Open Air Campaigners
Branches

SPAIN

Continent	Europe
Population	40 Million
Official language	Castilian Spanish, Catalan, Basque, Galician
Capital	Madrid
Evangelicals	0.8%

  After a brutal civil war followed by 36 years of dictatorship, Spain has been transformed into a modern democracy, one of the most enthusiastic members of the European Union. The Catholic church, closely identified with the Franco regime, has lost its privileged position and many of its members. However, most have turned to secularism and many to cults.

There is encouragement for evangelicals in the turning to Christ of one third of all Gypsies in the country (part of a Europe-wide movement of God amongst this race) and also the effective work of several Christian agencies in reaching and rehabilitating some of the huge number of Spanish drug-users.

PRESENTING CHRIS AND HILDE MATHIESON

A ministry in support of the churches in Spain

A 3-LEGGED MINISTRY

In Luke 14:16-24, we read the parable of the great banquet. Our ministry follows the instructions which we find there. We support every effort to invite people to come into the churches to hear the gospel, but particularly wish to take it to those who perhaps would never enter, the neediest of all. OAC/PAL takes the Gospel to the streets where we especially find the poorer people, with methods which both attract their attention and communicate better. Mefi-boset takes it to the disabled, those who need special help to understand. OM prepares young people for these and other ministries as well as taking the Gospel to areas where no established church exists.

PREDICADORES AL AIRE LIBRE

Following the Lord's directions to take the Gospel out into the streets (e.g. Lc.14:23) Chris came to Spain with his sketchboard in 1982. Tens of thousands have heard the Gospel in campaigns, meetings and seminars over these years, both in Spain and all over the world through his and his students preaching.

Almost every Friday, Chris and Hilde can be found with the Madrid City Mission team at Madrid's centre, the Puerta del Sol. However, there are many other opportunities to preach and teach the use of the sketchboard and other visual aids all over Spain. In particular, during the summer months Chris supports OM's summer campaigns.

PAL is a member of Open Air Campaigners International, and Chris is currently the European zone chairman.

MEFI-BOSET

Since they met three other Spanish representatives at Joni's '94 Symposium in Budapest, they were praying about starting a ministry among the disabled. The vision became reality during '96 in Barcelona and Madrid, where there is now a monthly ministry for the mentally disabled and their families. They thank the Lord for the way a team has developed with members of several churches.

There also exist contacts with other groups, both locally and world-wide, working in similar ministries with all kinds of disabled people. Furthermore, they hope to be able to support the start of other ministries all over Spain.

Chris & Hilde can send more information in Spanish concerning Mefi-boset.

OPERATION MOBILISATION

As essential for our churches as it is for our young people is discipleship and training. OM offers summer campaigns as well as longer-term opportunities to train and be involved in the Lord's work. Every summer many young people pass through OM, some of them going on to the Global Action year training programme. In Spain this is a real help to long-term church planters working in areas where no churches exist.

Since 1994 Chris & Hilde have been members of the OM Spain team and support this work as well as other OM activities.

More information about OMs programmes can be got from The Operation Mobilization home page

WORKING ALONGSIDE CHURCHES

An essential part of all Chris & Hilde's ministry is their relationship to local churches. Hilde came to Spain specifically to support the start of the church in Arganda. Currently they are helping in Rivas Vaciamadrid.

All other ministry areas also link closely with local churches or church-planters wherever these exist.

SUPPORTING CHRIS AND HILDE MATHIESON

Europe Now (in the UK)
OM Germany

RELATED PAGES

JAF Ministries

BORDERLINES ARTICLES

Teamwork in Spain (April '98)
Hilde Mathieson (Dec '98)
Love Europe in Spain (Dec '98)
Ministry to the handicapped in Madrid, Spain (July 97)
The story of OAC in Spain (April 97)
Outreach in the Canary Islands (November 96)
Outreach in the Canary Islands (July 96)
Chris and Hilde Mathieson, Spain (April 96)
Disabled ministry in Spain (April 96)
Love Europe (October 95)
Beyond the postcard image of Spain (April 95)
A typical open-air in Spain (May 94)
Spanish RE lessons (November 93)

EMAIL LINKS

Chris Mathieson