International women's study & fellowship group
Attention International English-Speaking Women! We have formed a new Bible Study / Fellowship group, which started last September and meets every other Wednesday morning (9:30-11:00 AM) in Amstelveen.
If you find yourself in Holland and are looking to just hang out with other English-speaking ladies for some coffee and Bible study, then this is for you.
Sunday for the City
Last Sunday 650 kids and adults in total made a difference in the city of Amsterdam. All kinds of projects were happening throughout the city. About 150 people got together in the Oosterpark to write nice messages on postcards, pick up garbage from the park and to give away flowers in the hospital and people on the street.
LIFEGROUPS AND FUN FOR AGES 18-25
An 18+ ministry has begun here at Crossroads for anyone between the ages of 18 and 25 who would like to build a Christ-centered community including a lot of fun, food and fellowship. We currently have LIFEgroups you can join and we are planning events you are welcome to be a part of. Check us out! We would love to meet you!
More info: 18plus@xrds.nl
Transitions
Bill and Eva Hoopses and Tinka Veninga bring closure to their staff roles in October, and Johan Verboom reduces his hours to take up a role at Tyndale Seminary.
Dad-Kid-Camp report
The second weekend of September 60 dads and children went on the mission possible camp. The weather was great, the organisation superb and the food delicious. We spend time concidering the mission God gave us in Acts 1:8 and played games and assignments that followed the theme mission possible. We are very thankfull for a great weekend and for all the people who made it possible. See below for a video impression of the camp. More pictures here
Couples Needed for Wedding Team
A team is being formed to help to help couples getting married to find the resources they need. This team, in addition to the marriage preparation course that we offer, will help us in our important role is guiding a good start for marriages. A variety of gifts is ideal: good listeners, people skilled at keeping track of calendars and lists, wise advisors, as well as team recruiters and leaders. It's great to share this ministry with others who have the same heart for it. Might you want to know more? Contact Miriam at mphillips@xrds.nl.
Staff Transitions
We will not only be saying good-bye to Community Pastor Bill Hoopes this fall, who has faithfully served us for almost 6 years (see letter from him elsewhere in this newsletter), but Tinka Veninga, our Team Leader of Noah's Ark (our younger children's ministry) will transition from this role to focus on her own family and leadership of Serve the City Diemen. We hope to hire the new person for this position in the next few weeks. We are so thankful for the heartfelt contributions of both of them and we'll greatly miss them, but are assured of their ongoing friendship and partnership as God opens doors.
Letter from Bill
Dear Friends,
As you can imagine, this decision to leave Crossroads and The Netherlands has been a very challenging and emotional one for Eva and I. We love the Netherlands and the people here, both Dutch and the expats who live here. We love Crossroads and have been so blessed to be here these 6 years.
We have sowed our lives here as faithfully as possible with both tears and joy. We leave behind wonderful friends and acquaintances, indelible memories, and most painfully, our beloved daughter, son-in-law and 3 grandchildren.
