Mr. Wim Annen, a 74-year-old Dutch Christian businessman, in 5 years, he has bought 4 abandoned churches in Gelderland, the largest province in the country and he has no intention of stopping…
This was the fourth abandoned church he had just purchased. This time it's the catholic church in Meddo, a village located in the Winterswijk region in the east of the Netherlands. Purpose ? Prevent churches from being turned into apartments or shopping malls.
In an interview with the daily Nederland Dagblad, the businessman said he wanted to keep these churches as places of contemplation, because they are "more beautiful than a billiards room or a carpet mall". He firmly believes that although in his country, people no longer go to church much, but "faith has not disappeared".
According to him, before the pandemic and now with the threat of war in Europe, many people find that in the end "those things cannot happen on their own". "I believe the demand for church will increase further," he told the Nederland Dagblad daily.
After buying the church in Meddo, which has been inactive for more than a year, this year he plans to buy three more churches in the Achterhoek region.
Asked about his motivation, he did not hesitate to testify about his comeback five years ago. It was through difficulties in his personal life that made him realize how "lost in life". By buying closed places of worship, he found the best way to thank God for his return.
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catholic