STORIES FROM
EUROPE

A once run down and abandoned restaurant is slowing, but surely becoming a community centre for the people living in the surrounding seven apartment buildings and beyond. Even during the ongoing demolition and remodelling, the Greenhouse has already proven itself to be a blessing to its neighbours.

On Christmas Eve, the team hosted a dinner and 30 people attended despite the lack of heat and toilets. This seemed like a huge problem, but the owner of the neighbouring building, although hesitant at first, opened the doors for the party-goers. “That was essentially a sign of trust, which means a lot in our context,” said Gerard de Wit, who is leading the project.

In the winter, they also hosted weekly “Bible Discovery'' coffee meetings. “Reading the Bible with people who have never read it before is exciting- to see how they read a passage that is so familiar to me with very different eyes,” said de Wit. And now that the weather is nicer, they meet with neighbours every Monday for a coffee and garden work on the terrace. There is a feeling that the Greenhouse belongs to the entire community.

There is an emphasis and understanding that the Greenhouse isn’t there just to serve the community, but it is there for the community itself to serve others. During this construction phase, the team relies heavily on the practical expertise of the community. And not only that, neighbours are also involved in the planning, dreaming and governance of the project.

They met and decided together on the rules for the Greenhouse: No smoking, no alcohol and clear communication. At the very centre of the Greenhouse project is the love of Christ for this community, and the love for one another. Step by step, that love is changing not only the abandoned restaurant, but the hearts across the neighbourhood.

The team has chosen the verse Psalm 34:8 to lead them. It says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.” Soon, the outside terrace will be decorated and in full bloom. Let us hope and pray for each neighbour that sets foot inside the Greenhouse will indeed find refuge and continue to grow and bloom into a relationship with Christ.