It never ceases to amaze me how at home i feel in The Netherlands. I have never lived there, nor do I speak the language, but it still resonates of something familiar.  In this highly populated country there always seem to be space to be who you are, and I enjoy the flat countryside regularly  interrupted by canals.

at Dover waiting for ferry

Last weekend I had the privilege to be asked to be a speaker and motivator to a Church plant in Utrecht called Uniek. So Karsten and I packed the SMART car and drove to Utrecht.  Uniek is one of the few church plants or new churches in Europe that has been able to attract a high percentage of new believers as well as former believers. This makes the group a very diverse group, who on paper wouldn’t interact well, but when God is added to such a mix, there is an inclusivelty of differences that is inspiring.

Uniek Church Group

Celebrating 10 years as a church group Uniek is at a crossroad and the weekends focus was dialogue about identity andauthenticity, and where to proceed to from the Status Que .Uniek is very much a cutting edge church group that has understood that churchplants is about being relevant in their culture.  The group was eager to grow, and great conversations enabled a free discussion, which  I hope  in turn will  lead to great potential in growing both in numbers but also in spirit and character. I tried to make the weekend about encouraging the group to stay authentic, have authentic faith,  and the confidence to invite friends,  using especially social media and being intentional about including people in events.  But I also felt it important to affirm uniek as a church with an identity in the Adventist Church.

Being back in Utrecht and driving by a congress center  brought forth memories of  15 years ago when  I walked the congress centers corridors in tears and frustration and disbelief as my world church chose to not affirm female leadership, in the form of letting individual regions decide whether or not to ordain women clergy on equal footing with male clergy.  And 15 years on my church still struggles on this matter. My heart still breaks at the inequalities within my church.

Utrecht

Being with the Uniek  church plant group gave me hope that there are new churches of inclusive and relevancy where there is space to be- that is my hope for the rest of my global church- that we may be a church of space and freedom to be authentic and relevant.