I wasn’t sure what to think when I pushed the door open. I looked around and saw a couch against the bare brick wall, and a table in the center of the space. I wonder what kinds of decisions were made around that table, I wondered. We turned the corner and walked through two doors into the studio space. It’s a lot smaller than I imagined it would be, I thought to myself, looking around at the walls, the floor, and the huge electrical panel just to the right of the door. I tried to take in as much as possible, thinking about the history that was made here, along with television shows that, to this day, continue to take the Gospel throughout the Earth.
I had just walked into IMM’s former home, in Brussels, Belgium. When IMM relocated to Europe from Lakeland, Florida, they had utilized a large portion of the European Ministry Center (EMC) in Brussels for their global headquarters, complete with a studio, edit suites, and administrative offices. I had heard many stories about what had happened in Brussels, so it was a little surreal walking into that space for the first time. There is an incredible legacy of programming that originated in that building, produced by dozens of talented and passionate people. The massive investment of time and resource that went into that programming still pays off today as we do new language translations of programs from the Brussels era.
And even as I looked back, thinking about what had been done in that building, the reason I was in the building in the first place was to look forward to the work yet to be done. Matt and I were in the EMC to conduct a symposium of pastors and ministry leaders from all throughout Belgium, with the goal of using media to reach more French-speakers with the Gospel. We’re so grateful for those that have gone before us, and for the foundation that was built that we continue to use as a platform to put Jesus on every screen.
