From John and Pat Halford
Europe
By John Halford
BRUSSELS, Belgium--The weekend of Dec. 5 and 6 was a quiet, but significant milestone in the history of the Worldwide Church of God in Europe.
Thirteen men and women gathered in a hotel outside Brussels to discuss the next steps in our church's development on this continent.
Outside, an unseasonal snowstorm brought everything to a halt. It was a blessing in disguise--we had hours to get to know each other better.
To understand why this conference was significant, you need to know what has been happening in Europe. As we face the next millennium, this old continent that has contributed so much to civilization, faces some critical decisions.
Questions that have been discussed for 40 years are reaching decision time. By the time you read this, most countries of the European Union will have adopted a common currency--the euro.
Although at first this will be a parallel currency, within a few years, the euro will be the standard currency of Europe.
This will be an irrevocable step toward some form of a United States of Europe. Some countries want it, others are firmly against the idea. But it seems as if it is an idea whose time has come, and we had better prepare for it.
All Europeans, and all European organizations, have to ask, What does it mean to be German, French, Dutch, Norwegian, Spanish or British? And what would it mean to submerge those distinctives into a common European nationality?
That is why, for the past year or so, we have been discussing how we should organize the European branch of the WCG, in the face of the new realities.
Until recently, the church's work in Europe was subsidized by the United States. The work was spread among six distinct regions, each with its own regional director.
In 1995, after the various regions had suffered severe attrition, we recognized that this was no longer workable. Randal Dick, international director, combined the European countries under one administration and asked me to be the regional director.
The churches in Europe have been seriously depleted, as many ministers and leading members disagreed with the doctrinal changes and sought fellowship elsewhere. It has taken some time to rebuild and develop a new infrastructure.
Many governments are becoming sensitive to "foreign controlled" churches and are demanding evidence of local administration. National boards have had to be formed, with local officers and directors.
Most of the old offices have been closed and have been replaced with much smaller operations, and in some cases volunteers have taken over tasks once performed by full-time employees.
As the old media proved to be unsustainable, new, less complicated magazines are now being produced. All editorial and translating work is done in the local areas.
Altogether the European region has about 4,000 members in 25 countries.
We now have what we call national coordinators in the 10 main regions--Belgium, Switzerland, Germany-Austria, France, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom and Eire.
These were the people who met in Brussels, along with key administrative staff from the European Service Center. (We try not to call it the British Office any more.)
Perhaps, as in any conference, the real work was done in the informal discussions and at meals (we were a small enough group to sit around one table).
Old friendships were renewed and some new ones made. It can, after all, be rather lonely if you are the only WCG minister of the church in your country.
In fact, the meetings were so valuable that we unanimously decided that we should get together in this way three or four times a year.
Time will tell whether the historical developments now taking shape in Europe will be for good or bad. But we who have the privilege of representing the Worldwide Church of God in Europe want to be ready, united in a bond of love and mutual respect, to help each other to do what God wants us to do to serve our brethren and take the gospel to as many others as we can.
It is sobering to realize that in nearly every country in our region only a tiny percentage of the population is interested in Christianity. And yet, there is a great hunger for spiritual knowledge. We have become a continent of spiritually homeless people.
This then is a time of great challenges, but also of great opportunities. We ask you to remember us in prayer, as we remember you.
European Region Statistics as of
December 1998
European Regional Director--John Halford
Countries Congregations Members
National Coordinator: Carl Fredrik Aas
Denmark 1 14
Estonia 1 13
Finland 0 9
Norway 1 30
Sweden 1 16
National Coordinator: Daniel Bosch
Italy (including Sicily) 10 118
National Coordinator: Jack Brunet
French West Indies (attached to France)
Guadeloupe 2 95
Martinique 2 245
French Guyana 1 15
National Coordinator: Gerard Claude
Belgium 1 40
National Coordinator: Jesse Korver
Belgium (Flanders) 1 17
Netherlands 4 138
Suriname 1 8
National Coordinator: Santiago Lange
Austria 2 46
Croatia, Slovenia,
Czechoslovakia
0
10
Germany 8 336
National Coordinator: Donat Picard
France 12 350
National Coordinator: Jose Ribeiro
Portugal 1 24
National Coordinator: Pedro Rufian
Spain 1 50
National Coordinator: David Silcox
United Kingdom 44 1,985
Eire 3 98
Cyprus 0 1
Gibraltar 0 1
Greece 0 5
Israel 0 2
Malta 1 19
Oman 0 7
United Arab Emirates 0 14
National Coordinator: Paul Stoffel
Switzerland
(French & German)
4
232
EUROPEAN LEADERS--From left: Jose Ribeiro (Portugal); Carl Fredrik Aas
(Scandinavia); Pedro Rufian (Spain); David Silcox (United Kingdom and Eire); Bernadette
and Gerard Claude (Belgium); Astrid and Paul Stoffel (Switzerland); Santiago Lange
(Germany and Austria); John Halford (European regional director); Jesse Korver
(Netherlands); Jacqui Eve (assistant to regional director); Donat Picard (France); and
Daniel Bosch (Italy). [Photo by Phil Halford].
Editorial and translating work is done locally.
Copyright © Worldwide Church of God, 1998