St. Mary's Capital Campaign

“…and its people a joy.” (Isaiah 65:18)

Goal: €250,00 over 3-5 years

Use: Urgent repairs needed to St. Mary’s property

In 1708 the ‘English Church of St. Mary’ was consecrated in the Haringvliet. Since that time St. Mary’s has faithfully served the Rijnmond area in the Name of Jesus, partnering with both the Intercontinental Church Society (1878) and the Mission to Seafarers (1893). For the last 110 years St. Mary’s has welcomed people from all over the world at our beloved current property. Now this property needs urgent structural repairs due to age, settling, and the ingress of water. These repairs include the guttering system, corroded window frames, masonry cracks, and a deteriorating tower.

Raising the needed funds is a huge challenge, and the leadership of St. Mary’s is acutely aware that it is also pointless without careful attention being given to our discipleship. What good is a stable building if the Church within is not proclaiming the Gospel?

Therefore we ask you to join with us in prayer over the following two items:

1.     That St. Mary’s would be faithful in discipleship and generous in ministry, serving as a joy to those who enter and a source of true restoration and healing to our surrounding community; and

2.     That the needed money for continuing this mission would be steadily raised, and that St. Mary’s would be obedient stewards in its use.

How can I help?

·      Please pray! This is absolutely vital.

·      Consider your ability to contribute financially to this Campaign: either with a one-time gift or an annual pledge over the next 3 years.

·      Consider your ability to help with fundraising: are you able to organize or volunteer at an event, help investigate possible grants, or hang posters/hand out flyers?

·      Consider your knowledge: do you have experience with grant applications, large fundraising initiatives, or social media management?

·      Consider your contacts: do you know former members of St. Mary’s, community groups, or does your company have a charitable program?

The Financial Advisory Committee will shortly be contacting members directly with more information and opportunities to support this initiative.

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Season of Creation Photo Challenge

The theme for Creationtide 2023 is Let Justice and Peace Flow.* Let your imagination take flight with this theme and take pictures of anything which delights or inspires or challenges you with regards to Creation! No fancy camera or training needed – anyone can simply use their phone.

Pictures from ANYONE in our St. Mary’s community are welcome. At the end of Creationtide we’ll organize all submissions into a photo album to share, as well as recognize special talent. So get snapping! Submission information will be shared at a later date.

*From the Church of England website: The prophet Isaiah proclaims: “Listen carefully, I am about to do a new thing, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even put a road in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43: 19) Biodiversity is being lost at a rate not seen since the last mass extinction. The futures of young people are threatened by the cascading impacts of the loss of biodiversity and a changing climate. The urgency grows and we must make visible peace with Earth and on Earth, at the same time that justice calls us to repentance and a change of attitude and actions. As we join the river of justice and peace with others then hope is created instead of despair.

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash; used with permission.

How to Lent

Lent begins Ash Wednesday, February 22nd! Come join us for one of our Ash Wednesday services (more information available in Upcoming Events) as we commit ourselves to this season of repentance, sacrifice, and joy. What? Joy in Lent? Yes!

The call of Lent is to commit ourselves specifically to a journey with Christ toward the cross. We walk with Jesus, learning from him, engaging in prayer, fasting, and almsgiving; we prepare our hearts once again for the drama of Holy Week, the sacrifice of the crucifixion, and the ultimate glory of Easter. NOT so we can become more religious!! Instead, so we grow closer to Jesus in our daily lives.

With this in mind, our Lenten Sermon Series this year is entitled ‘How to Lent’. Each Sunday we’ll explore a different aspect of traditional Lenten disciplines in the light of Scripture, and open our hearts more toward the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Join us for this series, in person or online for the livestreams, and check out our other offerings: prayer groups, Lenten devotions. opportunities for giving, and special Sunday Lent ‘check-ins’ throughout the season. For more information click on any picture on the calendar on the homepage.

And don’t forget to subscribe to our weekly worship email and newsletter if you haven’t already! Simply click on the ‘subscribe’ button at the bottom of any page on this website.

The Presentation of Christ -- Candlemas!

February 2nd is the celebration of the Presentation of Christ in the temple. Simply, at 40 days after Christmas we remember Joseph and Mary taking Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem to present him to God. This Hebrew tradition was an ancient one, with the mother being declared 'pure' 40 days after the birth and the child being presented much like a dedication today. You can read the story here.

