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All Nations Together in Antwerp (ANTIA) is a new church planting endeavor initiated by the Philadelphia Kerk in Hoboken, Belgium and the Fellowship of European International Churches. The church leadership is much aware of the large international population in Belgium's second largest city. The greater Antwerp area has more than 1.2 million people from 204 nations! Although Philadelphia Kerk offered translation into English in its services, the large population of expatriates continued to reveal the need for a separate English-speaking outreach to share the Gospel with the internationals of Antwerp.
 As the leadership met and prayed for a person to lead this endeavor, alumni of Continental Theological Seminary in Brussels, Reijo and Esther Nevalainen returned to Belgium for studies. Reijo (from Finland) and Esther (from Germany) were transitioning away from life in China, where Reijo's professional work in quality control for the Nokia company had taken them. They were asked to lead this new church plant and so began meeting with a core group of individuals from Philadelphia Church to form the strategy.
Others joined the core group and in December, ANTIA held its first "informational meeting"; public meetings with the purpose of inviting other Christians to join the core group, and bring their gifts and talents to the church plant. At the present time, the core group consists of 15 people that are committed to seeing the fellowship grow into a church. Meetings are held weekly for prayer, study, and strategy planning.
The stated mission of this core group is to seek to experience meaningful worship and fellowship, become more like Christ each day, and impact Antwerp and the world for Jesus Christ!
The church will consist of weekly celebration worship services and interest-based small groups which will target internationals from all walks of life. A first outreach will be held the week prior to Easter on the campus of the University of Antwerp and throughout the city. Students from Continental Theological Seminary will join in this outreach. The goal of this week is to make ANTIA known where internationals reside, to make contact with international students on the campus of U of A, and to hopefully begin a student group. The core group plans to begin open public worship services in late spring or early summer of 2007.
Information from Shannon Buckner
AGWM Personnel in Belgium
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