Season’s Greetings from Amsterdam!  God has been so good to us, hasn’t he?  It’s hard to talk about the deep spiritual significance of Christmas without sounding like a holiday greeting card—but I do wish and hope for you at this time of the year that you could experience some sense of wonder at the miracle of our transcendent, omnipotent, eternal God choosing to take on the flesh-and-blood, mucous-and-sweat, frail-and-finite form of a human baby, able to catch colds and get fussy when hungry.  And He did it all to serve and save us!  The miracle of the Incarnation is indeed great…

Lately, our church has been trying to celebrate the Incarnation by really seeking to live out our role as the modern-day “Body of Christ” here in Amsterdam.  It's been over a year now, actually, that we’ve been focusing our attention on not just bringing people to our church (though of course we’re still doing this!)—but also bringing the church to the people, reaching out to friends, neighbors, and family members on their turf, in their various subcultures throughout the city.  It's been an encouraging year, but also a challenging one.  It feels like we've been doing a lot of tilling the soil, fertilizing the ground, sowing the seed—but not nearly as much harvesting of the crops (to borrow the analogy from Jesus from Mark 4 and Luke 10).  However, after much watching an waiting, it seems that several new initiatives have been springing up recently, in response to this past season of prayer and challenging each other to think creatively about how we incarnate ourselves (i.e. become the Body of Christ) within various segments of the population here in Amsterdam.

One guy from our home group has been sharing the gospel in internet chat rooms lately.  I know, I know… I would totally understand if you were skeptical about this kind of “cyber-evangelism” (I’ve had my own skepticism at times)—but it seems like it’s genuinely effective!  Our home group has prayed for some of the “regulars” in the various chat rooms, and a number have actually come to faith over the course of the last year!  It was particularly encouraging to read one e-mail report from awhile back when the guy from our home group proudly shared:  “One of the worst mockers I know online has come to faith! For over a year we have been discussing faith and the Bible with him and it seems that he has turned around. I was a bit skeptical and told him that, and he said he could understand that. God is good, prayers do work!”  I guess we could praise God for an ability to experience “digital incarnation!”  Please continue to pray and trust God for what He can do in these spheres of influence…

Another member of our home group has recently felt God’s leading and is actively praying and planning to launch a new fellowship of Spanish- and Portuguese-speakers.  As a native of Venezuela, he knows the language(s) and the culture(s)—and he knows dozens and dozens of Latinos living here in the city who would not naturally fit into the context of a Dutch church (or even a Dutch-and-English-speaking international community like Zolder50).  So he’s hoping to start using our church’s ministry facilities in the city center on Saturday nights and enjoy simple times of studying the Bible, worshipping, and praying together in Spanish and Portuguese.  Again, we don’t really know what God might do through an initiative like this, but we’re excited to consider the possibilities…

In one of the other home groups within Zolder50, there’s another guy who works in a youth hostel right in the heart of the city (which happens to be known for being one of the crazier establishments of Amsterdam)—and he’s recently been energized to share his faith more and more with the guests who pass through the hostel’s doors.  Over the past couple of weeks, especially, he’s been having some amazing spiritual conversations with people—and he’s recently felt compelled to spend the 23rd through the 26th of December fasting and praying for the city.  Again, there’s this sense of mystery and craziness about the ways that God has been leading in this particular environment—but again, we find ourselves praising God for His plans to allow the Gospel to be “made flesh” for young, traveling hippies passing through Amsterdam, and we’d greatly appreciate your prayers for this ministry opportunity…

And then there’s a young student at the University of Amsterdam (UvA), who’s recently felt burdened to pray for his university.  He recently sent an e-mail saying: “Lately God has been speaking to me about the University of Amsterdam, the school I attend as a student. He has been drawing me near to Him to start to pray for the school and its students and staff… The UvA it a spiritually dark place. I find its atmosphere oppressive and uncomfortable. There are no Christian initiatives I know of on campus… I take this call to pray serious. So I decided to start as He has asked me, but I realize I cannot do this alone. That's why I need your help… I would like to pray together with them and see what God wants to do…”  Specifically, this student has asked for us to pray for ”an opening at the UvA for the Gospel to come in; for people who are willing to pray; for (the University’s) spiritual walls of resistance and darkness to come crumbling down; for a spiritual revival amongst students, teachers and staff; for a complete change in the very atmosphere on the campus grounds; and for Truth in Jesus Christ to take a central place at the UvA again.”  So again, if you feel compelled to do so, please pray with us.

