Please help to ignite the Great Re-Awakening in Europe

[Inhocsigno]

Some wonderful news to report, friends. The volunteers in my own small group are but a tiny and humble contingent within the Great Awakening effort, and we can keep track of only a fraction of the Awakeners who've made the move to carry out this great effort in the European heartland. But we've just received word nonetheless, of the 100th child born within our group overseas. His name is Laurence, and he was baptized in the name of the Lord just this past weekend.

His parents hail originally from Florida and Texas, but they have made their new permanent home in the northeast of France, where they have been working to revive the local churches in this traditionally Huguenot region. Laurence will of course know of his proud American (Scottish-American) roots, but he will grow up as a French citizen, speaking French and German (as is customary in the region) and most important, he will grow up with the kinship of his fellow parishioners and their children within the house of the Lord, as they once again spread the Gospel within the French communities who have been longing to hear it again. Our praise and blessings go to all of you who seek to join them in this effort.

 

[Inhocsigno]

Another of our Great Re-Awakener families with roots in Florida has more heartening news, my friends. They have moved to a town not far from Antwerp (in Flemish Belgium), and for nearly three years have been involved in church refurbishment and strengthening efforts in both Belgium and the neighboring Netherlands, as well as additional recruitment of Christian families from North America to settle in these two lands. They are starting a family there, but they also wanted to pass on the word that, thanks to the hard work and efforts of the North Americans and Australians who've moved to the region, a total of six churches-- in danger of shuttering-- are now remaining open, in addition to a seventh being built. Falling attendance had threatened these glorious ancient houses of worship, but attendance is now the highest it has been in two decades. Keep up the good work all of you and keep us posted, these are the results we all look forward to hearing!

 

[SteelyDave]

Hi to all,

Regards from another Arizona young couple, embarking on the Great Re-Awakening next year. My wife and I, our wonderful kids, and our neighbors- a generous and kind-hearted Mormon couple who first notified of us of the Great Re-Awakening- will all be moving in May 2012 for Sweden, setting up near the south Swedish city of Malmo. As far as we know, several efforts even preceding the Great Re-Awakening have helped to save a number of Malmo churches that were in danger of closing, lining the pews with both native Swedes and Christian immigrants- from the US, Canada, Chile and Australia- enough to convince the authorities that a real re-awakening is in progress. Another church is being built already, and several successful efforts have been launched to bring some of Malmo's Turkish and Albanian immigrant population into our faith as well (which I see is also being pursued elsewhere). We're always happy to welcome more individuals and families on board to our effort on Malmo. The economy is good in Sweden (I'm just a humble stonemason who's already found employment there) and the Swedish language is manageable enough that the adjustment is striaghtforward. The more the merrier! Whatever our denominational differences, it's most important to join forces for the re-awakening together. Greetings and blessings to all of you out there joining us in this.

 

[Brendalis]

One of our associate pastors passed on the word of the great re-awakening to our little church in north Texas a few months ago, several of us have already committed to participating! We were wondering, is there a good way to choose which country to move to, where to start a family for those of us staying on? Like many north Texans my husband and I have a mostly German background, not far away from Dwight D. Eisenhower's hometown in fact, from previous posts, is it easier then for us to move to Germany and participate in the re-awakening there? A few of our members also want to set up in France or Scandinavia, one in Holland even several in Portugal, Greece or Italy on the Meditteranean! We're all looking forward to commit and work hard on it, how can we set up in these countries?

 

[Inhocsigno]

Greetings Brendalis, I'm not sure if I have answers to all your questions but I'll try to cover the basics.

-- Language: German has become a form of common language for the effort Europe-wide, partly because of the focus of the early efforts and also partly because Europe's economic centers use the language, making it valuable for our efforts wherever you go on the continent. That being said, you should learn not only German but whatever local language is prominent in the region where you will be participating, either through direct ministry, Bible study, church-building, mentoring or simply increasing attendance at churches already present, but with small congregations. Our ministry, whatever our personal denomination, is of course highly personal and must reach the local populations at a local level. Likewise, the Re-Awakening's success depends on our ability to blend in and assimilate with the local populations (including migrating permanently and raising our families there), providing the sheer force of numbers that can help carry our message and ensure it is planted. The language is essential for this, but you should not hesitate to make the move if you are not yet fluent. That will come with your commitment in the new country.

-- Work and visas: This is somewhat of a challenge due to the world's economic problems, but less so in Europe because it's economy has been better than North America, so there will be a practical route for you to set up there, work and commence your ministry. You don't necessarily need to have high education or special skills, just a willingness to work hard (including in blue-collar professions), and especially to innovate and start new businesses that create jobs in the new country. This will make the visa process easy as this is what they seek, even businesses like hardware stores, or plumbers can contribute. The best route, if you have this sort of knack, is to demonstrate that you have a new idea that could potentially be patented and start businesses, since this creates new jobs that would not otherwise be present. That approach will help significantly in getting a work visa, followed by settlement and citizenship.

