Taking the Gospel to Wallonia

After their baptism in 1888, Frederick Pieper and his family energetically helped the missionaries on their occasional visits to Belgium. With their help, missionaries established small branches in Brussels and Liège, where enthusiastic new Church members sought opportunities to teach the gospel to their neighbors. In 1892, Pieper served as president of the Antwerp Branch for several months before he and his family immigrated to Utah later that year.

Just months after their marriage, Pieper and his young bride, Oline Johansen, a Latter-day Saint from Norway, returned to Europe as missionaries in October 1894. When Oline caught a severe case of bronchitis and passed away in January 1895, Pieper threw himself into his missionary service. He traveled throughout Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium, preaching in German, Dutch, French, and English.

During the March 1896 conference of the Netherlands Mission, Pieper was assigned to accompany Jean-Baptiste Ripplinger to Liège. Just before traveling to Rotterdam to attend the conference, Ripplinger had found a small group of Christians who, dissatisfied with the churches in the region, were seeking a church that more closely resembled the New Testament church.

When Ripplinger first preached to members of this group, many recognized the truth in his words, while others rejected his message. The controversy became heated after several members of the group accepted baptism. After a public debate with a local minister resulted in increased interest in Ripplinger’s preaching, local clergy published a series of attacks against him. As the attention on the Church in the region expanded, Pieper was enlisted to assist Ripplinger. Through a series of public debates with local clergy, the missionaries gained a reputation for their ability to defend the principles of the restored gospel.

On November 11, 1896, Bartholomëus and Hubertina Creuiwels and their daughter, Maria, were baptized. Bartholomëus, a prominent local trader who had served as a lay minister in the Catholic church, brought with him broad influence and lent the Church respectability in the area. News of his baptism was reported in newspapers in Liège and Brussels, and many curious local people sought out the missionaries and attended Church meetings to learn more.

During a meeting in the Creuiwels’ home, a crowd of more than 400 people surrounded the house and demanded that the missionaries stop preaching. When the missionaries refused, the crowd threw stones at the home until the police dispersed the group.

Soon after, the missionaries rented a large space that could accommodate 125 people. Their meetings frequently exceeded the building’s capacity, however, and interested people would stand at the doors and windows to listen to the sermons. Despite the large crowds, only 25 more were baptized.

Growth in French-speaking Belgium continued to be slow for several years, and many of the new members soon immigrated to the United States. However small, the membership in the region was strong and faithful. By the start of World War II, branches were organized in Liège, Seraing, Charleroi, Brussels, and Namur.