The morning meeting is over; a crowd of people streams out onto the plaza from the main hall. Acquaintances greet each other, children take their scooters, and volunteers hand out bread rolls and salad. With lunch box in hand, people find a seat at the long tables outside.
Some are in their element in the middle of a large crowd. Others have to cross a threshold to sit down with others and start a conversation. How can we deal with this? We ask some Dutch participants.
Trusting in God’s guidance
For Matthijs (58) from BCC Gelderland, the summer conference is an annual highlight.
“Here I get the help I need for my inner life. In a way, I return home like a new person.”
Four of his five children are also at Brunstad, along with several grandchildren.
It does not come naturally to him to make contact: “I am a somewhat introverted person by nature, so I have to overcome some hurdles.”
Nevertheless, he has experienced how edifying it is to talk with others. “But I consciously set no requirements for how it should be – for me, it is a kind of adventure every time.”
Matthijs trusts that God also leads his path in this.
“There is a God in heaven who guides my life, who sees my needs, and who charts the course for my life in a way. He does not leave me to myself.”
That faith gives him peace when he feels a bit lost in the crowd.
“But that feeling does not have to be determine my path. I believe in God, and I live by faith. I am open to all His good workings.” Sometimes a conversation develops, other times not. In that, too, he experiences peace.
“There is a God in heaven who guides my life, who sees my needs.”
Matthijs (58) from BCC Gelderland
Volunteering
A lot of work is done during the course of the conference. Everyone can take responsibility – both in large, visible tasks and in smaller things. There are many volunteer shifts, from cleaning and food distribution to security. Matthijs also signs up regularly for voluntary service.
“When I came to Brunstad for the first time as a twenty-year-old, a whole new world opened up for me. The help and kindness I have experienced here have meant so much to my life – for me, it is completely reasonable to do something in return.”
Matthijs regards the fact he doesn’t get to choose whom he works together with whilst volunteering as an an advantage.
“If you only associate with people who are like you, you always agree with each other.” Precisely because of the differences, he can learn from others and discover more about himself. The edification at Brunstad therefore comes to him not only through the preaching, but also through seeing people – who live a life that speaks, and from whom something emanates.
“The brothers and sisters are my family”
Nicolette (70) from BCC West-Netherlands often travels to Brunstad together with friends her own age.
“It is not always the people you are with all the time, or live in an apartment with. Suddenly someone’s daughter comes along, and then a friend of hers – that is how you get to know more people.”
She has no family in BCC, but does not let that stop her. “I thought: Who then is my father and mother, my brothers and sisters? It is the brothers and sisters. That gives such peace.”
During meals, Nicolette looks for where people she knows are sitting, and sits down with them. If there is no room there, she chooses another table. – It makes no difference whether a whole family is sitting there, or someone who is alone. The conversations happen naturally.
She is blessed with a healthy body, she says, and gladly signs up for volunteer work that suits her. “During such a cleaning shift, you walk quite a few steps. For someone who is seventy that’s just a bonus!”
Other times she gladly withdraws and happily cleans the cabin where she is staying during the conference. “I can also serve others in that way.”
Does she have an encouragement for those who feel alone and wish to be more involved? “I understand that some can feel that way, but just get yourself out there amongst people,” she says. “These are your brothers and sisters whom you will be entering eternity with. When you see it like this, you will also meet others in a different way.”
“These are your brothers and sisters whom you will be entering eternity with.”
Nicolette (70) from BCC West-Netherlands
“Not just enjoy, but serve”
Gijsbert and Paulien (both 41) come from BCC Twente. They have four sons from eleven to nineteen years old. Now that their children are increasingly doing their own thing at Brunstad, it gives them more room to talk with other adults.
When communal meals became part of the program, they consciously decided to take advantage of them, Gijsbert says. This is how you get to know people better, both from your own local church and others. “Then you sometimes hear a little extra from the others, which you yourself find very helpful.”
“You can have all kinds of thoughts that can hinder you,” says Paulien. “For example: Is the other person also open to me sitting down with them? But you can assume that the other person also only wants the best for you.”
A statement Gijsbert heard several years ago has stuck with him: “We are not here to enjoy, but to serve.” So he is also happy to make an effort as a volunteer. Paulien notices that in this way she gets to see what happens behind the scenes. “ne person hands out food, another cleans the toilets, and others prepare programs, music, and technology. – It makes you extra grateful.”
Not dependent on others
It is often about small things: buying an ice cream for a child or going for a walk with someone down to the beach. “Don’t let it be dependent on others,” says Paulien. “Be open. If you are in the same spirit, it can only have an edifying effect.”
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