Years ago there were concerns about a youth center that would like to convert young people

There have been concerns within the municipality of Eindhoven about the real purpose of the Pitstop youth center since 2020. The fear was that Pitstop wanted to convert young people to the faith. This is evident from internal documents in the hands of Omroep Brabant and Studio040. An expert was recently critical of a church service in the Pitstop building on March 22. It now appears that there have been concerns at the town hall for much longer.

Omroep Brabant and Studio040 have been investigating Pitstop for some time. The organization indicates that faith plays no role in their youth work, but online statements from a former team leader and the former sister organization Youth for Christ (YfC) show a different picture.

Now, documents obtained by Omroep Brabant and Studio040 after an appeal to the Open Government Act (Woo) show that there were concerns within the municipality as early as 2020. Pitstop receives a lot of municipal subsidies: a record amount of 431,118 euros in 2025.

Separation of state and church
‘Subsidy and separation of state and church’ is the title of an email that someone within the municipality sent to a colleague in October 2020. The email follows discussions with the Pitstop youth center about a subsidy. It is not known whether the sender is an official or director of the municipality.

“Pitstop is known to be part of Youth for Christ (YfC),” the mailer says. ‘On the Dutch website they talk about missionary youth work in their 2019 annual report.’ Missionary work means spreading the faith. The mailer concludes with a collegial question: ‘How do you view this?’

‘Youth Bible present’
“I couldn’t resist taking the annual report,” the colleague responds. He/she then quotes from the annual report in question. For example, it says that YfC sees itself as an ‘expert in the field of local missionary youth work’ and that they want to ‘show young people that Jesus is there for them’. It says that every youth center has a youth Bible.

The municipality asks Pitstop for an explanation. She wants to know whether Pitstop indeed wants to convert young people and needs the subsidy for this. The question is: ‘How does this comment relate to the quotation you submitted to the municipality of Eindhoven?’

‘Don’t win souls’
Pitstop answers that they are completely independent. Remarkable, since YfC calls Pitstop ‘part of YfC’ on its website and the letters YfC have been in the orange Pitstop logo for years. Matheus Sales de Moura, then team leader of Pitstop, calls himself an employee of that movement on the YfC website.

But Pitstop assures the municipality that ‘winning souls’ is not a ‘primary goal’. According to the organization, they have also proven themselves: ‘Pitstop has shown over the past 20 years that professional youth work can go hand in hand with an idealistic drive.’ The municipality agrees with the explanation and the subsidy is allocated.

‘Sent by God’
The reassuring words do raise questions. Especially if you read the interviews with team leader Matheus Sales de Moura on the YfC site.

In January 2022 he talks about his working method: ‘We build a relationship with young people and from that relationship we share the gospel’. About the municipality he says: ‘The municipality of Eindhoven does not ask us to talk to young people about faith. But I do that because young people need that.’

Sales de Moura will be interviewed again in October 2023. He talks about ‘his passion’: ‘Saving Eindhoven young people by putting them on the trail of Jesus’. “I believe that every young person who enters our youth center is sent by God to be loved by us,” he says.

‘Unfortunately worded’
The municipality of Eindhoven previously informed Omroep Brabant and Studio040 that it does not subsidize religious activities and that it has every confidence in Pitstop’s work. After questions from Omroep Brabant and Studio040, it was announced that Pitstop is distancing itself from YfC, according to both parties at the initiative of Pitstop itself. YfC would be too focused on faith.

When asked, team leader Sales de Moura calls his statement about ‘talking about faith’ while the municipality does not want this ‘somewhat unfortunately worded’. He has now left the youth center, his successor is Giovanny Mc Dowall. Mc Dowall says that bringing young people into contact with God is ‘not a goal’ of Pitstop. The organization still works closely with the municipality and receives subsidies for this.