Welcome to Molenbeek

2. Comte de Flandre Metro Stop4. Maison Communale

6. Mosques in Molenbeek8. The Women of Molenbeek

10. Tea Shops12. The Next Generation

14. Islamic Trends16. Town Hall

Prayer Map

This is where your prayer walk begins. There are metro stations than run underground, throughout Belgium. As

you exit the Comte de Flandre metro stop, the portal to all of Molenbeek, you will be greeted by either sheer silence or sheer chaos, depending on the day. This is the main stop for many Northern African immigrants.

Pray for the people that pass through this metro station. Pray that they would be reached with truth.

Comte de Flandre Metro Stop

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Six days out of the week, places like Molenbeek are the neighborhoods that you would try to avoid. Dilapidated

compounds house misunderstood immigrants which the surrounding would has misjudged as a threat. However, when these markets open up, Molenbeek is completely transformed. Men scramble to sell as much product as possible while women shop around the numerous stands. As you stroll the market, you get the overwhelming feeling of darkness clouding the markets and surrounding streets.

Pray that Christ and His people would shine their lights to people living in darkness. Pray that as people congregate to shop, that they would find a new reason to gather together; Christ.

Maison Communale

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MosquesMosques flood the city of Brussels. Several of them can be found in the Molenbeek quarter. As you walk through the area, you will notice that these mosques have separate entrances for both men and women. If you continue to walk, you may see another mosque just down the way. There is not only a divide is between men and women but between the North African and Turkish Muslims as well. Each group does not consider the other group to actually be truly Muslim.

Pray that the Turkish and the Northern Africans would find unity, not in Islam, but in Christ.

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The

Women

Of

Molenbeek

Many of the streets house a myriad of fabric stores with beautifully designed dresses and head coverings to blossom women’s sense of creativity. Despite the colorful tapestries for many Muslim women, the veil represents a spiritual imprisonment. The place of women in Islam is behind both men and non-existent God. Many will never see that their true value is found only in the shadow of the true God.

Pray that they would submit to God, not man. Pray that the female field workers in the are would be sensitive to the needs of the women and find divine opportunities to relate this message to them.

And we all, with unveiled face,

beholding the glory of the Lord,

are being transformed into the

same image from one degree of

glory to another. For this comes

from the Lord who is the Spirit.

-2 Corinthians 3:18

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Upon entering, you and a group American are met with an array of gazes from the men currently in the tea room. Confusedly, you try to order at the counter, but the owner kindly sits you at the nearest table. A couple sips into the coffee, you begin to relax. You are relieved to see that everyone has forgotten about your presence. You realize that tea shops function pretty much the same way everywhere. Men gather to converse over a plethora of topics and unwind with a cup of strong coffee. These places are where conversations happen. God’s people are the only element missing to make these places glorify His name.

Pray that more male field workers are drawn to reach out in these shops. Pray that God would convict American churches to send more men into Muslim cultures. Pray for more Muslim background believers to reach these areas. Pray that the Muslim men would be reached. If the Muslim men are reached, then the Muslim world will be reached.

Tea Shops

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If you were to pass through any neighborhood in Brussels and simply listen your ears would instantly be filled with the laughter and playing of children. Running, yelling, singing, and dancing these children are being raised in the shadow of their parent’s religion. This next generation represents an interesting tension. For many they will grow and follow in Islamic traditions simply because that is all they have ever known. For others they will seek modern trends and beliefs and turn to serve other gods. But right now they are children enjoying their youth, completely unaware of the decisions they must make for their lives.

Pray that they would not go their entire lives without hearing the Gospel. Pray that they would find no satisfaction with Islam and break cultural expectation by seeking truth.

The Next Generation

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As you walk through Molenbeek for the first time, you would be startled to learn that an Islamic Man and Woman standing

far apart are actually married. It becomes evident that there is a significant need for love in the Islamic way of life. There are other ways of seeing this truth in the community. Beggars make their home on corners, hoping for help. Women for sale fill the windows. Trash compliment the broken down buildings. While it is clear that Islam values its community, this value isn’t expressed through love. There are 99 names for Allah in the Koran, but not one of them is “love.”

Pray for the beggars that are trapped in begging rings, controlled by scheming leader. Pray that love will be evident in marriages in the Islamic culture here. Pray that they would accept conversation about the God of the Bible, who is love.

Islamic Trends

As you get off the metro in Molenbeek, you are greeted by a large sea foam green dome housing Molenbeek’s town hall. Often, debate in Belgium comes down to

opposition between the French speaking section and the Dutch speaking section. However, as often these two bicker they can agree on one thing -- they both want the Arab immigrants out. Of Brussels’ population of one million, about 400,000 are of Arab descent. Molenbeek, being directly across from an immigration center, is one of the township’s that currently houses a strong majority of this demographic. As Brussels’ slowly becomes more and more Arab-Muslim.

Pray that officials would be welcoming of the new culture and work towards helping people assimilate and become part of society.

Town Hall

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