28 August
Dear friends,
This is the last of these letters I will be writing as my spell in Amsterdam has come to an end, and my 'normal' work begins on Monday in Italy and thereafter in several parts of England It has been a real joy to be with you, to see that even in unusual circumstances new people come to worship, and that there is a network of care, prayer and connectedness which keeps this very unique congregation together.
A particular pleasure for me has been engaging with the Bible Study group, where insight, wisdom, questions and testimony have brought some very unusual psalms to life. It is by far the liveliest Bible Study group I have ever been engaged with. And I am full of admiration for the unseen guardians of communication, the people who assiduously take care of the web site and live-stream the Sunday services.
But I do hope that it will not be long before people can freely gather again in the church and spend time with each other after the services. For a community to be a community, it has to meet in unrestricted space. 'On line' communities have their place, but because the Word became flesh, engagement face to face will always be part of who we are.
May God bless you all, gathered and scattered.
In affection and gratitude,
John
Sunday, 10.30 hrs: Morning Worship
Live-streamed service. You can access this just before 10.30 am:
· On YouTube: https://youtu.be/73uIX7q6YRc
· Direct through the ERC website: https://www.erc.amsterdam/calendar/worship-service-29-august-2021
· Indirect via our website: https://www.erc.amsterdam
Prayer:
In this time there may be people who feel especially in need of prayer either for themselves or for someone else. In 'normal' times there was a small group of people in the congregation who used to take it in turns on Sundays to be available after the service to pray for anyone in need - so, if you would like prayer or have a particular prayer request please contact Margaret Richards on margaretanne_richards@hotmail.com and she and the others will pray accordingly.
A word about finance….
Please note that in this period when we are not meeting together there is a way of giving to the church on the website, https://www.erc.amsterdam.