And the things you have heard me say in
the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable
men who will also be qualified to teach others.
(2 Timothy 2:2)
Season’s Greetings from Amsterdam! We trust that God is an ever-present source of joy and hope to you during this volatile time of the year… As for us, it seems that we can identify a bit more intimately with some of what Jesus, Mary, and Joseph had to go through in Bethlehem, at the time of the original “nativity scene.” Our ministry facilities on the Herengracht are still a bit of a mess—like the lowly stable in which Jesus was born—with sawdust and globs of plaster all around, tools scattered in the various corners, and a chill in the air from the lack of heating installation. As with most renovation projects (at least most Amsterdam renovation projects), things never seem to run quite according to plan, schedule, or budget. Thus, our community is still in “exile” as we await completion of the renovation process so we can move into our new space (please pray with us for an efficient conclusion to everything, hopefully before the end of the year)…
Even so, ministry in Amsterdam is far from stalled. In fact, it seems that we’re gaining momentum throughout this admittedly awkward period of our church’s history!
One of the more significant events from the last month was our church’s first ordination service. On Friday, November 10 (followed by a separate church-wide recognition on Sunday, the 12th), Todd Watkins and I were officially recognized as pastors for Zolder50. Of course, the two of us have been acting more or less in this same capacity for a couple of years already—since the departure of the church’s founding pastor in July of 2003—but it seems that the ordination last month brought some closure to a work that God has been doing in our lives and in our church for the last few years.
Perhaps it would help to explain a bit more of the process by which Great Commission Ministries (and its association of churches) recognizes its church leaders. There is a wide range of practices and procedures for establishing Biblical leadership in churches today—and honestly, it seems that there should be some room for allowance of different practices and procedures among different streams of Christianity—but pastors in the Great Commission movement are recognized primarily on the basis of character development. More than formal education (i.e. seminary), more than vocational choices (i.e. “full-time” versus “volunteer” ministry), more than adherence to a specific set of denominational guidelines—pastors in our church culture are recognized on the basis of practical experience and, most significantly, development of godly character such as befitting church leaders (outlined in sections of the Bible such as 1 Timothy chapter 3, Titus chapter 1, and 1 Peter chapter 5). Thus, in essence, Todd and I were trained and tested through our experience in actually leading the church in Amsterdam over the last few years (together with a more experienced pastor, Joe Dunn, on-site for the first year and then coaching from afar for another year and a half). And as it seemed that the Holy Spirit had given us sufficient grace to develop and lead the church—which indeed seemed to become clearer over the last year or so—it seemed appropriate, for Joe and for the entire congregation, to formally recognize Todd and I for the positions to which God had apparently already raised us. Therefore, the ordination ceremonies in November were a chance for the church to lay hands on us and pray for us, in formal recognition of what God has already been doing in our lives. At any rate, the ordination was a special event for me, personally (it was also neat that my parents could be there to witness the occasion). And, to be honest, I think that the ordination has also had a somewhat subtle, subconscious effect on the church as a whole, as well.
Since the ordination last month, I’ve had several conversations indicating that others have been impacted with the idea that they, too, could be used by God to help lead the church (and new church plants) in the future. In particular, I’ve had conversations with one young man from my home group and two other young men from another home group that I’ve been coaching—all Netherlanders—who have expressed interest, ambition, and availability for playing a more significant role in helping to lead the church (and/or new church plants), developing and learning how to pastor as they go. Going against the natural Dutch aversion to being one of the “tall trees that catches a lot of wind” (an old Dutch proverb, basically reinforcing a cultural value of anonymity), these young men are stepping up to play a key role in leading God’s church in the Netherlands.
Without a doubt, this is something to be excited about! We’ve long recognized that one of the greatest needs in the world today—and particularly in Europe—is spiritual leadership. And it seems in recent weeks that the Lord of the Harvest is being faithful to send out workers into His harvest fields (Matthew 9:37-38)! Please continue to pray with us for this process of leadership development—and particularly the development of European pastors—within our church. And please pray for Todd and me, in our role as pastors for these potential pastors—and for the church as a whole—shepherding these people’s lives effectively, through the power and wisdom of God.
Thank you for everything that you give to make this ministry possible. Your faithfulness and sacrificial generosity remind us of Someone else, whose gift to the world is remembered at this time of the year. We wish you a very merry Christmas, and a happy New Year. Thanks again, for everything!
Eric
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever. Who can proclaim
the mighty acts of the Lord or fully declare his praise?
