[UPDATE] Bread and Life and Rotterdam North
Ministry and life update from January & February 2024
Happy (belated) Valentine’s Day!
Well we are back in full swing now with and I’m blessed to report that ministry has been going well so far. This year brings with it plenty of promise and opportunity. Here’s what we’ve been getting up to.
Happy Holidays!
It’s easy to be cynical about holidays but I really do enjoy the emphasis some place on togetherness and community- Christmas and New Year’s are great examples.
For Christmas, I visited my best friend Billie and his family in South London. It was my first Christmas abroad and one well spent. I even got to wear one of those paper crowns from a Christmas cracker. Certainly a tradition that we’re missing out on in the States.
Thank you to the Ingrams family for hosting me- it was a lovely Christmas and a memory I’ll cherish.
I returned to Rotterdam just in time for New Year’s (another first holiday abroad).
The Dutch celebrate well out here. The instant the clock struck midnight the entire sky erupted in fireworks. The city was lit up. It was a pretty damp night but that only added to the beauty as the streaks of gold overhead were reflected in the puddles and canals surrounding the narrow streets.
The whole city was glittering for a few minutes. Strangers came out on the streets to celebrate with each other. And “Bohemian Rhapsody” was blaring on the radio (look it up).
A great one to be sure.
Bron van Leven
A big ministry added to ICF Noord recently has been the group Bron van Leven (“Source/Fountain of Life”).
This ministry focuses on presenting the Gospel to the Arabic-speaking population of Rotterdam. ICF’s work in Bron van Leven began at the end of last year with our pastor, Fred, being brought in to help lead it.
He isn’t alone, however, as the team is also comprised of a Syrian evangelist, a Syrian-Moroccan couple who focus on music and hospitality respectively, a missionary fluent in Arabic with experience working and serving in the Middle East, and a young theology student focused on women’s work and overall assistance. A pretty solid team covering many bases!
I joined the team last month to provide pastoral help. My main responsibilities focus on the recent Sunday morning services we started. I arrange and schedule the different speakers, create the power points, and teach on Sunday/lead the Tuesday night Bible study once a month.
It’s been quite a challenge for me as it’s the first time I’m regularly working in a setting where English isn’t the vernacular. But it’s been a great eye-opening experience and allows me to appreciate a different area of the church!
So please keep Bron van Leven in your prayers. A lot is taking shape and we are finding our way but the work is good and already we can see fruit from it.
From Up & Around
Work on our yearly Alpha course is underway. We’ve registered it on the Alpha website and are set to begin on Monday the 25th of March.
We’re trying an edited curriculum this year, which I’m feeling pretty hopeful about.
Our missional communities are continuing to find their way. A goal right now is to start a Dutch-speaking group.
Being an international church most of our communication is in English but we do have a few members who would really benefit from a purely Dutch group.
Last month I began a teaching series for our Sunday gathering. It’s a six-part series focusing on the core aspects of the Gospel.
Our church is really diverse- not only in terms of ethnicity but church background, too. So these teachings focus on what unifies us as the universal Church through all our differences.
The first teaching was on the topic of God and can be read here. Next month the series will continue with a teaching on humankind.
I’ll have more to share on these as the months get underway.
Prayer Points
Here are some areas in which you can support via prayer.
A friend and I have an upcoming interview for an apartment really close to the church. This would be an EXCELLENT place to live so please pray all pans out well.
Please be praying for Bron van Leven, Alpha, and the missional communities as they continue to develop this year.
And, as always, if you feel moved to partner through generosity I thank you deeply for your kindness and would like to direct you to some helpful ways to give:
WEC USA giving information can be found here.
Life’s a pretty cool thing and I’m thankful for the one I have here in Rotterdam. In addition to all the exciting work this year will also bring weddings, trips with friends, visits from family, and those lovely in-between moments that we often mistake as mundane.
I thank God for it- even if I don’t always act like it. Still, His gentleness is much higher than my flaws. Or, as I read in Psalm 4v4 this morning:
Tremble, and do not sin / Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still
Enjoy the gift of the day,
Jon