trimonthly magazine - Issue 75 P206948
september - novembre 2019
R LPH Road journal
Editorial - “Come” or “Go” ?
| p.2
Incarnation: Becoming Knowable
| p.6
The new AGORA department
| p.9
Living it – incarnating Jesus
| p.10
| EDITORIAL
“Come” or “Go” ? In this new issue of our journal, we are opening a triptych that will display, step by step, the key to our new VIANOVA strategy. Our aim is to see a movement of integrated communities of disciples of Jesus blossom everywhere in Belgium. So we need to initiate the energy needed to generate a movement that will, potentially, perpetuate.
“I chose you and appointed you to go.” (John 15 v.16) “Jesus... called to Him those He wanted, and they came to Him… that He might send them out….” (Mark 3 v.13 & 14)
This is more of a rediscovery than something new. When we look to Jesus, we see Him use two commands that are apparently contradictory when He tells us to “Come!” and to “Go!”
“He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also designated apostles.” (literally – ‘those who are sent’) (Luke 6 v.13)
Jesus calls us all to come to Him to receive His Spirit 1, to find rest 2 …but when He calls His disciples to Him, it is not to sit comfortably around Him and wait for others to join in. Jesus calls His disciples to Him, to send them out…. Just after “Come!” there is an immediate “Go!”
This sending out into the world, first of all to those who are the weakest and to those who are lost, is addressed to all His disciples. “As My Father has sent me, I am sending you.” (John 20 v.21) We may not all be called to leave our way of life, our family, our home, our jobs but we are
Editor Jan Wisse artwork cover page Benny Raemdonck Subscription Trimonthly magazine - free Subscribe/unsubscribe: info@vianova.be Production Quality Dots B.V.
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“Jesus called His twelve disciples… These twelve Jesus sent out….” (Matt. 10 v.1 & 5)
Contact Romboutsstraat 7 1932 Zaventem - BELGIUM Tel: +32(0)2/241.30.15. E-mail: info@vianova.be Website: www.vianova.be • Facebook: vianova.be Twitter: vianova_be • YouTube: VIANOVA Privacy We protect our subscribers’ privacy: https://www.vianova.be/fr/declarationvieprivee (FR)
WHO IS RALPH ? RALPH Norton
Belgian
founded the
Evangelical
Mission,
renamed VIANOVA in 2019. The quarterly column written by different ladies in our organisation is called EDITH, after his wife. This magazine is like a road journal that will bring you along on our journey as we see a thriving movement
Eric Zander
Director Strategy
all called to go to others with the deliberate intention of showing them Jesus: at work, in the neighbourhood, to our friends, to our families….
of integrated Communities of disciples of Jesus throughout Belgium.
QUESTION & ANSWER
For too long our evangelism could be summed up as the organisation of events to invite in the lost, or as the verbal proclamation of the Gospel in public places to complete strangers. We want to respond to His call by incarnating the life of Jesus among our contemporaries, praying that God will open hearts and lead us to those who are seeking Him.
Next time, in order to make our
We need to incarnate Jesus in the world, across all levels of society, by developing our networks of normal relationships and initiating new networks. God is already at work. Let’s go and join Him. That’s how the movement gets underway.
ple question or something more
Eric Z.
we will include a selection of
newsletter more interactive, we will be launching something new. Do you have questions for us, or comments? Is there something you are not clear about or would you just like to send us a compliment? Whether you have a simdifficult to ask about the new vision, the new strategy, please don’t hesitate to email us at ralph@vianova.be . Each time, your reactions together with our
1
John 7 v.37 2 Matt. 11 v.28
answers. We will be writing this section with you! So your contributions are very important!
TRIPTYCH
Our strategy is to incarnate Jesus (I), to make disciples (D) and to bring these disciples together to form communities (C). In this issue of Ralph, our chosen subject is incarnating Jesus. The cover page is part of a triptych.
| NEWS IN BRIEF
Rebekah is 21 and is a student at St. Andrews University in Scotland. As part of her studies, she needs to spend a minimum of 7 months in a French-speaking country. She has chosen to come to Wallonia for a placement with VIANOVA.
Blake is 24 and comes from the United States. He is joining VIANOVA for at least two years. We are very happy to welcome our new trainees and all the skills they bring us. Read more on page 10.
ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN…. In July 1969, Neil Armstrong, setting foot on the moon for the first time, said, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind!” Fifty years later, it is the Creator of the Universe Himself Who comes to place His footprint in the centre of the smallest of our towns, one more giant leap for the Kingdom of God! This summer, the new programme of Boost*, “To infinity”, introduced children to the One Who knows all the stars and gives each of them a name. By our faithful ‘small steps’ over several years in Ganshoren, Herstal and Gembloux and through our investment in various groups in the town, the League of Families, the ‘Intergenerational House’, the Red Cross… our firm footing in the town has allowed us to live out and to share our faith freely. In Gembloux, we have even received a subsidy from the council to cover the cost of our activities. Nothing is too difficult for the Creator! *our Children’s Department
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vi inau an g ov ur a c ati en on te r!
SATURDAY
21 sep. ST
2019
MOVING TO ZAVENTEM The sale of the Norton House property and the purchase of our new building have been finalised! Everything has been transferred and we are back at work. We thank everyone who helped to organise the move and all those who helped with the removal. We praise the Lord for this magnificent new building. Would you like to take a look at our new offices? You can! On Saturday 21st September, the doors will be open to all! Come and visit the building during this celebratory event and enjoy the activities that have been planned. For further information: www.vianova.be
Saturday 21st September 10 am: Welcome, coffee 10.30 am: Inaugural ceremony 11 am - 15 am: • Guided tours • Discovery game for families • Free barbecue (drinks on sale) • Desserts buffet • ‘LBL - HGB’ book table and second-hand Christian books
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Incarnation: Becoming Knowable How well do your neighbours know you? Do they know your family? Do they know about your job? Your interests? Maybe you like the same TV shows or restaurants. Maybe you enjoy the same sports. Maybe you vote for the same political party. Or maybe not. Jesus’ neighbours knew him. They knew his mother and his siblings. They knew his job. They knew his house. They saw him grow up. He was one of them. “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” They felt that they knew him so well that they were offended when he started presuming to be someone else, to be someone of importance. Did he think he was better than them? 1 Jesus intentionally lived in such a way that his neighbors would know him, that he would be “one of them”. We call this Incarnation. From the beginning, Jesus has been God. He is the creator God without whom nothing was created. But his life was transformed from being in the form of God to being in the form of a human. 2 He put aside all his rights and power as God of the universe, and came to live among men and women, neighbours and co-workers, religious and non-religious, those who were well-to-do and those who were needy. 3
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We learn about Jesus’ incarnation from the second chapter of Philippians. 4 Incarnation implies a physical movement from one place to another. Jesus moved from his place with God, the Father, to his place with us. In addition, he took on the role of a servant. I would have thought he should take on the role of a king, or a military commander, or a governor, at least. But he chose the form of a servant. Most people in servant roles feel stuck, with no other career option. Jesus was happy to take it on. One of the primary impulses in Jesus is his humility. He did not cling to his position, but he willingly made himself vulnerable, subject to the human race. He considered other people before he considered himself. He was not lost, however, to the whims of man. He had an objective, which describes another motivation: he sought to honour and obey the will of the Father, even knowing that it would take him to his death. As we examine this chapter, we are advised to “have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” In this, we have a great advantage that Jesus won for us by his death and resurrection. “For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this: that one died for all, therefore all died, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him
who died and rose again on their behalf.” 5 We have a transformed life—we carry in us the resurrected life of Jesus! We can incarnate Jesus in the world around us with this confidence. We can take on the role of a servant; we can be humble and vulnerable; we can be obedient and intentional. How well do your neighbours know you? A lot depends on how humble and vulnerable you are with them, how deliberate you are at considering their needs above your own, and how obedient you are in living out the life of Jesus.
