A tent church in Delft has become a safe haven for residents since it was first pitched up in February.
Pastor Emilton Daniels and his wife Jolene first started the Vision Times Multi-Purpose Christian Centre on February 14 and have been hosting services from Tuesday till Friday and on Sundays at 7.30pm in Boomerang Street in the Hague.
Emilton says: “We are based in Belhar but both my wife and I were moved by the holy spirit to come to Delft and start a church here.
“The plan was first to make it just for three days but it turned into a week, then a month and now it is still standing there.
“From the first day we started, the reception has been so great by all the residents that they do not want us to leave.”
The 44-year-old said the tent also serves as a venue to host youth development courses and a feeding scheme, while Jolene provides counselling services.
“We have so many people from the community that have come to us with various problems like substance abuse, having abusive partners and also some guys who have been gangsters before,” says the pastor.
“One woman became an alcoholic after she lost her job but after the church opened, she started coming to services and afterwards, we would spend an hour talking about things.
“She stopped drinking and she also got a new job.
“We have a lot of people who come every night but we also have people who come from other churches because they believe in the word we preach.”
The Pentecostal Charismatic Church hosts 100 people during their services while they also have a group of spiritual dancers.