Kent Susud led one of the first SportQuest teams to Belgium in 2000, when he met a Belgian pastor named Kurt Maeyens for the first time. Kent and Kurt immediately connected and began developing a deep bond and kindred vision for the tiny, often overlooked nation of Belgium. This initial connection would develop into a collaborative effort to help local Belgian churches reach their communities for Christ through the tool of sport. Starting with Kurt’s church in a small village called Hamme, SportQuest has now partnered with more than 20 local churches in Belgium to facilitate sports camps and tournaments that serve to build relationships with non-believers and ultimately make disciples of Jesus. Now there is a strong SportQuest Belgium team in place, led by Kurt, that has developed a year-round sport ministry that helps local churches develop teams who can continue discipling unchurched youth throughout the year.
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Kevin Verstraeten SQ Belgium Coordinator |
What began as simply a “summer” project has become a year-round sport ministry. SportQuest Belgium currently partners with 8-10 churches with whom they organize a summer camp or community tournament each year. These summer events open the door to new relationships in the community and help break down many barriers Belgians have when it comes to anything viewed as “religious.” After the summer projects, the SportQuest team continues partnering with each local church to “follow-up” with those new relationships. This is generally done through a SportQuest Reunion, which is an event that brings the youth together around the tool of sport. Besides sport training and competition, the SportQuest team and local volunteers share their personal stories, Bible stories, and the Gospel message with the kids as well as utilize resources such as YouthAlpha or Discovery Bible Study. These reunions provide a safe place for non-Christians to get to know followers of Jesus and discuss matters of faith in an accepting atmosphere. Over the years, many Belgians have chosen to follow Christ and some have even become SportQuest leaders. Recently, the SportQuest team began offering cross-cultural mission experiences for these Belgian leaders by organizing PWP Projects in South Africa and Ukraine. God is raising up a generation of young leaders in Belgium who will change the way this post-Christian country views Christians and, more importantly, Christ.
God is doing something amazing in Belgium. SportQuest desires to be part of this move of God by continuing to help local churches and ministries make inroads into the non-Christian community through the tool of sport. Through our SportQuest reunions, we are seeking to develop City Teams that function like an extended family who are united around a common service and witness to their local community. Through these City Teams, we envision disciples being made who will also make disciples, thereby multiplying and sustaining a disciple-making movement in communities all over Belgium.
