Slovenia is a beautiful post-communist central
European country nestled between the Austrian Alps and the Mediterranean
Sea. To the west is Italy
and the east is Croatia,
with a corner bordering on Hungary.
With largely rural geography and outlook, almost every spot in Slovenia is
within sight of a church building, or at least a crucifix or shrine, although
very few are visited regularly.
Most
Slovenes have never even met a Bible-believing Christian. Less than a 1000
people in the whole country would call themselves evangelical, about 0.03% of
the population. Churches are very small and isolated. In general, Slovenes
would consider evangelicals to be members of a harmless sect – if they were
aware that they existed at all. The challenges for sharing the gospel are
overwhelming for local Christian. They need our help!
The Union
of Evangelical Students of Slovenia (ZVESh) is a small pioneering fellowship
with only a handful of members and supporters. We have contact with Christians
in only a few faculties. In addition to this, it is generally illegal to hold
religious activities at University.
What will the team do?
The
IFES InterAction team will play a
vital role in supporting the national movement, which is still very much in the
pioneering phase. As there is no annual intake of Christian students ministry
in general is focused on contacting and evangelism. Though there is flexibility
for the team member’s area of interest and abilities, the work is basically
outreach to international and national students, supporting and encouraging
ZVESh in the various aspects of this work, and meeting weekly for their own
personal encouragement, prayer and training.
What are the main areas of ministry?
ZVESh work involves:
friendship, hospitality, evangelistic Bible studies, public talks, web/blog
work, open evenings, prayer groups and inter/national camps and conferences. Cooperative
participation, friendship and hospitality are the bread and butter of a good
team member. Other skills, particularly computing, would be very useful.
What is the present state of the work?
At the moment we regularly
run a mission at the start of the academic year in October, often with one or
several guest speakers, with talks in several locations around Slovenia. From
that we have started an evangelistic Bible study group in the capital Ljubljana. We would like
to start a parallel English language Bible study group, to attract foreign
students, and also Slovenes, who like opportunities to practice their (very
good) English.
What special requirements are there for joining a Slovene InterAction
team?
A visa is required for
non-European Union citizens. Visa requirements include a proof of ability to
support yourself, and adequate health insurance. Slovene language is not a
requirement, but it is helpful to undertake some language study while in Slovenia.
What about accommodation, living costs, courses, jobs for InterAction
team members?
The majority of living
expenses will need to be raised beforehand, and proof of sufficient means of
support is a visa requirement for non-EU citizens. Costs are comparable to most
western European countries and would amount to about 8000 euro/year.
Accommodation: Candidates
need to find and pay for their own accommodation (200-300 euro/month +
expenses). If an enrolled full time student then shared student dorms may be
available.
There are opportunities to
earn money as an English language proof reader for professional articles (good
level of English required; you are at an advantage if you have specialist areas
such as science, medicine etc). Also ESL possibilities.
Some Web sites:
Guide to living and working
in Slovenia
Comprehensive government guide to legal requirements regarding living and
primarily working in Slovenia,
in particular work, tax, visa laws etc. Good links to other relevant sites
incl. recognition of academic qualifications etc http://www.ess.gov.si/eng/Eures/GuideSlovenia/GuideSlovenia.htm
A tourist orientated website. The search engine is quite comprehensive but not
well organized so it helps to search for a particular thing eg 'Slovene
language courses' http://www.matkurja.com/en/country-info/
