Dear WW readers,
After a month of physical and mental exertion moving into new premises and adjusting to a new urban environment, I will take a break from writing ‘weekly word’ until February 5. Romkje and I are presently in New Zealand visiting with my soon-to-be-95-year-old mother and other family members and friends.
We plan to return early next month to Amsterdam, hopefully refreshed in body, mind and spirit, ready for the year ahead. Some of the projects and activities awaiting us include:
• Feb 7-14: Marriage Week, an annual week culminating in Valentine’s Day, encouraging those fortunate enough to be married to invest time and creativity in their relationship.
• March 3: The Renaissance Forum, a forum for leaders of all faiths and none, discussing ‘living with our deepest differences’ with the aid of short literary excerpts from the classics to modern times. De Waag, Nieuwmarkt, Amsterdam
• The preparation of the Upper Room on the first floor of Samaritan’s Inn, Prins Hendrikkade 50, a space for a range of possible activities including European study courses, bible courses, Alpha course, marriage courses, chamber concerts, reading circles, film events, Schuman lectures and more. This project is part of a larger renovation project this year involving the creation of a cultural centre on the ground floor of our centrally-located building, called Look Up.
• The promotion of a cultural, decentralised, non-political May9 Movement, through the website www.may9.eu (still under construction) to encourage awareness of the connectedness and interdependence of the European peoples and of Europe’s common faith heritage. This year we will hold no State of Europe Forum, due to our move and the May9 focus. We hope to encourage a broader, more grass-roots engagement concerning the kind of Europe we want to become.
• European Study Courses to be held in both Amsterdam and Brussels, dates to be announced shortly.
• The Celtic Heritage Tour, June 30-July 12, starting in Dublin, crossing to Edinburgh and driving down through England to Canterbury, tracing the story of how Ireland the the British isles were shaped by the coming of the gospel.
• Masterclass in European Studies, July 30 – Aug 3. This four-day residential course taught by Prof Dr Evert Van de Poll and Jeff Fountain offers insights on how the Gospel has shaped Europe and midwifed the EU, and on challenges facing us today in Europe: secularism, populism, Islam and new spirituality.
Ignore the automatic signature below as the next ‘ww’ will be in three weeks’ time.
Till next week,
