EurECA’s Background

In 1990 a group of interested individuals from various countries met in Kandern, Germany, to form an organisation that would support Christian educators across Europe. The European Educators’ Christian Association grew out of this initiative and was officially founded and registered in 1993 as “eingetragener gemeinnütziger Verein” (non-profit association) under German law. For more information about EurECA’s backgroud read the History of EurECA.

EurECA’s Purpose

EurECA aims to encourage the development of strong national organisations for Christian teachers, Christian schools, Christian parents and school board members. We do not wish to compete with, or replace any such organisations.  Rather we seek to strengthen them through an international network. We seek to serve Christian educators in the whole range of educational contexts, including home education, state schools, private schools and Christian schools.

EurECA Statement of Faith

EurECA is an Affiliate Member of the European Evangelical Alliance (EEA) and accepts their Statement of Faith as the Basis for their work and for membership.

The EEA is a fellowship of Christians who accept the revelation of the triune God given in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament and confess the faith of the Gospel as set forth therein. They assert the following doctrines (the EEA Statement of Faith of 1846) which they regard as crucial to the understanding of the faith, and which should issue in mutual love, practical Christian service and evangelistic concern:

• The sovereignty and grace of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit in creation, providence, revelation, redemption and final judgment.
• The divine inspiration of Holy Scripture and its consequent entire trustworthiness and supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
• The universal sinfulness and guilt of fallen man, making him subject to God’s wrath and condemnation.
• The substitutionary sacrifice of the incarnate Son of God as the sole and all-sufficient ground of redemption from the guilt and power of sin, and from its eternal consequences.
• The justification of the sinner solely by the grace of God through faith in Christ crucified and risen from the dead.
• The illuminating, regenerating, indwelling and sanctifying work of God the Holy Spirit.
• The priesthood of all believers, who form the universal Church, the Body of which Christ is the Head, and which is committed by His command to the proclamation of the Gospel throughout the world.
• The expectation of the personal, visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ, in power and glory.

EurECA’s aspirations:

What would Europe be like if:

• Every child had the opportunity to be taught for a year by a Christian teacher?
• Every Christian teacher was encouraged daily to continue living a life of service and love?
• Every Christian teacher was equipped to think and act biblically about their work?
• People heard about the truth, goodness and compassion of God through education across Europe?

EurECA wishes to:

• encourage contacts between Christians and Christian organisations across Europe in the area of education
• become a meeting-place, including both leaders of Christian education organisations at national or regional level and also individual Christian teachers who are concerned to relate to colleagues across Europe
• provide a European forum for considering issues related to Christians working in the field of education and for the sharing of ideas and resources
• help Christian educators to teach Christianly and live out their faith in their educational calling
• encourage Christians to promote Christian involvement in education across Europe
• be a professional organisation in specific areas, e.g. for the development of an educational philosophy and pedagogy with a biblical basis

These purposes will be realized mainly through annual conferences, social networking, the EurECA website and informal contacts.

Some of EurECA’s achievements

Every year since 1992, EurECA has held an international conference on topics of education and faith, with anywhere between 29 and 138 participants, in varying countries. Since 2004, these conferences have taken place on Ascension weekend, going from Thursday evening to Sunday noon. See Conferences

At the conference of 1995, participants became aware of the great contrast between the need in the east and the abundance in the west. Some Swiss participants started an organization to collect used but good school furniture which was disposed in Switzerland. In July 1996 a first truck left to Hungary with 525 chairs and 208 desks. By the end of 2022, 226 trucks with a total of 38’018 chairs and 17’925 desks were delivered, along with much other much-needed material, to nine countries and many brave schools. See Pro Schule Ost

In 1997, EurECA members met together in Prague to formulate a declaration about Christian education and the role of Christian educators in Europe. This document is known as The Prague Declaration.

In 2006, the conference aimed to collect and make accessible materials based on a Christian worldview for practical use in the classroom. This library covers many subjects and all age groups. See Resources. We need someone to attend and develop this library – please contact us if that someone could be you!

2000 – 2011, John Shortt worked as Travelling Secretary for EurECA, teaching teachers in many places. Sadly, he passed away in April 2022. He had a website which still exists, with materials which you might find very helpful, including articles and books of his own: www.johnshortt.org

In 2009, conference participants brought along personal “stories of transformation” – encouraging experiences of God’s presence and loving influence in the classroom; these stories were collected and can be found under Resources.

EurECA Leadership

EurECA is led by a board of presently 11 people from various European countries. Board members are elected at the General Assembly which is held every other year. EurECA has no centralized office; every board member works on his/her assigned task from his/her home as volunteers. At the moment one member (Liviu Caprar) is working on a part time basis as a missionary for EurECA (he is supported financially through private donations, not through EurECA).

The current members of the EurECA Board are:

Bureau:

Graham Coyle (UK, chairman)

Agnieszka Crozier (Poland, vice chairwoman)

Liviu Caprar (Romania, executive secretary)

Peter J. Schneller (Switzerland, treasurer)

Members of the Board:

Matt Kägi  (Switzerland)

Jan Kuklinek (Czech Republic)

Raquel Polainas (Portugal)

Tatiana Tevtul (Ukraine)

Markus Wagner (Austria)

Kassiya Yurashevich (Belarus)

Picture taken Feb 07, 2022 at the Proem Camp – the place of this year’s conference.

Top row, from left to right:  Liviu Caprar, Graham Coyle, Peter Schneller, Matt Kägi, Markus Wagner, Jan Kuklinek

Bottom row, from left to right:  Raquel Polainas, Akgnieszka Crozier, Tetjana Tevtul

Missing: Kassiya Yurashevich