Goodwill Shana, a pastor and evangelical leader in Zimbabwe for decades, encouraged 250 European evangelical leaders to hold fast to the Gospel amidst the current societal 'storm'.

Invited to speak at the morning sessions of Hope for Europe in Golem, Albania, the evangelical pastor spoke of his own experience in his home country, which has suffered severe inflation crises that have robbed young people of hope for future stability. The lack of resources caused by the Covid crisis also caused society to stumble.

But in today's hyper-connected world, Europe is also experiencing a storm. “We meet in this conference in very turbulent, volatile, uncertain, complex and fast-paced times”, he said in his Bible refleciton on 6 October in this gathering convened by the European Evangelical Alliance.

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In the midst of a “fourth revolution (ArtificiaI Intelligence) that puts everything in the air, we’re navigating so many changes”, said Shana. The “anchors of family, of society, the anchors of global law… They all are no longer in the place”.

 

 

 

 

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Shana quoted Hebrews 6:19 and Matthew 24:3 to remind the audience that those with a biblical worldview should not be entirely taken by surprise in situations of extreme complexity.

Using a nautical metaphor, he said, “in the time of the storm, the captain is not trying to create an anchor, but releases it because they already have it in the boat”.

The speaker urged the audience to consider what pillars European societies have relied on in recent decades. And to what extent these have failed.

[photo_footer] Around 250 gather at Hope for Europe 2026. / Moisés Contreras [/photo_footer] 

The “anchor of the character of God”

Shana called evangelical leaders in Europe to trust in the “anchor of the character and personality of God, the anchor of the promises of the Word of God, the anchor of the purpose of God for the church, and the anchor of the presence of God”.

And, through a relationship with Christ, to reflect on how churches and Christian organisations can bring renewed hope to the Old Continent.

A “gathering, not a conference”

The leadership of the European Evangelical Alliance has stressed that ‘Hope for Europe’ is a “gathering, not a conference” in which the weight of the conversation is on all the participants, not only the speakers. The current situation, they say, requires Christians to listen to the diverse voices and experiences of evangelicals across Europe.

[photo_footer] A Hope Lab discussion around peace and reconciliation, at Hope for Europe 2026 networks. / Joel Forster [/photo_footer] 

Throughout the first day, participants from 32 countries joined discussion groups organised by region, and there were presentations of various networks (childhood, mission, peace and reconciliation, freedom from trafficking, disability, and refugees, amongst others).

All of these networks work by bringing together people and projects working in the field, often through a decentralised coordination, which aims to promote existing efforts on the ground by matching needs with resources already available from churches or organisations across Europe.

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