THE FOCUS GROUP: Muslims

Muslims are one of the least reached people in the world. The fact that many of them have emigrated to western countries gives us a historically unique opportunity to reach them with the Gospel in our own back yards!
In the Netherlands there are nearly one million Muslims. Approximately 70% of them are former migrant workers from Turkey and Morocco. These came with their families in the 1960s and 1970s. Around 10% of the Muslims come from former Dutch colonies like Indonesia and Suriname. About 15% of the Muslims in Holland are asylum seekers who have come since the 1990s. They've come from many different Islamic countries; the largest groups from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Somalia. It is also estimated that 6,000 Dutchmen have converted to Islam. About 60% of all Muslims in Holland are younger than 30, 30% are 15 or younger.

THE NEIGHBORHOOD: Amsterdam-North

Although Muslims live scattered throughout the Netherlands, the largest concentration live in Amsterdam. The population of North Amsterdam is nearly 90,000 people: only around 1% are Christian, 25% are Muslim and the majority do not identify with any faith. Amsterdam-North has some other interesting characteristics: It has both the highest percentage of retired people and at the same time the highest percentage of children and teenagers. About 45% of the youth have foreign roots, mostly from Muslim countries.

THE OM GAAN PROGRAM: Practical training in reaching Muslims for Christ

OM Netherlands desires to train those interested in missions in how to reach Muslims for Christ. Amsterdam is a great training ground because there are so many Muslims from different cultures living here. The program prepares you to work among your choice of Muslim peoples. Soon after the orientation period, we ask team members to choose a particular ethnic group as their focus. Team members work on learning that group's language and culture.

As a Global Action program we train our team members not just the theory, but also through getting out and doing it in the neighborhood! The areas that we cover in the training are:

- Personal Development – Growing in character and in relationship with the Lord.
- Vision Development – Learning to seek out God's plan for your life choices.
- Class Room Training – On the various aspects of Islam and bringing the Gospel to Muslims.
- Practical Training – Building relationships with Muslims, being Light and Salt in their lives, bringing them into
church activities.
- Team Life – Working, playing, and praying together. Functioning as a body.

THE CHURCH: Young, Enthusiastic, Multicultural

At present there are just a few churches in Amsterdam-North. Of these, most are elderly, white and Dutch. In 2005, the Dutch Christian Reformed Church sent a church planter and his family to this area. His task was to plant a multicultural church in which all kinds of ethnic groups are welcome. In the last two years the church has grown quickly. People from many cultures and backgrounds meet together weekly at the Sunday service. During the week many activities take place, such as: kids' clubs, youth groups, sports, womens' meetings, prayer meetings, monthly meals, and Bible studies (in Dutch and other languages).
This church plant wants to be a home for all people in the neighborhood. It focuses specifically on the many immigrants and refugees, but everyone is welcome! Since it is part of the church planting efforts of the Christian Reformed Church, the church plant is based on their principles, but also makes room for traditions from other denominations. The church wants to be a mix between traditional reformed and evangelical. The Bible is the primary authority above any denominational traditions.

THE OM TEAM

We are looking for enthusiastic people from 18 years old to 70 years young. People who have a desire to see God at work in their own lives, and who are highly motivated to learn about and work among Muslims.

Requirements:
– Willingness to learn about Muslims and Islam
– Willingness to use your gifts within a small, international team and in a multicultural church
– Willingness to live in a multicultural neighborhood and be Jesus' Light and Salt
– A conversational level of English language, ability to read in English
– Experience is not required, enthusiasm and a desire to serve others is!

OBJECTIVES for the GAAN program

• To recognize and meet the needs of Muslims in Amsterdam-North and introduce them to Jesus.
• To teach participants relevant ways to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with Muslims in the city.
• To provide participants with opportunities to understand Muslim cultures better.
• To see participants be tools in God’s hands making the Gospel relevant and tangible for the Muslims of Amsterdam-North.
• To create opportunities for participants to reflect Jesus in their daily lives and to live authentically as disciples of Jesus in this world.
• To provide practical training in life-style evangelism.
• To give participants first hand use of their gifts and talents in loving Muslims.
• To offer a chance for trainees to get to know God, others and themselves better.