VIANOVA defines itself as “a movement of integrated communities of followers of Jesus who live the Kingdom of God in this world.” WELCOME TO MOOVE!
MOOVE is: A microcosm where we experience the Kingdom of God; A gathering of Jesus' followers; And a manifestation of the true Love of God. "The Christian community is not only the ideal setting for the individual and collective development of Jesus’ followers, but it is the starting point for a movement of disciples who together dare to leave the safety of their church in order to live 'without walls' among their fellow man and to do good for those around them."
In Spring 1996, Eric Zander traveled to California for the first time. Lillian Palmberg (a Lake member and former missionary for 30 years in Belgium) arranged a meeting with Roger Bosch, Lake’s missions pastor at the time. Since then, a genuine friendship started between Lake leaders and the Zanders. A few years later, after Lillian Palmberg had passed away, Lake began to support the Zanders as our mission partners in Belgium.
Eric served as a school teacher in the early years and received his bachelor’s degree from the Belgian Bible Institute in June 1991. Anne, his wife, was working as a nurse. They moved to Herstal, Belgium to join a new church-planting project with the Belgian Evangelical Mission (B.E.M.) where they remained for eight years developing the new church. Their first child, Samuel, was born in July of that year and Eric joined the army as chaplain in August to serve for one year. Déborah, their first daughter,
was born in '93.
In 2000 Eric was appointed as Director of B.E.M. and they moved to Gembloux, Belgium where they served 11 years. After this, he left his Director's position to start a new local church- plant in Gembloux. Around this time, he achieved his Master in Theology degree from Spurgeon's College, London, and began a new experiment for the missional church. After five years they expanded to another town in Hannut, Belgium.
In 2019, the B.E.M. called Eric back into leadership to direct a new transition for vision and strategy. At that time the B.E.M. became VIANOVA and began to develop organic missional church- plants around the country. Anne has been developing a national child evangelism ministry, serving the church with curriculum for week-long outdoor children’s outreach. Eric has started a Bikers (motorcycle) Christian Community.
Eric is teaching in several Bible schools and seminaries in Belgium, France, and Switzerland. He regularly speaks at many conferences on church-planting as well as coaching several new church-planting teams both locally and from other countries in Europe who seek his advice and coaching.
Eric & Anne have trained a new pastoral couple and delegated the local leadership to them. They are getting ready to move to a new town, Jodoigne, where they plan to start a new local church-plant. God has already brought them several Christian friends to form a start team.