A BRIEF UPDATE CONCERNING EUROPE
SPRING 2016
Recent History
After the devastation of the rebellion in the late 1980s, the number of saints throughout Europe in the year 2000 was a little over 500. In the past 15 years, there has been more than a sevenfold increase with almost 4,000 saints in Europe presently in more than 80 lampstands and many scattered cities. A few weeks ago, the ground was taken in Budapest, Hungary. The ground will be taken in Frankfurt, Germany, in mid-May. Many other cities would like to do so in the very near future.
There are now approximately 25 major events occurring each year in Europe. Since the daily radio broadcasts of Life-study of the Bible with Witness Lee began in London in January 2000, tens of thousands of radio listeners have contacted us at least once. In the UK alone, approximately 50,000 Bible recipients of the Recovery Version of the New Testament have requested contact, and a good number in other European countries have requested contact. Since the summer of 1999, 235 saints have graduated from the Full-time Training in London (FTTL). Over 70% of these graduates have served full-time afterward.
In November 2010, we began one-week trainings in May and November, the only two months in which we have had the capacity for additional accommodation. Since then, despite our limited capacity, 968 individuals have participated from 21 European countries and another 16 countries from outside Europe. Many have participated multiple times. London is a melting pot of people from all over the earth. In April and May of last year, we experimented with “Weekend Retreats.” Just in that short period, among the attendees were 210 new ones. Many of these had never before experienced pray-reading the Word, calling on the name of the Lord, and having a private time with the Lord in the morning. We believe that the main cause of these results is that so many seeking ones were being brought into the ministry of the age.
The Present Need in Germany
Presently, there is a strong emphasis on Germany. In the last year, hundreds of thousands of refugees, primarily from the countries surrounding Israel, have entered Germany. In response to this, we are in the process of carrying out gospel trips into Germany. Saints from throughout the earth are participating with us by praying, giving, and going. Initially, we are focusing on four cities: Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart. Berlin has a small rented hall. Dusseldorf has a small hall, which it owns. We have nothing in Frankfurt, nor in Stuttgart. We propose to lease space in both these cities with funds already given for Germany. These four facilities will then be used to care for the seeking ones among the refugees and the people of Germany.
Based on two months of labor in Germany, we have seen that the fields “are already white for harvest” (John 4:35). The FTTA gospel trip to Germany took place from January 21 to February 4, 2016. The trainees and serving ones visited Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart, where they distributed the ministry, preached the gospel, and visited refugees. The following is a summary of the results from the two weeks of labor:
• 2,300 tracts and 750 Bibles and Rhema sets were distributed.
• 1,970 people were contacted for more than thirty seconds. Almost ten percent of these had a second appointment, fifty percent of whom turned into regular appointments.
• 156 were lead to pray.
• 152 homes were visited.
Since then, there have been two further gospel trips with saints from around the world participating. The focus of these trips has been the shepherding of the contacts as well as the distribution of the ministry and the preaching of the gospel.
In the coming months we propose to conduct regular events, especially since we now have over 30,000 New Testaments in German. Part of our follow-up gospel trip labor is given toward the distribution of these New Testaments, followed by seminars and home meetings in the key cities. We will spread further into Germany once a good base is established in these four key cities. Although it is still difficult to find an adequate supply of translators into Arabic or Farsi in order to communicate with the large influx of refugees into Germany, all refugees are in scheduled classes for them to learn German. They are required to pass progressive German exams in order to maintain their long-term residency in Germany. Saints moving to Germany must also prove proficiency in the German language over time in order to remain.
The Need for Blending and Training
We would like to emphasize the need for further capacity for blending and training for all Europeans. In anticipating this need, we have spent the past few years considering some appropriate facilities. We now propose three facilities for meeting this need. These are all in London, inside the M25 orbital motorway. In The World Situation and the Direction of the Lord’s Move, Brother Lee said, “We should realize that Great Britain is very crucial for the Lord’s move throughout Europe” (p. 48). These messages were spoken by Brother Lee in May 1991. The labor in Great Britain in the past several years has been with the view of the Lord’s need throughout Europe. Since the summer of 2005, much of this labor has been centered at Bower House in London. Bower House, the former residential training facility for Ford Motor Company, was purchased at that time through the gifts of saints from throughout the earth, including saints in the heart of China and at the southern tip of South America. Bower House is conveniently situated a little over a half hour from a leading airport primarily serving the major cities throughout Europe. This airport is a base for several cheap European airlines. It is possible for Europeans to fly to London from their own city for less than the cost of traveling within their own country.
Bower House
Bower House is approximately nine acres in size. It is likely that we will have planning approval to improve facilities at Bower House by the summer. This will include replacement of outdated warehouse-type facilities and a tent that has held our larger events for the past nine years. Bower House is owned by Amana Trust and has no debt.
