‘The Lion King’ cartoon’s three hyenas and the people of Binche – can you find a common denominator? They all tremble! The former tremble with fear at the mention of Mufasa, the latter tremble with joy at the thought of their Carnival! Renowned worldwide for its folklore, the town puts on party dress in February. On Shrove Tuesday, one of the Gilles (main characters in the carnival) may well toss up to 25 kilos of oranges into the crowds of spectators while wearing a headdress weighing about three kilos. He may be on the go for nearly 28 hours. Every year the celebrations cost almost as much as the price of building thirty houses.

In this town so dedicated to carnival, is there a witness for the Lord? Yes, there is! After several attempts in the past, a new church plant was begun in 2005. Since then, the fellowship has welcomed many visitors and now regularly sees about twenty participating in the Sunday morning services. Our activities are based on the four pillars of the early church (Acts 2 v.42) “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.” And God is responding by adding new sheep to His flock. In 2011, five people from very different backgrounds passed through the waters of baptism, showing the extent of the divine grace. We have also had the joy of welcoming a Belgian-English couple on placement from the Belgian Bible Institute. Thomas and Rosie Geronazzo quickly integrated into the team learning and helping with every aspect of the life of a church plant. We may not make as much volume of sound as the drums of Binche on a Shrove Tuesday, but we are heard in heaven, where it really counts!