News from our field
GlobalRize Welcomes its 1,000th Volunteer!
Friday, February 6, marked a major milestone for GlobalRize as Director Frans de Lange and English Team Leader Emmie Kaljouw celebrated the arrival of the organization’s 1,000th volunteer. Cristian van der Jagt (23), from The Netherlands, was welcomed with cake as he officially joined the English-speaking chat team. At the very moment of the meeting, Cristian was already in the middle of a profound online discussion about the Trinity with a man from Bangladesh.
Cristian, who works at the McCain potato processing plant, devotes his spare time to engaging in spiritual conversations. As a “chatter,” he connects with people from all over the world. He previously completed a year at the Gospel Mission Bible School in Amerongen while working full-time. Frans de Lange expressed his enthusiasm: “I am thrilled to have Cristian on board. He clearly has a solid theological foundation and knows how to hold his own in challenging discussions.”
Cristian first heard about GlobalRize through a monthly mission project at his parents’ church. “There was a special collection for GlobalRize, and my mother suggested it might be a good fit for me,” Cristian says. “I have friends serving as missionaries in Africa, but going abroad isn’t for me—I’d get too homesick. I’d much rather be active from home.”
He has already mastered the art of building deep connections. “We message each other almost daily,” Cristian says of his contact in Bangladesh. “We’ve discussed John 1, and we even look at verses from the Quran together.”
Reaching 1,000 volunteers is a significant achievement. De Lange reflects: “GlobalRize has grown rapidly. In just ten years, we went from a single person to a thousand. Around 900 of our volunteers share the Gospel one-on-one nearly every day, mostly through our online Bible courses or via chat. The remaining hundred provide vital support, from managing social media and design to writing Bible studies and devotionals.”
The organization has also become increasingly international. More than half of the volunteers are now based outside the Netherlands, spread across more than forty language teams. De Lange emphasizes that the growth is not just in numbers, but in quality: “We invest heavily in internal training to ensure our team can share the Gospel effectively and cross-culturally.”
Despite reaching this milestone, new volunteers are always needed. “There is such a hunger for the Gospel worldwide,” says De Lange. “In an increasingly digital age, we believe in using technology to facilitate personal, human contact. This requires many hands.”
While the English-speaking team is currently in high demand, GlobalRize welcomes people of all ages. “Our volunteers over 65 are a cornerstone of the organization; they bring a wealth of time and wisdom,” De Lange notes. “But we are also eager to welcome more young people like Cristian—they bring a unique energy and enthusiasm that is essential to our mission.”
- Give thanks to God for the thousand volunteers who dedicate themselves to reaching people all over the world with the Gospel!
- Pray that these volunteers will receive love and wisdom in all their interactions and connections with others.