Interdenominational and multinational
We meet young people from different countries and are a team from different countries
Partner churches in host and home countries
For optimal support to become a disciple of Jesus.
Disciple making movement
Jesus is not looking for converts or churchgoers but disciples who make disciples.
Help, message and God’s power
Practical help, one on one conversations, prayer for illness, ailments and problems.

About Us

Beach Mission is an interdenominational missionary organization and organizes evangelization trips to European beach resorts where many young people go on beach vacations. Participants offer help, prayer and a listening ear to young people in the nightlife areas. They engage in conversation about their faith in and relationship with Jesus Christ.

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Target group

Our target group is mainly young people in the party scene. Many young people are really seperated from God in part because of alcohol, drugs, rousing music and suggestive clothing. We would like to connect them with God with love and attention, commitment and passion, openness and honesty and above all, with the help of God, inform them how the broken relationship with God can be restored.

Beach Mission

Mission, vision and aim

Beach Mission aims to make a positive impact on the lives of young people and nightlife areas by providing assistance and connecting young people to Jesus in a life-changing way.

Vision

To bring all young people on (party) vacation in Europe into contact with Jesus Christ and make them His disciples.
Making a positive impact on nightlife by (1) showing the love and power of God and (2) establishing a culture of safety, trust, connection and freedom born from individual and mutual connection to God and each other.

Goals Netherlands and Flanders
Our goal is to grow the number of evangelization trips from 6 regions (in the Netherlands and Flanders together). From about 1 trip per region in 2022, to 7 trips per region in 2028. The number of destinations does increase somewhat, but the focus of the work will be on the 6 most popular destinations.
We also want to make an impact in quality by taking a more integrated approach to the mission and equipping participants to do so.

Goals abroad
Our goal is to form some regions outside the Netherlands + Flanders as well.

Aim for 2015

7-day mission trip to Lloret de Mar with 15-25 participants. Participants from NL.

Aim for 2016

Two 10-day mission trips; one to Lloret de Mar and one to Blanes. Both with 15-25 participants. Participants from NL, ES.

Aim for 2017

We orgainse five 10-day mission trips to three destinations; two to Lloret de Mar, two to Salou and one to Blanes. All with 10-25 participants. Participants from NL, ES, BE.

Aim for 2018

We organise five 8-day mission trips to four destinations; two to Lloret de Mar, one to Salou and one to Blanes and one to Texel. All with 10-30 participants. Participants from NL, ES, BE, DU.

Aim for 2019

We organize 9 8-day mission trips to five destinations; 4 to Lloret de Mar, 1 to Salou, 1 to Blanes, 2 to Texel and 1 to Sunny Beach. All with 10-25 participants. Participants from NL, ES, BE, DU.

Aim for 2020

We are organizing 6 8-day mission trips to five destinations; 2 to Lloret de Mar, 1 to Albufeira, 1 to Blanes, 1 to Texel and 1 to Sunny Beach. All with 10-25 participants. Participants from NL, BE, ES, BG, PT.

Target 2021

We are organizing 7 8-day evangelization trips to five destinations; 1 to Albufeira, 2 to Blankenberge, 2 to Chersonissos, 1 to Texel and 1 to Sunny Beach. All with 10-25 participants. Participants from NL, ES, BG, PT.

Target 2022

We organize 9 evangelization trips of 8 days to eight destinations; 1 to Sunny Beach, 1 to Ibiza, 1 to Chersonissos, 1 to Lloret de Mar, 1 to Chania, 1 to Texel, 1 to Bruges and 2 to Albufeira.
All with 10-25 participants. Participants from NL, BE, GR, ES, BG, PT.

Target and realization 2023

Objective 12 evangelization trips of 8 days to six destinations; 3 to Sunny Beach, 1 to Ibiza, 2 to Chersonissos, 1 to Lloret de Mar, 1 to Texel, 1 to Bruges and 2 to Albufeira and 1 to Mallorca.
All with 10-25 participants. Participants from NL, BE, GR, ES, BG, PT.
Realization 8 evangelization trips of 8 days to six destinations; 1 to Sunny Beach, 1 to Ibiza, 1 to Chersonissos, 1 to Lloret de Mar, 1 to Texel, 2 to Albufeira and 1 to Mallorca.
Strategy was commitment to many trips and cancellation in case of insufficient enrollment.

