LOVE EUROPE REVISITED

by Chris Mathieson

OAC and Operation Mobilisation have a long history of co-operation. Every year the Love Europe congresses provide a major opportunity to train young people in evangelism.

This year a new venue was added to the Love Europe family of congresses: Santiago de Compostela, Spain. In the midst of lush countryside and cool, moist weather, Santiago is one of Europe's major Catholic shrines, claimed to be the burial-place of James (the one Herod put to the sword in Israel).

Using part of the pilgrims' hospitality centre, OM organised an action-packed week of motivation and training for the participants, who then travelled to outreaches in Spain, Portugal and North Africa. About 200 people attended and appreciated such modern pilgrim facilities as three-course meals, en-suite showers and room service. Could this really be OM?

I was in charge of the sketchboard training, both at the conference and during the Spanish outreaches which followed. Once on the streets of considerably warmer Extremadura, our preparation began to bear fruit, and the teams did some excellent work with both adults and children.

Large crowds gathered every evening in Badajoz's Plaza San Fernando, where many good conversations followed the mime and preaching. As a result, some twenty visitors attended the Baptist church's fun night and Sunday meeting. One young lady, with a couple of rings in her nose, found the rather formal service a most unusual experience! However, the active church youth group is delighted to be able to follow up both her and other visitors.

In addition, trainees have returned to Puerto Rico and Venezuela as well as other parts of Spain and the rest of Europe. Burkhard from Germany commented, "Thank you for letting us preach, even though you do it better. We have learned something which we have seen we can do. We hope we will be able to improve in the future."

Multiplication of ministry takes time, but if Europe is to be won for Christ, we need to see more people out on the streets preaching the Good News effectively. Love Europe has provided another opportunity to work towards this goal.