(Psalm 106:1-2)
Greetings from Amsterdam! It’s a season for thanksgiving. No, not Thanksgiving with a capital “T” (the American holiday with the Pilgrims and Indians and turkey dinners and such)—thanksgiving: simply giving thanks, celebrating the goodness of God, and remembering His mighty acts in our lives. Especially here in Amsterdam (where, incidentally, they do not celebrate an official Thanksgiving holiday)—and especially at this stage in our church’s development—we have much reason for thanksgiving.
Just a short month ago, our church was homeless. We were struggling to get ourselves untangled from our old home on the Leidsekade, while simultaneously fighting through the red tape of government approvals and contract negotiations to get into a new place. But now, within the next week or two, we will once again have a roof over our
heads—and not just any roof, but the roof of a really unique, truly beautiful, providentially prepared facility on the Herengracht (a beautiful canal neighborhood in the heart of old Amsterdam). Somehow, despite the odds, we managed to find a place that is bigger, more centrally located, more accessible, and significantly less expensive than our former ministry facilities! Truly, we’ve seen God work to meet our needs in very tangible ways over the last several weeks—even during the transition period—and we feel ourselves overflowing with thanks and gratitude for such assurances of God’s care for our community. There are still several elements of the transition that need to be solidified (including exact timelines for renovation and relocation), but we’re encouraged that things are headed in a positive direction. If you want to get more of the details from this transition period, I’d encourage you to check out my weblog: www.amsterdamasp.blogspot.com, where I’ve posted several photos and descriptions of the new facility—and, to be sure, I plan to keep posting more information as it becomes available…
In the meantime, we’ve got plenty to keep us busy! November will be a very active month for our family and for our ministry. In addition to moving the church (which will probably happen somewhere in the middle part of the month), we scheduled in a special seminar (called Ancient Paths) for the first weekend of the month, with a series of follow-up opportunities in the following week—all designed to facilitate recovery from deep emotional wounds and spiritual wholeness among the individuals within our church. We hosted the same seminar last spring, and the response was overwhelmingly positive—to the point that we felt we needed to offer the seminar again this fall, as well as create opportunities for some of the people in our community to be trained as facilitators for other seminars to hopefully be hosted in the future. Therefore, we’re excited to see how God will equip our ministry through the Ancient Paths program.
Also, in the second week of November, our church is planning to formally ordain Todd Watkins and me as pastors (as opposed to pastors-in-training) for our community in Amsterdam. I hope that I can explain more about this in our next prayer letter—but suffice to say, it’s an exciting development on both the personal level and the ministry level… Coincidentally (and, actually, somewhat consequently), my parents will be coming into Amsterdam also in the second week of November. We’re really thankful and really excited about their visit, as such opportunities for family connections do not come along too often (we may even try to pull off a good old-fashioned American Thanksgiving dinner while they’re in town!). In any event, with all of these things stacked on top of each other, it seems the second week of the month will be an eventful one for us.
Of course, it doesn’t end there. In the third week of November, I will be taking a trip to Austria for a conference with other GCM church leaders from across Europe. And finally to close out the month, Marci will be flying back to Ohio to help her Mom and Dad move out of her childhood home and into an old family farmhouse (which is in the process of being refurbished) where her grandparents will also live. So I’ll get some special time with the kids while Marci is busy packing, cleaning, and painting (and hopefully getting some nice downtime with her family too!).
I guess you could say that we’ve got our hands full for the coming month! But we’re excited that it’s good things and exciting things that are filling up the calendar. It’s obvious that God is at work. Therefore, we have much to remember during this season of thanksgiving. We hope that you will be similarly encouraged and prompted to thanksgiving by everything that’s happening here and in your own life as well. And not only do we want to thank God for all His goodness—we want to thank you for your role in making everything possible, through your prayer and financial support of our family and our ministry! Your faithful involvement in our ministry is an amazing blessing for which we are extremely grateful.
We’ll continue to keep in touch. Also, feel free to check the church website (www.amsterdam50.nl) and the “blog” (www.amsterdamasp.blogspot.com) for all the latest information. But for now, that’s it. Thanks again, for everything!
Eric
O our God… We have no power to face
this vast army that is attacking us. We do not
know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.”
(2 Chronicles 20:12)
Greetings from Amsterdam! As you may remember from last month’s prayer letter, there have been some significant changes taking place within our ministry recently. As of this week, in fact, our church is officially homeless!