Bower Farm
Bower Farm is adjacent to Bower House and is over seven acres in size. We are in negotiations with the owner. It could be substantially developed in the future. If its purchase is successful, we would begin with construction of residential facilities of approximately 8,000 square feet, givingus an additional 20 bedrooms and accommodation for up to four persons per room. More than five acres would still be available to be developed at a future date.
Woodland Camp
Woodland Camp is a 17-acre recreational camp that was purchased in 2013. Woodland Camp is a ten-minute drive from Bower House, is owned by Amana Trust, and has no debt. We propose a four-phase construction project at Woodland Camp. We would begin with phases one and two, which consist of constructing a meeting and dining facility, and 28 cabins that can house 200 persons.
Our greatest need at present is accommodation. Therefore, we propose to begin with Woodland Camp and the construction of its cabins. This would give us an additional 200 beds in a very short period of time. Eventually, Woodland Camp will have approximately 400 beds.
If we are able to move forward with these plans, we can enlarge our capacity for the Full-time Training in London (FTTL) and simultaneously have capacity for other events such as one-week trainings, weekend events, and potentially even a middle-age training for Europe.
Combined Benefit of the Properties
Some events would be held together. Others would be conducted simultaneously. FTTL would remain at Bower House and Bower Farm, with updated facilities and accommodation in the near term for up to 140 saints. Having Bower Farm would provide room for further accommodation facilities as FTTL grows in the future. We could train up to 150 in each of four classrooms at Bower House or have a combined meeting of up to 800 with the removal of soundproof partitions.
Woodland Camp could have two events simultaneously, each with up to 200 persons. On special occasions, we could have a large gathering of between 1,500 and 2,000 by use of a marquee on its hard surface recreation area. Parking is adequate for cars and coaches (buses) to accommodate that number of persons.
Present on-site accommodation at Bower House is 80 spaces, most of them being bunk beds. We cap the one-week trainings at 40, and the FTTL normally has at least 40 in attendance. So additional spaces must be taken off-site in other housing. Therefore, our feeling is to attempt to acquire Bower Farm. We will pursue the first two phases at Woodland Camp. We may be able to do this ourselves, but it will be lengthy in time and “piece by piece,” with each cabin costing approximately £30,000, which is about $42,000 in U.S. currency. Of course, this would require quite much time.
The Urgent Need
The recent happenings in Germany and other countries have caused an awakening in the people of Europe. Things are not as they once were. It is an unsettling time in Europe. This has caused a new openness among the Europeans. May we give the Lord His way in the midst of this “sudden striking.”
We need to see how to carry out the spread of the Lord’s recovery in the countries of Europe. Our going to Europe should be neither by a work nor by a movement but by emigration. (The World Situation and the Direction of the Lord’s Move, p. 47)
The great and urgent need in Europe is for many, many saints, even some mature saints of retirement age, to emigrate to Europe for the Lord’s interest. The need for personal, loving shepherding is great among all these seekers throughout Europe.
Western culture is composed of Hebrew religion, Greek philosophy, and Roman politics. Roman politics is carrying on Western culture, and the Bible prophesies that the Roman Empire will be revived. The ten kings typified by the ten toes of the great image in Daniel 2 will be under Antichrist, who will be the last Caesar of the Roman Empire (see Revelation 17:10-11 with notes—Recovery Version). All of this will transpire in Europe.
When the Lord comes to crush human government, He will crush the feet with the ten toes. This will be the crushing of the entire image from the head to the feet. Daniel 2:34-35 says, “You were watching until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the image at its feet of iron and clay and crushed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed all at once, and they became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.” Christ is the great stone who will crush the two feet of the great image, which will be the crushing of the entire human image, the entire human government.
We need to see this as a basis to understand the Lord’s mind. Before this crushing transpires, the Lord’s recovery must spread to Europe and be rooted there. The spreading of the truths of the Lord’s recovery will be a preparation for the Lord’s coming back to bring the recovery and restoration not only to Israel but also to the entire creation.
Of the three influential factors in today’s world, the Far East and the United States have been occupied and taken by the Lord’s recovery. Europe still remains as a region in which the Lord’s recovery needs to be rooted and grow. I hope that we would bring this fellowship to the Lord and pray. We should tell the Lord, “Lord, these days are the consummation of the age. Lord, in these days rekindle my love toward You.” (The World Situation and the Direction of the Lord’s Move, pp. 18-19)
Additional Information
For information regarding migration please visit:
For information regarding the gospel trips please visit:
For general information regarding Germany please email:
For information regarding gifts toward the purchase of Bower Farm and the construction of new facilities in London, please visit:
For information regarding gifts toward the continuation of the Life-study of the Bible with Witness Lee daily radio broadcast, please visit:
(Source: http://lordsmove.org/pdfs/PrayerBurdens321.pdf)
