From Kent to Belgium: A life-changing weekend
by Joe Brooks
Want to be caught up in God’s heart for the nations? People from across our family of churches have been blessed in many ways by visiting our churches, church plants and pioneers around the world, and witnessing how the Lord is at work beyond their home towns.
In this article, read how a group from Cornerstone City Church in Medway, Kent experienced a life-changing time of outreach in the heart of Brussels, Belgium. When Joe originally connected with Steve and Bridget Bree at an RM prayer and fasting event, he didn’t know how he would be spending a few days witnessing what God is doing in their city soon after!
Outside the 3:16 gallery
JOE BROOKS: In April 2025 Davi Olivera, Breanna-Elisa Oyeniyi, Megan Voke and I (Joe Brooks) set off from London St Pancras train station in the early hours of a Wednesday morning bound for Belgium. On our arrival we were met by Steve Bree who, together with his wife Bridget, have been involved in an extraordinary evangelistic ministry in the heart of Brussels for several years dubbed 316@28. It was the start of a three day mission trip volunteering with this exciting and unusual outreach project.
The Gallery in the Grand Place – 316
I had already heard about the 316@28 gallery in a few different settings, but it was only when I was there that I was able to catch on to quite how incredible it is. Hearing the story and the prophetic words about the gallery was faith building. It’s so evident that God has given them the building and is using them for his mission there. Situated in La Grand-Place (the Great Square) at the centre of Brussels, a spot that literally every person who visits Brussels goes to, makes it a magnet for the nations. The diversity and popularity of the square they’re placed bang in the centre of seems unbelievable - until we remember that we have a God who accomplishes the ‘unbelievable’!
People seemed very open, and I think a big part of that is the way the gallery is set up. When people entered 316 to look round the gallery, we approached them and usually asked the question, ‘Which of these paintings speak to you?’ This led to all sorts of conversations - some short and some that continued at length.
Off the top of my head, I ended up having conversations with people from Azerbaijan, France, Belgium (unsurprisingly!), Germany, the Netherlands, Palestine, Morocco, Algeria, Malaysia, Turkey, England (within 30 minutes of Medway!), Russia, the USA, and more, as well as people from different faith backgrounds including Muslims, Hindus, Jehovah’s Witnesses, atheists and agnostics!
Painting outside the exhibition space in La Grand-Place
Prophetic art has led to deep conversations with visitors
The God who goes before us
On any mission trip you can have an expectation that you are there to do ‘A, B or C’ - and whilst it’s good to go somewhere with a heart to serve and make an impact, you run the risk of putting a lot of pressure on yourself. Steve and Bridget were really clear from the start that it’s God who does the work, it’s God who brings the right people in, it’s God who sparks connections and conversations, and that’s the only reason they can do what they do! It’s their DNA.
Walk and wonder: shopping centres like no other!
Hearing this lifted a weight off of our shoulders, and we got to experience God at work firsthand in the kinds of people who came in and the kinds of conversations we had - completely unforced, because it was all on God to act!
One powerful example of God being at work came at the beginning of the trip. After getting to know us, Steve and Bridget told us to expect the following kinds of people to come in during our time there: people from Kent and Portuguese speakers. Why? because we were from Kent, and because Davi is Brazilian and speaks Portuguese!
Davi did indeed have a lengthy conversation with a Portuguese speaker, while I had a deep conversation about Jesus with a Malaysian man currently doing a Masters at Greenwich University - only 30 minutes away from us.
So when Megan and Breanna-Elisa started a conversation with two girls visiting Brussels for the weekend, we should not have been surprised to find out that one had grown up in Kent. The conversation turned quite naturally towards God and what they believed, and Megan and Breanna-Elisa were able to speak about their faith and share the gospel with them. Then, a couple of minutes after they had left, the girls returned, so impacted by the conversation that they wanted to exchange phone numbers and continue the conversation back in England! Even more amazingly, one of the girls happened to be seated directly behind us on the Eurostar train home, and when we arrived back in St. Pancras we discovered the other was riding the same train back to Kent with us!
We saw God at work in other ways too. As well as the art gallery, the building has different rooms open to pray, worship and read in throughout the day. At one point in our visit there were fewer visitors coming in than usual. After some volunteers went upstairs to pray, a surge of people came in! It was very encouraging, especially for those who returned from prayer to find the place swarming with visitors.
Witness in the Square: sharing Jesus with passers-by
Beyond the gallery
In addition to their ministry amongst tourists, it was wonderful to see the impact they were having on the local community. Throughout the day, visitors dropped by who Steve, Bridget and others have been building long-term relationships with. It was clear that these locals found 316 to be a place of peace where they could talk to people who cared and experience the love of God.
Another highlight was when we teamed up with a local Bible college to do some evangelism in La Grand-Place. After finding a couple approaches that worked well, we felt surprisingly well received by people who seemed eager to engage in conversations with us and open to hearing the gospel. We were able to talk about our faith, pray with people and share passages of Scripture.
On our final day, 316 had the opportunity to host a pop-up art gallery in the Brussels Stock Exchange. Whilst we needed to be more cautious in our approach under the guidelines of the public space, much of the artwork depicted Jesus and other biblical imagery, and naturally sparked spiritual conversations. We encouraged people to visit the 316 gallery to continue conversations, and several did.
A pop-up witness: holding a temporary gallery in the Brussels Stock Exchange
A pop-up witness: Despite a less direct approach, the art led to many spiritual conversations
A family away from home
It was a great privilege to be a part of what God is doing through Steve, Bridget and the volunteers in Brussels, and to see God move throughout our time there.
Whilst we were only there for three and a half days, it felt like we had formed a family there, making it sad for us to leave! Steve and Bridget were so upbuilding and hospitable, and Jeff and Jane Warin were also there that weekend and were such a joy and encouragement to be around. We came with the desire to be a blessing (which we were) but we also felt greatly the blessing of God whilst we were there.
We learned so much, were filled with a fresh hunger for mission and a heart for the nations, and were able to have incredible conversations with people, seeing the work of the Holy Spirit throughout it all.
I would wholeheartedly encourage anyone who wants to get involved with God’s mission whether long-term or short-term, to pay them a visit and ask how they can serve. We’re so grateful for our time there and hope to come again. The city is beautiful, and if you needed one more reason to go - the Frites and waffles were phenomenal!
by Joe Brooks
Joe moved from Peterborough to Medway, Kent for an ID placement at Cornerstone City Church, where he is now employed part-time. He is recently married to Megan and currently working towards a theology degree. These last few years in Medway, there has been many opportunities to get involved in evangelism, so being able to learn and grow in a different context, with fantastic friends, was a wonderful experience.