We have now been to three different church services in Groningen. We've actually been here for 4 Sundays - the first Sunday we were still kind of reeling from the culture shock and jet lag to make it to a church service.
The first Sunday we went to church with Brad's Uncle Joe who is a minister in this area. At first we thought he was a minister at a Dutch church in Groningen city, but it actually turns out that he is a minister in the province of Groningen and the church is actually in a small town nearby - a bit too far to bike, though (10 kilometers or so).
And the service is in DUTCH - and only in Dutch. So it turns out that regularly attending that church isn't really an option. However, it was nice to meet Brad's uncle and his family. They have really reached out to us which has been such a blessing.
The second Sunday we went to a church that was within walking distance from our house. We knew that the service would be in Dutch, but that they had English translation through headphones available. That was great because by this time we were starving for some good worship in a language we could understand.
Interestingly, the songs weren't translated at first, so we were singing along wondering what the words were. Most of the songs we didn't recognize, and I was starting to wonder if we were ever going to sing something we knew. Then the music for "My Jesus, My Saviour" started and it was so cool to sing it in Dutch with everyone. And by the way, singing in another language is a great way to learn pronunciation!
The first Sunday we went to church with Brad's Uncle Joe who is a minister in this area. At first we thought he was a minister at a Dutch church in Groningen city, but it actually turns out that he is a minister in the province of Groningen and the church is actually in a small town nearby - a bit too far to bike, though (10 kilometers or so).
And the service is in DUTCH - and only in Dutch. So it turns out that regularly attending that church isn't really an option. However, it was nice to meet Brad's uncle and his family. They have really reached out to us which has been such a blessing.
The second Sunday we went to a church that was within walking distance from our house. We knew that the service would be in Dutch, but that they had English translation through headphones available. That was great because by this time we were starving for some good worship in a language we could understand.
Interestingly, the songs weren't translated at first, so we were singing along wondering what the words were. Most of the songs we didn't recognize, and I was starting to wonder if we were ever going to sing something we knew. Then the music for "My Jesus, My Saviour" started and it was so cool to sing it in Dutch with everyone. And by the way, singing in another language is a great way to learn pronunciation!
Once the sermon started, we slipped on our headphones and heard an English translation of the sermon. The girl doing the translating did a pretty good job, but it was the "delayed version" so it didn't really feel in sync with everyone else - especially when everyone starts laughing and we hadn't heard the joke yet. After we turned off our headphones, we were back to the reality that we couldn't understand anyone around us.
So this last Sunday, we got on the train and headed 30 kilometers south to an international church in the city of Assen. This church basically caters to visitors and foreigners in the area. The people who attend there are from all over the world and everyone speaks English. It was like a breath of fresh air! This will probably be the place that we will worship at regularly while we are here.
It isn't a very large church and it has its service in the sanctuary of a local church on Sunday morning after the local church finishes. So the service is at 11:30 and goes until about 1:00ish. We didn't get home again until 3:00 with the train and biking travel. It definitely puts new meaning into taking a Sabbath (that and the stores are closed on Sunday here).
The attendance was about 50 - 60 people including kids and there are 70 adults on the church contact list. There were several young couples who introduced themselves to us and they seem really nice. While the church has just lost their pastor, the people there seem committed to teaching God's word and fellowshipping together.
It definitely isn't going to come close to giving us the same experience as our wonderful church in Vancouver, but we feel that this is our best option while here in Holland and are going to make the best of it. And we are looking forward to getting into a small group and really getting to know the members there.
It isn't a very large church and it has its service in the sanctuary of a local church on Sunday morning after the local church finishes. So the service is at 11:30 and goes until about 1:00ish. We didn't get home again until 3:00 with the train and biking travel. It definitely puts new meaning into taking a Sabbath (that and the stores are closed on Sunday here).
The attendance was about 50 - 60 people including kids and there are 70 adults on the church contact list. There were several young couples who introduced themselves to us and they seem really nice. While the church has just lost their pastor, the people there seem committed to teaching God's word and fellowshipping together.
It definitely isn't going to come close to giving us the same experience as our wonderful church in Vancouver, but we feel that this is our best option while here in Holland and are going to make the best of it. And we are looking forward to getting into a small group and really getting to know the members there.
posted by Mollie @ 10:18 PM
1 Comments:
Sounds like a wise idea to go to the international church. I found this to be true in my own experience. When I was 18 I lived near Munich for three months. I was massively homesick and I found that worshipping with the international community in Munich was a life-saver. It was a bit weird, though, to listend to a southern baptist preacher from a German pulpit! I'm not sure the Brits, or the rest of us for that matter, always understood him!
It seems impossible now, but there may come a time when North Americans and their ways (opinions, ignorance of other cultures, patterns of speech, etc,) will seem odd, annoying and even down-right WRONG to you. Studies--as well as the experience of my traveling friends and I--suggest that this "reverse culture shock" strikes at about the 8-month mark. But it may occur sooner, as in when you return at Christmas. So if and when strong emotions along these lines overcome you, know that you are not alone. And that they will pass. You are being stretched in ways that most people never are. Blessedly, your lives are being enriched and changed forever by this experience. Peace, Kelli
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