Evadoc Newsletter Summer 2025

Table of Contents

Website with a New Look
Book Launch: From Hope to Hardship
To Bridge a gap
Acquisitions
Advice
Support Evadoc
Transferring Archives or Publications?
Subscribe or Unsubscribe

Website with a New Look

Our website has a new look. We hope you'll easily find the information you're looking for. Before launching the new website, we've archived the old one - because a website is also an archival document. Unfortunately, most churches and organizations still lack the reflex to archive their old websites. Need advice or assistance in archiving your church or organization's website? Contact us via this link. You can also use that link to share your thoughts on our redesigned website.

Book Launch: From Hope to Hardship

In 2015, Aaldert Prins successfully defended his PhD thesis on the history of the Belgian
Gospel Mission from 1918 to 1962. Now, 10 years later, Leuven University Press 
publishes the edited version under the title  "From Hope to Hardship; The Missionary
Dreams and Disappointments of the Belgian Gospel Mission 1918 - 1962. This monograph
presents a scholarly picture of the Belgian Gospel Mission (now Vianova), which
significantly impacted the Protestant landscape in Belgium during the 20th century. 

 

The book will be launched on Saturday, June 14, 2025 from 2 pm to 5 pm at KADOC-KU Leuven. In addition to a presentation by the author, two lectures will place the book’s content in a broader context. We welcome John Wolffe, co-author of A Short History of Global Evangelicalism from England. Dutch scholar Hans Krabbendam, director of KDC and author of Saving the Overlooked Continent: American Protestant Missions in Western Europe, 1940–1975, will focus on the period after World War II.

There will be plenty of time to get to know the work of Evadoc and KADOC, and some fascinating archival pieces will be displayed in the reading room. Except for John Wolffe's lecture, the event will be in Dutch. Still, even those with limited Dutch language skills will find this a unique and engaging event.
This book launch closely follows International Archives Week, which this year is themed  #ArchivesAreAccessible – Archives for Everyone. From June 9–13, you’ll find handy videos about archives and archivists on this page and its social media. Our archives, too, are meant to be used by everyone.

Participation is free, but we kindly ask you to register via this form for practical reasons. The book will be available at a discounted price during the event.

To Bridge a Gap

We are now fully active in the second region of our KADOC project: Mechelen-Willebroek. Like in the Aalst region, numerous African church communities exist in Mechelen. Although Mechelen has had a more extended migration history than Aalst-Ninove-Denderleeuw, housing is still a major issue. Some congregations meet in school gyms or community centers, while others are in buildings that are about to be demolished or have changed owners, leading to non-renewal leases. As a result, these communities often have to relocate.

The photo above was taken in the Church of Pentecost, which is currently forced to look for a new location. Like the "predominantly white" congregations, African churches vary widely in size and worship style. This project provides a fascinating look into their diverse forms of worship.

You can find more information about the project via this link.

Acquisitions

As usual, this section updates you on key additions to our collection.

Archives

At the beginning of this year, the Ligue pour la Lecture de la Bible entrusted its archive to Evadoc for safekeeping. The archive consists of one pallet that is now waiting to be processed. 
Smaller, but still valuable, is a donation from Leo Maekelberghe: a binder from the Pentecostal Credo Church in Lier.

Publications

Our library collection has been enriched with the following physical acquisitions:

• Wakker in God's wereld

  

• Sous le Drapeau 1919, 1940 
• De Torenwachter (Scholen met de Bijbel) 1927, 1937-1938 
• De Garve/La Bonne Nouvelle (multiple issues)
• De Evangelist (Flemish Methodist magazine) – multiple issues
• Goed Nieuws voor Iedereen – several issues
• Entre Nous – Mission Méthodiste
• De Kerkbode, Maandblad der protestantsche kerk van Antwerpen -1942-1950 (incomplet)

We were able to add multiple missing issues of the following magazines:

• Christelijk Volksblad jg. 43-53 (1913-1923), 85-86 (1955-1956) 
• De Stem
• Paix et Liberté
• De Open Poort

We were also able to add several missing issues of the following church bulletins:

Audio

We received a box of books and LPs from Jean-Paul Vilain.

Advice

KADOC offers expert services for diverse religious heritage, especially regarding documentary heritage (archives and publications) and intangible heritage (traditions and customs). Within KADOC, Evadoc is the designated expert for Protestant and Anglican heritage. For questions about objects and immovable heritage, we’re happy to connect you with our colleagues at PARCUM.

 

Support Evadoc

Would you like to help keep Evadoc financially healthy? You can donate to our bank account, BE92 7340 2819 9323 (KREDBEBB). Thanks to your support, we can continue preserving, describing, and promoting the history of the Protestant-evangelical community in our region in close collaboration with KADOC-KU Leuven.

Transferring Archives or publications?

You can deposit your archive with Evadoc. If placed in safekeeping, we manage and preserve it while you retain ownership. That means we will always ask your permission before granting access to your materials. Alternatively, you may donate your archive. In that case, we manage and preserve it and decide on access rights.

You can find general guidelines for transferring paper or digital archives here and here. For specific questions or more information, please get in touch with Aaldert Prins.

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