First session: Tuesday 8^th May 19.30

Mark and Amanda Nelson invite you to join a parenting course which they will run in their home on Tuesday evenings in May and June. The course aims to give parents of children aged 0-10 an opportunity to learn some new parenting tips and share their experiences with others in a very informal setting. Each session will start at 19.30 and last around 2 hours. To find out more about the course, see www.relationshipcentral.co.uk . If you are interested in joining or would like more information please contact Mark Nelson  on mark@nelson.ac or 06 50450667.

 

All you need to know for the annual meeting can be found in the annual report which you can download here AGM_2012_Annual_Report. Please print this off and bring it with you.

The meeting is combined with a service of Holy Communion with a choir and musicians from three congregations. We would love to pack out the whole place which easily seats 200 people. Kids Church and Creche will be available, and we’d love you to bring some food so that we can have a communal meal in the cafe area after the service. (Commercial kitchen gas hobs and oven are available to heat up food).

There are no services in the morning on 22nd April at City Centre and South.

Yours in Christ, Mark

The week offers New Wine worship, teaching and prayer. With a full programme for each age group and free afternoons for family time, fun activities or optional seminars. The site offer bunk accommodation or camping.

Why not come and join us for this great week with God in a beautiful part of the Netherlands.

For more information see: www.new-wine.eu

As we journey the 50 days between Easter Sunday and Pentecost it is good to remember and celebrate the new life Jesus resurrection opens to us. These readings lead us through the accounts of Jesus resurrection and then the story of God’s new life amongst the first Christians in the book of Acts. As you read this part of the Bible I would encourage you to seek God’s new life to be at work in and through you.

Easter Week – Sunday 8th April to Saturday 14th April
Sunday 8th April, Day of Celebration
Monday 9th April, Matthew 27:62-28:20, “The King’s Alive”
Tuesday 10th April, Mark 16:1-20, “Resurrection”
Wed 29th 11th April, Luke 24:1-53, “The first day of the week”
Thursday 12th April, John 20:1-31, “Jesus appears”
Friday 13th April, John 21:1-25, “The last word”
Saturday 14th April, Revelation 5:1-14, “Worthy is the Lamb”

Week 2 of Easter
Sunday 15th April, Day of Rest
Monday 16th April, Acts 1:1-11, “Waiting for power”
Tuesday 17th April, Acts 1:12-26, “Choosing an apostle”
Wed 18th April, Acts 2:1-41, “Pentecost”
Thursday 19th April, Acts 2:43-47, “The Church”
Friday 20th April, Acts 3:1-26, “A lame man healed”
Saturday 21st April, Acts 4:1-22, “Peter and John arrested”

Week 3 of Easter
Sunday 22nd April, Day of Rest
Monday 23rd April, Acts 4:23-37, “Life in the early church”
Tuesday 24th April, Acts 5:1-11, “Sin confronted”
Wed 25th April, Acts 5:12-42, “The Apostles”
Thursday 26th April, Acts 6:1-15, “The Deacons”
Friday 27th April, Acts 7:1-60, “Stephen the martyr”
Saturday 28th April, Acts 8:1-40, “Philip the evangelist”

Week 4 of Easter
Sunday 29th April, Day of Rest
Monday 30th April, Acts 9:1-19a, “Saul’s conversion”
Tuesday 1st May, Acts 9:19b-31, “Paul begins to preach”
Wed 2nd May, Acts 9:32-43, “Peter’s mighty work”
Thursday 3rd May, Acts 10:1-48, “A gentile conversion”
Friday 4th May, Acts 11:1-18, “Peter’s explanation”
Saturday 5th May, Acts 11:19-30, “The church in Antioch”

Week 5 of Easter
Sunday 6th May, Day of Rest
Monday 7th May, Acts 12:1-25, “Peter’s escape”
Tuesday 8th May, Acts 13:1-52, “The first missionary journey – part 1”
Wed 9th May, Acts 14:1-28, “The first missionary journey – part 2”
Thursday 10th May, Acts 15:1-35, “The Council at Jerusalem”
Friday 11th May, Acts 15:36-16:15, “Who shall go?”
Saturday 12th May, Acts 16:16-40, “Mission in Europe”

Week 6 of Easter
Sunday 13th May, Day of Rest
Monday 14th May, Acts 17:1-34, “The start of mission in Europe”
Tuesday 15th May, Acts 18: 1-28, “Paul in Corinth”
Wed 16th May, Acts 19:1-41, “Paul in Ephesus”
Thursday 17th May, Ascension Day , Acts 20:1-38, “Paul’s farewell to Europe”
Friday 18th May, Acts 21:1-26, “On to Jerusalem”
Saturday 19th May, Acts 21:27-22:29, “Paul’s Arrest”