The other factor to remember is that Europe is not an immigrant continent like North America or Australia, so it does help to demonstrate specific ancestry in the country to which you move (or at least some ethnic connection with it). It sounds like you have this already, which would make it much easier to move to Germany or neighboring countries. Remember that you can also change your surname to a local equivalent, especially if you have German or Dutch, Scandinavian ancestry to begin with (like Smith to Schmidt, Taylor to Schneider, Farmer to Bauer, Fisher to Fischer, Friend to Freund). Just do everything you can to demonstrate your ancestry in or around the relevant countries, and they'll see you as already having a strong connection to their societies.

Conversion efforts -- If possible, learn some Albanian, Kurdish or Turkish, some of the chief immigrant communities in Europe to whom we are also delivering our message, especially if you are in a country like the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Germany or France. These individuals are often especially eager to not only embrace the Gospel, but to assist our efforts.

Good luck to you and your husband, and we send our gratitude for your commitment and interest.

 

[BorderHopper]

I was interested to see this thread since the reason that I am on this website to begin with is because I was wishing that there was a way to make an impact where I live and since I saw no opportunity I thought I could at least throw myself into an online community. I live in Switzerland in a town which is bilingual (French and Swiss German) and while I speak some French I dont really speak any German which really limits my outreach abilities. There are also several ministries here but they need people more fluent in French and German than I am. So here I am.

 

[Inhocsigno]

Greetings BorderHopper, you're probably quite well-poised regardless to partake in the ministry efforts in Europe. It's a bottom-up effort in any case, and since you already reside on the continent, you're likely to possess a greater knowledge base and understanding of the practicalities than most others starting out. My understanding is that both France and French-speaking south Belgium (especially the old Huguenot regions of northern France) have a number of independent efforts looking for ministries-- from helping to build churches, to conversion efforts (especially for the local Turkish and Kurdish populations), to simply attracting groups interested in attending services (filling the pews and preventing church closures). Given the base you've already built up in French, you're well-poised to join the effort in such countries. Best of luck to you and God Bless you and your family.

 

[Francescapl]

Another soon to be Awakener chiming in here! Some of the churches in the SW have been esp active in helping us to handle the minutia of moving, it's a big help.

My family is scattered thruout Arizona and New Mexico, but two of our branches will soon be moving to W France and the Dutch countryside, in November of 2011. We're mainly helping to shore up three small churches in those countries which were languishing from lack of attendance and encouraging there further growth.

May be a modest contribution but all added up with the other Awakeners, I know we're doing something great here. My little cousins will be growing up French and my Dutch still needs some work, but we'll be sticking together in our new homes regardless. I'd also like to add how wonderfully open the effort has been. Some of the other Awakeners I've met have been Baptists, or Catholics, Mormons, Methodists, Episcopalians, Lutherans yet we don't let our Denominational differences get in the way. We're all too filled with joy to be helping with this effort.

 

[Inhocsigno]

Greetings Francesca, our thanks and blessings to you as you embark on your much-needed effort. Please don't hesitate to share your adventures in your new home as you encounter them!

 

[Archimedus]

Hello all, my group isn't directly involved with Great Reawakening per se, we first came to Europe's continent from mostly US and Australia about five years before in 2001. But we would be delighted if some of you decide to team up, as we've seen our work mentioned a few times here. We're part of the Skanderbeg Movement, known by several alternate names, which is focused on helping to bring Europe's scattered ethnic Albanian population into our faith, both in their homelands, ie Albania and Kosovo, and especially among the scattered Albanian migrant populations in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Austria, Norway, Greece, Italy and Spain.

Skanderbeg as I see has been mentioned, was a devout and beloved Christian spiritual and secular leader for the Albanian people in the 15th century, as they faced hundreds of years of hardship at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. His historical example continues to inspire his people, and we in the Movement invoke his example to introduce an environment of inclusiveness and respect for the Albanian communities. Many of them are poor and anxious as they attempt to plant roots elsewhere in Europe, also those in Albania and Kosovo continue face poverty and uncertainty for there communities.

Our own members stem from several denominations, but our common thread is sharing the love of Christ and the Word to the populations here, and inviting them into our fold. We minister to them from a standpoint of love and respect, and lead by example. So far we have brought several communities chiefly in the Netherlands, France, Austria, Germany and Sweden into our churches, and have had some success even in Kosovo and Albania themselves. Bibles in the Albanian language are now widely available, as are numerous commentaries and other tracts specific to their heritage and concerns.

