We look forward to meeting you and hearing your story.
Every week it is lovely to welcome newcomers to our church. I am new too. I arrived with my wife and two cats, bleary eyed, off an overnight boat from England the week before the Netherlands locked down. Like everyone in the whole world, I am looking forward to taking my mask off!
We all know that the pandemic has been particularly tough for anyone with international roots and family far away. As we open up the doors of the church once again we will be focussing on rebuilding communal life and our individual spiritual resilience. When we worship, wherever we are, we start to feel at home, because our heavenly father is with us.
If you look around our church on Sunday morning, you are likely to see people from every continent. Some will be students, others will be longer standing members and some will be families with lively children. We love mixed community. We all want to build a peaceful, just and sustainable future. We meet to encourage each other as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
Feel free to come along on Sunday or to get in touch. Our door is also open to you if you wish us to help with big life events like baptism or wishing to being married or if you have been bereaved. We feel privileged to be approached in times of change and crisis.
I feel excited to be part of a highly motivated church playing its part in the big task of this city -to strive to be a place of peacebuilding and justice. At its best, this church has always been in the business of holding together diversity. As we come out of the isolation of Covid, we aim to rebuild a sense of real community and model church life at its best.
Best wishes and prayers
Michael
Canon Michael Roden