September ‘17 - Issue 67 - trimonthly magazine - P206948
R LPH Magazine of the Belgian Evangelical Mission
is it possible to reach the youth with the gospel ? p.4-5
Guidelines p.2 The Edith Column with Lyssa Bode p.6 children’s evangelism p.7
editorial
Guidelines
Luc Salsac
When we listen to the news on the radio or television, we cannot but conclude that all is not well with the world. The items follow one after another, each one more tragic or more dramatic than the last. Recently there’ve been many tragedies involving young people and children. One adolescent committed suicide because of an exam failure; others have put an end to their lives after continual harassment at school and on social media. Yes, our young people are suffering, and they’re lacking guidelines A few years ago a Catholic organisation used advertisement hoardings in Herstal to mount a publicity campaign. It featured two children sitting on a bench with the wording: ‘They need guidelines. So why not the Gospel?’ Psalm 119 v.9 says: ‘How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your Word.’ Yes, our society has rejected God, and this idea is gaining ground all around us. Look at how young people are trying to exist by living life ‘to the full’, sometimes even putting their own lives in danger. It’s only the Word of God that can enable us to make sense of life, for He is the source of life.
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But there are also young people who want to transform the world, to change things. I’m hearing these days more and more frequently of young people who want to make things happen, who dream of making a difference. Some do take action, but many just dream about it. Perhaps they’ve become discouraged by the older people around them who’ve given up on their dreams... Yet there are many initiatives reaching out to the new generation. I’m so glad to see them already under way in our different situations. I rejoice in the work that BEM’s doing with ‘SportQuest’ and ‘Boost’ in bringing the Good News of Jesus to young people and children, for it is He and He alone who can transform lives to make them really able to make a difference in this world in which we live. I invite you to discover more in reading this issue of ‘RALPH’. Please pray for these efforts as they take place throughout the year, pray for the young people of our churches that they might be agents of change in our society, pray for the young people where we live so they might discover the revolutionary Word of the Gospel. And, above all, let’s love these children and young people who need guidelines, so that by the grace of God, we might be signposts leading to the Guide, He Who is the way, the truth and the life: Jesus.
refers to Ralph Norton. Ralph and his wife Edith founded the
Belgian Evangelical Mission in 1918. The BEM has a desire to bring the Gospel to the Belgian population.
COLO PH ON
This magazine keeps you posted on our work and our workers.
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Editor Luc Salsac
Team Eunice Parodi - Ciara Goossens Kathy Oost - Jan Willem Vink
Contact Bd Lambermont, 158 1030 Brussels Tel: +32(0)2/241.30.15. E-mail: information@b-e-m.org Website: www.b-e-m.org Facebook: Belgian Evangelical Mission
News in brief
HGB Genk
HGB Leuven
The BEM is proud to present William and Lyssa Bode, our new booksellers in Genk. Originally from Michigan (USA), this couple have four children and will soon have a total of 4 grandchildren. They began in July and William is now working full-time and Lyssa part-time in the bookshop. “We believe that God has called us to Flanders. When we saw the vacancy in BEM, we didn’t hesitate. This is a golden opportunity to serve the churches in Limburg and to encourage them in their relationship with the Lord and with each other.”
Marcel Cassier has replaced Linda Smit-Adriaens as bookseller in Het Goede Boek, Leuven. Born in Izegem, he has lived in Leuven for nearly 40 years and is married to Willemien. For a while he was pastor of the Evangelical Church in Leuven. Marcel is very enthusiastic about joining BEM. “Het Goede Boek can be an integral part of the life of the church. We can also meet up in the shop and talk about Him. At first I’ll be concentrating on the technical and administrative side of the bookshop. Linda will continue her ministry as a volunteer.”
