Conferences

Regional Conferences Committee

Mandate:

That the Conference establish a Regional Conferences Committee, consisting of six

members (including the Corresponding Secretary, ex officio, and one from each of the five regions: Africa, Europe, Indo-Asia, Latin [including South] America, and North America), to encourage the formation and development of Regional Conferences (but not to organize or run such itself), the purposes of which shall be consistent with that of the Conference (Constitution, III), with a mandate to:

Arrange (unless an organizing committee of the Regional Conference has already done so) for a Member Church in each region to convene a Regional Conference of the Member Churches in its region on (at least) a quadrennial basis at a mutually agreeable date and venue and, in consultation with the other Member Churches in its region, to propose an agenda and topics (with speakers) for the Regional Conference.
Encourage the Regional Conferences to appoint an organizing committee to make arrangements for the organization of Regional Conferences in the region, and to appoint other committees, as the Regional Conference deems appropriate.
Encourage the Regional Conferences to invite churches in the region that are not yet members of the Conference—but that might be eligible for membership in the Conference (Constitution, IV.2.a)—to attend the Regional Conference.
Encourage the Regional Conferences to keep a record of its proceedings and to send copies of such to the Regional Conferences Committee.
Encourage the Regional Conferences to draft a press release suitable for posting on the ICRC website and to send copies to the Regional Conferences Committee and the Corresponding Secretary.
Upon being informed by the Member Churches in a region that they do not have the financial resources to be able to convene a Regional Conference during the quadrennial period, the Regional Conferences Committee may work with the Member Churches to develop a budget for the Regional Conference and shall transmit that budget, together with its advice regarding such, to the Coordinating Committee.
Send one of its members (preferably the member from that region) to each Regional Conference to bring greetings to the Regional Conference on behalf of the Conference as a whole, to prepare a report on the Regional Conference for the Regional Conferences Committee, and to render assistance to the Regional Conference as needed.
Send a report to the Corresponding Secretary at least six months before the next ICRC.
Propose a budget for the following four years to the next ICRC.

Convenor:

The Rev. Reinier Noppers

(Email: regionalconferences@icrconline.com)

Members:

for Africa – Br. Fred Kabenge, Uganda

for Europe – The Rev. Laurens den Butter, The Netherlands

for Indo-Asia – The Rev. Aaron Bae, Korea

for Asia-Pacific - The Rev. Reinier Noppers, Australia

for Latin America – The Rev. Elias Barbosa da Silva, Brazil

for North America – The Rev. Steve Swets, United States

The logo of the ICRC may be explained as follows:

The circle, a symbol of the world, indicates the international character of the ICRC. Around the circle we see the Church, which began small and is moving out into all the world, as the ICRC also makes clear. A continuing movement signified in the unfinished, open end. The cross, a symbol of the Church. At its starting point it is a symbol of Christ's redemptive work for all the world. The cross spans the whole world. The curved lines also support the dynamic movement in the history of the Church.