News from the Belgian Evangelical Mission
3
June- July 2014 Bimonthly newsletter Issue 48 The Belgian Evangelical Mission Bld. Lambermont, 158, 1030 Brussels Belgium
BEM Info A question of priority by Luc Salsac
‘So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’ Matthew 6 v.31-33
The summer holidays will soon be with us. All the youngsters long for them, and even if we are no longer at school or college, summer is still a special time: activities slow down, there’s a change of pace. For some it’s a time to escape elsewhere, to live differently. But sometimes it’s also synonymous with setting God aside a little, as if we needed a holiday from Him. These verses are powerful, destabilizing, and really radical. The concerns of our everyday lives should not be our priority. That’s the ‘business’ of pagans, not of ourselves. But we must admit that we spend a lot of time thinking about those concerns. And perhaps we
do it even a little more during the holidays. Jesus tells us to ‘seek first the kingdom of God’. It is God that should motivate us, mobilise us. What He wants is not just a little of our time, when we think of it, when it’s the day for it: He wants the first place. He wants to be the centre of our thoughts, of our lives, of our desires. This is not something for once only; it’s for every moment of every day. A life transformed by Him, for Him. A life of thanksgiving that reflects the character of God, that lives God, and that shares God. Are we ready to give Him priority? If we are, let us be ready not only to have our lives somewhat turned upside down but also to live incredible moments with Him.
L’Expo-Bible
in the homeland of Charlemagne
H
ERSTAL, March 2014 - This is the ‘Year of Charlemagne’ marking the 1200th anniversary of his death. With the celebrations in full swing in the town of Herstal near Liège, local Christian communities united their efforts to lift the veil on the origins of the Bible and to discuss faith and religion with their neighbours. They were joined by the Bible-Expo, first put together in 2003 and brought out of storage last May for a month’s tour in the Paris region.
Ideally situated in the Catholic church of the district of La Préalle, just opposite the possible site of Charlemagne’s birth, the Bible-Expo opened its doors from 18th to the 28th March. Any day of the week, you could see local school children and other interested folk entering, eager to visit the BEM’s interactive exhibition. At the entrance a book-table offered visitors the opportunity of learning more by buying something from a selection of books about the Bible. Several versions of the Bible were also available, including the famous Segond 21 edition at the price of 1 Euro! The booklet ‘The Bible – true or false’ was available free of charge to all comers. To mark the occasion, the Protestant churches of Herstal, Cheratte, and Blegny, worked together in partnership with the Catholic churches of Herstal and the socio-cultural association La Charlemagn’rie. In conjunction with the Expo, various activities were organised during the month of March. The first event was a 24 hour public reading of the Bible from the 7th to the 8th of March. For 15 minutes at a time, members of the different communities participated in a reading of the entire New Testament and the Psalms, even at 3am! The slogan ‘The Bible – a history, a way of life.’ was the recurring theme of the month of March,
and gave rise to ‘Bible Tuesdays.’ Everyone was invited to meet and reflect on a text from the gospels. The venue changed each week so that three different communities could take their turn in welcoming the participants. Finally, on Tuesday, March 25th, there was a time for discussion in groups about each other’s experiences during the month. Three meetings were organised in the sociocultural centre La Charlemagn’rie. On Thursday 20th March, Dominique Martens, theologian and professor, addressed the subject of suffering in the light of the Scriptures. The two meetings on Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd March enabled audiences to hear Eric Denimal, a French theologian, journalist and author of several books (including the French version of The Bible for Dummies.) Each evening about thirty folk came to listen. On Sunday 23rd, a joint worship service took place in the premises of the Protestant Church of Herstal, with Eric Denimal as preacher. Finally, on the following Friday, this month-long project with its wealth of discoveries was brought to an end with a concert featuring Shining, a Belgian rapper of Congolese origin.
A team of m issionaries committed to
15.000
tracts were distributed by means of Herstal’s Catholic parish newsletter ‘The Link. ’ A centre page spread was dedicated exclusively to the Bible-Expo and related events. Posters were printed and dossiers were sent to the schools in the region.