We have also been able to extend our efforts with some early success to Europe's scattered Kurdish, Bosnian and Turkish communities, who are share historical links with the Albanian peoples. The principles of our ministry are the same as for our work with the Albanian Diaspora, and we have helped to distribute Turkish, Bosnian and Kurdish-language Bibles to their respective communities, with high conversion rates and of greatest importance, volunteers from those groups who bring the Gospel to their other communities. Our networks are loose and informal as these efforts are in general, so there's no formal organization to subscribe to, but anyone coming to Europe would be welcome to find partners and/or start your own branch of the Skanderbeg Movement. We'd love to have you!

 

[Archimedus]

Merry Christmas and Advent to everyone! We wanted to spread the joyful news that
dozens in the heartland European Albanian and Turkish communities have joined our fold in the past month alone. As reminder, we are part of the Skanderbeg Movement based in France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Scandinavia, our focus on bringing the Gospel to the Albanian, Turkish and Kurdish immigrant communities in Europe’s heartland. We placed a special emphasis on a Christmas message of faith and charity recently, along with Bibles available in Albanian, Turkish and Kurdish language- as well as German, and Dutch and French (or Swedish, Danish). We invited their families to join us, sing and share the spirit of the season, and our message of love and inclusion helped to bring them into our community as well.

On a total separate note, some of us with musical inclinations are working to start up some Christian bands and write music in German and French, just like the songs in the US. These are naturally our 2nd or 3rd languages so it’s been a challenge but we’re getting better at it, so if anyone wants to join in making community lyrics and songs in these languages please post suggestions here. It’s a great way to help bring us all together in this effort, build connections with the locals in these countries and also help us north Americans and Aussies feel more comfortable in our new homes. And German and French really do sound great for Christian music, their so lyrical and we’ve been coming up with great verses in them.

 

[Inhocsigno]

Greetings Archimedus, thank you for your enthusiasm and thoughts and for your hard work in bringing the Gospel to so many communities in the heart of Europe. We wish you all the best as you continue to pursue these efforts.

 

[Inhocsigno]

Greetings SteelyDave, apologies as I see that our recognition of your efforts may have slipped through the cracks in light of the many recent reports! Glad to hear of your own efforts in Sweden. Several in my own flock have also been ministering in Sweden, and are either in the process of or already gained citizenship there where they are raising their families and restoring Swedish churches in Malmo and other cities. Several more will be on the way there next year, and I know of additional groups from Florida, Melbourne in Australia and British Columbia in Canada who are focused on Lutheran church restoration in Malmo, Stockholm and Vaxjo in Sweden as well as Bergen and Oslo in Norway and Turku in the west of Finland. So you have plenty of company!

I had an interesting experience in Sweden in 2011 when I visited Malmo on a separate matter, then stopped into one of the Lutheran churches on a Sunday. I heard a guest pastor giving his sermon in perfectly pitched Swedish before I had entered the nave. But when I got a look, I realized that the speaker was one of my old parishioners there with his wife and three children! A blessing to see their efforts bear such fruit for the people of that city and the surrounding countryside.

 

[troiluscresside]

Wow, so glad to hear how this has taken off! Our group was broadly involved in global missions over the past 2 decades, we're mostly out of small communities in the Florida panhandle and the neighboring states. And at the start, our mission to Europe was tiny and without much participants. But about a decade ago we began to be called more and more to Europe, apparently with good company! It's been incredible to see how deep the faith and devotion have returned to areas of the continent where it's presence bad been so much dimmed in recent decades.

We're part of the group that wound up moving permanently to one of the more rural portions of Europe, where our children are also being raised. Like a great number of people it seems, we've also established a homebase in the low countries, mostly working out of Belgium and Holland but going into France, Austria, Italy and Scandinavia a good deal, too. The North Sea coast is a great mixing of cultures and inspiring ground to launch a mission.

We too have had great success in not only re-furbishing and restoring many churches, but also in the conversion efforts in several countries. And not only with the Turk, Kurd and Albanians populations, but also with some of the Algerians and Moroccans in France, Holland and Spain, who are usually much tougher to reach for many reasons. when they adopt Christian and European names themselves, usually ones they've picked out for themselves and their children, it's clear how deep their devotion is. We've also been involved in some of the fledgling efforts to bring the Gospel to the Albanians of Kosovo directly, and in Bosnia-Hercegovina, where large portions of the countries are returning to their Christian heritage partly due to are participation, but mostly from their countrymen and countrywomen who return home to preach to them. I did know there was such a systematic effort for it, but we're glad to see many have made similar observations about the importance of local respect, mastering the local languages and providing good examples for the people to follow.

 

[Bricksandmortar]

I know this has probably come up before, but does anyone have tips on the best resources for fast language mastery, in our case Swedish and German? My wife and I have our first little tyke on the way in the fall, and we're part of the group that's moving to Sweden and the neighboring countries for ministry. The Arizona denominations have been especially active in this and we have a decent infrastructure to help the migrating families, several of our elders themselves are moving with their families to France, Cyprus, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland or Belgium in addition to the Scandinavian missions. Per the standard practice, we're also moving permanently with our children being raised in the culture of the destination, and we wanted to get started early while our kids are still pre-K - although I know a few who've succeeded even with older or adolescent kids.

