|
In Romania, they served through the Reformed Church, (which is
ethnically Hungarian). Michelle taught at the church-run high
school and Steve taught in the seminary. They also started a program
of outreach to university students.
While in Romania, they listened to the BBC tell of the outbreak
of war in the former Yugoslavia. At the same time, they learned
of an interdenominational seminary in Osijek, Croatia, which was
training Protestant students from all across the region, from
Ukraine to Bulgaria, including even Albania. As soon as the cease-fire
in Croatia seemed to be holding, they went to visit. Osijek was
still a shell-shocked and pock-marked city with sandbags and boarded-up
windows everywhere, but the fighting was over and the seminary
needed help. In January of 1994 they moved to Osijek.
Outside of the seminary Steve is heavily involved in the life
of the Reformed Church in Croatia. The church there has two main
projects: (1) the restoration of war-damaged churches, homes,
and communities (some of the villages which are predominantly
Reformed suffered some of the heaviest fighting in the war); and
(2) the new church developments in Zagreb and Osijek. This brand
new church is part of the strategic outreach of the Reformed church
to a new generation of Croatians. Located right in the heart of
the city in the historic old city, Tvrda is surrounded by high
schools and colleges, as well as the city government of Osijek.
Michelle is deeply involved in several activities that are, collectively,
a response to the war. She is a member of the Center for Peace
in Osijek that sponsors conferences and discussions, bringing
together people who have been ideologically separated by the war.
She has become a trainer in a program called Alternatives to Violence
and offers seminars to groups who wish to learn about power, conflict,
and reconciliation. She has been working hard to distribute a
set of games for use by child therapists, teachers, and others
who work with children who have been affected by the war. These
games were translated and published in Croatian with funds provided
by the PC(USA).
Steve has a BA from Miami University of Ohio and a MDiv from
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He
has received continuing education from McCormick Theological Seminary,
North Park Theological Seminary, Lutheran School of Theology,
and Catholic Theological Union, all in Chicago, Illinois. Steve
is pursuing a doctorate in Old Testament. He is a clergy member
of Chicago Presbytery.
Michelle has a BA from Miami University of Ohio and an MA in
cross-cultural communications from Wheaton Graduate School in
Wheaton, Illinois. She has done additional coursework at Catholic
Theological Union, North Park Theological Seminary, and Trinity
Evangelical Divinity School, all in Chicago, Illinois. Michelle
is a doctoral student at University of South Africa through a
distance-learning program. Her area of research is the empowering
effects of participatory action research in a peace-building project
in Croatia.
Steve and Michelle are the parents of two sons, Benjamin and
Nathaniel.
Birthdays:
Steve - May 11
Michelle - July 31
Benjamin - July 3, 1990
Nathaniel - November 4, 1995
|
