At the end of June, J. (Jelis) Verschoof was confirmed as pastor of Ghent, the Belgian district congregation of the church in Zaamslag. He had been an evangelist in Ghent since 2023.
In the entrance service, Rev Buth from Zaamslag preached on 2 Timothy 4:1-5 - Proclaim God's Word. This is quite a challenge in the area where Rev Verschoof works. The Evangelical Centre Rehobôth is in the most densely populated, multicultural and poorest neighbourhood of Ghent. A large proportion of the residents do not speak Dutch.
As an evangelist, Verschoof already presided every Sunday in Ghent. On average, about twenty-five people attended those services. The hope that there will be more of them was clear from the theme Rev Verschoof even spoke about at his inauguration: Luke 14:23b - God's house must become full.
"It is an important development that several pastors are gaining intentional experience in missions in the Netherlands," says missionary consultant Rev Peter Visser. "As deputies of evangelism, we like to keep in touch with them to learn from their experiences."