Your partnership with us in prayer and in financial support is a critical part of this whole work of practicing “incarnation” and demonstrating the Body of Christ to people in Amsterdam.  The needs in this city are great—but so is the God we serve.  Indeed, at this time of year, it is good to remember that He is the One who thought up this whole “incarnation” concept and demonstrated it for us.  All the best to “you and yours…”

Eric

P.S. – I always feel kind of awkward considering the idea of a “year-end appeal” to raise extra support for our ministry.  You guys already do so much, and we are so appreciative.  But since there are some incentives to give at this time of the year (tax deductions for 2008, Christmas bonuses, etc.), I will mention that if you’d like to help us out in any way, we’d truly appreciate it.  And if this is something you’d be interested in, you could just send in extra funds with your regular giving—or if you’ve never given before, you could find all the practical information that you would need at our Get Involved page.  In any event: Merry Christmas and thanks for everything!

Greetings from Amsterdam!  November can be a difficult month here in Holland.  However, I made a decision this year to spend the month deliberately seeking out the “Joys of November”—actively pursuing the small, significant moments of joy in an otherwise dreary time of year.  And up to this point (granted, we’re only a week or so into it), my journey of joy has been a great success!  It seems like God is already revealing Himself to me in special ways.  In case you’re interested to hear more, you’re more than welcome to follow my progress in the blog section of this website, but in any event, I just wanted to praise God for all that He’s doing in Amsterdam this month!

One recent “Joy of November” was the chance to have Geert-Jan and Anne van Dijk give a presentation of their ministry at a Zolder50 worship gathering.  Geert-Jan and Anne are dear friends who were a part of our home group for a couple of years, back in the early years of our church’s development.  For the last two years, however, this young Dutch couple has been serving as missionaries with an organization called Operation Mobilization—sailing throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans on a ship called the Doulos.  To help explain more of their mission and responsibilities in their first “tour of duty,” I’ve translated a brief excerpt from a recent update letter below:

Our ship has been sailing around the world for the last three decades.  The Doulos is the oldest passenger ship in the world and also the largest floating book store in the world.  We live in a community of 350 Christians representing 50 different nationalities.  Geert-Jan worked as the ship’s purser and was responsible for everything relating to immigration and customs.  Anne worked in the training department:  providing a discipleship course for the ship’s crew.  Besides this, we were also involved with practical projects and evangelism initiatives.  Because the ship is dependent upon book sales and the good-will of the local authorities, we do not receive any salary.  Instead, our friends, family, and Zolder50 (our church) support us with both prayer and finances.  Thus, the work is accomplished together with all these people—and without them, our work would not be possible.

It’s been a privilege to have been able to play a strategic role with their ministry and to serve as something of a “sending church” over these last two years.  I honestly don’t know how much credit we can take regarding their decision to serve God in this way (they were already Christians before they moved to Amsterdam and got involved with Zolder50, and in fact the vision to serve on a ship like the Doulos had been planted in their hearts some 10 years ago); however, there is nevertheless something gratifying about our church’s growing ability to not just see itself as its own mission work-in-progress but also as a real-live honest-to-goodness body of believers that can also send out its own missionaries and actively participate in the Great Commission—both here in Amsterdam and around the world.  From what I’ve seen and heard, this switch from “sent” to “sending” can be a very tricky transition for “young church plants.”  As such, I’m deeply encouraged to see people like Geert-Jan and Anne pioneering the way and pushing the envelope for our church to “go and make disciples of all nations.”

When they shared at our worship gathering on the first Sunday in November, it was fascinating (for me and the church) to hear Geert-Jan and Anne tell stories of their personal experiences aboard the Doulos.  Over the last two years, they were able to visit 15 different countries, ministering to vast crowds of people—as well as developing intimate personal relationships—which allowed for incredible opportunities to share the Good News about Jesus with people who would not otherwise have the chance to hear.  In every port, people would stand in line for hours to come aboard the ship (a book store with 8000 titles and half-million books on board is a huge attraction in these parts of the world), and in every port, relationships were established which led to faith in Christ.  It’s clear beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is using Geert-Jan and Anne in powerful ways.  I wish you could read the update letter that they recently sent out (though I’m not going to bother to forward it to you because it’s all written in Dutch).  You’ll just have to take my word for it:  it’s a beautiful testimony to how God has been using them.

