Anne Abok (SA) was pioneer of YWAM AfriCom West and Media Village Nigeria, and is a filmmaker who uses her films for social change. In 2008 she pioneered Media Campaign Against Human Trafficking (MeCAHT) www.mecahtinternational.org, working in South Africa, Nigeria and Europe. One of her films on human trafficking (Europe In My Heart) achieved a 39% reduction rate in the change of perception of people in rural Benin City, where 80% of the illegal African prostitutes in Europe come from. The film is being used by churches and organizations in Europe and Africa. She and her husband Alex now live in South Africa.
Maria Ahlin (SE) is the founder of international youth movement Freethem – committed to preventing demand for prostitution, pornography and labour exploitation. Freethem exists in Sweden, Norway, Austria and Germany. Besides being on fire for the next generation, she’s got years of personal experience meeting with people in prostitution and male sex-offenders. Maria Ahlin is a frequent requested speaker, and in fall 2016 she’s releasing her first book on youth and pornography consumption.
Dr Jonathan Chaplin (UK), is the first Director of the Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics, in Cambridge, a position he took up in September 2006. He is Member of the Divinity Faculty of Cambridge University, and was Visiting Lecturer at the VU University, Amsterdam from 2007-2011. He is a specialist in Christian political thought, and has authored or edited nine books and reports, and many articles, in this field. His most recent publication is God and the EU: Faith in the European Project, co-editor (Routledge, 2016). He is currently writing a book called Faith in Democracy? Towards a Post-secularist Settlement.
Leo van Doesburg (NL) is Director for European Affairs & Policy Advising for the European Christian Political Movement (ECPM). A Dutchman who lived for many years in Romania, he was awarded the Conscience and Freedom Award in 2011 for diligently promoting religious freedoms in Europe. In 2013 he was honoured by the International Romani Union in recognition of his work against Roma discrimination in East Europe.
Julia Doxat-Purser
(UK), is the European Evangelical Alliance’s socio-political & religious liberty representative. She was previously EEA’s Brussels representative for 8 years. She co-convenes the European Religious Liberty Forum with Advocates Europe, and is helpings to develop the European Freedom Network, linking ministries working on human trafficking. Julia also works with the World Evangelical Alliance on religious liberty, human trafficking and political engagement training. Julia is married to Alistair and lives in Bournemouth, England.
David Fieldsend (UK) is chairman of the CPFE and is assistant to the Brussels representative of the Archbishop of Canterbury. He was previously manager of CARE for Europe. He is married to Anne; they have three adult children and one grandson. He is a licensed Reader in the Church of England and member of the diocesan synod for Europe.
Jeff Fountain (NL),
is director of the Schuman Centre for European Studies, and author of ‘Living as people of hope’ and ‘Deeply Rooted’, the story of the forgotten vision of Robert Schuman, ‘father of Europe’ and principle architect of Europe’s post-war peace. Jeff was director of YWAM Europe 1990-2010, and although originally from New Zealand, is a naturalised Dutchman, married to Romkje.
Prabhu Guptara (CH), is Distinguished Professor of Global Business, Management & Public Policy, William Carey University, India, as well as Member of the Board, Institute of Management, University of St Gallen, Switzerland, and Chairman of the International Network which supports the Relational Thinking movement with its secretariat in Cambridge, UK.
Toos Heemskerk (NL) oversees Not For Sale’s work in the Netherlands. Previously she worked for The Scarlet Cord, focusing on care for women in prostitution in Amsterdam. She helped start a reintegration program for women wanting to leave prostitution, which now receives funding from the Ministry of Social Welfare. Toos has an advanced degree in social work based on her research of Hungarian woman working in Amsterdam’s red light district.
Ernst van den Hemel (NL) is a scholar of religious studies and literature. After completing his PhD on literary dimensions in the work of John Calvin in 2011, he became a research Fellow at the Centre for the Humanities at University of Utrecht, where he lectures at the Religious Studies department. He also teaches at the ‘We Are Here Academy’, an unoffical academy for undocumented migrants in the Netherlands.
Johannes de Jong (NL) is director of CPFE, the political think tank foundation for the European Christian Political Movement (ECPM). The CPFE supports and underpins the ECPM especially in terms of political content by European co-operation and the introduction of analysis, ideas and policy options.
Richard Kane (UK) is founder of Marriage Week International. He and his Swedish wife Maria have three grown children and live in Wimborne, UK. He regularly speaks to audiences about marriage and relationships and has addressed UN ambassadors, spoken on BBC and launched Marriage Week in the UK, USA, Czech and Hungarian parliaments.
