Amsterdam, May 5, 2000.
To the members of the IAMS-Interest Group HEALING
Dear Friends,
At the end of the IAMS Conference in South Africa it was decided that this interest-group would not only continue, but intensify its interaction. To that end Stuart C. Bate has set up almost immediately our internet connection. The report of our Mission study group sent out by regular mail, was placed on this website and also added to the interest-group HEALING page of the general IAMS website (John Roxborogh).
In response to the report some have been writing and making good suggestions.
Annemie Bosch was a careful reader and made language corrections and some editorial suggestions.
They are forwarded to Steve Bevans in view of the publication in Mission Studies.
Gerard Jansen was struck by the fact that we spoke about ‘healing’ in a very broad sense: "I prefer (from the viewpoint of my medical profession) to study 'healing' in reference to the professional medical dilemmas in the Two-Third's World. A creative foundation of Christian health care in Africa and Asia might support our African and Asian colleagues who try to find their way in their own plural societies. Since the time of independence started in the 1960's there is a shift from medical mission to partnership. Becoming partners in (international) health care requires a deep reflection on the fundaments of our healing work together with a search for spirituality integrated in our profession. Coming to a conclusion, I am willing to participate in our interest group in the future, if we have a well-defined outline of what we intend to study, possibly with some subdivisions for special study. I hope that other participants think in the same direction."
Christoffer Grundmann remarks that healing in the particular aspect of reconciliation has been one of the main topics of our deliberations, which is well understandable against the South Africa context, and that the same holds for reflections on AIDS. He is asking: "What does the reflection on the healing ministry of the church mean in this context besides offering yet another distinct perspective and interpretation?" His question seems to be an invitation to move beyond these reflections, and beyond the suggestions offered under part 4."towards a theology of healing for the new millennium".
At Hammanskraal we had agreed that about three months after the conference we wanted to get in touch and see what insights or impressions had stayed with us and where we would want to go with it.
I can see several options before us, and am listing them in order of increasing demands/commitment:
Individual members of the interest-group take the initiative to communicate with one another as the need arises, making use of the group e-mail address: iamshealing@egroups.com or through regular mail.
In preparation of the mission study group HEALING at the conference in 2004, we continue or begin from 2002 onwards a more coordinated interaction around possible themes for the study group at that conference, with e.g. a progress report every 6 months.
3) Individual members participate in further interaction based on a well-defined outline of what we intend to study (see Gerard Jansen). This interaction is coordinated by 6-monthly progress reports in order to allow those who have no access to e-mail to participate in the process. For the time being I could continue to take care of this coordination, with the help and suggestions of Bernard Ugeux, Stuart Bate and Dagmar Plum.
4) Participants in "a well-defined study" could at some point move towards becoming a project group as defined by the Executive Committee and published in Mission Studies 27/28, page 17:
"An IAMS-project, seeks to achieve in a particular span of time a very specific objective, be it to break new ground in a certain area of research, have a consultation, publish a book. etc."
The next page informs us of the conditions under which the IAMS will make available an initial grant to make possible the drawing up of a project.
May I invite you to carefully weigh these options, and let me know at the latest by mid October what option would have your preference, and more importantly what would be your personal contribution to the realization of that option. If you would want to become involved in a study as suggested in the third option, indicate clearly what would be your topic of interest, and what you are actually aiming at or why you would want this study to take place.
I presume that quite a bit of interaction could take place around this first step in our planning.
From now on I also have my own e-mail address:
godelieve.prove@mmzbijlmer.fol.nl
'By the end of October I intend to gather all that has come in and will hopefully be able to come with a definite plan.
With kind wishes,
Godelieve Prove
Convener
IAMS interest group HEALING