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Belgische Evangelische Zending Mission Evangélique Belge
Issue 40 : February - March 2013
BEM info
News from the Belgian Evangelical Mission
Pray also for us The Apostle Paul often calls believers to prayer, especially for the progress of the Gospel. But what is the relationship between intercession and the spread of the Gospel? For what should we pray; for whom can we pray? Why do we sometimes have the impression that God is not listening to our prayer? How can we know that we are praying according to God’s will? These and many other questions come to mind as we think about prayer. The importance of intercession is evident also in Genesis 18. In this passage we see how God moves Abraham to prayer. He makes His plans known to Abraham with the result that Abraham prays for Sodom and Gomorrah. We can notice a couple of things here that can perhaps help us with our own prayer. Prayer is an exclusive privilege. God thought ‘Should I hide something from my friend, Abraham?’ and He told Abraham His plans (Ge 18 v.16-20). Jesus also told His disciples. ‘I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.’ Friends obtain information that others do not. Prayer is offered on the basis of information received. I must refer here to James 4 v. 3 ‘When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.’ Not so Abraham. God gave him insight and that insight led to intercession. Prayer on the basis of insight received can also be found elsewhere in the Bible.You find it with Elijah and Nehemiah, and also with the prophet Daniel and many others. Their prayer was not random. It was based on God’s Word, on God’s promises, on their passion for God’s glory. Prayer leads to greater boldness. You can see this clearly also with Abraham. He went all the way and in the end Lot and all his family were saved. Elijah again is so certain of God’s promises and His greatness that he acts with great boldness. Daniel follows insight with intercession. Prayer brings more insight helping him and his people to a better understanding of God and so determining their actions. It is evident that prayer is important, so pray also for us. Pray that, first and foremost, we might learn to truly know God, that we might be able to grasp His promises and know His great power, that we might understand God’s plans and have great boldness in the preaching of the gospel. Wilfried Goossens
www.bez-meb.be
Introducing...
THE MABIKA FAMILY Born in Belarus to a Belarusian mother and a Congolese father, Romeo grew up in CongoBrazzaville. About ten years ago he arrived in Holland where he met Christine. In 2006 they married and the family grew with the arrival of Jonathan who is 7, Destiny who is 3 and Jeremiah now 8 months old. Since last year they have been living in Deinze here in Belgium, Romeo having found a job in Ghent. However, they soon found that this job was not right for him. It was then that Romeo and Christine discovered that the Mission was looking for a coordinator for the Flemish Bible-Expo, the multimedia bible exhibition used for evangelisation. Having been accepted as a BEM worker, Romeo will be working at first as a volunteer with a view to finding financial support that will enable him to work full-time and long term.This is a priority subject for prayer. Please pray also for his trial period in collaboration with the new Flemish Bible-Expo workgroup. Have you been touched by reading about this young family and their desire to serve the Lord in the BEM? Don’t hesitate to contact us for further information.
JOHAN & INA ‘So, Johan is back on the barges. The circle is complete.’ This was one of the reactions to the news that Johan Berends was back in the BEM to serve on the barges. After his conversion in 1974 and a period of discipleship training, Johan spent five years as BEM skipper on the barges. After this, he and his wife Ina spent 25 years serving on international inland waterways. In March 2007 a particular event put their life on hold and made of the following years a time of healing and especially of prayer. God then made it clear that His way led them back to the Mission and the barges. The circle is complete.
BERENDS
WORKGROUP This group coordinates the on-going affairs of the Flemish Bible-Expo. They manage the different requests for the Expo, help the hosting churches to organize the event and to train the guides. They also handle promotion of the Expo among the churches. In 2013 the Expo will travel to Turnhout, Brakel, Gistel, and Genk. Other churches are also candidates for the Expo-Bible. With the arrival of Romeo Mabika, the workgroup will remain in the background to help, to advise and to come up with new ideas. This Bible-Expo remains a superb means of reaching people (and schoolchildren) with the Gospel.
The Expo-Bible renewed The Expo-Bible is an interactive exhibition (in French) that invites the visitor to explore the Book that has had the greatest impact on human history. The exhibits present the history of writing from cuneiform to the development of printing, with texts from the Bible as a running theme. The 30 minute video presentations take us more deeply into a particular subject such as the origins of the Bible or the life of Jesus Christ. After some years of ‘service’ in Wallonia, the Expo-Bible was put on hold. In 2013, it will take new life in France where it will be hosted by the Evangelical Protestant Church of Gaubert-Châteaudun (Eure-et-Loir) from 28th March to 14th April. The Expo will then be on show at Patay (Loiret) from 21st to 31st May. If you are nearby, don’t hesitate to pay it a visit! You will find further information on the website www.expobible.net Would you like to invite or to visit the Expo-Bible somewhere near you? Don’t hesitate to contact the Mission to make a reservation: information@b-e-m.org
Willy Tops
Herman Spaargaren
Wilfried Goossens
Kristel De Leenheer
Henk Van Dorp
For example, three months before the arrival of the Expo in Brakel, 30 school classes (+/- 670 pupils) have booked a visit. None of them will leave the Expo without having clearly heard the Gospel! Please pray for the workgroup, for Romeo and Christine Mabika… and for open hearts among the (young) folk wherever the Expo goes.
1000X50, the Libramont Church building project Some BEM Mission posts have their own buildings, some use rented premises, and others build. In order to fulfil the vision of being a permanent presence in the town, the Evangelical Protestant Church of Libramont chose to renovate the building which became their property at the end of 2002. March 2009 saw the construction of a new extension and currently several church members are lending a hand with the finishing touches. Bank: CAF Bank Account: 00008831 Sort code: 40-25-40 Special instruction:
Libramont Building Project
You can help too! If 1000 people were to each donate 50 Euros, the Libramont church could move in at last. On January 29th the total of gifts received amounted to 30,623 Euros. It only needs for you to join the 387 people that will enable us to reach the final total.
For UK tax-payers a Gift-Aid Declaration form can be submitted with your donation and the completed form should be sent to: Belgian Evangelical Mission P.O. Box 617 Epsom, KT17 9JQ
We’ll meet again... It is with regret that the Frost family will be leaving Belgium and the Libramont church this summer. The decision was difficult to make but necessitated by Adrian’s health problems (fibromyalgia) Adrian and Naomi arrived in Belgium at the end of the nineties and, after a preliminary period at the Mission post of St. Mard, they moved to Libramont in 2002. It was in 2005 that they took over from Stephen and Ruth Trump as pastoral couple. Please pray for the church in Libramont, that it might grow and that each member might give of their best for the glory of God. Please pray for the Frost family and their return to England. Pray especially for Adrian’s health and a life style that will be appropriate, for their projects for the future (finding work, finding a church where they can input while being in the workplace) and for an easy re-adaptation for Zacharie, Oliver and Joachim. Thank you, Adrian and Naomi, for your graciousness and for your perseverance in the ministry. We’ll meet again… Belgian Evangelical Mission UK P O Box 617 EPSOM KT17 9JQ E-mail: BEMUK@b-e-m.org Lambermontlaan 158 - 1030 Brussel +32 (0)2/241.30.15 - information@b-e-m.org
Belgian Evangelical Mission - UK is a member of Global Connections (Formerly the Evangelical Missionary Alliance), a registered charity (no.247192) and a registered data user.