A chapel for Limauges Following our desire to see Christians in Belgium deepen their relationship with God and with their brothers and sisters, the BEM is launching a new project: ‘A Chapel for Camp Limauges’. The last vestiges of Wing 58 (built in 1958), will make way for a quiet space offering all camp users a haven where they can just take time to be with God, either alone or with friends, for a few minutes or even a few hours, away from the normal hubbub of camp-life. Work will begin during the first quarter of 2019 and will cost between 125000 and 150000 Euros. Would you like to participate in this project? Every gift, be it monthly or one-off, is welcome. IBAN BE83 0011 9169 5015 / BIC GEBABEBB For more information please don’t hesitate to contact us at information@b-e-m.org
Erratum | A mistake in translation slipped into the June 2017 edition of RALPH. The Hoogstraten church, just like all
the BEM mission posts, does not baptise infants. Nikiwe, Jo-Anne and Michaella were in fact being presented to the church at a service of blessing. Please excuse us for any confusion caused. RALPH | 3
Is it possible to reach the ‘social media generation’ with the Gospel?
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or the young people of today, popularity is measured by the number of ‘likes’ they get and how many friends they have on Facebook. They’re judged on their physical appearance, on what is ‘cool’ or not ‘cool’: they feel the need to sell themselves to be noticed, to be heard, to be seen. And what happens when God is mentioned? And what about those who don’t really fit in? Kenneth De Heyn, aged 25, talks to us about SportQuest, a partner of BEM.
For the past two years Kenneth has been the coordinator for SportQuest Belgium, an organisation with the vision of reaching young people with the Gospel through sports camps. At present, Kenneth is in South Africa where he’s helping to set up a new branch of SQ. Before he left we took the opportunity of meeting him to learn more about youth evangelism. He begins enthusiastically: “As an organisation we work through partner churches. Our vision is to bring them into contact with young people.” Many young people participate in sport competitively or for fun, but what stands out is that Christian young people are under-represented among them. But a healthy lifestyle is valued by this generation. “We build relationships with young people by using sport” says Kenneth. “Of course, the sport attracts them, but it’s the atmosphere of enthusiasm that is our strength. It doesn’t matter if they are good at sport or not. We’re interested in the individual personally, not in their prowess in sport.” SportQuest wants to help them discover Who Jesus can be in their lives. For many RALPH | 4
youngsters this is very different from the image of a distant God that they’ve been taught. “On Facebook, events propose three choices – ‘Going’, ‘Maybe’ or ‘Not going’. Sometimes 50% click on ‘going’ and no one turns up.” When Kurt Maeyens met with the Chairman of SportQuest Ministries USA in 2000, he was already dreaming of a Belgian branch of SportQuest. Today Kurt is BEM director for Flanders and Chairman of SportQuest Belgium. The day to day running is in the hands of local coordinators. “In the future, we hope to create a closer partnership with BEM,” Kenneth tells us. Time for a key question – is social media an obstacle or a good means of reaching young people? SportQuest has integrated social media into its communication strategy. Kenneth explains, “Social media can be a useful tool. On the other hand
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we must be careful to maintain a balance. Personal (face to face) contact is always better.” He regrets the lack of depth and commitment among young people. “On Facebook, events propose three choices – ‘Going’, ‘Maybe’ or ‘Not going’. Sometimes 50% click on ‘going’ and no one turns up.” And he concludes that organisations are right to use social media-as long as they don’t replace IRL meetings (In Real Life). “Young people will do anything to fit in.” If being popular is the new standard, has God become just another option? What’s the impact of all this on young people? Kenneth replies, “Superficiality – the danger of ending up in a bubble. Our view of the world becomes so limited. And if we only see the world through a computer screen, it’s difficult... But this group of young people is really a separate target group. The sport-lovers who sign up with us are not the same group as those who spend hours in front of a computer.” But Kenneth is not advocating evangelism using social media alone. In his eyes, social pressure via social media is responsible for so much damage to young people. He explains that in this screen age, more than ever before, young people feel the need to belong to a group. “They’ll do anything in order to be included, just so they’re not treated as outsiders. If they say they’re