UNIFY2012 – all together

Dear Friend,

While your memory of Unify2012 may be fading, hopefully what the Holy Spirit started at that event lives on through you and the 130 other people who were part of it.

Videos of the sessions are now available on the Unify website http://www.ymca-unify.co.uk/downloads and you can now watch the talks delivered by Joe Schmutz and Josh Heaston as well as the George Williams video , with other videos due soon. Please pass on the link to colleagues.

You may be wondering what happens next. Well, that is largely down to you as you seek to live out your faith in your YMCA. However, we have been discussing future plans and this is our thinking so far. We’re planning a second European Unify event for 2014 in Germany. If you would like to be involved in Unify 2014 or have comments to make, please contact Steve Bavington: email hidden; JavaScript is required.

Before then, during 2013 we’re encouraging ‘regional’ Unify gatherings – maybe one each in UK, Scandinavia and central Europe (that’s not to say others shouldn’t happen too). We hope this will help maintain the momentum started at Unify2012. If you are considering a regional Unify 2013 event, perhaps you could let us know.

Also during 2013, the 3^rd Prague Festival is happening, and Unify has been invited to recruit and train a team young people to help facilitate the Christian Spiritual content of the festival. If you’re under 25 and would like to be part of that, please contact Joe:  email hidden; JavaScript is required.

You start to get the idea that Unify is more than an event – it’s more a brand that represents the Christian mission network and activity across European YMCAs. There are several other such networks, in Asia, South America and USA. Josh Heaston, who spoke at Unify2012, is helping organise a US Christian Mission event later this year and would welcome any European friends who are able to be part of that. Email Josh at email hidden; JavaScript is required.

That’s all for now folks.

Blessings

The Unify Planning Team

Commitment to the Paris Basis.

At the End of the UNIFY conference 2012 the delegates commit to the Paris Basis. The YMCA is not a monument – is a movement! Watch the short video from this action.

Zwischen den Programmpunkte wird gemeinsam geredet und Erfahrungen ausgetauscht.

Seit gestern sind über 120 Delegierte aus 14 Ländern bei der YMCA Europe Christian Missionconference UNIFY zusammen. Mit dieser Konferenz will sich der europäische CVJM/YMCA darüber austauschen, was das „C“ im Namen bedeutet und wie es Profil gewinnen kann.

Der Beginn war sehr herzlich. Ich habe gestaunt und mich darüber gefreut, dass wir eine große Gruppe aus Deutschland sind, die an UNIFY dabei ist. Joachim Schmutz hat am Freitag Morgen mit dem ersten Impulsreferat die Basis aufgezeigt. Er erinnerte an die Zeit um George Williams und wie Geschichte, Kultur und Arbeit im Zusammenhang stehen.

Am Nachmittag ging es dann weiter mit Workshops. Nebenbei findet natürlich auch unabhängig von den Programmpunkten ein persönlicher Austausch statt. Das ermutigt und stärkt die Teilnehmenden für ihrer jeweilige Arbeit vor Ort. Mit dieser Motivation freue ich mich auf die nächsten 1,5 Tage und habe mal die ersten Bilder von UNIFY online gestellt.

Statements from UNIFY.

The UNIFY continues. Many people are together. From diffrent countries and cultures. I asked some, why they came and what they what.

See the first Statement from Ken Livingstone (YMCA England). More statements and interviews will follow.

Next short statements about UNIFY:

UNIFY starting.

Watch the new video about the begin of UNIFY the YMCA Europe Christian Mission Conference in Northampton, England.

Solomon and Volker in the train to Frankfurt.

Together with Solomon Benjamin and Volker Kamin I’m sitting in the train to Frankfurt airport. There we fly to Birmingham to UNIFY – the YMCA European Christian Mission Conference. Follow us and get involved.

Follow us on twitter (with hashtag #unify2012 you find a lot of tweets) or on our facebookprofil.