St Andrew's Church in Brussels

Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

 (Ixelles) is a congregation in membership of both the Church of Scotland

Church of Scotland

The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....

 and the United Protestant Church in Belgium

United Protestant Church in Belgium

The United Protestant Church in Belgium is a minority Christian church in Belgium, where the majority of the population is Roman Catholic. The name of the church in Dutch is Verenigde Protestantse Kerk in België and in French l'Église Protestante Unie de Belgique .The current President of the...

 (EPUB/VPKB) (in French Eglise Protestante Unie de Belgique and in Dutch Verenigde Protestantse Kerk in België.) Services are conducted in English. The congregation's mission statement is "We aspire to follow Jesus in bringing the knowledge of God's love to all".

The church buildings (located in Chausée de Vleurgat or Vleurgatsesteenweg, Ixelles, off the Louise Avenue) were built in 1925 as a memorial to the Scottish soldiers who had died in Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 during World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. The area surrounding the church is notable for its distinctive early 20th century Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...

 houses, notably the nearby home of the architect Victor Horta

Victor Horta

Victor, Baron Horta was a Belgian architect and designer. John Julius Norwich described him as "undoubtedly the key European Art Nouveau architect." Indeed, Horta is one of the most important names in Art Nouveau architecture; the construction of his Hôtel Tassel in Brussels in 1892-3 means that...

.

The once small congregation has grown considerably in recent years, especially as a result of the UK’s accession to (what was then known as) the Common Market in 1973 and the location of numerous international organisations in Brussels, including the European Union

European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

 and NATO. The congregation today is very multinational, with a wide variety of nationalities and backgrounds being represented, although still with a substantial number of Scots.

The present minister (since 2004) is the Reverend Dr Andrew Gardner BSc PhD BD, formerly of Flowerhill Parish Church, Airdrie

Airdrie, North Lanarkshire

Airdrie is a town within North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It lies on a plateau roughly 400 ft above sea level, and is approximately 12 miles east of Glasgow city centre. Airdrie forms part of a conurbation with its neighbour Coatbridge, in the former district known as the Monklands. As of 2006,...

, Lanarkshire

Lanarkshire

Lanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

.

See also

• Presbytery of Europe
  Presbytery of Europe
  The Presbytery of Europe covers the Church of Scotland's congregations in continental Europe.As a Presbyterian church, the Church of Scotland has no bishops. Instead courts of ministers, elders and deacons have collective responsibility for the governance of the church...
  
  
• List of Church of Scotland parishes
• Conference of European Churches
  Conference of European Churches
  The Conference of European Churches was founded in 1959 to promote reconciliation, dialogue and friendship between the churches of Europe at a time of growing Cold War political tensions and divisions. It is an ecumenical fellowship of Christian churches in Europe; its membership consists of most...
  
  

External links

• St Andrew’s Church, Brussels
• Church of Scotland Presbytery of Europe
• Protestantism in Belgium (in French and Flemish only)