Next week, Geert-Jan and Anne are going to be rejoining the Doulos in Singapore.  They’ve basically said that their dream is to work for the coming two years aboard the Doulos, hopefully followed by a brief time of living in the Netherlands, and then ultimately spend the rest of their lives in missions work!  Isn’t that wonderful?!?  I really hope that you will join with us in praying for these two young missionaries and seeking God’s blessing on their personal lives and on their work with Operation Mobilization.  They mentioned the following in their update:  “In spite of all the positive stories in our newsletters, life on board is not always easy.  There are little frustrations and miscommunications that are constantly keeping us from reaching our goals.”  And so, they ask us to pray with them.  And so, I’m asking you to pray with us, too!

Thanks so much for your role in supporting our family and sending us out to Amsterdam, so we can be involved in supporting and sending out others from the Netherlands to the ends of the earth.  We appreciate you.

Eric

P.S. - Below are some pictures from the van Dijks' most recent update.

Greetings from Amsterdam!  I’m happy to report that things are going quite well with us and with the ministry of Zolder50.  Marci and I have been trying to organize some home improvement projects.  Our kids are doing well in school (it’s really dramatic, actually, to hear how vastly Olivia’s Dutch has improved in her first couple of months in elementary school!).  And the church seems to be growing nicely, with another new home group starting this month and an especially high degree of interest being currently generated by a new teaching series on Biblical Manhood, Womanhood, and Sexuality.

Of course, there’s always something to keep life a little unsettled.

For our church, this current “something” has to do with the recent announcement of an unfortunate upcoming farewell to some of our church’s most beloved, most long-standing, most dedicated servants:  the Watkins Family.  Todd and Lindy Watkins were a part of the original church planting team here in Amsterdam, and they’ve been living here for the past six years (in which time they’ve also had two beautiful children—Amelie and Gabrian—added to their household).  Todd and I were asked to step into the role of pastors-in-training together, back in 2003, when the founding pastor of the church unexpectedly returned to the United States with his family.  Since then, Todd has become one of our church’s main communicators (bringing approximately 70 percent of the Sunday messages), and Todd has been particularly instrumental in developing and keeping our community focused on our vision to “Know Jesus, Become Like Jesus, and Make Jesus Known.”  Together, he and I have become (if I do say so myself) a pretty effective, balanced leadership team for Zolder50.  But unfortunately, we’ll now have to manage without Todd (and Lindy, and Amelie, and Gabrian).  Perhaps you would be interested to read the following excerpt from a letter that Todd recently sent out to his friends and ministry partners, informing them of his family’s decision:

...After a long process of listening to God, seeking counsel, and searching our hearts, (Lindy and I) have decided to move back to the States in the summer of 2009.  Without going into all the details, it has become clear that the best way for me to care for my family is for us to move back.  This is primarily due to the phase of life we are in (with young children) as well as certain challenges we’ve experienced in living cross-culturally.

This has been a very hard decision to make; as parents, church leaders, and missionaries, our hearts have been torn in different directions.  There is a part of us that would like to stay in Amsterdam.  We love the church and there are still so many people to reach for Christ!  At the same time, we know our first priority is for our family.  In making the decision to care for and provide a better place for our family, both Lindy and I have a strong peace that our decision is the right one.  Because of this, we believe God is going to bless the decision, both for us and for Zolder50.

As for Zolder50’s future… we have a council of leaders (the Servant Leadership Council) who are talking through how to best replace my role.  Yes, our departure will have an impact on the church, but we also know this church is God’s... he is the head of the church, not any one man.  We (my co-pastor Eric and I) are trusting that God will raise up the needed teachers and pastors to replace my role.  

As for our family’s future... we feel a bit like Abraham and Sarah, we know God is leading us to another land, but not exactly sure where... We are trusting God will lead the way...  We ask that you would please join with us in prayer for God’s provision for Zolder50 and his direction for our family...

In Christ’s love,

Todd and Lindy

We are, of course, deeply saddened to think about saying good-bye to such tried and true friends and partners in ministry.  But we also feel great hope and optimism for the future.  Our church has been through so many “crises” in its short history—losing other leaders, being forced to move from facility to facility, squeaking through some precarious financial circumstances—but God has provided for us each time, and this time it seems that we’re better situated than ever to deal with this upcoming loss.  Our home group leaders are now battle-tested and banded together.  And since August, a special set of 11 home group leaders have volunteered to help form our “Servant Leadership Council” (pictured below), to help provide leadership for our two church communities as a whole.

If you would, please pray with us for an effective leadership transition, throughout the coming six months.  Please pray for God’s blessing on the Watkins family as they depart, but also for our family and for the other members of the Servant Leadership Council, who we trust God will use to keep guiding the church from this point forward.  Thanks for your partnership in everything.  We’ll be in touch…

Eric