This event marked the declarations of faith from Simeon and Anna, prophet and prophetess, who had been waiting to see God's Messiah before their death. We see a strong declaration of God's faithfulness in this story, as well as (yet another!) glimpse of celebration and grace. (See this past Sunday's sermon here for more information on this.)

The term 'Candlemas' (candle-mass) comes from the tradition of blessing and lighting candles at the service at church on this day. This harkens back to many ancient traditions associated with this day being the midway point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox; it was celebrated as the beginning of the 'return of light' in many societies. In the Church this has been celebrated as a reminder of the HOPE we have in Jesus Christ.

Now, how to celebrate this at home? Here are some ideas:

  • Read the story (perhaps from a children's Bible for the younger ones) and pray along with Simeon:

"Now, Lord, you let your servant go in peace:
your word has been fulfilled.
My own eyes have seen the salvation
which you have prepared in the sight of every people;
A light to reveal you to the nations 
and the glory of your people Israel."

  • Light a bunch of candles and thank God for the Light of the World, Jesus -- a great opportunity to use up all those old stubs many of us have lying around.

  • In parts of France and Belgium, crepes are served on Candlemas; why not invite some friends over and try your hands at making crepes? (Or, simple hack: use the ready-made thin pancakes sold at the grocery store!) Serve fruit, applesauce, powdered sugar, and/or Nutella as toppings.

  • Bring some snowdrops into the house -- a sign of the coming Spring and a traditional sign of the promise of resurrection.

No matter what you choose to do, I hope and pray you take some time to truly rest, celebrate, and make space for God's light in your life.

Death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II

We are grieved at the loss of Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, the Late Governor of our Church.

At this time we all have many thoughts, memories, and feelings. As a congregation, we will mark this occasion solemnity, even as we remember that in the resurrection of Jesus Christ death has been ultimately defeated.

A statement by the Archbishop of Canterbury may be read here.

The church bells will ring Friday at noon along with all the other Anglican churches across our diocese. Please take a moment at that time to give thanks for the life of Elizabeth and to pray for His Majesty King Charles III -- as well as all those in authority in this and every land.

St. Mary's will be open on Saturday (10/9) from 14:00 to 16:00 for quiet prayer and meditation. Messages for the Royal Family may also be left. If you would like to sign the Church of England's online memorial book, you made do so here.

Our Sunday morning worship service (11/9)will continue as planned, and will include thanksgiving for the life of Her Late Majesty and the public singing of the amended National Anthem.

A Memorial Service is being planned and will be announced as soon as the time and date are set.

Thy Kingdom Come

After 40 days of celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, today we celebrate his Ascension into heaven to be seated at the right hand of the Father. With this event, our Easter celebration continues; we give thanks for Jesus' power being extended to us in the gift of the Holy Spirit (whose coming we celebrate on Pentecost).

If you are able, do join us today (May 26th) at 14:00 at St. Mary's for a simple prayer service with active prayer, appropriate for all ages, based on Thy Kingdom Come prayer principles.

What is 'Thy Kingdom Come'? A prayer movement across 65+ denominations and 170+ countries, designed to deepen our own faith and commit to pray for God's 5 others each day in the period from Ascension to Pentecost. From the TKC website: "Ascension Day marks the first day of Thy Kingdom Come - an annual invitation to prayer called by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York. Lasting for eleven days, the focus is specific prayer in churches, households and as individuals for friends, families, communities and countries to come to know the saving love of God in Jesus Christ, and for
ourselves, that empowered by God’s Spirit we would grow in confidence to show and tell of God’s love."

Listen to the invitation from the Most Reverend Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, here.
Find a prayer journal for these 11 days here.
View a variety of videos to bolster your prayers and faith during this time here. (PARENTS: look for the 'Cheeky Pandas' videos for great resources for your children!)

However works best for you, I invite you to commit to praying daily from today through Pentecost for God's Kingdom to come, and particularly for Jesus' blessing to be especially known in the lives of five specific people. May we be obedient to the call of Christ in every aspect of our lives.

Rotterdam Holy Houses (Heilige Huisjes Rotterdam)

Rotterdam houses of prayer will open their doors for nine days on a stretch to fellow citizens and “neighbours” from the district they are situated. The common project name is “Holy Houses Rotterdam/Heilige Huisjes Rotterdam”.

From Friday May 27 to Saturday June 4 visitors can join various activities in or around houses of prayer, like lectures, musical performances, exhibitions and guided tours. These activities are organized by the participating houses of prayer themselves, or in cooperation with local cultural organisations.

