Belgians are seeking spiritual answers - but not from the Bible.
Belgium (MNN) ― Operation Mobilization is holding its second annual "Hope Brussels" campaign from June 27 to July 11. About 46 people from seven countries are partnering with local churches to reach other cultures and religious groups in the capital of Belgium with the Gospel.
The team will work together with local churches on outreach projects and provide them with resources. Last year they partnered with a French Baptist church, a Charismatic church, an Iranian church, a French/Arabic church and an Evangelical Flemish church in the Schaarbeek and Evere neighborhoods.
Many international students and immigrants from the Middle East and North Africa live in Belgium, which is often called "The Crossroads of Europe." About 6 percent of the population is North African, Turkish, Kurdish, Chinese, Zairois, Albanians. Over three percent of the population is Muslim. OM has planted a bilingual church, reaching these groups as well as native Belgians in Gent, 45 minutes away from Brussels.
The ministry of "Hope Brussels" may involve community service projects, the distribution of free literature, music, drama, friendship evangelism, and outreach to Muslims. They also plan to use games, sports, and carnival activities to reach children and youth on the playgrounds near local churches.
"We feel that there is a great void in our city," said Jan Wisse, OM Belgium Field Leader.
Less than one percent of the 10 million people in Belgium are evangelical Christians. Ignorance of and indifference to the Gospel permeate the second most-densely populated country in Europe. 1.1 million people live in Brussels, which is the headquarters of the European Union and of NATO. OM is working to mobilize evangelism in and from this country that desperately needs the truth of the Gospel.
