For many, December 28 marks day three of recovering from a hefty Christmas dinner, decadent desserts and a few too many mince pies.
For youth across Europe however, it marked the start of their pilgrimage to the city of Erfurt, Germany, for the second Mission-Net Congress gathering.
Scheduled to end on January 2, 2012, the congress is one of Europe’s only mission movements for young people, equipping young Christians to live a missional lifestyle. It is supported by the European Evangelical Missionary Alliance (EEMA) and European Evangelical Alliance (EEA).
The first congress was held in the Easter of 2009 in Oldenberg, Germany, and was such a success that it is now scheduled to take place every second year.
“Three thousand people from over 47 nations came together to seek God for Europe and beyond, it was fantastic,” says Evi Rodemann, director of Mission-Net, who is thrilled that the congress is being held in her home country once again.
“It is a gift from God for me, as I love my country and I pray that we will have many young and older Germans join us here to become salt and light in our communities.”
Fellow German native and programme director Sandra Schwab attended the previous congress and is passionate about ministering to youth. “It’s amazing knowing that God uses you to help these young people grow in him.”
“We have a special ‘calling test’ where people can find out their gifts and their calling. There will be seminars on many different topics and a lot of mission agencies are presenting in the ‘Global Market’. So they can inform and talk to people in the areas they are interested in.”
Eszter Gurzoran, the Mission-Net motivator for Hungary, is one of many individuals who discovered their calling at the congress. She attended in the hope that God had a message for her.
“Before the event, I had a great desire to serve people and to share the Gospel with them. However I specifically wanted to reach out to backpackers but I didn’t really know if that was a possibility.”
