Dear Friends,

One of the greatest delights of ministry has always been to welcome families and adults into the church through baptism. During our years in Amsterdam I took part in a little under 400 baptisms, and I’m delighted to add to that number on Sunday when we’ll welcome Madelief Pascoe for her baptism. She is just five months old and will ….

Dear Friends,

The weeks fly by and already our time back in Amsterdam is half way through. It has been a delight to make contact with so many friends, and despite the weather we have been enjoying our visits to the Beatrixpark with Molly….

Dear Friends,

It has been a great pleasure connecting with many people over the past couple of weeks - some old friends, some new ones. There are few congregations which welcomes the breadth of community that the ERC enjoys. One of my great joys in ministry, in Scotland, and now here again in Amsterdam, is the privilege of joining with others on the journey of faith. It’s been my privilege to share the great milestones of life, baptism, marriage and bereavement, but no less important is the daily challenge to be faithful. That is reflected in the vows we make when ….

Dear Friends,

My wife and I were delighted to be asked to come to be in Amsterdam and we’ve greatly enjoyed settling back into the manse and church life here.

It’s been wonderful to again lead worship in the Begijnhof and greet so many old friends. On the other hand I’ve noticed that the city and the congregation has changed. There’s a bit more walking to do now that the city authorities have eliminated so many tram stops, and the stairs are steeper than ever (or is that just me growing old)…

Dear Friends,

This Sunday we welcome Rev Dr. John Cowie and his wife Gillian back in our midst. John will be our locum minister until November 13. 

It is indeed “welcome back”: John and Gillian served our church for 23 years before John was called to Stockbridge Church in Edinburgh in 2013. In 2021 John retired, which gave him the opportunity to accept the ERC’s invitation to be a locum minister….

Dear Friends,

On Tuesday, Adrienne and I had a lovely time with the members of the Coffee Morning at the Hortus Botanicus. The weather was warm and sunny and after coffee and a chat, some of us wandered around, looking at the beautiful and interesting plants. We also isited the butterfly house where many colourful insects fluttered around us, however we didn’t say too long as it was extremely hot!

Sadly, the time has almost come for us to return to Scotland. We have thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone at the ERC, worshipping and praying together and listening to God’s Word. You have been welcoming, courteous and encouraging to us both.

We have made many new friends and know that….

Dear Friends,

A couple of days ago I managed to leave my backpack on the tram. The only thing of value in it was Adrienne’s mobile ‘phone, containing many family photos which were irreplaceable.

At first we were uncertain about what to do, but after the initial panic had died down, we decided we should pray about it and ask our friends to pray also.

After a while we discovered the iLost website. Displayed on the website were photographs of items which had been found - bags, keys, jackets, hats, OV-chipkaarts etc. As I painstakingly worked my way through the photos, I was dismayed to find that my bag did not feature. I continued to check regularly, but to no avail….

Dear Friends,

Adrienne and I have six grandchildren. Our youngest, Rebecca, is one and a half and has just started to walk. We are looking forward to when we can walk with her to the play park where she lives near Aberdeen in Scotland.

It will be great to hold her by the hand, making sure she is safe from the traffic on the road and knowing that she trusts us implicitly to take care of her.

The Lord our God tells us in His Word that He takes care of each one of us in a very similar way:

For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you,’Do not fear, I will help you.’ Isaiah 41 v 13.

Our Father God is with us every step of the way and so we need not fear the challenges and difficulties that may come our way. He will help us and watch over us as we walk together through life….

Dear All,

A year ago, in order to give me something to do during my retirement, I decided to take up longbow archery.

In the Scottish Borders where we live there is an archery club called the Ettrick Forest Archers. I made contact with them and was given expert tuition over several weeks in how to shoot an arrow from a traditional wooden longbow and hit the target.

I must say that it is not as easy as it looks and there are so many things to think about and get right before you loose your arrow from the bow.

However, with the right amount of instruction and encouragement, I began to make progress and eventually my arrows were able to hit the target (most of the time!)….

Dear Friends,

A couple of days ago, Adrienne and I travelled down to the lovely little town of Weesp.

It was really picturesque and tranquil, with the church bells ringing out a tune every 15 minutes.

We relaxed at a small cafe, alongside the River Vecht and watched the boats go by.

As we watched we noticed that in each boat there was someone steering, while others lay on the deck enjoying the sunshine.

It reminded me of when the disciples were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee and Jesus was fast asleep in the back.

Unlike the River Vecht, which was very calm, a storm arose on the Sea of Galilee and the disciples, even though some of them were hardened fishermen, were terrified.

They shook Jesus from His well-earned rest and said to Him….