In early February, Pastor David Vandeput stood before more than 500 Christian leaders from across Belgium. As they worshiped, preached, and prayed in three languages, Vandeput could hardly believe what he was seeing.
The large group was gathered to launch the upcoming Festival of Hope with Franklin Graham.
“This is a dream coming true,” Vandeput said to the crowd, adding that God had impressed upon him the great need for this kind of cooperation among believers. “This is just the beginning.”
As president of the Protestant Federal Synod, Vandeput’s role in the Belgian government is to advocate for churches. For years, he’s encouraged local congregations to come together and multiply their ministry reach.
“In the Bible, it says that we need to ‘maintain the unity’ (Ephesians 4:3, ESV). It doesn’t say we need to create unity, because by the blood of Jesus, we are already united,” Vandeput said.
The upcoming Festival has provided an opportunity to strengthen the bond between Christ followers across this Western European nation.
Strategic Location
Brussels has long been known as the heart—and capital—of Europe. It’s the hub for government affairs, where both the European Union and NATO are headquartered. It’s also a melting pot of cultures with over half of Brussels’ residents being foreign-born.
And yet, it’s not the center of collaboration.
Belgium has three official languages: French, German, and Dutch. These linguistic barriers can divide churches and even congregations. Vandeput and other leaders are calling for churches to look outside of themselves and unite for the Gospel.
“It’s not about your own little chapel, your own steeple. … It’s about the people who are lost outside of your four walls,” Vandeput said. “It’s time for the church to go out and to make an impact, but that will only happen if we have a kingdom mindset and if we do things together.”
That focus is already bearing fruit weeks before the Festival event. Congregations that haven’t communicated with each other in years are now finally connecting to bring hope to their city.
Ready for Repentance
Many church leaders agree that Europe is ripe for harvest—and now is the time to call softened hearts to faith in Jesus Christ.
Historically, Belgium has led the way in liberal social issues. It was the second country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, for example, just behind the Netherlands. Today, less than 2% of the country identifies as evangelical Christian.
But now, believers are seeing more young people than ever being open to spiritual conversations.
“On the one hand, it seems really hard,” said Allyster Taubeneck, a pastor in Belgium. “It’s really hard ground, but on the other hand, we’re seeing fruit that we haven’t seen in 15 years of ministry here happening in the space of days and weeks.”
And younger Christians there seem to have an increased burden to reach their peers. To harness students’ hunger to evangelize, a youth conference will be held on Sept. 7, encouraging youth to pray for the upcoming Festival and bring their friends to hear the message.
More than 90 Christian Life and Witness classes are also taking place across Belgium to equip believers of all ages to share their faith.
“By proclaiming the Gospel at the center of influence, we’re believing for a ripple effect—awakening hearts, inspiring leaders, and reigniting faith across the continent,” Vandeput said.
“Hope is not lost in Europe; it’s being revived at its very core.”
Franklin Graham will share the Gospel with thousands of people in Brussels on Sept. 27. Please pray for those who do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ to accept Him as their Savior. Ask God to empower local churches as they pray and prepare for the event.
