COPA Benelux 2024

Each year an indoor soccer tournament is organized for the churches in Belgium and the Netherlands. It is a fun opportunity to get together in a different way and to show how much fun can be had by Christians together. It is also an opportunity to invite friends to a different kind of activity. 

In past years the congregation in Maastricht has put together a team. As a matter of fact, we were the first ones to win in the Fun league (we have never had a team in the “pro” league). But in the past years it has become a bit more difficult to field a team. Last year we were part of “Fun United”. This year I signed up individually and was assigned to the team from The Hague - Den Haag Xtra (they said I was the “extra”). 

There were 7 pro teams and 4 fun teams, which is quite an increase from the previous years. It was great to see so many taking part. Halfway through the day we stop to have time to sing together, hear a short devotional thought and pray together. Each game is officiated by the players themselves. It was exciting to see the players being honest and helping one another, even those on the other team. This is what it looks like when Christians get together to have fun. 

And in the end Den Haag Xtra were the Fun champions! I was the goalie for the
games and enjoyed being able to help the team to this victory. It was fun to encourage, to have some good conversations between games and just to have fun together. Next year we will try to put together a team from Maastricht and see if we can bring the trophy home again. 

Little Words

The last weeks have seen me trying to help someone who I have known for more than 20 years. We started reading the Bible together and I helped him out with moving, small things around the house, parenting tips (he is a single father) and more. 

Recently he was operated on a perforated intestine and almost died. His son - who is now a 26 year-old lawyer - reminded him after the operation that he had been given a second chance. You see, he has never been an easy person to live with. I have tried to remind him of an amazing truth I learned many years ago (as I mentioned a few weeks ago about pizza evenings with the youth group). The simple words “please” and “thank you” make the world a completely different place. 

While he was in the hospital a nurse came to assist him. She mentioned her name when he wanted to call her “miss”. Later, when I went looking for coffee, because we needed to wait for quite some time, she showed me the way. I thanked her and mentioned her name. A smile lit her face. It was nothing more than a simple “thank you”, but it meant a lot to her. Nurses have long days. 

So, we (his son and me) have given this man a challenge to learn these two simple sayings. He started his chemo this past Friday and immediately had some opportunities to practice. It is NOT something that comes naturally, although Ince you learn it, it can become normal. I saw this reality this past weekend in another way that we might not expect. 

This weekend was the COPA Benelux. The last COPA (the cup) was in 2019. Covid rules killed this indoor soccer tournament for the churches in Belgium and the Netherlands in the years between. We had people from 7 or 8 different congregations. We had 5 Fun teams and 5 Pro teams (each team being at least 5 people). We came with a Fun team from Maastricht. The Fun teams aren’t that serious and are often comprised of younger players. 

The COPA is also a time for members from the various congregations to see and talk to one another. It is a time to invite people we know who may or may not know Jesus to an event where we talk about and show what fun is like when Jesus is in our lives. 

During the play I remember hearing Luk Brazle, who played for Ghent Fun, calling out to the goalkeeper of Rotselaar Fun, “Good stop, Eva!” His teammate had just tried to score and the goalkeeper had kept the ball out. It was a great stop. It deserved the attention. So Luk made sure that the encouragement was there. 

Throughout the day you could hear and see these kinds of things happening. People thanking one another, enocuraging one another. During the Pro games I saw players admit when they had kicked it out, rather than wait on the ref. In fact, once their was a bit of a dispute about whose ball it was. The ref said one thing, a player said something else. Finally the opposite player simply said, “No problem. Their ball.” And the game continued. 

This is what people who know Jesus have discovered. Complaining may have its place in life, but it can only get so much done. And it seldom changes people. Gratitude changes hearts and situations the it is real. It doesn’t have to be big or flashy. It doesn’t really have to be noticed by anyone, except the person to whom it is addressed. Gratitude admits that YOU are not the most important at that moment, that someone else was needed. Gratitude allows humility to be present and grow. The same thing happens when we use “please”. 

Amazing that these are things we could learn early on in our lives. But we can still learn them later in life as well. Please keep A in your prayers as he tried to put his second chance to good use and learns to change his world. 

Thank you so very much for your encouragement of us in our lives and for how you show the love of God where you are. Enjoy your day of Thanksgiving this week, and remember that it is possible to practice this every day, in any month of the year. 

