FIM Reorganization and Renewal

When we come with grace, we see lives changed
(Maud Ravuku, a South Africa intern who
worked among village women in Ghana)

From May 22 to 24, the International Coordinating Committee of Frontier Internship in Mission met at the John Knox Reformed Center in Geneva to decide on the future of the program. Representatives from Regional Ecumenical Organizations (REOs), World Student Christian Federation, World Council of Churches, Council for World Mission and churches and ecumenical agencies attended this meeting, together with former and current Frontier interns and FIM officers.

The members of the ICC affirmed the vision of FIM as an ecumenical missionary program that recruits and place young people across regional boundaries in mission situations called frontiers, dealing with significant issues where the witness and action of the Christian community is needed. They unanimously confirmed their commitment to the continuation of FIM and agreed on a plan of actions that should provide the basis for the reorganization and renewal of the program, as follows:

• Immediate actions (June-October 2008): The ICC agreed that a responsible stewardship of resources calls for the relocation of the international coordinator in the Global South. In this regard, the ICC received with appreciation the offer from the Latin American Council of Churches (CLAI) to host the international office in Quito and to provide institutional assistance to facilitate the transition. The relocation will take place in the fall of 2008.

• Short-term goal (2008-2009): To strengthen FIM’s institutional capacity, organization and systems, through reinforcing ownership of the program, enhancing communications and governance, improving the realization and impact of internships, and reaffirming partnerships with agencies, churches, global and regional ecumenical organizations.

• Mid-term goal (2010-2011): To amplify the impact of the program by streamlining frontiers and increasing the number of internships up to 20 per year, while reaffirming the program’s focus on social justice and the South to South emphasis, and fostering dialogue and cooperation between faith-based organizations and civil society. Another important objective is the deepening of theological reflection on internships, and establishing a solid biblical foundation for frontier areas.

The ICC acknowledged the pioneer role played by FIM in exploring new frontier issues over the past few years, like human sexuality, human trafficking, human rights of people with disabilities, alternative tourism. The ICC agreed that, to strengthen collaboration with churches and ecumenical organizations in the different regions, new internships will tackle issues such as Child soldiers (Africa), Religious and ideological intolerance (Middle East), Ecology, Reproductive Justice (North America), Urban Violence (Latin America), Globalization and its impact on cultures and identities (Asia, Europe).

Ms. Misun Kim (Korea), former Frontier intern, Ms. Donatella Rostagno (Italy), from the European Network for Central Africa and Dr. Rogate Mashana (Tanzania) from the World Council of Churches were unanimously elected as the new officers of FIM. They replaced Ms. Charlotte Venema (Netherlands), Horacio Mesones (Uruguay) and Kwame Labi (Ghana) who had served two consecutive terms since the ICC meeting in Havana (2001). The ICC agreed that outgoing officers will work together with the elected officers in an overlap period until October 2008, in handling exciting but demanding tasks of reorganization and renewal. GET COPY IN PDF