By: Praxedis Bouwman – 25.06.2010Jibbo Poppen (1949-2010)
Jibbo Poppen (61) has passed away on the 24th of June 2010.
Jibbo, a Netherlands based lutheran journalist, has been active in
KALME in the years 1981-2004. In fact he could be shared among the founding fathers of the Communication Committee of Lutheran Minority Churches in Europe. After the first initiative in 1977 Poppen was asked to attend a meeting in Berlin in 1981 in which the outlines for the work of
KALME were designed. Gripped by 'After all we must speak about what we have seen and what we have heard (Acts 4:20)' Poppen staid, took position in the governing body and has been
KALME's secretary for ages. He said farewell to
KALME in the autumn of 2004. 'Surely I have not had enough of
KALME, but one has to stop at a certain moment in time. New winds have to blow!.' And: 'Most churches are very preoccupied with themselves. But
KALME had to continue on its road of encounters and exchange. Let the lutherans, and in this case the communicators, in Europe continue coming together and learn from each other.'
Poppen has been working as a journalist for a regional newspaper in the northern part of the Netherlands. Next to his regular job and the voluntary work for
KALME, Poppen served the Lutheran chuch in several positions as a volunteer. Besides being very active in his own congregation, he has been a years long member of the synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands and took part in the decision making proces to finally merge together with two reformed churches into the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. In recent years Jibbo Poppen contributed much to the work of the Martin Luther Bund and its Dutch branch, Luther Stichting, as secretary.
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