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Get your game on!

I love that we can learn from others - and that there are so many to learn from! All around us we hear so many truths that can help us in our walk with the Lord. Yesterday we were at the COPA Benelux, a fun day of football (soccer) organized by the guys from the church in Ghent for the congregations in Belgium and the Netherlands. Fun teams, 'Pro' teams and time to sing and fellowship in between. What a great day.
But yesterday I also heard a great message from Luk Brazle during the singing break. He pointed out that all fields of play have lines on them. The lines are not to keep us from playing, theyt are to give us the perfect place to play. And while we need to be aware of the lines (and the rules), we don't focus on the rules or the lines - we play.
God has given us lines and rules so that we can take part in life in a safe way, in a way that makes sense, in a way that makes life right. We are not the line judges, checking to make sure that all is done correctly - that is His job. And of course we need to be aware of the lines so that we can live well, but our job is to play. Run the race. Do your best. Put effort and passion into getting it done. But take part!

Thank you Lord for life, for the ability to live well with You, for the lines in life that help us to keep things straight and play well. Thank you for being able to learn things like this at such a fun activity!

Now that's fellowship!

Thanks to Luk for the photo

Once again, members from the various congregations around Belgium and the Netherlands gathered for some fun fellowship. It is moments like these that thrill me about God's family. I learned long ago from my first mentor, Ron Carter, that Christians are the best one's to know how to really have fun. And the COPA Benelux is a good example. 

Usually the congregation in Maastricht brings a team as well - as a matter of fact, we have won the FUN cup twice (in the 4 years the competition has existed), but it's not about the winning (is it?). But this year we had several members not able to make it, so Scott and Michael sought a team that might need some extra players. We hooked up with the guys and gals from Brussels for their PRO team ... and look what happened! 

Not that our presence was that important to the win, but we sure had fun! And to be able to meet with brothers and sisters, having conversations in English, Dutch or French, making plans for other activities in the year, encouraging one another with struggles - it is a great time to be together. Luk Brazle's lesson on the body and finding our place was an encouragement for our spiritual lives. 

I am glad that Christians understand that something like this day is helpful, encouraging, beneficial and fun! I think of the years of camp in Colorado, California, Nebraska or Iowa, or of biking in the Tour de Togo in Minnesota (haven't made it yet, but I will), or so many other activities. Getting to know one another, encouraging each other, learning how to deal with winning and losing, showing non-Christian friends how to really have fun ... that is what a day like this is all about.

Football fun and fellowship

(photo by Kay Minne)

Last weekend a bunch of people got together to play some football (soccer for the Americans). Actually that’s not quite right – family from all over the Netherlands and Belgium got together to share some wonderful time of fellowship. Football happened to be the catalyst.

It is so important to know that we are family, to spend time getting in touch with one another again, to meet new members of our family. I am so thankful for activities like the Copa Benelux (organized by the guys over in Ghent) to do just that. The church in Belgium and the Netherlands strives to be a family, a close family. But that is because we have gotten to know one another, we pray for each other and we share our lives together.

So this last weekend we had fun, most of us. In Maastricht we definitely had fun – we took the “FUN” trophy home with us for the second time. But we also had some great conversations, talked about what was concerning us in our congregations, sang together to praise our Lord, and spent some time getting to know people we were acquainted with but didn’t yet know.

In Maastricht we understood very well that, trophy or not, we came home real winners.

By the way, my camera was lost at this tournament, but you can see some more pictures (from Luk Brazle and Kay Minne) by going here.

Champions of fun

Last Saturday was the inaugural "Copa BeNeLux" - a football (soccer) tournament for the churches in Belgium and the Netherlands. We got this idea from the Swiss churches last year. Thanks to Pieter Good, Luk Brazle and Dennis van Erp a local variant was organized. 

There were 10 teams from 6 different congregations and plenty of friends of members taking part. It was a great day! The teams were either "fun" or "pro" depending on how serious they wanted to be. In Maastricht we put together a fun team, decided which color to wear and headed out to just have some fun. 

It was great to see how our young people worked together. A lot was learned that day: keep going, even if you are afraid; perseverance will get you where you want to be; be fair and honest - it is the most fun. I was so proud of everyone!

And in the end, we were the "fun" champions!

(Thanks to Elisa van der Oest for the picture of team Maastricht ready to play)