Wednesday 8 May 2013

FORUM 2013 SPRING APPEAL





Dear Friends, 

One and a half years ago Renewing Our Minds (ROM) and Economic Diplomacy and Integrity Forum (EDI) formed a new organization, Forum for Leadership and Reconciliation (Forum). Formed in November 2011 in Seattle WA, Forum is now taking the Renewing Our Minds and Economic Diplomacy and Integrity Forum to a new level. 

Forum builds on the fourteen years of ROM experience, as well as on the experience of Life Center International (LCI), the umbrella organization based in Fuzine, Croatia that supervised the work of ROM since 1999. The vision of Forum is, “Developing Leaders Transformed by the Person of Jesus in a Divided World”. Its mission is about advancing the Kingdom of God by nurturing international leaders of noble, forgiving, reconciled and serving hearts, and in harmony with the character of Jesus Christ. Forum pursues its mission through transformative, holistic and relational education, training and mentorship; as well as the advancement of caring and serving communities. 

Over the years the transformative impact of ROM, the heart of the Forum mission, has reached far beyond Southeast Europe (Balkans), where everything started in 1999 in response to the Balkan conflicts engulfing all former Yugoslavian countries at the time; and has since reached the Middle East, the African continent, the former Soviet Union countries, the EU, USA. For 600 young lives, from 50 countries have been directly impacted by ROM programs over the years, the experience was life defining and directing. Many ROM alumni have since emerged as leaders of substance, and are today making a difference in the political, social, humanitarian and religious arenas of their countries. 

In 2013 the Forum Board of Directors is focused on setting a firm and sustainable foundation for future growth of ROM and EDI by finalizing its organizational and serving structure and by setting realistic objectives that will lead us forward in our service. These are our primary program objectives for the current year: 

1. ROM Leadership and Reconciliation Gathering 2013: A two-week reconciliation and leadership seminar, known as ROM Gathering, in Fuzine, Croatia, July 13 – 29, 2013. A selected group of fifty young leaders, from 15 countries, representing diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds will attend. Objective: To teach young leaders about forgiveness, reconciliation and leadership of integrity and service by exposing them to the teachings of Jesus. 

2. FLR Regional Leadership Summit: A two-day Southeast European Leadership Summit,      July 30 – 31, 2013, in Fuzine, Croatia. A selected group of mature and trusted leaders from the Balkans will meet for a two day planning session leading to the establishment of a team of coordinators who will throughout a year coordinate the spiritual and vocational growth of ROM alumni through coaching and mentoring. 

3. EDI Forum in Romania: Economic Diplomacy and Integrity Forum is planned for September in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.  A group of 30 young leaders form Romania will learn about Jesus principles applied to business, economics, and politics.  

4. ROM Middle-East Project: A start-up ROM Middle-East weekend seminar is planned for December 2013. With a group of ROM alumni from the Middle East, and in partnership with a local organization that focuses on reconciliation, Forum is planning to set a ground work for future ROM projects in the countries of the Middle East. 

All our programs focus on building a new generation of leaders, reconciled and transformed by the person of Jesus. Forum is a new organization, with almost 15 years of experience, and proven programs and projects (ROM, EDI). At this time when the potential for international conflicts escalates by day, and when the leadership informed by the character of Jesus is very much a lacking ingredient in today’s society, we consider our work to be of primary importance. 

The work of Forum depends on the support of churches, foundations, organizations and friends like you who appreciate the value of investing the values of Jesus’ life into the lives of the young leaders of today.  Your generous donation will help meet our objectives for 2013. 

Please, direct your donation to our partners: The Antioch Partners. 
If you are sending your donation by check write ROM or Forum on the memo line and send to:            

The Antioch Partners
7132 Portland Avenue, Suite 138
Richfield, MN   55423.

If you would like to donate online, click on DONATE NOW and fill out the form completely. IMPORTANT: On the form under "Please direct your donation to:" select "Project Support", and under "Select project of your choice" select "Forum for Leadership and Reconciliation".

We will gladly answer all your questions. Thank you for your generous donation.  You are making a difference in the world we live in. For more info write to forumforleadership@gmail.com  

We are looking forward to hearing from you soon. 
Love and blessings. 

Martha S. Weiss, Forum for Leadership and Reconciliation, Chairwoman
Tihomir Kukolja, Renewing Our Minds, Director

Friday 3 May 2013

Forum – Transforming Leaders in a Divided World



One and a half years ago Renewing Our Minds (ROM) and Economic Diplomacy and Integrity Forum (EDI) formed a new organization, Forum for Leadership and Reconciliation (Forum).  Forum is now taking the Renewing Our Minds and Economic Diplomacy and Integrity Forum to a new level. It builds on the fourteen years of ROM experience. Martha S. Weiss, Chairwoman of Forum talks about her experience with ROM and some of the reasons Forum came into existence to support the future growth of ROM and EDI. Forum for Leadership and Reconciliation is about developing leaders transformed by the person of Jesus in a divided world.