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16 years with the EBWU
unusual interview with
Janny Kingma
- How many countries have you visited during your ministry among the women in Europe?
- During these 16 years I have visited 20 countries of which several
more than once. Beside those counties I have also travelled to the
world congresses in Argentina and Australia. In most of the countries
we had an executive meeting.
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| Janny Kingma |
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The past 3 years we also had officers meetings somewhere, because of
all the extra work we created by planning mini conferences. And then
there were the countries where the mini conferences took place. Finally
to some countries I went as a representative of the EBWU at the EBF
council meetings.
- Which one was the most special experience and why?
- In fact I have experienced them all as special. Usually we didn't see
much of the countries themselves. But meeting the people of those
countries, the sisters and brothers has enriched my life very much. Two
visits however have meant something special to me. At the time we had
our executive meeting in Scotland several children and a teacher of a
school were shot. It had a great impact on the lives of the Scottish
people and also during the conference for the Baptist women which was
organised during that week. We felt it was good to be there with them
and pray together with the Scottish women for this situation. I
remember travelling home on the Sunday after the incident. It was
Mother's Day in Scotland and some of us from the committee were at the
airport when in the whole country 2 minutes of silence were observed.
Imagine a whole airport full of people where everything and everybody
became quiet. And we stood there crying and praying. The second visit
with such a great impact was when we went to Spain for our executive
meeting. It was in the week after the bomb attacks in the train. And
again we felt it was good to be there and share in the grief and in the
prayers, but also in the faith that our God will never leave us. We
could also see how God's work continues. How people can receive the
power to go on in spite of sadness and disaster, because He gives us
strength.
- What was the deepest touching experience through your ministry?
- There have been more, but I clearly remember the mini-conference for
women from the Balkan area. Women from war stricken areas. For me, a
western European woman, born after WWII, it was very moving to see and
experience that in spite of political situations there still can be
unity among women because we are His daughters. The moments of prayer
in which each union was prayed for while standing around the women
representing that country was very touching.
- When
did you feel that your ministry is very meaningful and when did you
feel that your ministry is totally failure and how could you overcome
that feeling to regain your strength?
- For me, the meaningful moments have been those when we met the people
in the various countries. When we could speak with the national
committees, or when we met many women during the conferences which were
organised when we visited a country somewhere in Europe. Those were the
moments I saw women who form the EBWU together and that we are really
workers together in His Kingdom. It were times when we could learn from
each other, strengthen each other and pray for one and other. There
have been also times when I failed. Those were the times when personal
situations in my family life or a physical and spiritual weariness more
or less paralysed me. The possibility to be open about these situation
towards the other members of the executive committee and the knowledge
that they have been praying for me carried me through these periods.
- How did it effect your personal and family life?
- Working in the EBWU has enriched my life tremendously. Meeting so
many people all over the world and realising we are sisters and
brothers made me really experience God's great love for us. I have
learned so many things from all of you. It made me also realise that we
are sometimes trapped in tradition and customs and are blind for the
things that really matter. We need open eyes and minds to see how God
wants us to be His children, His servants in the world today at the
place where we live in and in the situations that occur in our lives.
It has made me grateful for having been able to do this work. It really
is a gift of God. My husband supported me in 1993 when I was asked to
be nominated for a position in the executive committee. Our three sons
were 18, 16 and 11 at that time. Both my husband and I didn't fully
oversee the consequences of being elected in the executive committee of
the EBWU. Sometimes I have been so occupied with EBWU matters that my
husband felt he and the children had the second place in my life. But
he always remained supportive and stood behind me when I was to be
re-elected in 1998 and 2003. In the meantime the children grew up and
have left our home. Today we are the proud grandparents of 8
grandchildren. So both my husband and I are looking forward to enjoy
the more quiet time that lies ahead of us. We also know that there will
always be work, God's work to be done and we are ready to do so. He
will show us what to do and guide us.
- What is the essence of your ministry experiences to hand over to your successors?
- I think it is important to realise that God is working with many
people and in many ways, ways that are very often not ‘my' way,
or the usual way. He is bigger than you and me and our thoughts and
ideas. We need Him and each other to show His love to the world. We are
His eyes His hands and feet to do His work.
- What kind of future do you see for the European Baptists and especially the women among them?
- I don't know what to expect. But what I wish and hope for is a future
for European Baptists to form a unity with all Christians in Europe and
all over the world to work shoulder to shoulder and hand in hand to
fight injustice, to show God's love to all people so we can be true
witnesses of the Living God. And I think women can give the example by
not searching for power, but by serving one and other.
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