT – Ds. Nico ter Linden
• Das Kurzgespräch – Tim H. Lohse
• Ontvouwen (partly) – Dr C. Stark en Dr. H. de Leede

In the past years SKGO together with the Czech editor EMAN have edited a periodical under the name Samenspraak / Rozpravy (Dialogue), comparing opinions from East and West on various theological and social subjects.

SKGO has a network of own translators and also finances the editing of the books concerned. Translation and printing costs outside Holland can be as high as approximately € 5.000 and inside Holland around € 10.000.

If you would like to ………..

• financially support our foundation
• receive more details about our aims and activities
• be involved in our work as pastor or curch parish member
• please contact:

Rev. Derk F. Blom           Cuijk                               president
Rev. Christiaan Donner The Hague                     secretary
Dick Seinstra                   Oisterwijk                      treasurer                       
Rev. Jan P. Kraaijeveld   Zwijndrecht
Rev. Ids J. Smedema       Leusden

Foundation for Church Parish Support in Eastern Europe
Secretariat:  Huijgensstraat 6     NL 2515 BC The Hague
tel: +31 6 23448382
e-mail: skgo95@hotmail.com 

bank: NL34 RABO 0108 7559 40
trade register: 41085732
www.skgo95.nl