Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care,
serving as overseers—not because you must, but
because you are willing, as God wants you to be;
not greedy for money, but eager to serve.
(1 Peter 5:2)

Greetings from Amsterdam!  What a wonderful time of the year we’ve been blessed to enjoy… There’s just something beautiful about the spring.  Here in Amsterdam, the month of April was filled with blue skies, long sunny days, gardens full of flowers, canals full of boats, café terraces full of people… It’s been amazing!  This week, the rain has come again—making us wonder if maybe April’s flowers will bring May’s showers—but even the rain is refreshing in its own way.  Our family’s joy in this season of rebirth and renewal has been compounded by the realization that we are more than half-way through the period of expectation for our third child (a baby boy, we’ve recently learned, due in mid-September).  What more could we ask for?  We’re truly thankful for God’s many blessings—which, it should be said, includes you and the selfless support you provide for our ministry, both financially and spiritually.

At any rate, we wanted to share with you some of the news from the ministry of Zolder50 in Amsterdam.  If you read my blog (www.ericasp.com), you may have already seen a version of these musings, but I was just recently realizing that our church has gone through a rather strange process of “growth” throughout the course of the last year or so.  Now, I know that this isn’t the kind of thing that you’re supposed to put in prayer letters (designed to keep you, our ministry team, informed about all the great things that God is doing in Amsterdam and encourage you toward continued prayer and support)—but the truth is that our church is almost half the size of what it was roughly one year ago.  From a weekly average of perhaps 225, meeting in two separate worship gatherings, packing out a cozy attic space with enthusiastic worshippers... we are currently down to a weekly average of about 125, consolidated in one worship gathering, meeting in a drab multi-purpose room (which is to say that we’re still waiting for our facility issues to be resolved).  It's safe to say that a lot has changed over the course of the last year.

And yet, I can't really think of a time when I've been more excited about the health, well-being, vision, and direction of Zolder50.

Last Friday evening, we hosted a dinner party for the home group leaders in our church, with 20-25 people in attendance (and that's even with a few of the home group leaders not being able to make it!):  all young men and women—the majority of whom are now Europeans—who are taking ownership and leadership within one of the most strategic elements of our ministry in Amsterdam.  And (while it’s kind of sad to say this as if it’s some kind of exception to the rule), for the most part these young up-and-coming leaders seem happy and healthy (not over-burdened), and highly enthusiastic about where we are as a church and where we're going.  From a low point of just three home groups a couple of years ago, we're up to seven home groups—with two of the groups looking to further multiply (for a total of nine home groups) in the not-too-distant future.  We're even talking about sending out our first church plant(s) before long!

Of course, the pattern for our Sunday worship gatherings can be a bit concerning, and we definitely don’t want to overlook this key aspect of our ministry.  However, when you consider that we had to change facilities seven months ago—and as a result of the altered facilities, we had to cut back from two meeting times to just one (which also ended up being the afternoon meeting time, which had always been less populated than our evening service)... the drop-off is somewhat understandable.  Fortunately, we still have new people visiting every week.  We still see non-believers being impacted by the message of the gospel, in the context of a real community of people worshipping in spirit and in truth.  And when it comes down to it, it seems that a significant number of the people who have dropped away in the last year or so were actually those who came to Zolder50 as their second (or third) church service each week—where they could just passively soak in another teaching, bop along to some "cool" worship music, and enjoy the comfortable atmosphere of so many young people who are so genuine and friendly and fun.  Thus, even though we fully realize that we could benefit from restructuring our Sunday worship gatherings a bit and making some adjustments to firm up some of the weaker areas of our ministry (which, encouragingly, we're already working on)—I'm actually not too concerned about the attendance figures for our Sunday worship gatherings, in light of all the circumstances.

More than anything, I'm just encouraged (on a personal level, as well as a ministry level) by groups like our home group leaders.  They feel like family, in a lot of ways.  Whether we're having serious discussions about the future of the church, or making pizzas together, or playing ridiculous games together, or talking about the personal stuff in our lives—I really respect and appreciate these people.  I respect their hearts for God, their hearts for people, and their hearts for the city.  I appreciate their enthusiasm and creativity and wit and wisdom.  I love them as people and as leaders in the church.

In reflecting upon the entire situation, I’ve truly come to believe that our church is “growing” in all the right ways, even (or maybe even especially) throughout the last year of sheer numerical decline.  Our home group system is not the only element of our church that is experiencing such development.  In many ways, we see God developing leaders and people who are willing to shepherd God’s flock, in different ways.  And this lays a strong foundation for future growth (both quantitatively and qualitatively), not just in central Amsterdam—but also in other neighborhoods throughout the city and around the country, in the years to come.  As a result of all this, I feel remarkably encouraged and uplifted.  And I'm grateful to God for his work in growing our church—even if it means growing in a different manner from that which we typically envision.

Please keep praying for us (and with us)!  Rejoice with us in the ways that God is developing leaders; and pray for His continued providence, protection, and presence in the lives of these young people.  In everything, thank you for your partnership with us in this ministry.  We’ll continue to be in touch…

Eric