On the positive side, this means that we’ve successfully managed to pack up all our church’s belongings and move out of the attic space on the Leidsekade that had been our home for the first four years of ministering in the city—which, let’s face it, was no small undertaking. As a matter of fact, moving out of the Zolder went much more smoothly than expected. We managed to finish ahead of schedule, no one was seriously injured, and the whole experience seemed to be a beautiful exercise in dependence on God and each other. We’ve already started (or perhaps I should say that we never stopped with) ministry in the post-Zolder era. Frankly, I was impressed with the way that our community managed to completely alter its weekly routine, move out of the Zolder, and still pull together the necessary personnel and paraphernelia to put on a worship gathering in a completely different setting—all within the space of a single week! Over 150 people found their way to our new (temporary) location for the first Sunday worship gathering after moving out (which, in my opinion, should be considered a very promising start—given the pretty drastic changes in location and meeting schedule)! The message that day was a call to embrace the inherently nomadic nature of the people of God (following in the footsteps of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus). And embrace it we have! Truly, we are thankful for the way things have gone so far—and it seems we have every reason to be encouraged through this season of transition.
On the other hand, we still don’t have our new “long-term” home location solidified. Yes, we’ve done our research. Yes, we have a specific plan for moving into a specific location. And yes, we’ve been diligent in moving forward with plans, and contingency plans, and contingency plans for the contingency plans! But as of this week, we’re still caught up in the red tape of fire marshals, construction advisors, and city officials who are following their procedures for enacting approval of our occupation of this prospective location. We’re now hoping for a chance to sign a lease and “finish” our relocation by the first of November (please pray with us for this!). In the meantime, we’ve enacted a plan for temporary relocation—including putting our stuff in storage and borrowing meeting space from another ministry in town… God is definitely taking care of us, even through the changes. But it’s kind of crazy how long it takes to get anything finalized around here!
What’s crazier—we’re still dealing with some hassles to get ourselves fully untangled from our old home on the Leidsekade. Yes, the moving logistics were well-considered and smoothly executed. Yes, we prepared for the transition for months and months—from many different angles. But still, the building’s owner has been making the process difficult (which we rather anticipated—and, actually, which underlies the original decision to get out of that lease from that owner in the first place!). At any rate, we anticipate an ongoing process of negotiation that may well take weeks to resolve.
Consequently, we’ve found ourselves in a very awkward position that simply could not have been avoided. We feel comfortable and confident that we’ve done everything that we could have and should have done at the proper times, with the information and resources that were available to us… Even so, we need deliverance. The owners of the buildings will not deliver us. The Dutch government will not deliver us. Our own business savvy and creative problem-solving will not deliver us. Basically, we’ve come to the place where we can only pray for divine intervention.
However, I don’t consider this to be such a bad place for our church to be! I’ve been drawing much strength and courage from the old stories of the nation of Israel. The early chapters of Exodus and Joshua have been very encouraging. Yet even more so, I’ve been particularly struck by a story from 2 Chronicles 20 (it’s not a very widely known story, but I’d encourage you to look it up sometime). Like the people of Judah in the time of Jehosaphat, our church can only be overwhelmed by the “armies” coming against us until we get to the point where we must cry out to the Lord: 'O our God… We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you' (v. 12). Indeed, only God can save us! And as such, the words put into the mouth of Jehaziel—originally spoken to the Kingdom of Judah 2500 years ago—seem to speak directly to us in Amsterdam, as well: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s' (v. 15). Even in the midst of awkward circumstances, we can trust God to come to our rescue!
If you read the whole story in 2 Chronicles, you’ll see that the way that God brings about this miracle of deliverance for the Israelites is astonishing… Yet I can’t help but wonder if God is going to enact a similar miracle in our situation today. We’ll have to just wait and see… In the meantime, we’re embracing our life as nomads. And we’re praying a lot. As you have opportunity, please pray with us as well. You keep on praying, and we’ll keep in touch…
Eric
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place
he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went,
even though he did not know where he was going…
(Hebrews 11:8)
Greetings from Amsterdam! It’s a season of new beginnings. It’s the beginning of new seasons for the weather, sports, and television programming. It’s the beginning of new routines in family life and ministry life, following the summer. It’s the beginning of Elliot’s school year (our little boy is now a full-time elementary school student!). And, well, it’s the beginning of a new chapter in the history of our church in Amsterdam as well…
After four years of ministry in 'De Zolder' ('The Attic'), we are saying good-bye to our beloved home overlooking the waters of the Singelgracht and entering a period of transition in the relocation for our ministry facilities. In many ways, this departure is an answer to many prayers and much practical effort to ensure the long-term viability of our ministry in central Amsterdam. Still, there is a certain amount of grieving that goes along with relocation, and we must look to God in faith for the future of our church.