Week 7 of Easter
Sunday 20th May, Day of Rest
Monday 21st May, Acts 22:30-23:35, “Paul on Trial””
Tuesday 22nd May, Acts 24:1-27. “Paul before Felix”
Wed 23rd May, Acts 25:1-22, “Paul before Festus”
Thursday 24th May, Acts 25:23-26:32, “Paul before Agrippa”
Friday 25th May, Acts 27:1-28:10, “Sailing to Rome”
Saturday 26th May, Acts 28:11-31, “Paul in Rome”

Sunday 27th May, Pentecost, Day of Celebration

Classical Concert: Sun 13th May 13:30 – 14:30 Feling Trio is an ensemble of professional and amateur musicians from local Amsterdam churches. They will be performing classical music in a free concert… because they love playing and offering the gift of music to anyone who wants to listen. There will a voluntary collection that goes to the benefit of one of the charities supported by Christ Church and Crossroads.

Nicole Freling, bassoon

Ella Broekstra, clarinet

Cristina Lavini, piano

Mikail Glinka (1804-1857)

Trio Pathétique for clarinet, bassoon and piano (1832)

 Allegro Moderato

Scherzo en Trio

Largo

Allegro con spirito

o-o-o-o

Max Bruch (1838-1920)

From “8 pieces for clarinet, viola and piano”, opus 83 (1908/1909)

 1, Andante

5, Romanische Melodie, Andante

o-o-o-o

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Trio for clarinet, bassoon and piano, opus 38 (1802/1803)

Transcription from the  septet opus 20

Tempo di Menuetto

Thema, Andante con Variazoni

Andante con moto alla marcia, Presto

o-o-o-o

Nino Rota (1911-1979)

Trio for clarinet, bassoon and piano (1973)

Allegro

Andante

Allegrissimo

Maundy Thursday Service, 5th April at 1800 at Amsterdam South, the British Upper School, Fred. Roeskestraat 94a - a service for all ages, where a meal is served, the Passover as Jesus and his disciples understood it at the Last Supper  is demonstrated (and eaten), leading to the Lord’s Supper and Foot Washing.

Maundy Thursday Service, 5th April at 1930 at City Centre, Groenburgwal 42 - a service with washing of feet and communion.

Good Friday Service, 6th April from 1200 to 1500 at City Centre, Groenburgwal 42- a 3 hour meditation on John’s account of Jesus’ death. Feel free to come for as much or as little of this service as you wish.

Good Friday Tenebrae Service, 6th April from 19:30 to 20:30 at Amsterdam South, the British Upper School, Fred. Roeskestraat 94a - this service of ‘darkness’ draws us close to Jesus as he died on the cross, with classical and contemporary music.

Silent Saturday, 7th April from 1200 to 1300 at City Centre, Groenburgwal 42 - an hour of silence begun and ended with prayer.

Easter Sunrise Service, 8th April at 0645 at City Centre, Groenburgwal 42-  a celebration of the resurrection at sunrise, followed by breakfast (please bring food to share).

Easter Celebration, 8th April at 10:00 at City Centre, Groenburgwal 42- our main celebration of Easter inlcuding our Easter Communion.

Easter Morning Holy Communion, 8th April at 10:00 at Amsterdam South, the British Upper School, Fred. Roeskestraat 94a for our  Easter celebration.

Easter Afternoon Holy Communion, 8th April at 15:30 at Amsterdam Zuidoost, Luthuliplein 11. If you live in or are visiting the Bijlmeer area of Amsterdam, invite your friends and family to join this special Easter Communion service.

For enquiries relating to any of  these services please refer to

Alastair MacDonald for City Centre

Mark Collinson for Amsterdam South

Austin Uzoigwe and Ben Crabbe for Amsterdam Zuidoost.

For the 40 days of Lent this year we at Christ Church centre are focusing on the death of Jesus. Over the 4 Sundays of March we will be reflecting on the 4 accounts of Jesus death in the Bible (Matthew 26:1-27:56; Mark 14:1-15:47; Luke 22:1-23:56; John 18:1-19:42). And a number of us are following a more detailed Bible reading plan to help us to prepare for Easter.

Why not come and join us on one of our Sunday mornings and, if you would like, use one of our Bible reading plans to help you reflect on what Jesus has done for us and to prepare to celebrate the good news of Jesus this Easter.

Bible Reading Plan 1
This is a simple reading plan offering one passage a week. I suggest you prayerfully read and reflect on the reading a number of times during the week allowing God to speak to you through it.