St. Mary’s Church is participating, too. During “Heilige Huisjes Rotterdam” our church offers the following activities:

-        May 27 and 28, from 11-15 hrs: Booksale: a large selection of secondhand books, English as well as Dutch or other languages, CD’s, LP’s, children’s books and reference books. You can decide how much you want to pay for any books you buy, bearing in mind that the proceeds are for the upkeep of the church. Coffee and tea will also be served.

-        June 1st, from 14-15 hrs – winners will be announced of the “Artist of the Spoken Word” competition for primary and secondary schools in Cool; prizes will be handed by Ms Zaire Krieger, translator of the work of a famous American Artist of the Spoken Word, Amanda Gorman. Participants are from Harbour International Primary school, group 7 and Theater havo/vwo year 3.

-        Sunday June 5th, Pentecost, you are invited to join our worship during a service from 10.30-12.00.

Please notify us by sending an email to Chaplain Jenni Pridmore.

A full list of activities can be found on https://www.heiligehuisjesrotterdam.nl/fonteinkerk.

Lenten Appeal

Our Lenten Appeal collection for this year is being designated for support for Ukrainians in need as a result of Russia’s invasion. Funds collected will be given to the diocese for administration to Christ Church, Kyiv and/or the Anglican chaplaincies in Warsaw, Budapest, and Riga which are helping with humanitarian aid for Ukrainian refugees. Collection boxes are available after the service OR you can donate by direct deposit to St. Mary’s; please mark the donation ‘Lenten Appeal 2022’.

If you would like to donate toward immediate needs, please consider one of the following options:

o    Diocesan direct relief fund through United Society Partners in the Gospel: https://ukraine-emergency-appeal.raisely.com/

o   Tearfund partners in the Disasters Emergency Committee: https://www.tearfund.org/campaigns/ukraine-crisis

We also have boats in our direct neighbourhood of Delfshaven serving as housing for refugees from Ukraine as well as other countries. We are actively working with other churches and stichtings (charitable organisations) in Delfshaven to provide support to these refugees. There are many needs, and much help is needed. We will keep you updated with how we can best help as information is received.

The times, they are a-changing!

Following the Dutch government’s announcement on February 15th about the upcoming relaxation in Covid-19 regulations, St. Mary’s will also be updating our safety guidelines. For the time being, in accordance with the government’s time table, preregistration for services and the proper wearing of a face mask are still required. The necessity for preregistration will end beginning with the morning service on Sunday, February 27th.

Details about other specific safety measures, such as the use of face masks and distanced seating are being discussed and will be made public once decisions have been made. Guidance from the Diocese in Europe and CIO are being taken into account for these decisions. Basic safety measures such as proper ventilation and the use of hand sanitization stations will continue. Most importantly, we continue to ask anyone experiencing any symptoms of illness — Covid or anything else! — to please stay home. Services will continue to be livestreamed via our YouTube channel, St. Mary’s Rotterdam.

Overall this is good news, indicative that the worst of the pandemic is beginning to wind down. We give thanks for this, even as we continue to pray for the health and safety of everyone during this time.

We look forward to welcoming you at St. Mary’s soon!

Hard Lockdown... Again.

In accordance with the Dutch government’s announcement of another hard lockdown taking effect on December 12th, St. Mary’s will be cancelling all in-person events and services. All services through January 14th (at least, depending on government regulations) will be online only.

Please do go to our YouTube channel, St. Mary’s Rotterdam, to see all of our services as well as other helpful videos.

If you need pastoral care during this time, contact Jenni here.

Be careful, be safe, and take care of one another!

Services in December

St. Mary’s is holding in-person services in December, within safety regulations set out by the RIVM. Sunday morning services are offered in-person at 10:30, and all services livestreamed on our YouTube channel (St. Mary’s Rotterdam). ALL SERVICES REQUIRE PREREGISTRATION due to spacing requirements. Simply email chaplain@stmarysrotterdam.org to register.

Our Lessons & Carols service will be held on the 12th, with a slightly shorter program and at an earlier time (16:00). We are hoping to hold an in-person service on Christmas Eve, probably at 20:00, but are waiting to make a final decision following any change in the guidelines in the press conference scheduled for Dec. 14th. Check back for the most up-to-date information after that!