Our four years in the Zolder have proved to be a critical period of formation and development as a church community. The renovation of ten rental units on the Leidsekade and Marnixstraat became our first major project as a seedling ministry—with just a couple dozen people from America, England, and the Netherlands. And through transforming the dirty and decrepit building into something beautiful and functional, we found a powerful metaphor for what was to become our mission in the city: transforming broken people through and into the beauty of Christ. As the renovations concluded, the restored attic (which we referred to by its Dutch name, 'the Zolder') hosted our first worship gatherings by candlelight—and in just a few months we had more than a hundred people joining us for food, fellowship, prayer, singing, and Bible study each Sunday evening. In addition to hosting worship gatherings, the Zolder became a place for wedding receptions and baby dedications and birthday celebrations and farewell parties. Consequently, as with any place so full of laughter and tears and rich memories, the Zolder has taken a special place in our hearts (not to mention in the name of our church!).
However, as much as the Zolder has been a great blessing for our church, we’ve also been hindered by the financial and practical responsibilities associated with the facilities. Our original eight-year lease was for an entire set of properties which were intended to provide not just a location for ministry activities but also rental properties that could be sub-leased to (ideally) cross-subsidize ministry costs. Yet in spite of the investment of significant resources in time, money, and energy, our rental agreement has been a significant financial burden—and we’ve had to fight to keep the ministry afloat as it ended up cross-subsidizing an apartment business that never fully materialized! For almost three years, we tried to negotiate with the building owners to adjust the terms of our contract to reflect fair market values and/or to release us from parts of the rental agreement. Thus, when we were finally given an opportunity for early termination of the lease this fall, we felt that it was the time to respond—in faith and in common sense.
Thus, we now find ourselves in a place of dependence upon God—seeking His will for the future of our church. First and foremost, we need to seek God for a new home. Although we’ve been working on things for several months and there are definitely some distinct possibilities for the future, we are still without a new church location. Regardless, we need to be out of the Zolder by September 30th. Therefore, we desperately need God to provide us with a new home: a place that is inviting, well-situated in the city center, affordable, and big enough for our growing community. We’re praying for favor with the building owners, with fire marshals, and with the city council as they consider our applications for occupation of a new space. And more than just a new place to meet—we desire for God to use our church’s relocation to bring His Kingdom to a new section of the city center. We want to be a blessing to our new neighbors. And specifically, as we enter this new chapter of our history, we’re asking God to use us to help bring many people into a meaningful relationship with God through Jesus.
We also need much prayer this month for the basic logistics of our relocation. Efficiently executing our departure from the Zolder, the transition (to temporary facilities, if necessary), and the renovation and arrival in our new home (wherever that may be) is a major operation. Of course, it’s going to take a lot of muscle to relocate all of our furniture, equipment, and such; but even more than that, it’s going to take a lot of brainpower and good organization to coordinate the move. In addition, we still have a few sub-leasers that need to move out—and because of the way our termination agreement is structured, we cannot leave anyone or anything on the premises beyond the last day of this month. So to say the least, there are a lot of loose ends that have to be tied up during the next few weeks—while simultaneously keeping up the general flow of ministry within our church!
Actually though, as much as the details of the move can make our heads spin, we’re excited for the ways that our ministry will benefit through this month of relocation and re-establishment. We see a great opportunity these days for deeper growth and commitment of existing church members—moving them from self-centered “consumers” to mission-minded “producers.” We believe that God will use our church’s relocation to develop deeper courage, faith, love, devotion, loyalty, unity, and vision for reaching the city. We’ve always sought to keep Jesus as the center of our church, and it seems that God could use our current circumstances to do just that! The present situation highlights the fact that our church is not defined by our meeting location or by our weekly order of events. Thus, in a sense, it seems that God could teach us more through this experience than through any kind of teaching series or Bible study or seminar.
Particularly in the month of September, we are encouraging the people in our church to commit to prayer, fasting, and seeking God’s will for the future of our ministry. Specifically, we are challenging the people in our church to fast every Monday, ending with corporate prayer on Tuesday mornings at 6:00 in the Zolder. And of course, the reason that I write all of this is to encourage you to also join with us in prayer! If everything gets pulled off smoothly, it will be nothing short of miraculous… But fortunately, we follow the God of miracles. Thank you for your invaluable partnership with us…
Eric
Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you!
As the Father has sent me, I am sending you…”
(John 20:21)
Greetings from Amsterdam! The weather is beautiful, the tourist attractions are packed, Elliot's school year has finally finished (though only since the middle of July!)... Without a doubt, summer has come to the city. August is the month in which most Europeans go on vacation. To the beaches, to the mountains, to the forests—our friends and neighbors (even local businesses) leave in droves at this time of the year. But we know from experience that most of them will be back by the end of the month.
Most... But not all.
