“After they evaluated me, they saw an insightful person, and my analysis is rooted when I analyze church and outside the church,” Cindy said, a CRCS 2006 alumna, when asked about the benefit she earned in studying at CRCS.

She works fulltime at Gereja Kristen Indonesia (GKI) ‘Bromo’ in Malang, Jawa Timur. She also has a big responsibility in managing education at a church and the Christian Education Foundation ‘Kamerdi.’

This woman whose full name is Cindy Quartyamina Koan really enjoys her job. Cindy has served GKI Bromo at its Department of Special Service, Education and Children Commission since May 2009. She has also been the manager of the school of Christian Education Foundation ‘Kamerdi’ since early February 2010.

“Setelah dievaluasi oleh mereka, ternyata aku dinilai berpikir luas dan mengakar sewaktu aku menganalisis dalam maupun luar gereja,” jelas Cindy, alumni CRCS 2006, ketika ditanya mengenai keuntungan berkuliah di CRCS. Ia yang saat ini sedang menjadi pekerja penuh waktu di Gereja Kristen Indonesia(GKI) “Bromo,” Malang, Jawa Timur memiliki tanggung jawab besar dalam mengelola pendidikan di gereja maupun di Yayasan Pendidikan Kristen Kamerdi.

Pemilik nama lengkap Cindy Quartyamina Koan ini mengakui bahwa ia menikmati pekerjaan yang ia geluti saat ini. Cindy yang melayani di GKI Bromo pada bidang pelayanan khusus, pendidikan, dan komisi anak, sejak bulan Mei 2009, juga ditempatkan sebagai manager pada sekolah Yayasan Pendidikan Kristen Kamerdi sejak awal Februari 2010 yang lalu.

Elma Haryani, CRCS alumna 2001, in an interview with CRCS, said that her current work has been influenced by her experience at CRCS. “I’m more ready to be different and open to differences, meaning that I’m ready to open myself to everything that I have, and externally I’m ready to accept everything. I am better able to appreciate differences,” said Haryani, who is known as “Elma” to many. Nevertheless, she also gave criticism to CRCS.

This mother of two children has a career as a lecturer at an international education institution named The Islamic College, Jakarta. In addition to teaching at this institution and several collaborator universities (Islamic State University of Bandung and Paramadina University), she also serves as Head of Cooperation and Student Affairs Department at her campus.

Elma Haryani, alumni CRCS 2001, dalam sebuah wawancara dengan CRCS menjelaskan bahwa aktifitasnya saat ini telah banyak dipengaruhi pengalamannya selama di CRCS. “Saya lebih siap berbeda dan menerima perbedaan, artinya bahwa saya siap membuka diri untuk internal saya, trus eksternal saya siap menerima apapun. Saya lebih bisa mengapresiasi perbedaan,” tegas perempuan yang kerap disapa “Elma” ini. Meskipun demikian, ia juga mempunyai kritik terhadap CRCS berdasarkan pengalamannya tersebut.

CRCS-ICRS Wednesday Forum on 15 December 2010 was a homecoming story of Mark Woodward, one of the lecturers of CRCS UGM from the United States. Woodward, a professor of Arizona State University, during his return, was observing the development of political issues in his country. He found polemics related with constructing plan of an Islamic cultural center in New York named Park51 or Cordoba House that is likely known as Ground Zero Mosque, a title given due to effects of political sentiment.

IMAGING JEW IN INDONESIA

Epafras’s book on Jew in the Indonesian Public Discourse is the first book offering a complete and complex analysis of allegorizing Jew in Indonesia. Allegorizing Jew, to take Epafras’s argument, is to refer the complex problem of prejudicing Jew in Indonesia, which prerequisites analysis of three main issues related each other; first, the issue of Qur’anic interpretation; secondly, of historical construction towards the Jew; and the last, the issue of contextual problem regarding to the Jew. Interestingly, Epafras provide an extended and depth elaboration which contains analysis in the areas of (interpretive) theological, historical and media framing construction.