Northern Nations and Northern Lights

God is about an exciting work in Northern Europe at this time. Mike Betts (Lowestoft Community Church) has oversight of our involvement in this region, so here he shares the vision of reaching these nations.

All over Europe it seems God is beckoning us to some fresh adventures with Him. Some years ago, in some of the Northern nations of Europe in particular, we were working with only a few small pioneering situations.  We now see consolidation, growth and fresh exciting opportunities to plant churches in Scandinavia, Poland and the Baltic nations.  Also further afield, in lands of the Northern lights, relationships are forming; The Arctic Circle, Greenland, Canada and Lapland for instance.  From rural and sparsely populated, reindeer-inhabited tundra, to larger cities such as Gothenburg, Riga and Stockholm, opportunities exist to plant churches.

A Heart for a Nation

People can feel a heart for a nation but then have to wait some years for a move; Kevin and Emma Reilly are such an example.  This summer they and their family will be moving from London to spearhead a new church plant in the city port of Gdansk.  This will be our first church planting venture in Poland.

A Change in Circumstances

In Acts at times people were scattering through persecution.  In our day numbers of people in the UK and mainland Europe also face unplanned moves from one nation to another, perhaps through changes in employment or family circumstances.

What about you?

Maybe you have a nation on your heart.  Maybe your circumstances are opening doors for you to move to Europe.  Perhaps you are looking for a fresh challenge following retirement from work.
A number of events are planned this year to help people develop relationships and explore what God might be saying to them; The Poland Day in April, The Northern Europe Conference in Delden, Holland in May, The Baltic Nations Conference in Latvia in June or the Leadership Conference in Copenhagen in October, Bi-monthly Leadership training modules in Copenhagen throughout 2008-09.  Details of all of these events can be found on the Newfrontiers website or in Connect magazine.  Additionally, if you think God might be leading you to move to a European nation in the coming days and you would like to get in touch, I can be contacted at lcc_mikebetts@yahoo.co.uk