Target and realization 2024

6-12 evangelization trips of 8 days to six destinations; 1-2 to Sunny Beach, 1-2 to Ibiza, 1-2 to Chersonissos, 1-2 to Lloret de Mar, 1-2 to Albufeira and 1-2 to Mallorca.
All with 10-25 participants. Participants from NL, BE, GR, ES, BG, PT.
In September 6 trips will be offered and in January and 6 more with sufficient registrations.

Realization: 6 evangelization trips of 8 days to six destinations; 1 to Sunny Beach, 1 to Ibiza, 1 to Chersonissos, 1 to Lloret de Mar, 1 to Texel, 2 to Albufeira and 1 to Mallorca.
The approach of offering in batches does not seem to lead directly to a higher number of trips/participants.
The new approach of a large offer and canceling in case of too few registrations appears to be demotivating and therefore a different approach will be chosen for 2024.

Objective and realization 2025

6 evangelization trips of 15 days to six destinations; 1 to Sunny Beach, 1 to Ibiza, 1 to Chersonissos, 1 to Lloret de Mar, 1 to Albufeira and 1 to Mallorca.
All with 10-25 participants. Participants from NL, BE, GR, ES, BG, PT.
Participants have the possibility to join the first or the last 8 days of a trip.

Why the work of Beach Mission?

We do this because we have experienced in our own lives that the relationship with God makes us happy. We are convinced that our deepest meaning lies in our relationship with God. God made us as human beings, not to live our own lives, but to live from connection with God. In this life, but also in the life after this life, in eternity. We would like other young people in popular vacation areas to share in this.

Based on this same motivation, we want to do something good for the city. By being present and offering a listening ear, we want to bring peace to nightlife areas. Young people who are too drunk to get home we help them get home, people who are frustrated we offer a listening ear, women who can no longer walk on their high heels we offer slippers, we pray for those in sickness, pain and sorrow and we help young people grow to become disciples of Jesus.

Young people are the church of the future
God also comes to us where we are (Bible: Genesis 3 verse 9)
We are the church for young people who are revelling in nightlife areas

In the Bible you also will find examples of people who bring someone to Jesus. Of Andrew, one of Jesus’ disciples, you read that he did so up to three times; first his own brother Peter (Bible book John chapter 1 verse 42); then a Jewish boy (Bible book John chapter 6 verses 8 and 9) and a group of Greeks (Bible book John chapter 12 verses 20 to 22). A great example of how we want to bring young people to Jesus during their vacations!

What we believe

1. Faith in one God, eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit;

We as human beings were created in the image of God, as relational beings. We can connect with each other, reflect on our own behavior and think about meaning of life, for example. Relationships give meaning to life. We are convinced that our deepest meaning lies in our relationship with God. God is Spirit, but also person. He made us as human beings, not to live life on our own, but to live from the connection with God. In this life, but also in the life after this life, in eternity. (Romans 1:20, Matthew 28:19, Deuteronomy 4:35, John 17:5)

2. The Word of God, as recorded in the Bible, all the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments, are inspired by the Holy Spirit, infallible in the original manuscripts and of the highest and only decisive authority in faith and life;

We see the Bible as a love letter from God to us. By reading the Bible, we discover who God is and what He wants to mean for us.

3. The omnipotent of God the Father in creation, providence, revelation and end of age;

The world and nature on it (the creation), came into being because God spoke. When God made the world, all was well.

Man is the pinnacle of creation. He made humans as man and woman. Sex between a husband and wife is the only form of sexual relations that God approves.

God made a visible-but also an invisible-world. The invisible world is the domain of angels/spirits. Most angels serve God and people and reveal themselves to humans in sporadic cases. Some of the angels – led by Satan – have become unfaithful to God. After a battle in heaven, they were cast out of heaven and now want to take the power of God on earth and establish their own spiritual kingdom here, also reffered to as the realm of darkness. These spirits from this realm are also called demons. These spirits try to influence and control people.