believers, they’re at risk.” For those who’ve chosen to follow Jesus, there is the fear of being mocked. “Fear is the Enemy’s greatest weapon. It can completely paralyse us.” So SportQuest tries to stay in contact with them throughout the year. But if we’re trying to reach out to young people, which is preferable – sport or social media? “We try to increase their interest in Jesus by talking to them about what He’s done in our lives.” During a sports camp, all the team members share their testimonies as starting points for group discussion. But over the last few years, they’ve seen a negative side to this approach: “The youngsters tend to put us on a pedestal! So we do everything we can to avoid the hero worship of our teammembers.” This summer, the testimonies will be clearly linked
to Bible stories, “In this way, Christ is at the forefront and our personal experiences are no more than secondary.” “In Europe, Belgium is seen as the ‘missionaries’ graveyard’.” Sometimes it seems that young Christians see faith differently from their parents’ generation. They want fewer rules: they want to be free. In their eyes, there’s no need to go to church every Sunday. What does Kenneth think? “I don’t think that’s a good thing. The Bible message hasn’t changed. It’s important to go to church and meet other brothers and sisters.” He’s speaking from personal experience; he found out for himself that a young man needs to be fed spiritually: “When I didn’t belong to a church, my faith was sterile, but when I’d settled somewhere, when I began to pray and listen to preaching as part of a fellowship, that’s when I grew spiritually.” SportQuest trains leaders for young people’s groups in local churches to ensure follow-up for the young Christians and spiritual growth. In conclusion, we asked Kenneth to describe his vision for the next ten years. Does he expect a great revival among Belgian young people or do we still need to be patient? “I believe that there is progress in Belgium,” he replies enthusiastically, “Over the last five years, I’ve noticed an increasing interest. I can see a great opening among young people. In Europe, Belgium is considered ‘the missionaries’ graveyard’ because of our closed culture. But I’m optimistic. Christian organisations are redefining themselves and gaining ground in our land. Look at the BEM. In ten years’ time, the fields will be white unto harvest.” SportQuest camps took place this year in: Genk, Ghent, Gentbrugge, Geraardsbergen, Herentals, and in the Mission posts of Denderleeuw and Brakel. In the longer term, we hope to work in Wallonia as well.
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The edith column Lyssa Bode If the train is full of students with their suitcases, it must be Friday! This phenomenon greeted me on my commutes from Brussels to Genk; where I got on at Centraal or Noord, I could see the Gent students buried in their books or chatting with friends, and the rest got on at Leuven. It was an indication of the importance and closeness of the Belgian family. Loving parents were waiting at the station to bring their children safely back to the family nest. Weekends would be filled with family parties, a night out with friends, and studying before Sunday evening found them back on the train with their suitcases full of clean clothes for the coming week. This weekly ritual so differed from my own experience as a first-year student in the US. I chose a university a 15-hour drive away and so managed to get home only at the Christmas holidays that year. So I’ve found the closeness, both in proximity and emotion, of the Belgian family remarkable and admirable. I see a similar commitment amongst friends. Because so many Belgians live in the same place they’ve always lived (some even in the same house their entire lives!), their friendships can have the depth that builds over a lifetime. This baksteen in de buik is a steadying social force quite new to me, as one who has just a week ago made her 23rd house move. Belgian stability can, however, frustrate us newcomers who are used to decisiveness and action. If the decision and action would have taken a week in the US, it would take a month in the UK (our 2nd home) and perhaps a year here in steady Belgium. God has been growing patience in me and slowing me down enough to begin to enjoy the slower pace--well, most of the time! As I look around in my new apartment above Het Goede Boek in Genk, I see some of the furniture, objects and family photos accumulated over this life’s adventure--much the same as any Belgian family’s. And when I look out my living room window at the Belgian sky sometimes reminiscent of Rene Magritte’s painting The Empire of Light, I know that I’m looking at the same sun, moon and stars I saw in my Michigan birthplace and my northern England second home that I now see with my Belgian brothers and sisters. In the grand scheme of things, we’re really not so different after all.
