Europe Update

Mark Dijkens

Regional Director It is already April and 2021 is well on its way! We have some great updates to share with you as our valued partners and friends. It is because of your prayers and financial support that we are able to effectively share the Gospel through CBN’s ministry projects. We ultimately thank the Lord for the opportunities He gives each day. The privilege to share hope and life to the people we love and serve.

United Kingdom & Ireland

CBN Hope Line. In June this year, CBN celebrates 19 years of ministry in the UK and Europe. CBN first registered in the United Kingdom in June 2002 with the aim to start broadcasting the Gospel message through programming on TV and offering follow up ministry through the 700 Club Prayer Line. Today, our CBN Hope Line is touching the lives of thousands of callers each month and remains one of our most effective tools to reach out to viewers with the love that Jesus deposited in our hearts for them. Each call is an opportunity to see the Holy Spirit move in someone’s life, and see desperate situations turned around for good.

In recent months we have received more than 3500 inbound calls, and our team made more than 500 outbound calls. We have ministered to people in varied circumstances and from all walks of life. One memorable call was from a Muslim man who was searching and seeking for truth. A Hope Team member shared about Jesus and His love for us. During that call this precious man prayed a daring prayer: “God, if Jesus is real, show me and set me free from my doubts and fears. Fill me with Your Spirit, cover me in the blood of Jesus and make me born again”. These were his very words. God is faithful and Jesus came into his heart, that very moment. The Bible teaches us that the angels of God rejoice over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:10) and we know there was much joy in heaven, as well as on earth that day! This is just one story and we have so many more. We are grateful for the opportunity to share the best news ever to anyone who wants to hear it. What an honour to see lives changed!

Operation Blessing. Besides sharing the Good News through media, CBN also shares the love of Jesus in practical ways. CBN’s Operation Blessing provides much needed relief and support to people all around the world by providing food, clean water, medical assistance and disaster relief. In the United Kingdom, we are helping vulnerable families through our Hope

Boxes outreach. Food insecurity is a real concern to many families. Every Hope Box contains nutritious food and hygiene items to help families experiencing great hardship. We have received an additional grant from a major supermarket for further support for this outreach continue to the end of this financial year. We currently have two projects running in England and in Wales.

There is more we can do together! Operation Blessing aims to meet the needs of vulnerable individuals and families, all year around. We are partnering with Victory Church in Cwmbran to set up the first Operation Blessing distribution centre in Europe. We are in phase one of a longerterm project. This phase has included refurbishment of the warehouse and preparatory work in readiness for opening to the public in April.

This distribution centre will initially serve families and individuals in Wales in need of various forms of practical support. Whilst providing food and household items, the team will engage in ‘friendship evangelism’. They will take opportunity to connect and stand with the people they serve. They will build further relationships with the local community.

Victory church also operates a rehabilitation centre for those battling with addictions. At CBN we pride ourselves in being “bridge builders”. We aim to work with Victory Church to provide life-skills through media training and equipment to capture their life stories and share the impact of this outreach on their lives. We would like to take the beneficiaries of this outreach from addiction to integration. This Operation Blessing Project seeks to give a life-line a second chance for the project beneficiaries to in turn help and reinvest in others. This project is a first of its kind for Operation Blessing UK, and we are excited to get this outreach started come along and be part of the change you wish to see!

Europe

We have CBN offices in the United Kingdom, Germany, Croatia, Moldova and The Netherlands. We work across Europe as a media charity and on humanitarian initiatives. Our focus this year is on reaching the new generation through CBN’s animated Bible series Superbook.

• We are launching 20 new Superbook YouTube channels in Europe in: English, German, Dutch, French, Italian, Polish, Romanian, Albanian, Hungarian,

Bulgarian, Croatian, Macedonian, Slovenian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Greek and Portuguese. With 26 episodes per channel from Season 1 and season 2.

• CBN’s Superbook Academy resource for churches has been updated to help churches during lockdown restrictions to continue teaching children and families at home with easy to share links. We continue translating these resources for wider use.

• Kuriakos TV in Portugal has come on board as a broadcast partner with a number of programmes including the Superbook series, Flying House animated Bible stories, Studio 5 and CBN documentaries.

• In Malta, we signed a broadcast agreement with a Exodus TV. They will broadcast a wide range of programmes including the daily 700 Club, Christian World News and CBN’s classic Superbook and Flying House series.

• In Moldova we are looking to start broadcasting CBN programmes in

Romanian and Russian on the regional TV NTS. Our team in Moldova is also working hard to prepare for a Superbook Easter holiday outreach. Please pray that Covid regulations allow for this event to take place.

• Viewers in The Netherlands continue to be blessed by broadcasts of The 700 Club and Superbook in Dutch. We just provided Season 2 to Family 7, which will bring new episodes to children and families from April. We receive regular testimonies from viewers who share stories of healing and provision.

One viewer had eye surgery scheduled. During one of the programmes, Pat

Robertson prayed for this exact eye condition. The viewer wrote “I believed for God to heal my eye, and it was healed instantly.” The doctor confirmed his eye was healed and sight restored!

• CBN Balkans team in Croatia continue to work on a variety of ministry projects. These include Hope Boxes to vulnerable families, relief to Roma families and various Orphan’s Promise projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina,

Serbia and Croatia.

• Our team in Germany continues to produce and broadcast their weekly TV programme ‘Erlebt’ airing on Bibel TV in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

We have an opportunity to start producing a ‘live’ programme in the future.

The Hamburg Prayer Line continues to serve callers responding to the

‘Erlebt’ programme.