D
C
I
1
Mark 6:3, 2 Philippians 2:6-7, 3John 1:1-3,14 4 Philippians 2:1-11, 5 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
“ Incarnation implies a physical movement from one place to another. Jesus moved from his place with
God, the Father, to his place with us. “
I C
D
Incarnate Jesus Kurt Diederich
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EDITH Connecting through serving
Julia Diederich VIANOVA Gembloux
“Hello, how are you?” Evelyne bounded in each Friday morning using her best English to greet our French-speaking crew at the Red Cross kitchen. We were gathering to prepare soup for our Friday Soup Bar. I worked on a team with the same three ladies also volunteering each week. We always remarked at how well we got along. We laughed together, shared about our families and our everyday life. I particularly enjoyed my friendship with Evelyne. She always wanted to work on the English she had just learned in a class she was taking on Fridays right before the soup bar. Over time, we got to know each other on a more personal level. Evelyne practiced her English with me, and she helped me with my French. As we grew closer, Evelyne found it interesting that I was a Christian and that I worked with l’Autre Rive in Gembloux. I explained our innovative and welcoming service, and our desire to integrate ourselves into the community. I asked about her religious background, and she explained that she was raised Catholic, but that she left the church in her early twenties because it didn’t have any meaning for her. She went through the motions but it made no connection in her mind. I showed her a photo of our service which we hold in a school cafeteria. People were enjoying coffee and pastries and talking leisurely at tables set up around the room. I told her she would feel very welcome and at ease if she came. I invited her to our Easter service and she came with no hesitation. She even brought a dish for our potluck afterwards. During the service, Evelyne was very much at home. She followed the teaching, ate lunch and enjoyed herself. Evelyne has come to a couple more services along with our end-of-year BBQ. She is getting to know others and enjoys this new spiritual input into her life. When I think of errands I need to do, or if I want to go for a walk, I think how I can organise myself to do it with Evelyne. Some other activities we have enjoyed together include attending Red Cross training on “Burnout”, shopping and having tea. I always look forward to my time with Evelyne. I appreciate the genuine nature of our friendship and the mutual desire to seek the Lord together.
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AGORA |
It is now two years since the B. E. M. in Belgium launched a process of reflection on its raison d’être and its strategy. This was a stimulating process that brought us to our current transition into VIANOVA – with our identity, vision and strategy renewed. In this ever-changing world, it seems indispensable that we maintain this energy of reflection. We need to do this in order to continue translating the unchangeable truth of the Gospel into a strategy relevant to our context. So VIANOVA is opening a new department of ‘Research and Development’ that will stimulate
continuous reflection, develop appropriate resources and train leaders. AGORA will be launched by a symposium bringing together a hundred or so participants from different western contexts (innovative leaders, authors, church pioneers, theologians, artists, …) for three days this November:
TRAINING Because our 100 years of heritage in evangelism and church planting does not mean the end of the story but the beginning of a new adventure. The AGORA symposium is accessible only by personal invitation, but will offer two special evenings in collaboration with the Faculty of Evangelical Theology in Heverlee, open to all:
• •
Wednesday 13th November -19:30 pm ‘Integrated mission’
Thursday 14th November – 19:30 pm ‘Gospel communities involved in their neighbourhoods’’ Venue : The ‘La Foresta’ Conference Centre’ (Prosperdreef 9 - 3054 Vaalbeek)
These evenings will begin with a short theological introduction given by the faculty’s professors, followed by the comments from a panel of practitioners and an open question and answer session.
The new AGORA department will occupy one floor of the new VIANOVA center (Romboutsstraat 7, in Zaventem), with an area for training, resources (with a specialised library) and reflection. The first training session to be offered is: “VIANOVA, a new way for the Church of today” (with Eric Zander) The biblical and cultural basis for re-imagining the church and its place in the world with suggestions for practical application. Saturday 19th Oct., 23rd Nov., and 14th Dec. • From 9 am to 12:30 pm in French • From 1:30pm- 5 pm in English/Dutch further information and registration at www.vianova.be/agora
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| INTERVIEW
« the difference that He has brought to my life should be reflected in all my actions »
LIVING IT – INCARNATING JESUS
Participation, integration, community, journeying, incarnating Jesus, making disciples, bringing them together as a Community…. All these words, all these concepts merge and leave us with one burning question – when it comes down to it, what does VIANOVA do? Let’s ask our trainees. They are from different backgrounds, for our placements are not only for bible school students. Each of them has a heart set on incarnating Jesus in their daily life. Géraud and Elsa joined VIANOVA in September 2018 as part of a two-year placement with the Geneva Bible School. Great fans of motorbikes, of nature, of creative and craft activities, they are interested in people, especially young people. Rebekah is taking advantage of her gap year abroad to join the ranks of VIANOVA. A musician and artist, she loves to help and encourage others. Blake is crossing the Atlantic and will face the shock of a new language; if he wants to mirror Jesus in Wallonia, he will need to learn French. Leaving their comfort zone They could have chosen anywhere for their placement, but Géraud and Elsa came to Belgium. Why? Because VIANOVA encourages everyone to “incarnate Jesus”. In imitation of Christ Who was willing to leave the glory of heaven to join Man where he was and to live with him, our Swiss friends have de-