Week 1 – beginning Ash Wednesday (22nd February) to Saturday 25th February
Bible Reading: Isaiah 58:1-12

Week 2 – Sunday 26th February to Saturday 3rd March
Bible Reading: Matthew 26:1-27:56

Week 3 – Sunday 4th March to Saturday 10th March
Bible Reading: Mark 14:1-15:47

Week 4 – Sunday 11th March to Saturday 17th March
Bible Reading: Luke 22:1-23:56

Week 5 – Sunday 18th March to Saturday 24th March
Bible Reading: John 18:1-19:42

Week 6 – Sunday 25th March to Saturday 31st March
Bible Reading: Psalm 22:1-31

Week 7 – Holy Week, Sunday 1st April to Saturday 7th April
Bible Reading: Philippians 2:1-11

Week 8 – Easter Week, Sunday 8th April to 14th April
Bible Reading: Mark 16:1-8

Bible Reading Plan 2
This is a more detailed reading plan that takes you through all 4 of the accounts of Jesus life in the Bible and a number of other Bible passages that help us understand his death. I suggest you prayerfully read and reflect on the reading each day allowing God to speak to you through it.

Week 1 – beginning Ash Wednesday (22nd February) to Saturday 25th February
Wednesday 22nd February Isaiah 58:1-12
Thursday 23rd February Psalm 51:1-18
Friday 24th February 2 Corinthians 5.20b—6.10
Saturday 25th February John 8:1-11

Week 2 – Sunday 26th February to Saturday 3rd March – Matthew’s Account
Sunday 26th February Day of Rest
Monday 27th February Matthew 1:1-4:11, “Introducing Jesus”
Tuesday 28th February Matthew 4:12-7:29, “Proclaiming the Kingdom”
Wed 29th February Matthew 8:1-10:42, “The power of the Kingdom”
Thursday 1st March Matthew 11:1-13:52, “Opposition to Jesus”
Friday 2nd March Matthew 13:53-18:35, “Jesus revealed”
Saturday 3rd March Matthew 19:1-27:61, “Receiving and rejecting the King”

Week 3 – Sunday 4th March to Saturday 10th March – Mark’s Account
Sunday 4th March Day of Rest
Monday 5th March Mark 1:1-3:6, “The beginning of the good news”
Tuesday 6th March Mark 3:7-6:13, “Words and deeds”
Wed 7th March Mark 6:14-8:26, “Missionary Outreach”
Thursday 8th March Mark 8:27-10:52, “Going to Jerusalem”
Friday 9th March Mark 11:17-13:37, “Entering Jerusalem”
Saturday 10th March Mark 14:1-16:47, “The Passion”

Week 4 – Sunday 11th March to Saturday 17th March – Luke’s Account
Sunday 11th March Day of Rest
Monday 12th March Luke 1:1-2:52, “The coming of the Saviour”
Tuesday 13th March Luke 3:1-5:39, “The deeds of the Saviour”
Wed 14th March Luke 6:1-9:50, “The mission of the Saviour”
Thursday 15th March Luke 9:51-14:35, “The journey of a Saviour”
Friday 16th March Luke 15:1-19:44, “The teaching of a Saviour”
Saturday 17th March Luke 19:45-23:56, “The death of the Saviour”

Week 5 – Sunday 18th March to Saturday 24th March – John’s Account
Sunday 18th March Day of Rest
Monday 19th March John 1:1-51, “Jesus Revealed”
Tuesday 20th March John 2:1-8:11, “Signs and Wonders”
Wed 21st March John 8:12-10:42, “Radical Confrontation”
Thursday 22nd March John 11:1-12:50, “Life and Death”
Friday 23rd March John 13:1-17:26, “Preparing for the Cross”
Saturday 24th March John 18:1-19:42, “The Trial and Passion”

Week 6 – Sunday 25th March to Saturday 31st March – Understanding the Cross
Sunday 25th March Day of Rest
Monday 26th March Genesis 1:1-31 & Genesis 3:1-19, “In the beginning”
Tuesday 27th March Genesis 22:1-19, “The Lord will provide”
Wed 29th 28th March Exodus 12:1-51, “It is the Lord’s Passover”
Thursday 29th March Leviticus 16:1-34, “Atonement shall be made for you”
Friday 30th March Psalm 22:1-31, “My God, my God, why?”
Saturday 31st March Isaiah 52:13-53:12, “Man of sorrows”

Week 7 – Sunday 1st April to Saturday 7th April – The Meaning of the Cross
Sunday 1st April Day of Rest
Monday 2nd April Romans 5:1-11, “True Peace”
Tuesday 3rd April 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5, “Wise Folly”
Wed 29th 4th April Ephesians 2:1-22, “Fatal Reconciliation”
Thursday 5th April Philippians 2:1-11, “True Humility”
Friday 6th April Colossians 2:8-15, “Tragic Victory”
Saturday 7th April Hebrews 10:1-18, “Once for all”

Easter Week – Sunday 8th April to Saturday 14th April
Sunday 8th April Day of Celebration
Monday 9th April Matthew 27:62-28:20, “The King’s Alive”
Tuesday 10th April Mark 16:1-20, “Resurrection”
Wed 29th 11th April Luke 24:1-53, “The first day of the week”
Thursday 12th April John 20:1-31, “Jesus appears”
Friday 13th April John 21:1-25, “The last word”
Saturday 14th April Revelation 5:1-14, “Worthy is the Lamb”

Lent is a time to draw near to God and to prepare to celebrate Jesus’ death and resurrection at Easter. We would encourage you to consider fasting from something during this period. That means choosing not to eat or drink something during these 40 days, or not to do something like watching tv, as an act of worship and prayer.