Wim Kater (NL), Managing director of CBMC Netherlands. Wim began in the agricultural sector and then became account manager before being appointed CBMC director late in 2015.
Gerard Kelly (UK/FR), is a writer, prismatic preacher-poet, mac lover, coffee drinker and twitturgist. Formerly pastor of Crossroads International Church in Amsterdam, he and his wife Chrissie founded the European missions project that became The Bless Network in 2004. They currently live in Basse Normandy, France, where Bless is establishing a missional community.
Paul de Kloe (NL) has had a varied career in education after studies at Utrecht University, as primary school teacher, tertiary level lecturer, management coach and educationalist. He plans to promote the concept of Relational Thinking in Dutch educational circles.
Tamme de Leur (NL) is a independent TV Producer, journalist and documentary maker working with Dutch Broadcasting for over 20 years. He has made several documentaries on Human Trafficking, works as expert on THB in Europe and as lecturer with the Christian University of Applied Sciences in Ede, Holland. He started the first University Minor and Post Graduate courses in THB.
Julian Lindley-French (UK) is Vice-President, Atlantic Treaty Association, Senior Fellow of the Institute of Statecraft, Director of Europa Analytica & Distinguished Visiting Research Fellow, National Defense University, Washington DC. An internationally-recognised strategic analyst, advisor and author he was formerly Eisenhower Professor of Defence Strategy at the Netherlands Defence Academy,and Special Professor of Strategic Studies at the University of Leiden. Latest books: The Oxford Handbook on War 2014 (Paperback) (2014; 709 pages). (Oxford: Oxford University Press) & “Little Britain? Twenty-First Strategy for a Middling European Power”.
Monsignor Ad Van Luyn, (NL) was Bishop of Rotterdam (1994-2011), and chairman of COMECE (2006-11), the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community, made up of Bishops of the 28 Member States of the European Union. He was also chairman of Pax Christ in the Netherlands.
Vishal Mangalwadi
(IN), Indian philosopher, social reformer, international speaker and author of The Book that made your world. Dr Mangalwadi has lectured in over 40 countries, published seventeen books, and contributed chapters to many more.
Jim Mellis (NL) has lived in Amsterdam with his wife Debbie for over 40 years working primarily within the Muslim community as story-teller, anthropologist and author of The Good News of the Messiah: by the Four Witnesses, Abu Sharif: the mystery of the hundredth name, and others. The Mellises have two adult children.
Embert Messelink (NL), Director at A Rocha Netherlands and a radio presentator at the Evangelical Broadcasting Corporation. He is passionate about God’s creation and a keen bird-watcher.
Noemi Montes (ES), Spanish radio journalist with a PhD in Political Communication by the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Madrid). She is a media lecturer and researcher, and expert on immigration and refugees. She has had several research grants for international projects and won an award for migration studies in Spain. In 2012 she authored Immigration in Spain (2000-2008): Agenda Setting and frame building; Media hypes during crisis; African immigration; the EU and the drama-control frame.
Christel Ngnambi,
(BE), started as the Brussels Representative of the European Evangelical Alliance in September 2007. He is a political Science graduate with a deep interest in developing a Christian mind and applying Christian thinking to public policy. His personal public policy interests include migration.
Arjan Plaisier (NL) has been the secretary of the Protestant Churches of the Netherlands since 2008. From 1986 to 1993 he and his wife were missionaries on the Indonesian island of Celebes.
Timo Plutschinski (DE), is leading the Business Coalition of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) and is Partner of MIC Corporate Finance. A Protestant theologian, he is also a Board Member of the Congress of Christian Leaders, Chairman of the Relational Business & Finance Group, and a Fellow of the Olivet Institute for Global Strategic Studies. His core concern is the relationship between business and church. Timo lives with his wife and two daughters in Hamburg, Germany.
Lorcan Price (IE), lawyer at the Strasbourg office of the Alliance Defending Freedom, an alliance-building legal organization advocating for the right of people to freely live out their faith. A former Irish debating champion, Lorcan focuses on the ECHR and the Council of Europe.
Kathia Reynders (BE) has been on staff of the Schuman Centre for European Studies since January 2015, and holds a masters degree in international relations and studied for a second masters in environmental studies in Iceland. She plans to open an office of the Schuman Centre in Brussels in September this year.
Wim Rietkerk (NL) is the chairman of L’Abri International and with his wife Greta leads the work of L’Abri in Utrecht. A retired pastor of the Nederlands Gereformeerde Kerk, he is also chairman of the Jewish Monument Utrecht Foundation (Stichting Joods Monument Utrecht, SJMU), and author of numerous books.