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DÉBORAH ZANDER reaching children and young people
In our last issue we talked over coffee with Geneviève... now it’s Déborah ’s turn - and she only drinks tea. So if we human beings are made up of 65% water, it’s probably true that in her case, this involves a very high level of tannin! www.la-courte-echelle.be
Hello, Déborah. Has young people’s work always been a big factor in your life? Yes, you could say that. I’m one of the two co-ordinators for ‘Boost’, the children’s department of BEM. We produce evangelistic activity kits for use with non-Christian children aged 6 to 12. I’m also a primary school teacher in Gembloux. In addition to these two part-time jobs, I’m one of the leaders for the teenage group in my church. Your parents are both BEM missionaries, you were already in the ‘Boost’ team, so why didn’t you just carry on as a volunteer? I felt the need to be accountable to someone, to be part of a team and to be linked up with other missionaries. I found I needed this framework to maintain my motivation. And ‘Boost’ is far more than just a hobby for me. I want to dedicate my life to God’s service, and if I had to choose between the two jobs, there’s no question in my mind as to which is the most important! I enjoy the variety this ministry offers, and the satisfaction of seeing a project we’ve been working on all year come through to completion. And I have the joy of spending time with children ‘on the field’ after a year of activity behind the scenes. So why carry on with the teaching? I’d like to keep a foot in both camps. I want to know what people in the world of work are going through, to have time with my colleagues who don’t know the Lord and with whom I hope to be able to share His love. And I want to be a blessing to my young pupils who are living without Jesus.
‘Boost’ evangelises children by using themed activities. Are you yourself the fruit of children’s evangelism? I was converted when I was very small. If no-one had been evangelising children (either inside the church or outside) that could never have happened! As a child I accompanied my parents and participated in their outreach activities. I was baptised at 14 and I helped in the children’s campaigns as a teenager. I then went through a difficult time spiritually but when God came to my rescue, I really wanted to be on fire for Him. I spent a year at Geneva Bible Institute to receive training plus letting God work on my character, and today I am fully involved in the ministry ‘Boost’. What’s your vision for reaching young people in Belgium today? For the 6 to 12 year olds, which is the target group of ‘Boost’, we need a lot of love and tact, but we mustn’t be afraid of telling them the truth: children can understand that. We must be witnesses of love and joy, and models of trust and stability. We need to constantly bear in mind their family background, because a child never lives alone. And it’s always more enjoyable to be offering them age-appropriate fun activities! My experience with the 12-17 year olds in our church has shown me that teenagers today are desperately in need of people who model trust and the trustworthiness which is anchored in the faith. I know how much that can change their lives. I love to see them grow and change.
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Our new strategy - we’re making progress The BEM is going through a period of change! As you’ll have read in the previous issue of RALPH, for some months now we’ve been working on this with a team made up of BEM missionaries and other friends from outside the Mission. The aim is to set out a new strategy. We need to understand how our organisation can reach out with the Gospel in Belgium in a way that is both relevant and contemporary. In the near future we’ll be presenting a re-formulation of our vision to the BEM National Council, and then to all our co-workers at a special ‘Vision Day’ conference. At the end of the year, our new strategy will be adopted during an extraordinary A.G.M. During our meetings, the team has been considering subjects such as ‘What is the Church?’ and ‘Planting churches or training disciples?’ We’ve also been analysing different theological visions of Mission in the 21st century, social justice, how we see Belgium, and what we consider important for mission work today.
Also at the forefront of our minds is the Mission’s Centenary in 2019. To celebrate this we want to initiate 100 missionary projects right across Belgium – projects on both the national and the local level. Will you pray for us during the months to come? Please pray that God will make His will clear: that He will show us His plans for our country. We long to see, in the coming years, many of the inhabitants of Belgium accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Could you participate in this great project by making an extra special gift? We’d like to thank the ‘Opwekking’ Foundation for a generous gift of 5000 Euros donated during their last conference. Nevertheless, we still need more. Could you contribute financially to the BEM renewal and the preparations for our Centenary? At the bottom of the page you’ll find all the necessary information. Thank you in advance for your support!
CAF Bank 25, Kings Hill Avenue Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent ME19 4JQ Account: Belgian Evangelical Mission PO Box 617 Epsom, Surrey KT17 9JQ Sort Code 40 52 40 Account number 00008831