You may also want to consider reading a Christian book or doing another spiritually helpful act during this period. We would encourage everyone to see Lent as a helpful time to engage with God and prepare properly for Easter. Hopefully we see you on Wednesday!

I’ve just finished reading Genesis. The last quarter of the book is dominated by the story of Joseph, the dreamer come prophet, who rose from being a shepherd boy (despised by Egyptians) to the man who changed a nation, and saved thousands of lives from famine. The whole of the rest of the Bible is summarised by Joseph’s final words:

‘Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afriad. I will provide for you and your children.’ Gen 50:20-21.

In the battles of life we are often hurt and harmed like Joseph was by his brothers. But God knows you and loves you, and intends all that happens to lead to salvation: the saving of many lives. When we try to play God, in control, grasping at power, making judgements, and inflicting revenge, we will hurt ourselves, other people, and live in fear. Jesus could have said Joseph’s last words on the cross. He was dying there in the place of God, taking the punishment for all the world’s wrongs.  If we let Jesus be our God, and seek his face in all things, he will bring his blessing to us, and through us, to all nations. Pick up on the opportunities below to be a blessing to the nations as we seek to grow as disciples of Christ in Amsterdam.

Immigrants’ Attitudes to Amsterdam: Last Sunday we found out that only one person present in our congregation was born in Amsterdam. We are all immigrants to this city. How do we connect with the city we live and work in? How do we seek its welfare? Do we have a short- or long-term vision of how as Christians we fulfil God’s vision for this city? Listen to this sermon here, as it is the foundation of our whole series this term on Mission in Amsterdam. We will be looking at how we connect with the DNA of Amsterdam: its ethnic diversity, creativity, entrepreneurism and business, how we build civic virtue as immigrants (with guest speaker Joel Voerdewind, Tweede Kamer lid), and what to make of Freedom of Thought.  Throughout this term we will be hearing from local Mission Partners explaining some of the ways Christ Church is involved in God’s mission in the city.

Leadership Team Day of Teaching and Worship: You are invited to join the South Leadership Team for a day’s worship and teaching this Saturday 4th February from 10:00 – 16:00 at Groenburgwal 42. We will have extended times of praise and worship and a safe place to learn and exercise what we understand by prophetic prayer ministry. The teaching will explain why we choose the music styles we have, what it means to encounter the Lord Jesus as we praise him, and why New Wine ministries are such an important aspect of our church life. You don’t have to be a potential church ‘elder’ to join in, but it will give you an insight into where we think the Lord is leading us as a church community. The more people who are involved in ministry in church who grasp this the better. We will have lunch in a nearby restaurant (about €15), and there are no further costs related to the day. Email me back now if you’re interested in coming.

Celebration Lunch this Sunday: Join us this Sunday after the service for food and fellowship. Sunday morning over a cup of coffee doesn’t give us much opportunity to get to know each other. Eating a meal together allows us to get to know one another as a large family. As it will be FREEZING next Sunday bring food that is hot! We can heat up stuff in the oven or gas hob. Give your food to Faustina as you arrive in church….and why not invite a friend who doesn’t normally go to church to join you?

Women’s Retreat Application Forms: will be available from next Sunday. The speaker is Julia Pickerill, leader of Vineyard Amsterdam, and the retreat takes place 23-24 March. If you want to receive an email version of the form contact Ruth Paans.

Blessing at Work: My parents-in-law recently went to the Memorial Service for John Stott in St Paul’s Cathedral – it is moving just to read the tributes to his life & witness. He was a world leader in relevant bible teaching and evangelism. One of his legacies is the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity which produces resources to support Christians in the workplace. Amanda, who works for Vodafone, recommends these PrayerWorks prayer prompts. You will receive a daily email prompt for 40 days encouraging you to pray for God’s blessing on a particular aspect of your working life and relationships. It’s a brilliant way of having just a five second connection with God at work….and I’d love to hear from you how God is answering your prayers. Sign up here and join over 1,000 other people who are praying for their work. It starts tomorrow!

Yours in Christ,

Mark

Revd Mark Collinson

Chaplain, Christ Church Amsterdam