Just like it was in America—particularly working in campus ministry at Bowling Green State University—this time of year is a point of transition for many young people in Amsterdam. Heading off to a new school, getting started in a new job, or simply taking advantage of a natural "reboot" to the rhythms of life—we've discovered that August and September represent significant changes in the lives of the people to whom we are ministering in central Amsterdam. Part of this is fun and exciting, as we get to meet new people and experience new opportunities for outreach and discipleship; we even structure our ministry calendar around these seasons, and we look forward to watching God work through the process. Yet, in our fourth summer season observing the rhythms of life in Holland, we've also come to realize that we cannot escape saying "tot ziens" to good friends and valuable components of our church leadership team at this time of the year.
In particular, it seems that our home group (which I would basically consider the core element of our family's ministry in Amsterdam) is bidding farewell to some beloved brothers and sisters this month and preparing to make some significant transitions in the fall. In some ways, we know these transitions will be difficult. But we also realize that God is definitely at work, and he's using these transitions to expand the influence of his Kingdom—not just here in Amsterdam, but around the world!
Marco, Sander, Kor, and Jetske are energetic believers that have been involved with Zolder50 and our home group for several years. They are the kind of people for which missionaries fervently pray: talented, capable, passionate, godly, young, Dutch men and women who have come to truly own the vision of Christ and of our church for reaching the world. They are all in their early-to-mid-20s, and yet we've seen incredible spiritual growth in their lives over the last couple of years—to the point that we can be sincerely confident in their maturity and capability to lead. Thus, when they started to dream about starting their own home group, we took notice and sought to offer as much help and support as possible. Slowly a plan developed to involve two other aspiring young Dutch leaders from another home group, and over the summer we've been systematically providing these six leaders with opportunities to practice leadership and refine their vision for launching a new home group. Finally, with the turn of the summer season, the time seems to be right for this new home group to launch. The other members of our home group feel that we're ready to let our friends go (in fact, we're excited for the opportunity to involve new people who will get sucked into the vacuum that will be created by their departure), and the six core members of the new group feel excited to set out on their own. Consequently, this month we will be commissioning Marco, Sander, Kor, Jetske, Mariska, and Gerard to start Zolder50's sixth home group—which also happens to be the first home group in our church's history to be comprised entirely of young Dutch leaders. The guys' apartment in the heart of Old Amsterdam will serve as the outpost for this new spiritual family, and we're excited to see how God will use these men and women as missionaries within their own culture and their own city.
However, the commissioning of new missionaries from our home group does not stop with these six… Meghan is a young Canadian woman who got involved with our home group through the Alpha Course that we sponsored about a year ago. She had moved to Amsterdam for a pre-determined period of one year (to work for a Christian youth hostel in the city), and she took advantage of our Alpha Course as an opportunity to share Christ with some of the people to whom she was reaching out. After the Alpha Course finished, she stuck around to bless our home group with her involvement, and we came to love her cheerful countenance and compassionate heart. But now that her year has finished (it went by so quickly!), she is moving on to a Bible school in western Canada to study counseling with the goal of one day ministering to troubled teenagers. Thus, even though we can't claim too much credit for her personal spiritual development, our home group recently laid hands on Meghan like the early Christian church in Antioch (Acts 13:1-3) and commissioned her to be a part of Jesus' Great Commission in Canada and wherever God may lead in the coming years. And again, we were excited to see one of our sisters trusting God for the next stage of her life.
Still, the commissioning of new missionaries from our home group does not stop here! Geert Jan and Anne are a young couple whom we've known for about a year and a half now. They bubble with charisma and enthusiasm, and they seem to have been naturally gifted as leaders. For the past couple of years—in addition to serving within our home group and our church—Geert Jan and Anne have also been working part-time for a parachurch organization called Athletes in Action (www.athletesinaction.org) while maintaining “day jobs” in the fields of international law and early childhood development, respectively. Yet they now feel God’s calling to serve in full-time ministry for the next two years with an organization called Operation Mobilization (www.om.org), working on the crew of an oceangoing ship christened the Doulos—putting in at ports throughout the Third World (they’re planning to join up with the ship in southeast Asia) in order to distribute Bibles and Christian materials, and to share the Gospel with the thousands of visitors who flock to their ship. It’s a very exciting opportunity for Geert Jan and Anne, and we’re very excited to be a small part of helping to send them out to the ends of the earth!
So as you can see, there’s a lot happening during this season of transition. We hope that you are as encouraged as we are by the breadth of what God is doing in and through our ministry, and we hope that you will join us in prayer for these young “missionaries” throughout the world. Thanks for everything!
Eric