Pray, sing and sit in the sun at the Christian festival in the polder

« How do you respond to terrorism? » The question is suddenly asked on Friday afternoon during the Pentecostal conference in Biddinghuizen.

Williams, advocate of a religious community in Nigeria, tells how Christians are killed in his country and how he experienced that « hatred in your heart » is not a solution. He himself, he said, was visited by God when he laying solar panels in a Christian village, after which God asked him to do that in Islamic villages. He reluctantly did that, in a village where Fulani live, a population group that outlines Williams as « people who have rapes and mass slips on their conscience. They are many times worse than Boko Haram ». There God showed him that his heart was darkened by hatred. Williams built a school (visitors to donate) and learned that terrorism can only be beat when you see a human in your enemy: « Their hatred should not influence our hearts. »

In Ascension, the Pentecostal conference or Opwekking, a four -day festival of the Opwekking Foundation, started with the theme ‘fiery desire’. The conference has been organized since 1971 and is known as the largest Christian event in the Netherlands. Around 60,000 people come to it every year.

You can camp, eat, drink, there are inflatables, a small « church jungle » and activities for both small children (there are a lot of) and teenagers (there are also a lot of it). The center of the conference is formed by a square with a large cross where flags flutter: that of the festival, the Dutch tricolor and the Israeli flag. Different prayer services are held in the main tent every day.

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One of the speakers is Gerard de Groot, predecessor and founder of the Living Word municipality. He knows how to bring his audience to horror by telling that everyone was filled with the Holy Spirit before birth and that everyone longs to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is your best friend on earth.

« Amen, » it sounds of the head tent, which is filled for three -quarters, some follow his story because of the nice weather, rather outside, via the big screen. He tells how he stuttered as a child, but received a visit from Jesus in his bedroom at the age of 18. He learned that stuttering was part of the plan, but would disappear. « Then a miracle is needed, » he said. And that came: the stutterer became a speaker by profession.

Visibly inspired by American evangelists, he asks the visitors who feel the Holy Spirit to stand in themselves. Those who need it can come forward for a laying on of hands. His call appears to be a bit too successful: for a moment he looks at his watch if this is going well, there are many more people ready for a laying on of hands than he had expected. While many are in line, he closes with a final prayer.

Even longer are the rows across the side of the head tent at the cash registers where merchandise is sold. « You stand in line for about eight minutes, » a woman shouts through a microphone in a tent full of books, CDs, clothes, trinkets with God’s Word. For 17.99 euros you buy a bread board with blue-gold leaves and a spell from 1 Corinthians 13: « This is what remains: faith, hope and love. These three, but the greatest of it is love. »

Build bridges

There are stands along a ‘boulevard’ where missionary work is being promoted, including that of a ‘compassion church’, the leprosy shipping and operation mobilization. The latter refers to people who want to help bring God’s mission to everyone who is less good. Also present: the EO and the Christian health insurance. Three MPs from the ChristenUnie, including party leader Mirjam Bikker, are there to talk to visitors.

Christians for Israel has a stand where you can experience an « Israel-Experience » with headphones. There is also a stand of the Near East Ministry, which strives for « a return of Christians in the Netherlands to the God of Israel. » This can be achieved by pursuing reconciliation between ‘Jews and Arabs’, the organization says.

Outside practicing what children for the stand of Nem: with a sign on which ‘Jew’ is on, there are crates that they have to use to make a bridge to the sign with ‘Arabian’ on it. The crates are covered with the words ‘peace’, ‘grace’, ‘prayer’, ‘forgiveness’ and ‘reconciliation’.

The children place the crates and jump on to reach the other side. Once at the Arabian sign they think they are ready, but unfortunately. The game is only over when they are back at the « Jew » sign. « Too bad, just not fast enough, » says the supervisor when the children puffing the crates back together at the « Jew » sign.

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