2012 C4I International European Training and Leadership Conference

The 2012 C4I International European Training and Leadership Conference took place in Vienna, from 5 through 8 July 2012. Organized by Andrew Tucker, Marloes van Westing and Marie-Louise Weissenböck, the purposes of the conference were: deepening our Biblical understanding of the times we are living in, leadership training, and development of teaching skills.

The conference was attended by 45 participants representing the C4I Affiliates and partners in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, and Ukraine.

In an extremely warm Vienna, with temperatures over thirty degrees centigrade, the conference took place in a friendly atmosphere and at a great location, the Seminar Hotel Springer Schlösl, located in a park near the Schönbrunn palace. Our friends from Alfa Omega TV in Romania did a wonderful job by recording all training sessions and presentations. The conference was opened on July 5th with a prayer and worship session led by Harald Eckert and Marie-Louise Weissenböck. The introduction and overview by Andrew Tucker and Harald Eckhart dealt with the mission and vision of Christians for Israel, the objects and the program of the conference. The first day of the conference was concluded by Willem Glashouwer with two teachings about the new covenant. The teachings were titled “The new covenant and the replacement theology” and the “New covenant and Judaising”.

The second day of the conference (July 6th) started with a prayer and worship session led by Harald Eckert and Marie-Louise Weissenböck. Some of the historical and legal perspectives of the modern state of Israel were highlighted in a presentation by Andrew Tucker. This was followed by the first part of a two-part training session led by Harald Eckert on leadership development. The central point in his argument was the Biblical foundation of the teaching on “the body of Christ”, Christ the head and we His members. This according to the foundational Biblical teachings in 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4, 15 and 16. What is your calling and what are your leadership characteristics? in relation to national leadership.

The very well organized and impressive tour through Jewish Vienna by Marie-Louise Weissenböck was the next highlight of the day. The day was concluded with presentations by the national delegations about the developments and challenges, developed resources and the plans for 2012-2013 in the respective countries.

A prayer and worship session led by Harald Eckert and Marie-Louise Weissenböck started the third day of the conference (July 7th). The remainder of the presentations by the national delegations were concluded next.

Edda Fogarollo (C4I Italy) prepared a wonderful presentation which was mainly focussed on the emergence and consequences of anti-Semitism. Especially the focus on the relations between the Muslim brotherhood and the leaders of Nazi Germany in the period 1919-1945 and its more recent influence in Bosnia-Herzegovina were very enlightening. Harald Eckhart concluded his two-part training session on leadership development. In the afternoon Willem Glashouwer presented his teaching about “The Kingdom of God in prophetic perspective”.

The participants could choose one of the following workshops which closed off the day program: Teaching the C4I message, Communication tools and strategies, Admin and Organization of a C4I Affiliate and finally Fundraising and Financial planning and strategies.

After dinner, in a restaurant near the Schönbrunn palace, Willem Glashouwer presented his final teaching “End Times, Europe and Israel”. The day’s program ended with a joint prayer session led by Andrew Tucker.

On the fourth and final day of the conference (July 8th) we checked out of the hotel and left for the former Nazi concentration camp of Mauthausen near Vienna. Marie-Louise Weissenböck had prepared another very well organized and impressive tour. Words cannot express the suffering and atrocities inflicted on the prisoners of Mauthausen by the German SS guards. The many monuments in the camp commemorate the victims in the camp and call the world to remain vigilant. An impressive church service in the Mauthausen chapel, led by Harald Eckert and Willem Glashouwer, concluded the program of the C4I International European Training conference of 2012.