Hope for North!

Introduction

Hope for North is a multicultural community that wants to be an open church in the neighbourhood. We believe God wants to be close to us, so we would live with Him like it was meant to be. That's why it's very important to us that you meet God, by yourself as well as together with others. At Hope for North everybody is welcome, no matter what race you are or world-view you have!

Close to God and close to each other because there is hope for Amsterdam North! We have the desire that the people in Amsterdam will search for God and themselves, while at the same time finding each other. That's why we try to be present at different places in the neighbourhoods, why we organize activities and pray for our city. Our dream is that children and adults everywhere in Amsterdam North will learn what love and freedom means. We believe that a relationship with God will give you the love you need.

Community

Amsterdam North is a multicultural part of the city. Hope for North believes we can learn from each other, also in the ways we deal with God and faith. That's why we have Bible study groups in different languages and organize cultural activities every now and then. Through different public activities, by children's and youth programs, and during our Sunday services people from all kinds of cultures and language groups meet each other. According to the Bible we, as a community, are parts of the same body, and are as parts of the same house in which everyone has his own place and responsibility. Built on our foundation Jesus Christ every 'living stone' is equally important.We do have a small group of people who take care of the day to day leadership activities. These people fill in a role in the church to serve others, to take decisions, to do pastoral work and to carry special responsibilities.

Diversity

People visiting the church don't just come from different cultural backgrounds but also from different church backgrounds and many did not go to church at all. Hope for North has a few core truths which are written in an ancient writing called a 'creed'. This confession of faith has been used across the centuries by many churches from around the world. Hope for North believes Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Through Him we can get to know the Father. All kinds of other topics like point of view on (infant or adult) baptism, the role of the spiritual gifts and on Christian lifestyle are things we can discuss and have different points of view on within Hope for North - they are not core truths. We come from different backgrounds and because of that have varying thoughts on these topics which means all are asked to do some adjusting. People who choose to join Hope for North accept this diversity and will on the other hand leave the core truths untouched.

Sunday service

We meet every Sunday at 12.30 pm for a service in our building, the “Kruiskerk”. (You can find us at the Rode Kruisstraat 20, Amsterdam North.) In these meetings we search for God and listen to the message from the Bible. Contact with others is also important and therefore there is time before and after the service to talk with others and discuss the service. Sunday meetings are a very important part of Hope for North, believing that God is in our midst in a special way. By studying a part from the Bible, singing together and praying, we are encouraged to trust the living God and follow after Jesus in our lives.

Every Sunday at 12.00 P.M. there's coffee and tea. Welcome! The service starts at 12.30 P.M. Translation of the services is available through wireless headphones for those among us who speak English and/or Persian. Translations for other languages are available upon request.

Children

At the beginning of the meeting we have a special time with the children. We sing some childrens’ songs and sometimes a simple thought from the Bible is explained. After that the children are invited to go to kids club (at about 12.45 P.M.). The club, offered in Dutch, gets together in the school building next to Hope for North and is for children from groups 1 up to 7 (as in Dutch primary schools). At the kids club the children come together in a big group for a Bible story, music and sometimes a drama. They also go into small (age) groups to talk, drink something, and to make a craft or play games. The kids club is finished at 14.15 P.M. For the youngest children (age 0-3) there is a nursery on the upper floor of the church building. Of course children are welcome to stay with their parents during the whole meeting. Feel free to bring your children!

Questions?

Any questions? Please contact our pastor, Jurjen ten Brinke. He can be reached by phone at 06-40240454 or simply e-mail him at jurjen@hoopvoornoord.nl