4. The all-encompassing and total sinfulness and guilt of fallen man, subjecting him to God’s anger and judgement;

Most people realize that there is more between heaven and earth, but many have never had a personal experience with God. The reason is that there is a problem between us and God. That problem is in our thinking and actions. We as human beings can do many good things, but when you look at the misery in the world, you see that we as human beings are unable to live in harmony with those around us. You see this on a large scale, but also in our own lives. Even in doing good things, we often have our own wellbeing in mind. This problem creates distance between people, but also between a human being and our Maker, God.

When God made the world, all was well. Man was given responsibility for the world. As long as man was connected to God there would be no death and man would live eternally with God.

With the first people, Satan succeeded in bringing about a break in the relationship between God and man. That is why there is a lot of misery in this world. God holds us all personally responsible for our mistakes, but also collectively for the misery in the world, because we are no different from other people and evil does seem to have crept into our DNA as well. God calls this sin and deals with it as we deal with a crime. Good conversation cannot solve this problem. The punishment God is satisfied with is that we die and we are without Him in eternity. Consequence would be that there would be no human being left living eternally with God.

5. Our Lord Jesus Christ, God revealed as man, born of a virgin, His sinless life, His divine miracles, His substitutionary and atoning death, His bodily resurrection and ascension, His work as Mediator and His personal return to power and glory;

God has come up with an alternative solution! This solution is the sacrifice of an innocent human being. One who does not deserve the punishment himself, but is willing to take it for another. God took the form of a human being in Jesus. He was truly God and truly man. He lived life as God intended. He did not have evil in His DNA. He was innocent, yet he was condemned, put to death and entered eternal darkness. In doing so, Jesus sacrificed Himself and ended the enmity of God toward us.

6. The sinner’s redemption through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son and His justification by grace, not by works but by faith in Him.

Even before we could ask God, God took this step. It was on His own initiative. Yet God wants us to realize that this was also necessary for us personally. In prayer we can come to God with our lives and acknowledge that we are no better person than others, ask forgiveness for our mistakes (sins), accept that Jesus’ sacrifice was necessary for us and thank him for his sacrifice. As a result, the realm of darkness also loses the right to influence and control your life. When you are baptized, you show the spiritual world around you that your old life is dead, that you are rising in a new life and that the kingdom of darkness no longer has the right to have power over you.

7. The work of God the Holy Spirit, who enlightens the mind, works re-brith and dwells in the believer, enabling them to live a holy life and to witness and work for the Lord Jesus Christ;

As a victim or family of a crime victim, it doesn’t just happen that you are close friends years later. With God, this is completely different. He wants to make himself known through the Bible. He, the Maker and King of the universe, the highest spiritual power, wants to adopt us as children. He wants to establish a connection with us, as close as in a marriage. If you allow it, He wants to guide your life through the Holy Spirit. In prayer we can open our hearts to Him, ask Him to come and dwell in our hearts through the Holy Spirit and renew us from within, ask Him to help us follow and obey Him, ask to teach us to read from the Bible and to understand and to give our lives in His Hands. We may also thank God that we receive strength to become a child of God.

Out of that relationship with God, He wants to change our thinking (desires) and actions (choices) through the Holy Spirit. As a result, you start to consider yourself less and less important and God and the people around you become more and more important. The more you become connected to God, the more free you become from addictions and the more you want to engage with those around you. The rules of God that were at first confrontational and oppressive you begin to appreciate and want to live by.

8. The bodily resurrection of the dead; of believers to eternal life and of those who are lost to judgment;

God was content with Jesus’ sacrifice. As a result, we can now not only restore our relationship with God, but the punishment that was pronounced over us (that we must die and be without Him in eternity) is removed. Jesus showed that He is more powerful than the realm of darkness and death. The relationship with God also continues once we have died. We are then right with Jesus.
Jesus also instructed his followers – and thus all believers – to act from that power by healing the sick, freeing people from demons and even raising the dead. For this, God spiritually made available gifts of the Holy Spirit. When we work with these gifts, it must be balanced with the fruits of the Spirit. Not everyone with a relationship with God receives (equal) gifts of the Spirit.

All misery in this world will come to an end at some point. That will be when Jesus comes back and all things become new. No more death, no more sorrow, no more pain and no more trouble!

God has done everything possible to prevent us from going to hell. However, when we make the choice to lead our own lives, it is our own choice. That choice God respects. The sun rises for believers and non-believers. A relationship with God is a relationship of love; you cannot force it. But it is good to know that if we choose to live without God in our lives that is also the choice we make for eternity. We then choose to be without all the beautiful things we now receive from God.

