Newsletter Archive

Borthwick November Trip Report: Central & Eastern Europe: Encouraging
Christian Leadership and Integrity in the Marketplace

On November 5th, David Johnson of Integra Ventures (and a long-time friend
from our days of working together on Grace Chapel staff) took me with him
to visit the work of Integra in Eastern and Central Europe.   Integra
(www.integra.sk) is a Christian organization dedicated to micro-enterprise
development (MED), small and medium-size business development (SME), and
education to combat corruption.

On November 6th, Dave and I had an afternoon of meetings in Oxford, England
with the international leadership of IFES (International Fellowship of
Evangelical Students (www.ifesworld.org)  - the global student movement
with which Inter Varsity affiliates).  This meeting related to leadership
training and mentoring that Christie and I will be coordinating in Zimbabwe
in April 2003 for the IFES leadership from across Africa (see donor note
below**).

Then, on November 7th, we flew to Austria, met some of the Integra leaders
in Vienna, picked up another old friend and one of Integra's newest staff,
Eric Hanson, and drove to Bratislava, Slovakia.  In Bratislava, we met with
Milan Cicel, one of the founders of Integra, who gave us (mostly me) a
history lesson of Integra and the Integra commitment to transforming
leaders and communities. 

Basically, the organization name derives from the commitment to produce
leaders who are integrated - integrating their faith and character and
business in an effort to serve as "salt" and "light" in their communities.
 It is this shared, common commitment to leadership integrity that brought
me on this trip as a representative of Development Associates
International.

On November 8th, we drove to Budapest, Hungary and visited a Christian
bookstore that exists in part because of Integra investments.  We continued
to Timosoara, Romania - where the Revolution that overthrew the Communist
leadership started in 1989.

Our Timosoara visit was brief, but there we heard two statements that
characterize Christians with integrated views of their faith and their
business. 

We met Willi, who, with his brothers, operates a bakery business (an
Integra SME partnership) that employs 70 others.  We asked Willi, "Why are
you in this?"  His answer struck me because of its obvious lack of
reference to making money.  He said, "First, to help my family; then to
help my friends; then to help my church; and then to help my community."
It's not that making a profit is unimportant to Willi (his bakery has
secured 80% of the bakery business in his region because of the quality of
their product and the honesty in their work!); it's just that helping
people is the higher priority! 

We asked Daniel, who owns a print shop (another SME partnership related to
Integra) that employs 17 others and is expanding, how he saw his role as a
Christian businessman.   He explained that his Christian commitment meant
that others were watching his life closely, and that honesty and integrity
could witness to the reality of Christ.  He continued, commenting on the
larger impact of a company led with Christian values.  He said, "Business
can heal the community."

In a country like Romania, considered a "non-functioning economy" (2000 lei
in 1990 was worth $50; 2000 lei in 2002 was worth about 6 cents), societal
healing in the name of Christ indeed includes job creation and stable,
honest work.

After an overnight in Timosoara, we drove on November 9th to Oradea,
Romania to join with others who were coming in for the Integra Staff
Conference.  Over the next four days, our schedule featured:

        > Several visits with HIRO (Help Integra  ROmania) - a
micro-enterprise development (MED) program that helps clients (mostly
women, often women-at-risk) start small businesses.  Our time included a
tour of the HIRO training center, visits with women selling clothing or
shoes at kiosks at an open-air market, a visit with a family whose MED loan
helped them create a greenhouse for growing crops year-round, and another
family raising livestock.

        > A morning service at the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Oradea, the
church formerly pastured by Joseph Tson, who introduced much of the Western
world to the plight of Romania back in the 1980's.

        > And the opening of the Integra Conference, where I presented a
message to the Executive Committee on the "Missiology of Development."
Because of our similar commitment at DAI to leadership character and
integrity, my message served basically to encourage these creative leaders
in the ministry they are doing as salt and light in their communities and
through Integra.

Dave Johnson drove me back to Budapest on November 12th, and it was home
from there. 

After the trip, I wrote to several USA friends to affirm their ongoing
involvement in Integra.  Jim Willey, a USA Board Member, explained his
motivation for staying involved in Integra: "Christ has been telling us for
two thousand years to 'feed my poor.'   I've always thought he had more
than soup kitchens in mind. " 

Indeed!

Paul Borthwick
November 19, 2002

**DONOR NOTE:  we're coming to the end of the year, and if you're
contemplating a special year-end gift to our ministry through DAI, please
consider an extra gift to help with the IFES-Africa training coming in
April 2003.   We've committed ourselves to assisting the funding of the air
expenses to this conference.  Because inter-Africa air travel is so
expensive, we're hoping to raise $10,000 to $12,500 to help the 20-25
leaders who hope to come from across Africa.  Gifts can be made payable to
Development Associates International (P.O. Box 49278, Colorado Springs, CO
80949) and designated "Borthwick/IFES Africa Leaders."  Thank you.