Civil society is very hard to define because it involves both philosophical idea and structural form. One can define civil society based on his/her idea of what civility means, such as freedom, justice, and equality. Or, one can define it as public organization outside the government and the private sector or business. We combine those two definitions here.
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In 2005, FICA set a lofty goal for OMC XII. FICA wanted to craft a social vision for Indonesia based on the biblical values and principles. We invited excellent speakers and surprisingly were joined by talented artist, engineers, and lawyers among the participants. The goal of the conference was indeed too difficult to be achieved in a single conference. However, everybody left the conference understood the main challenge in transforming society.
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We could tell that something had to be changed in OMC XI. The audience of OMC X had been convicted on Indonesia and was anxious to start working on real project. The key phrase in OMC X survey was walk and talk. The audience felt that we had enough knowledge about Indonesia and wanted to apply their knowledge and skills in practical and tangible ways. Starting from OMC XI in 2004, FICA formatted the OMC so that we could learn both the principles and the application of the Gospel in various issues in Indonesia.
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In 2003, we celebrated our 10th OMC. It was truly a watershed moment. In the first 10 OMC, we learnt about Indonesia and ourselves as Indonesian Christians. The last ten OMCs’ focus has been creating direct impact in Indonesia. This short writing shared what we learnt from the first decade of OMC.
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Few days after OMC 8, the US was attacked by Muslim Radicals. The attack re-energized frontal confrontation and changed the relationship between the West and the Muslim world as well as the rest of the world. September 11 attack was heinous acts of few individuals filled with hatred toward the US. However, the attack was just culmination of decades of friction between the West and the Muslim, especially the radical brand.
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Indonesia had gone through tremendous social conflicts right at the end of the second millennium. We saw conflicts in Maluku, Poso, and Sampit. The unimaginable things happened during the conflicts. Those gory images still freshly minted in our mind that caused us to be jittery. Those conflicts are very traumatic that last year we still saw tears came down from the little children whose parents were violently killed. But, those tears we saw last represent something bigger than their suffering. Those tears represent peace. For the last ten years, since second Malino accord, there has been no conflict in Maluku.
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The 7th Overseas Mission Conference or OMC was held in Saint Charles, IL in the fall of 2000. We were anxious that year because of the possibility for the computer to crash, which would have led to power outage and disrupted transportation and telecommunication. However, the glitch was minimal and everything seemed smoothly transition to the new millennium.
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Some of us might not remember, but East Timor was part of Indonesia. In the summer of 1999, a referendum was held for the people of East Timor to decide whether they want to be independent nation or be part of Indonesia. East Timor chose Independence. The news was announced by one of the speaker to us during OMC 6 in Columbus Ohio.
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It has been 15 years ago, but we could still remember vividly the May 1998 tragedy. May 98 was terrifying for us in the US. As the report of mass killing and rape emerged in the internet, we were terrified that we might not see our parents, brothers, and sisters again.
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1997 was certainly a memorable year for the world and OMC. Princess Diana and Mother Theresa died, Hong Kong was returned to China, and the highest-grossing movies of all time, Titanic, was released that year. The 1997 and the fourth OMC was the only one held during 4th of July holiday and had the largest and most diverse speakers from Indonesia. We had 3 theologians, 3 business professionals, 2 provincial governors, 1 cabinet minister, and 2 political activists spoke at the conference. This OMC had shifted FICA’s focus from serving church or Christian organizations to human rights. The shift was due to three compelling story lines shared by the speakers.
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