31 July
Dear Friends,
One of the novelties about living in the church's manse is the variety of telephone calls from people who have no connection with the congregation, but who somehow regard the church as the source of help. Last week a woman phoned to ask where she could purchase a rosary – quite an unusual request for a protestant pastor to deal with.
But more interestingly was a request not for the baptism of a child, but for the blessing of a child whose parents come from different countries. The baptism will probably happen with one set of grandparents elsewhere in Europe but the blessing was asked for because the other grandparents were visiting the city this week.
What a great gift it is that a child should be welcomed into the world by more than father and mother. Grandparents can have a great influence on a growing child. They offer a sense of history, worldly experience and an understanding of the child's parents which mother and father don't possess. And all this is a free gift to the older generation. God bless grandparents.
Despite our limited numbers, we continue to welcome visitors to the church. Last Sunday that included three students from Taiwan and a family from Texas.
Every blessing,
John
Sunday, 10.30 hrs: Morning Worship
The service will be recorded and accessible via the ERC's YouTube channel around noon:
· The ERC's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC51cUT507t8YdfBUCqFsZQg
· Direct through the ERC website: https://www.erc.amsterdam/calendar/worship-service-1-august-2021
· Indirect via our website: https://www.erc.amsterdam
**Please note: from Sunday 8th August, we will return to live-streaming ERC services.
Sunday, 21.00 hrs: Compline (short evening prayers). Join at: https://zoom.us/j/91386497205?pwd=YUN5dnRLOWlybHDSV250aHdJcnhiQT09
Prayer:
At 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. On the first Sunday of the month it is our custom to hold a collection for the Mulanje Mission Hospital in Malawi. If you wish to make a donation please do so through the website.