by Stuart Robinson
Brussels is considered one of the wettest places in North-West Europe. That hasn’t dampened Hugh Cox’s passion for building the Kingdom in this strategic world centre.
Hugh remembers first ‘seriously hearing’ the gospel when Peter Tasker (now Bishop of the Georges River region) was a student minister at St Matthew’s, West Pennant Hills in 1958. He finally committed his life to Christ during the Billy Graham Crusade in April, 1959. During a conversation with Broughton Knox (then Principal of Moore College), Hugh was asked if there was any good reason why he shouldn’t start training for full-time ministry immediately. Unable to come up with one, he began his time at Moore College five weeks later, in early 1966. He recalls that, “for the whole of first term I lived a double life, running a dairy and attending lectures.”
Hugh has been married to Barbara for 34 years. Together they’ve served the Lord in the dioceses of Canberra and Goulburn, Sydney and, most recently, Europe. In early 2001, Hugh completed his work as senior minister at St Paul’s, Castle Hill and was appointed Chaplain, St Paul’s, Tervuren in Brussels’s eastern suburbs.
SR: Other than world-class tennis players, what attracted you to Brussels, Hugh?
HC: Brussels is a very significant city in Europe. It is the seat of the European Union, NATO, the European Parliament, the Council of European Ministers and the European Commission. Many large multinational corporations are also located in this modest city of one million people. Of particular interest to us is the very strong English-speaking contingent within the six ‘communes’ (local government regions) that surround Tervuren.
The church (planted in 1988) meets in the café of the British School. The congregation is truly international in nature and very multicultural. We are committed to outreach and evangelism and are seeking to build people as disciples of Christ during their time in this city. Some will begin a relationship with Christ and others will grow significantly as they take on new responsibilities. We are seeking to send out people who are stronger and better equipped to serve the Lord Jesus in other places.
SR: Is there a clear vision?
HC: There is: “St Paul’s has the vision of making disciples for Jesus from among all nations.” To this end, we seek to Engage with the community, Enable people to live truly Christ-honouring lives, Encourage the nurture and support of individuals, and Extend the work of God’s kingdom by equipping people and sending them out.
We want to build a strong sense of biblical community and we really are serious about impacting the world for Christ. Small groups play an important part in this. Through the ‘40 Days Of Purpose’ program we experienced a 50 per cent increase in small group attendance. We continue to emphasise the value of small groups as a vehicle for discipling and outreach.
SR: You often mention outreach.
HC: We believe that evangelism works best when people invite their friends to appropriate events. These will include ‘Invitation Services’, golf days, quiz nights, or wine and cheese tasting. Recently I took a group of men for a walk over the nearby battlefield at Waterloo. We’re looking for events where it’s natural and relatively easy to bring a friend.
The next phase is to present a chance for people to investigate the claims of Christ seriously. This is done in a more systematic way through programs like ‘The Y Course’, Alpha, and Christianity Explained.
Finally, when people do make a decision for Christ they are invited to join a small group. The best way to test the effectiveness of this strategy is to monitor the progress of those who began as ‘enquirers’ and ended up as convinced believers.
SR: I understand that partnerships and ‘strategic alliances’ are essential for ministry in Brussels.
HC: Correct. St Paul’s is sponsored by the Inter-continental Church Society (ICS). Around 50 other congregations in Europe are a part of the ICS family and in less than a decade ICS has been involved in the birth of ten new congregations.
We are also working with the Brussels English-speaking Pastor’s Association. This group comprises some 50 men and women from a wide range of backgrounds. ‘Christian Impact’ [which Hugh chairs] is the mission arm of this group. Later this year we will host a ten-day, city-wide Mission with Michael Cassidy and six other evangelists from Africa. This will be a powerful way of breaking down the barriers between churches and focusing on the lost.
SR: It all sounds very exciting. What are the challenges?
HC: As with Sydney, people are very busy with work, travel, family. The challenge for us has to do with the limited period that people reside in Brussels. Some are here for as little as two years before being re-assigned. This gives us a very narrow ‘window’ to reach and disciple them. Language is also a difficulty as we are constantly interfacing with French and Flemish (Dutch). I am now punishing myself trying to learn Dutch in order to make my contact with locals more serious.
SR: Now, I know we can follow your progress at www. stpaulstervuren.org, but how can we specifically uphold you?
HC: We value our strong roots in the Diocese of Sydney and Moore College, with whom we now see ourselves in partnership. Having said that, we do feel very far away at times – especially the separation from family. Pray that we will model a healthy marriage in this demanding environment. Pray that we’ll be able to identify quickly people with ministry gifts and utilise them in the work. Pray also that I might honour Christ as I direct the city-wide Mission in November.