24
hours of public reading of the New Testament and the Psalms. Well done to everyone who got up in the middle of the night!
5 4 3
8
years after the previous visit, the Bible-Expo makes a return visit to Herstal!
Protestant churches, 5 Catholic parishes and 1 socio-cultural association, all joining together under the theme ‘The Bible: a History, a Life.’ -10 (on average) evening visitors to the Expo. Tuesday evenings reserved for ‘Meetings with Jesus’ based on the Gospels.
2 1
speakers for 3 meetings each evening with audiences of nearly 30.
concert attracting 70-80 spectators.
The Bible-Expo is an interactive exhibition developed by the Belgian Evangelical Mission. It invites visitors to explore the book that has revolutionised the world – the Bible.
The first panels describe the development of writing (cuneiform - hieroglyphs – alphabet), illustrated here and there by replicas of archaeological and historical artefacts as well as interactive audio terminals. Next our attention is focussed on a presentation of the Bible itself. There is a description of the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls, and of the techniques of the transcription of the Scriptures as well as the appearance of the printing press which made possible a large scale distribution. In the centre of the hall, in a video space, a film presents the great turning points in the history of the Scriptures. Some allusions to the reliability of the biblical texts and to the Gospel suggest to the viewer that the Bible is much more than just a book. A replica of the Gutenberg printing press at the end of the visit is the high point. Visitors, especially school-children, are welcome to try out the movable type printing technique for themselves and take away an appropriate Bible verse ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.’
Belgium o building Christ’s Church in
What they said
“I liked the way the theme of the exhibition was developed – from the origins of writing to the introduction of the printing press and the replica of the Gutenberg Press itself. I particularly liked the story of the little shepherd who discovered the Dead Sea scrolls. The film is a great résumé and also enables you to ‘take a break’ during your visit.” “I am active in the Catholic parish of Herstal and one of the volunteers who distributed the parish magazine that advertised the Bible-Expo. I was also one of the team that read a portion of the Scriptures during the 24 hours.” “The theme of the Bible is explained clearly. Headphones enable the visually impaired to follow the theme. This was well thought out.” “When volunteers were needed to man the exhibition, we answered the call. This gave us the opportunity of seeing it and appreciating it ourselves.” “I found the Expo very professional.” “I The exhibition has two perspectives. It shows the development of writing (which is on the Belgian school curriculum, and likely to interest several schools). Parallel to this, there are references to Biblical individuals, (Noah, Moses, Paul ), and the presentation of different books of the Bible, together with photos of historical sites and events associated as much with the development of writing as with the Bible itself (the Dead Sea scrolls, the introduction of the printing press). In an unobtrusive manner, the visitor is led to discover several aspects of the Scriptures. What a wonderful evangelistic resource!”
«A great event which has given us all the opportunity of meeting each other, finding out about each other, respecting each other, and coming together around God’s Word. I think this is a great testimony to the town of Herstal and I believe it will help us to respect each other more and appreciate each other with our differences. In any case, I am very happy with how it all went and the way we were able to really make the most of the event and the preparations for it.» Luc Salsac, one of the organisers
Support Bijbel-Expo/Expo-Bible Please contribute financially to the Bijbel-Expo/ExpoBible. Send a check to: Belgian Evangelical Mission - UK PO Box 617 Epsom KT17 9JQ BEM, Inc. PO Box 2255 Buford, GA 30515
Belgian Evangelical Mission - US PO Box 2255 Buford, GA 30515 678-408-2361 usbem@bellsouth.com Belgian Evangelical Mission - UK Enterprise number: 0410.278.623 Bld. Lambermont, 158 - 1030 Brussels
+32 (0)2/241.30.15 - information@b-e-m.org
www.b-e-m.org
PO Box 617 Epsom KT17 9JQ BEMUK@b-e-m.org
The 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.