Currently there is a Christmas Day service scheduled for 10:30 (not livestreamed; a separate devotional will be pre-recorded). Sunday the 26th will not have an in-person service, but rather a pre-recorded devotion for the day on the YouTube channel.

We hope you are able to join us for at least one of these services!!

Open Monument Days Rotterdam

St. Mary’s is participating in the Open Monument Days being held Saturday, September 11th and Sunday, September 12th this year. The church will be open on the 11th from 10:00 to 17:00 for guided tours, organ music (12:00-14:00), coffee/tea break, and a book table. The book table features a variety of used (mostly English-language) books available for donations. On Sunday the 12th the public is invited to join us for worship at 10:30 (reservations required: info@stmarysrotterdam.org), followed by open hours again from 13:00 to 16:00. At 17:00 there will be a lecture presented by the Historical Society of Rotterdam on the history of colonial slavery. (More information on this available on the Events page.)

Come in for a look around, a moment of quiet, a nice cup of tea, and a chat. We look forward to seeing you!

Important information regarding the Annual General Meeting

On Monday June 22nd 2020, St Mary’s Church Council met to discuss the following resolution:

Because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic the Annual General Meeting is hereby postponed to a date still to be determined but no later than 30th October 2020.

The reason for this postponement lies in the fact that the restrictions arising from the situation surrounding COVID-19 / Coronavirus make it impossible to hold the annual meeting necessary to adopt the annual accounts within six months after the end of the 2019 financial year.

De reden voor dit uitstel is gelegen in de omstandigheid dat de beperkingen, voortkomend uit de situatie rond COVID-19 / Coronavirus het houden van de tot vaststelling van de jaarrekening noodzakelijke jaarvergadering binnen zes maanden na het einde van het boekjaar 2019 onmogelijk maken.

Palm Sunday

The King enters Jerusalem in triumph and we are invited along! It is tempting to rush ahead to Easter — maybe especially this year? — but there is value for staying here, with Jesus entering Jerusalem. What kind of King enters in triumph to be killed? Our sacrificial, servant King, Jesus Christ.

Today’s service can be found here.

Service for Lent 5

We may not be able to meet in person, but we are still joined by the Spirit in godly companionship. We continue to lift our hearts, prayers, and thoughts heavenward together, believing in the power of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Do join us!

Our service for Sunday, March 29th, the 5th Sunday of Lent is available on our Youtube channel here.

March 22nd, Lent 4 Service

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

We are near the end of our first week in semi-isolation, and life is looking very different, isn’t it? All the more reason to remind ourselves that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

This morning David, myself, Jason, and a few choir members joined together at the church to film a very short service for tomorrow, Lent 4/Mothering Sunday. 

A large thank-you to David and Jason who, in addition to playing the organ and filming, provided the tech support for this video.

While the church doors are closed, please know that our life and ministry continue. Pastoral care is being provided online as well as by phone, the Lay Officers of the church are busy planning for a very different sort of AGM, the bells are being rung in solidarity, and finish work continues in the Vestry. A huge, HUGE thank-you to the many people working to keep things running as much as possible at this time!!

Do take care of yourselves and one another during this time, as well as your neighbour. Now is the time for us to show in word and deed what the love of Christ means.

God bless you all,

Jenni

The direct link to this service is here: https://youtu.be/Ov-UrwTyIYc 

What now? New restrictions in effect

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

It is with sadness that I write in this time of new restrictions to inform you all that, effective immediately, all events and meetings at St. Mary’s are cancelled through April 6th. This step is taken after consultation with health care and public health officials and, of course, the new steps outlined by the government last night (available here).

During this time the following steps will be taken by St. Mary’s:

  • A complete cleaning of the church.

  • Continued video devotions and emailed Lenten studies.

  • Regular updates via email, Facebook, and the website.

  • Pastoral care via phone and in person as necessary.

PLEASE KNOW: We will continue to do our best to provide pastoral care during this time. Do not hesitate to phone or email, especially in the case of an urgent matter. We will also be keeping contact from our end.

Do take care of yourselves and each other during this time. Wash your hands, follow the guidelines, check on your neighbours, and, of course, pray.

Remember Jesus in the midst of the storm, speaking with authority and calming the waves and the panic: do not be afraid. And remember the exhortation of Romans 8:15: we do not have a spirit of fear or slavery, but we cry to the Lord: ‘Abba, Father!’ And God is faithful to hear and be with us.

In Christ,

Jenni

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