AntonGiulio de’Robertis (IT) founder secretary general De Gasperi Foundation, is professor at the University of Bari (Italy), and also teaches at the University of Rome La Sapienza and the State University St. Petersburg. He was consultant on East West relations for the Italian party Democrazia Cristiana for a few years. Later he worked as secretary general of the De Gasperi foundation for many years. Today he is also Vice president of the Italian-Atlantic committee.
Esta Steyn, (NL) born in South-Africa, moved to the Netherlands at age 5. Bachelor degree in Leisure management and project management. Worked as a youth worker, project manager and event organiser. Volunteer with Stop the Traffik since february 2012. Director of Stop the Traffik Netherlands for 2,5 years. Focus point: prevention of sexual exploitation.
Bert de Ruiter (NL) is a staff worker of Operation Mobilization in Europe and the European Evangelical Alliance. He has been involved in Christian-Muslim relations in Europe for almost 30 years. He has an MA in World Evangelization and a D.Min. in Christian-Muslim relations. His two books: A Single Hand Cannot Applaud, and Sharing Lives, aim to help Christians overcome fear of Islam and to engage with and share their lives with Muslims. Bert lives in Amsterdam, is married, and has two children and two grandchildren
Jonathan Tame (UK) trained as an agricultural economist and worked for the British government’s development agency in Cameroon, before joining a faith-based NGO in Lausanne. He developed a variety of training events on the relevance of Judeo-Christian thinking to different professions and domains of society. In 2009 he joined Relationships Global, three years later, he moved across to its sister organisation Jubilee Centre to take up the post of director.
Pauline Timmer (NL) is a young Dutch researcher who interviewed over 100 couples married for over 40 years or more to find out the secret of long and happy relationships. She wrote her findings in a Dutch book, Lang en gelukkig.
Jennifer Roemhildt Tunehag (SE) is a founder and core team member of the European Freedom Network. Over 200 EFN partner organizations now work across 41 countries in Europe to build a bridge to freedom for those who are exploited. Jennifer is a board member of the Freedom Business Alliance (FBA), a trade association helping freedom businesses to become profitable, scalable, and transformational. She also serves on the Human Trafficking Task Force of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA). Jennifer and her husband, Mats, live in Stockholm, Sweden.
Revd Dr Richard Turnbull (UK), is director of the Centre for Enterprise, Markets and Ethics, Oxford. Married with four children, he was the Principal of the Evangelical Anglican theological college in Oxford, Wycliffe Hall, 2005-12. He chaired the Business Committee of the Anglican General Synod (2004-05).
Rima Tüzün, (SY), is Head of Foreign Affairs of the European Syriac Union, initiator of the common declaration of the Minorities in Iraq (Ezidi Kurdic (Yezidi’s), Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian and Turkmen peoples) with the “Call for restoration of human rights through a political future in Iraq”. Rima was project coordinator for the Bethnahrin Women Union, –
Jarno Volmer (NL) As a Security consultant Jarno is responsible for (threat and security) analysis and the monitoring of (temporary) measures and procedures concerning terrorism threats to Dutch Airports. Jarno is involved in training of different security concepts based on behaviour profiling. Currently deployed at Amsterdam airport responsible for daily High Risk Security operations. He also cooperates with Dutch military and para-military organisations in day to day operations. Besides Jarno is city council member for ChristenUnie (CU) – Lelystad. Jarno is member of the CU party commission on Defence (and security) matters.
Rikko Voorberg is theologian and is the new ambassador for TEAR in the Netherlands, in which role he wants to draw attention to the injustices done to refugees. As pastor of the PopUpChurch in Amsterdam, he uses artistic presentations to engage his audience in current issues of justice and will shortly launch a theatre tour in the Netherlands focusing on poverty. Recently he visited Lesbos and Idomeni in Greece to observe firsthand the conditions of the refugees.
Mink de Vries (NL) is the initiator of the Postmodern Devotion Movement, rediscovering the spiritual values of a 14th and 15th spiritual renewal touching 140 locations in the Netherlands. He has been a teacher in worldview and social studies, and as a diaconal- and youth-worker. He produced a youth translation of The Imitation of Christ in Dutch.
Dr Stefan Waanders (NL) worked for the Thomas More Foundation for 17 years, nine of which as director. He studied history and religious studies, and has worked in Taizé, France, in a house for the homeless, as a bus driver, and in business. He has authored and edited numerous articles and several books.
Dr Arleen Westerhof, (NL) facilitator of the European Economic Summit, co-pastor of the God’s Embassy Church in Amsterdam together with her husband Dick. Born in Jamaica and raised in Canada, she has a PhD in Chemistry and originally came to the Netherlands to work as a Research Scientist at a large multinational corporation.