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Sara Stikovic|| needs forum funding ::
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Bostjan Cifer|| needs forum funding ::
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Vitomir Tepeš|| needs YRM funding ::
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Urska Meolic Kotnik|| needs forum funding ::

Sara Stikovic|| needs forum funding ::
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When did you trust Christ?
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
Why do you want to attend the Forum?
What is your ministry?
What are your past leadership roles?
Why should someone invest in your ministry?


Bostjan Cifer|| needs forum funding ::
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Bostjan Cifer is the pastor of a church in Slovenia.
When did you trust Christ?
Twelve years ago, God saved me from my drug addiction. I attended a Bible study group for drug addicts. One evening God spoke to me clearly through His Word and when I got home, I asked God to give me a new life and to save me from my addiction. Since that day I have lived free from addiction.
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
I have attended Theological Biblical Academy, IFES conferences, and have had good personal relationships with Christian leaders. All of these things have had an important influence on my walk with the Lord.
Why do you want to attend the Forum?
I live in a small country with a very small percentage of evangelical believers. We lack biblical counselors. I also pastoring a church and I want to grow in that area of ministry.
What is your ministry?
I am pastoring a Baptist church in Maribor, a university city and the second biggest city in Slovenia. I preach in our church, lead Bible study groups, and work with students together with IFES Slovenia. We are also working on developing vision and strategy in our church, so I am involved in that process. One of our goals is to develop maturity in the members of the body and to prepare them for the work of service.
What are your past leadership roles?
I have worked with drug addicts and youth in the church. I led a men’s Bible study group in the church.
Why should someone invest in your ministry?
I am a young pastor and, for me, pastoring a church is a great challenge and something I do not have a lot of experience with. I see a lack of organizational skills in myself and for that reason I think it is important for me to learn more and receive training.


Vitomir Tepeš|| needs YRM funding ::
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What is your ministry?
My ministry is participating in leadership roles in connection with leading the Sunday gatherings with the help of my Pastor and sometimes preparing Bible studies in small groups.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
I desire to broaden my knowledge of Catholicism in the field of the Bible.
What is your leadership role?
In 2016 I became self-employed with formal permission for two years work as a researcher with ARRS. I am researching two main fields of cultural studies and sociology inside the field of social studies and humanism. With my work I am integrating two scientific fields inside the field of social studies and humanism, which was also the main task of my dissertation. For the main aim of possible future project work it is also important that inside the field of cultural studies, which is a program at the FSS, we can talk about the subfields of philosophy and Theology (FA, FT), which teach the phenomenon of religion in society and in politics in a specific way.

Urska Meolic Kotnik|| needs forum funding ::
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Urska Meolic Kotnik is finishing her master’s degree in psychology in order to become a Christian counsellor.
When did you trust Christ?
I made my decision to follow Jesus when I visited an IFES student conference in Warsaw in 2014. I wasn’t a believer at the beginning because of the bad experiences I had had with the Roman Catholic Church when I was younger. I first came into contact with God again when I met my future husband and my journey started from there, but it was at that conference that God’s Spirit touched my heart during the worship service. From that point on, I knew that I wanted to follow Him.
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
In my childhood I learned about God from my grandmother, but she died in my teenage years. The next encounter was with my future husband. Then our current pastor and the IFES organization helped us on our journey of getting to know God better and learning what it means to truly follow Him. There were other faithful people who helped us along the way, but we are continuing to get to know God more.
Why do you want to attend the Forum?
Attending the European Leadership Forum helps me personally grow in my faith in God. Secondly, I am training to become a counsellor, so it will be very helpful for me to make connections in the field of Christian counselling. At the Forum I will be able to listen to many experienced speakers and gain a lot of important knowledge in order to help other people. I know that there are many psychologists and psychotherapists attending the Forum. I hope to share the information with others in Slovenia in order to equip different churches in Slovenia for this type of ministry. Such knowledge can also be used as an evangelistic tool. Finally, I believe that I will meet new people, connect with them, and have opportunities to bless them.
What is your ministry?
I am finishing up my master’s studies in psychology and hope to become a Christian counsellor. Besides this, my husband and I are leading our church’s youth ministry, which serves young people and teenagers from ages 11-18. I also go on hospitality visits, particularly to elderly people in the church community. I also help with the IFES student group in Maribor where I live; I help to organize lectures and workshops on different topics. I recently traveled to Belgrade to train in trauma healing, and I have been leading workshops in our church on that topic. I also help IFES in Slovenia to manage their Facebook page and Instagram account.
What are your past leadership roles?
I have led the IFES student group in Maribor and given lectures about addiction, forgiveness, and happiness. I have organized summer clubs for children and helped IFES organize its Reformation festival in Maribor.
Why should someone invest in your ministry?
There are many reasons. One reason is because there is a lack of Christian psychologists and counsellors in Slovenia, and there aren’t many secular psychologists either. Currently a person may have to wait one or two years if he or she wants to see a trained counsellor or psychologist. Because of that, counselling is a great opportunity for the gospel in my country. Christian counsellors have a real chance to help people and to equip churches to help people.