9. The priesthood of all believers, who together form the universal church, the body of Christ of which He is the head, and that according to His command is to proclaim the Gospel in the whole world

The reason why we connect young people in the vacation areas with Jesus is first of all because our own lives have been so positively changed by our relationship with Jesus. But it is also because we want to respond to the last wish/mission Jesus expressed before he left the earth.

Evangelism is working on the spiritual front lines. This involves spiritual struggles. The realm of darkness seeks to minimize the impact of the work by discouraging and causing disunity among us.

Our values

As ambassadors of God, we want to be inspired and led by God.
The Bible is absolutely authoritative for this for us.
We endorse creed of Beach Mission
We really want to be interested in the other person and do not chase targets (numbers to be achieved).
We want to engage in conversation in a respectful and non-offensive manner.
We want to communicate the message of God, the gospel, in an understandable way.
We want to care for people who want to enter or have entered into a relationship with God.
We cause no problems and work within the laws of the civil government.
We travel as a group, consider each other and give each other space.
We want to connect with each other even if we think differently on some issues.
We don’t work without consultation. The trip leader is in charge of the trip. The leadership of a group of participants rests with the group leader.
We solve problems as quickly as possible.

Social security

Beach Mission believes it is important to be in a socially safe environment within your team. In the intake interview, on the team day and during evaluations, this safety is discussed. A reference is also requested for each participant from the leadership of the church where the participant is affiliated.

Should you nevertheless experience transgressive behavior within your team, we believe it is important that you report it. For yourself, but also for others.
You can report it in the following ways:

To the secretary of the board
Simon Klein – simonklein@beachmission.org
To the internal confidential person
Jan Hoegee – janhoegee@beachmission.org – 06-11783143
Jeannette Hoegee – jeannettehoegee@beachmission.org – 06-44796578
At the independent hotline SEM Foundation
www.wijzijnsem.nl
085-4881440
At this foundation, reports can also be made anonymously or advice sought. The SEM Foundation is also the organization that will assess whether a report is well-founded or not.

The team

Dennis
aftercare coordinator

Jeffrey
administration logistics

Kars
website

Eva – social media

Lucas – ICT

Arthur – fundraising

Dirk-Jan – director

René – assembly

Vacancy volunteer communication

4-8 hours

History

The founders are Dirk-Jan Boerman and Arjan Kriger. Until 2014, Dirk-Jan worked for the ‘Naar House’ foundation. While working there, a question occupied his mind for years: how to help those young people whom they talked to during the music events grow in their relationship with God. Between 2008 and 2014 Dirk-Jan participated in and led similar evangelism campaigns in Renesse. In 2007, he got the vision to go to Lloret de Mar and visit young people there during their vacation and share the gospel. Arjan Kriger and he founded Beach Mission to make this possible.

Why here and why during vacations?

“In the past few years I have met an awful lot of people from the world of dance events and nightlife. I am very impressed about how much openness for the Gospel there is among these young people. The stories from the Bible are still vaguely familiar to them, but most young people have no idea what the gospel is and that God wants to have a personal relationship with them. More and more I have come to see that there are tremendous opportunities here to reach young people who are “disconnected from God” with the gospel. During a vacation you can meet them more often, build a relationship with them and invite them over for a visit.”

Dirk-Jan Boerman

God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me”
(Don Moen)

Logo

Beach Mission’s logo symbolizes a path through the sea. This symbolizes how God acts in situations and makes a way where we as humans do not know how to go on anymore. Here you/you can think about the situation of young people, for the issue of how to reach the target audience, as well as the personal questions and struggles that young people and participants in the campaigns may be in.
The image comes from the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt and then came to stand on the beach in front of the Red Sea while the Egyptian army was on their heels. God opened a way that we could not have imagine. This is also the gospel in a nutshell: when Jesus died on the cross, a way opened up for us to have a relationship with God.

Partners

It is important to us that local churches and organizations are aware of our activities and where possible we cooperate with them. Partner churches in the Netherlands, Spain and in other European countries support Beach Mission in follow up (finding a buddy for young people who want to learn more about faith), in finding participants, in prayer and financially.

What do our partners do?

Naar House Foundation

Evangelism and education about music.