Belgium Partnership
SC/CBF began a partnership with Baptists in Belgium in 2001. At that time, the idea was to link SC/CBF churches with the Union of Baptists in Belgium as well as with CBF field personnel working in the country.
Beginning in September 2007, the partnership takes a turn as SC/CBF is taking on some of the responsibility for sponsoring Janée Angel, a CBF Affiliate who is now the sole CBF worker in Brussels. As an Affiliate, Janée must raise her own funding, both for the ministry and her salary. She needs about $71,000 to meet the budget she has worked out with CBF.
SC/CBF through the missions committee is contributing $6,000 in 2007-08 toward her support. First Baptist Church in Aiken, the Baptist Church of Beaufort, and Oakland Baptist Church in Rock Hill are also contributing to her support.
Read about the work in Belgium from Janée's point of view. What does it mean to be an affiliate? At right Janee Angel. |
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This letter was written by Samuel Verhaeghe, president of the Union of Baptists in Belgium soon after the partnership was begun.
Needs in Belgium
By Rev. Samuel Verhaeghe
The Union of Baptists originated in 1892 and until 1989 we had nine churches and six pastors. The union also had one department, the Home Mission Board. All churches were French speaking. It was only in 1985 that we started the first Flemish speaking Baptist Church in Middelkerke. This Church needed to move because of space to another location in Lombardsijde. Now we have 29 churches and and a pastor in every one of them, who is a real blessing. We now have also five departments -- Home Mission Board, Education, Mission, Women and Youth.
Because we were seen for a long time as a cult, it was very difficult for us to grow and develop well. Being considered a cult, made it very difficult for our churches to rent buildings, so we need to buy them. Because the registration costs for the Government for the purchase of a building are so high, the churches needs to buy big buildings with growth possibilities. On top of that, they also need to pay for their own pastor. The taxes that the church has to pay for a pastor's salary are very high. To buy a piece of ground and build a Church is financially impossible.
It is therefore that the Union helps the churches by finding appropriate buildings. We need to buy second hand and big buildings with work to do and that is all we can afford. Before we buy the buildings we have meetings with the Local Authorities and Fire Brigade to look if the building is Ok to serve as a Public Building, a Church. In the past we were able to make plans and remodel the buildings year by year. Churches could do every year a change, pay for it and then do another and so on. For our churches who have an average of 40 to 60 members it is already a big challenge and burden to have to pay the salary and taxes for their pastor, repay the mortgage and the remodelling of their buildings. In the past we were also able to do a lot of remodelling and maintenance ourselves.
This suddenly changed because of a new law on public buildings. Everything changed and everybody needs to directly apply by this law. We bought two buildings under the old system but were placed without notice under this new law. Every public building needs to be fire-free totally before it can open its doors. Where once we could do a lot of works ourselves we now need to ask contractors who can give us the necessary attestations. Where once we could use normal materials we now have to do everything in firefree materials and this all triples the expenses.
If we will need to buy new buildings now, we will need to look on the buying price but also make a budget on what needs to be done immediately before going on with it but with this two last buildings we were caught in the middle, without any notice.
One of the two buildings in Liège was closed till we did all the necessary work and we gave full priority with our Union to do it, so that we could open the church as soon as possible. We emptied all our accounts to do so. We now still have one big burden and this is the Church of Lombardsijde. We need to do all the necessary works and make the entire building fire free etc. The total that we need is +- 371.840,29 € and till now I already have 123.946,76 €. We are not allowed to do a part of the works, we need to do them all at once and that is impossible for our church.
I really want to stress the very critical situation to all of you who reads this. Our churches are very important in this dark Belgium and we want to keep this church open. We need your prayers and your support to realise this. Let us not forget that Belgium is still a mission field. Belgium is seen as a rich country and the heart of Europe but we do not see the difficult situation of the churches who really have to fight to survive.
I am well aware that some churches or people cannot give big amounts but even little amounts will help us. Some people or churches are giving amounts on a one-time basis and others are giving one to five years of monthly support.
I really want to express my gratitude to you all for making it possible to share this burden with you and pray that our heavenly Father will guide you all it the to taken decisions.