10th March, 2007
Evangelical-Lutheran Theological University
Rózsavölgyi Köz 3
H-1141, Budapest

Present

Sonja Danner, Austria (Chairwoman)
Marja Honkaheimo, Finland (Secretary)
Genevieve Loqueville, France
Marianna Szabo, Hungary

1. Welcome

At 10.10 O´ clock Sonja Danner greeted everybody and thanked Marianna Szabo for hosting the meeting. Apologies from Jane Brooke, Marit Svare and Hugo Verkest.

2. Agreement of Agenda

Agenda was agreed.

3. Matters arising

No matters arising.

4. Minutes from the last meeting

The minutes from the previous Board meeting (on 30th September 2006 in Trondheim) were approved.

5. Membership, new members, revision of membership list

Sonja Danner has contacted the Methodists in Austria who are now thinking of sending a representative to EFTRE `s conference in Budapest (August, 2007).

6. Report from CoGREE and other international conferences.

Sonja Danner gave a full report about the activities of CoGREE. The statute of CoGree was discussed. For details, see Appendix A

7. Timetable for the next meetings

• Meeting of the next new Executive, suggested dates:
  • 13th October 2007/Paris (organiser: Genevieve Loqueville)
  • 20th October 2007/Paris (organiser: Genevieve Loqueville)
• Suggested dates for Board meetings:
  • March 2008/Italy or the UK (Sonja will contact Orazio in Italy and inquire about the possibility of organizing the meeting in Italy)

8. Organizing the Board meeting in August

AThe Executive suggested the following items for the Agenda:

1. Newsletter: it was talked about the possibility of creating EFTRE´s own Newsletter with an annual theme. The idea would be to bring EFTRE closer to the RE teachers and activate them
2. Election of the next Executive
3. Election of the next Board
4. Finances
5. Members: how to expand EFTRE and also activate the current members
6. Annual seminars: in addition to a conference in every three years the Executive discussed the possibility of organizing small seminars annually. The aim would be to activate RE teachers and bring EFTRE closer to them. Seminars could be held alongside Board/Executive meetings with for example one keynote speaker, a workshop and time for discussion and meeting with colleagues. The aim would be to have approximately 20-30 participants/seminar.

9. Financial report

Due to Hugo Verkest being absent from the meeting only an estimate of the financial status of EFTRE could be given. It was concluded that EFTRE has approximately 8000¤ in its account.

10. Planning the details of the European Conference 23.8. ­ 26.8.2007 in Budapest:

“Contribution of Religious Education to Active Citizenship ­ Developing a European Perspective”

The following themes were discussed:

• keynote speakers
• financial support
• translation
• organisation: who is responsible for what
• registration and other conference details

The following was concluded:

• Conference program is ready. See Appendix B
• Genevieve Loqueville will arrange pens and badges
• Marianna Szabo will arrange conference posters
• The Executive will arrive on Wednesday in order to help with preparations
• Speeches will be copied for those participants who do not understand spoken English very well
• Organizing language groups (Thursday and Saturday): groups will be held in German and in English (possibly in other languages depending on the participants
• Executive checks the participants and makes the decision about other language groups accordingly)
• The Executive organizes the language groups, workshops and social evening during Wednesday 22nd August.
• Participants will sign for language groups and workshops as they register for the conference.
• People can register for the Conference until 30th June 2007. After that the ones willing to participate must contact Marianna Szabo and see whether participation is possible or not
• Conference bags: Genevieve Loqueville will make arrangements for printing Conference bags with text: “RE and Citizenship ­ Joint venture or Fatal Attraction?”
• Conference program is now seen in the EFTRE website
• Members of the Executive will stay at the university, in the new wing during the Conference. At the end of the Conference the Executive will have a summary meeting during which the Conference will be analyzed. What was good, what could be improved for the next Conference
• Marja Honkaheimo promised to make a feedback paper for the participants.

11. Preparation of the elections of members of the new Board and Executive at the Conference

• Election of the next Board: each country is to name its representative of the Board for the meeting in Budapest in August, 2007
• Election of the next Executive: Sonja Danner, Marja Honkaheimo, Genevieve Loqueville and Marianne Szabo are willing to continue their work in the Executive
• Other members were not present so their opinion is to be asked later.

12. Preliminary ideas of the next European Conference in 2010 (place)

• Belgium was suggested to be the place for the next Conference
• Preliminary ideas for the theme:
  • “RE ­ Denominational or not?”
  • ”Learning from or about Religion versus Learning Religion?”
  • “ RE- Faith of Intellectual Reflection?”
• It was suggested that the Conference follows the European theme 2010 whatever it will be.

13. Any other business

Conference funding: The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland has given 2000¤ for supporting the participation of East European teachers in the Budapest Conference. EFTRE will support the Eastern participants by offering them a lower conference fee. It was decided that the fee for them will be 10¤ and EFTRE will also pay for the lowest possible means of transportation and accommodation in the students dormitory at the university.

Italy will support the conference with 2000¤. Martin Rogers/the UK may also provide funding. (Sonja Danner will find out about the details, it was suggested that the support per participant would be 400¤.)

Uskonnonpedagoginen Instituutti/UPI, Finland will fund the participation of Olga/Estonia.

All together, EFTRE will be able to support the participation of 12 people.

Marianna Szabo is being active in inviting East European teachers to the conference. Genevieve Loqueville and Marianna Szabo are going to find out who are the key contact persons in RE teaching in the Baltic area. EFTRE will invite them to the Budapest conference.

Genevieve Loqueville will contact RE teachers in France and Spain.

Marianna Szabo will contact RE teachers in Slovakia. EFTRE will invite the representatives of France, Spain and Slovakia to the conference in Budapest. It was agreed that the ones invited to the conference will not have to pay the conference fee or will only have to pay a small contribution to EFTRE (10 ¤).

The possibility of EFTRE giving financial support to the participants was also discussed. It was suggested that EFTRE pay for travel expenses according to the lowest possible price.

The idea of EFTRE´s own Newsletter with annual theme and 2 volumes was discussed. It was decided that the matter of Newsletter will be discussed in the next Board meeting.

Espoo, 9 April 2007
Marja Honkaheimo