Eunice Parodi
cided to live ‘in’ society as salt and light. This decision has changed their vision of the world, their involvement and their interaction with those around them. The combination of English and Scottish culture in her life has given Rebekah a real penchant for diversity. What country could better satisfy her curiosity than Belgium, a land of contrasts and oddities of language and culture? Incarnating Jesus is, for her, synonymous with the presence of God that helps differences and divisions to be overcome and unifying what is usually separate. God created us to be different and He loves us. When we understand that He became incarnate in order to re-establish a relationship with us, the prejudices we may have about our society fall away. Very committed to his local church, Blake asks himself the following question: how can I give a taste of Jesus to those around me? In becoming integrated, for a time, into a Belgian society still unknown to him, he is choosing to go and meet his new fellow citizens through sport or public initiatives already underway. A lifestyle Géraud and Elsa have become integrated into various organisations and local activities – help for migrants, a people’s café, a local cafeteria, the Red
Géraud & Elsa
Cross… This is not merely in response to the VIANOVA principle of integration, it is because to incarnate Jesus, to reflect Him, they are responding to His call by loving their neighbour and caring for the oppressed. Incarnating the Lord, does this mean a new nature? It seems to be more of a reflex. “Incarnating Jesus on a daily basis, particularly on a social level, demands continual effort and it would be presumptuous to say that it has become natural for us,” confess Géraud and Elsa. “However, we can no longer imagine life without thinking this way about other people and the world around us. We hope that we will remain willing to be used by God to bear witness to His love. In fact, in many ways, it seems easier and more spontaneous to be going out to folk rather than in asking them to come to us.” A year is scarcely long enough to become integrated into the fabric of local society but Rebekah is ready to accept the challenge. As she already speaks French she hopes to quickly find ways of sharing the love of God with those who cross her path, even if it has to be on a temporary basis. “Incarnating Jesus is not only for Sundays, it’s a way of life,” Rebekah explains. “Whether I am in church or with my friends, when I am at work with non-believers or participating in a Bible study, my ‘incarnation’, that is, God in me and the difference that He has brought to my life, should be reflected in all my actions.”
Blake
Rebekah
When he is playing beach volleyball with his friends, Blake has the habit of inviting passersby to join in. In fact, this shared enthusiasm generally facilitates those first contacts. “I incarnate Jesus when I meet people where they are in their lives. I need to go out to them as Jesus did, as Paul did before me,” he adds. Accessible to all What would happen if every believer deliberately chose to better understand and to love others, to do good to those around? What impact would it have if each, in their own way, were to allow Jesus to incarnate Himself in every part of their lives? Géraud and Elsa invite you to ask yourself these questions – how can I love, help, encourage, mobilise myself for those around? How can I join in something already going on in my town? Blake insists that our contacts with others must show the love and interest we have for them. The process may, indeed, take a long time but it is a great investment for the Kingdom of God. Rebekah concludes, “If you are a Christian but just not convinced that God can use you for His mission, don’t let your doubts stop you. When the children of God incarnate Him there where God has placed them, they are participating in the re-establishment of the relationship between the Creator and His creatures. He lives in us and loves us, follow Him.”
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VIANOVA RECRUITS ... ACCOUNTS ASSISTANT You enjoy working with figures, you have had training (and/or experience) in accounts, you are motivated and you want to serve the Gospel as part of our administrative team…? We are looking for an assistant for the daily accounts and the regular financial reports of our registered charities. ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT You enjoy following through the administrative side of a project, you enjoy correspondence, telephone contacts, translation. You are at ease with the IT tools used for administration, you have had training (and/or experience) in office work, you are motivated and want to serve the Gospel as part of our administrative team? We are looking for a multilingual administrative assistant, French/English and/or Dutch/English.
Romboutsstraat 7 | 1932 Zaventem www.vianova.be “The Belgian Evangelical Mission – UK is a registered charity n°247192 and a registered data user” United Kingdom Belgian Evangelical Mission UK PO Box 617 Epsom, Surrey KT17 9JQ
Bank account: CAF Bank, 25 Kings Hill Avenue Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent ME19 4JQ - Sort code: 40 52 40 Account Number: 00008831
donation@vianova.be
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Lisa_rob_clark@bellsouth.net USBEM@bellsouth.net Bank info: Routing: 061000227 Account: 2000127122209