A delegate from the Bond of Free Evangelical Congregations (Bond VEG) attended the June 2026 retreat of the Netherlands Christian Forum (NCF), an ecumenical meeting platform inspired by the international Global Christian Forum, at the Emmaus monastery in Helvoirt. Unlike theological dialogues that begin with doctrinal positions, the NCF starts from personal faith stories, prayer and getting to know one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, creating space to later address harder topics.
This year's theme, "Courageous Listening, Courageous Speaking — Un-Bubbling," was introduced by Rev. René de Reuver, who challenged participants on how easily churches settle into their own "bubble" of traditions and convictions — a comfort that becomes a problem, he said, when a church's own identity matters more than its connectedness to other Christians.
(Originally published in Dutch. Summary translated by CC / Connexion.)
Source: Bond van Vrije Evangelische Gemeenten — bondveg.nl