The settlement and orientation, let alone the ministry itself is a lot easier with at least some grounding in the language. And in addition to Swedish, everyone's telling us to master German as much as possible for our work and missions anywhere in Europe. I speak a few spare sentences from what my great-grandmother and great-grandfather taught us as kids, but we'd like to quickly pick up more if we can, in case things work for us to make the move next year. Are people taking full courses for the languages? Like at community colleges or vocational centers? Do your churches have in-house courses? Or is everyone using language tapes, or even heritage organizations? We have a few of those for German and Scandinavian languages in the Greater Phoenix area but haven't heard much about people tapping them for language prep.

 

[Edwardthepreacher]

Great success in France, Belgium and Finland here though as wrote before, a major task for us has been getting hymnals for all the churches we're starting and refurbishing! In addition to the home languages themselves, mainly French German and Dutch, we naturally have great demand for Kurdish, Turkish, esp Albanian, Bosnian and increasingly even Arabic for the Algerian population in France. Our recent converts are often our most enthusiastic missionaries thereafter esp for their home countries, and as so often with matters of faith and the heart, music makes it all much smoother!

 

[Ellenikas]

Hi, we were told this was the place to post up testimonials for us mission-ing and winning hearts in Europe, so wanted to say hello from Piraeus in Greece! Like a good few others it looks like we're proud Texas originally, but answered the call to bring the Word to Europe. We're getting our family going here and staying for the long haul. Looks like most of y'all are up in the more northerly climes, for a number of reasons we wound up in Greece instead.
We wanted to encourage any of you thinking of missions in the Mediterranean countries- plunge in, don't be afraid by all the scare stories you're probably hearing! The news in the US exaggerates and hyperventilates all the problems in the Mediterranean, even Greece which admittedly is in a tougher little pickle than most, is not nearly as bad as the media makes it out to be. The people here are friendly and warm, and they're welcoming to missions whether Orthodox, Catholic or Protestant. The churches here are among the institutions offering comfort and reassurance to the native Greek people during a difficult time, so you'll be helping a lot by chipping in. It can be a bit tougher to get going for practical reasons but not as bad as the media makes it out to be- most Greeks are hard-working despite the stereotypes, they're staying strong in their faith and their communities and coming together, they're staying with the Euro and staying a part of Europe. So if you come to contribute, whether or not you have much in the way of prior savings, you'll be able to set up a ministry.
Make sure of course to learn some Greek especially after you get here, and as our predecessors on the thread have kindly recommended, make sure to master some German also, you can't get by with English anymore and you'll need at least basic German for practical reasons while your getting your ministry up and going. Knowing some German coming in can also help you to get work in Greece, there's major demand for young people to learn it.
But don't hesitate if you want to minister, it'll be the best move you can make!

 

[Missonbound]

we've been thinking about a mission in south Italy for a while, is anyone else involved there? My side of the family is mostly Italian so we have a decent enough grasp of the language to start out, tho can't really handle any German so far. Italy gives visa-rights and a citizenship track to anyone who can demonstrate Italian great grandparents and sometimes going even further back, so the paperwork isn't too bad if you have some sangue italiano nelle vene, Italian blood in your veins. But we know next to nothing about the actual ministry there, and i imagine it's not necessarily straight-forward with the diversity of churches and traditions. Many Italian churches and cathedral have just been trying to recruit people to attend services and revitalize their membership. Are people mainly focusing just on this?

 

[Inhocsigno]

Greetings Missionbound,

Getting people into the pews of the already-extant churches has certainly been a major thrust of the ministry efforts, as it is the most straightforward and practical, as well as the most rapidly achievable with substantial immediate benefits. This is one of the reason that so many North American and Australian participants in the European ministries are moving permanently to their adopted countries, as church attendance and full cultural integration are the corner-stones of re-invigorating the faith throughout Europe. It can take some adjustment to participate in more intensive ministry efforts, as well as a good level of economic security, which fortunately is well-protected and supported in the continent, so simply joining with other individuals and families and boost attendance is a good way to get started. It can also help to foster better familiarity with the local culture and customs, which are at the heart of more advanced ministry projects.

 

[Amendoa]

Bom Dia, anyone planning missions to Portugal? I was relieved to see a few more interested in, setting up ministries in the Mediterranean. I speak reasonable Portuguese (though the Brazilian variety), Spanish, some German and a dab of French, so I could probably help out if anyone's set up. And I'll be bringing an entourage, so they'll be plenty of us to help attend services if nothing else, to keep the church doors open.