This is a very unusual week with THREE things you need to know from the Reformed Church Center!
NBTS International Summer Study Opportunities, July 3-18, 2026: The Netherlands and Poland
In July, a group of New Brunswick Seminary students and alumni, and others from around the RCA and the Reformed tradition will travel to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, for the twenty-fifth International Summer School of Theology, July 3-12, prepared by the International Reformed Theological Institute (IRTI), the Protestantse Theologische Universiteit (PThU), and NBTS.
This year’s theme is “Being Reformed in the 21st Century.” Nearly every corner of our world is experiencing tremendous change: politics, the economy, the digital world, and the environment, in particular, impact all of us to varying degrees. The Reformed tradition has, since its sixteenth-century beginnings, been in dialogue with and often challenged the social order. This year’s school will explore these questions with presenters will include NBTS faculty as well as faculty from the PThU and other European schools. Scholars and students from around the world will gather to offer unique perspectives on each of these so that students can gain a more global perspective on these challenges. There will be time before and after the school itself to explore the Netherlands.
Participants will be responsible for their own travel to and from Amsterdam as well as most meals, but lodging—think budget-hotel-style—breakfasts, and many lunches while the school is in session will be covered in registration. Current NBTS students will receive a discount on the cost of registration and can get credit for the school. Register below and be in touch with James Hart Brumm atjbrumm@nbts.edu for details.
Following the ten days in Amsterdam, Charles Rix will provide a five-day experiential travel Holocaust Study trip in Poland, July 13-18. This course was inspired by the call of Marion Turski, a Polish Auschwitz survivor, who at the 75thanniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz delivered a speech entitled “The XIth Commandment: Thou Shall Not Be Indifferent (see Rix’s article on this topic on the NBTS website) .”
Through the Johannesburg Genocide and Holocaust Center, Rix is a certified Holocaust travel guide for Polish sites and was a speaker at the International Association of Genocide Scholars in October, 2025. The study trip will take place over five days, beginning in Warsaw and ending in Krakow, and is open to current students, alumni, and adults who wish to actively engage in the way in which the Holocaust provides a compelling perspective on how one engages faith and social action in today’s turbulent, often dehumanizing, polarizing climate. Students may take the trip for course credit by enrolling in the accompanying online study course in this summer semester, “Reading the Bible after the Shoah.”
Program Costs, Registration & Financial Aid
The cost for the Amsterdam portion of the program is $3,350.00 per student and $3,500.00 for non-students who participate. The cost for the Poland portion is $1,250.00 per participant. The total cost for the combined Netherlands and Poland trip is $4,500.00.
Please note that airfare is the responsibility of each participant and is not included in the program fee.
A limited amount of need-based scholarship assistance is available for NBTS students. Additional information regarding the scholarship application process will be provided, and a method for students to apply for aid will be made available soon.
If more than ten participants (not including program leaders) enroll in the program, the overall cost per person may be reduced.
All participants must register for the program no later than April 1, 2026 and make a $250.00 deposit. The full program cost must be paid by May 15, 2026. A registration link will be posted soon. Register at www.nbts.edu/26intlsummer.
The Reformed Church Center will host its annual General Synod Recap just twelve days after the delegates have gone home, on Wednesday, June 24, 2025, 12 noon to 2:00 pm EDT. This annual event is free and open to everyone, but all participants must register here. https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zW9LAarvSGCzrXuYqZ_kfg#/registration