Important Update
Dear A50 Family,
After receiving some great feedback from many A50 members, we have made some important schedule updates for the coming months.
1. We have been encouraged to move the goodbye celebration to September 17th, so that people can have time to process this Summer before saying goodbye. Therefore, the Saturday goodbye celebration scheduled for July 16thhas been canceled.
2. We will have 2 additional "low-key" Sunday services (July 17th and 24th) after this Sunday, facilitated by some of the Servant Leadership Committee since Chris and Corey will be away. These services will also give people the time and space to process and come together for prayer and worship. If you are interested in helping out with these additional Sunday services or having any ideas, please let Emily Korstanje or Edwin Deventer know.
3. For those who want to discuss the possible continuation of A50, please stay after the service this Sunday so that you can have the opportunity to discuss this with others who may also be interested.
Thank you for your feedback, and please feel free to reach out to anyone from the Leadership Team if you have any questions.
Important Announcement for the A50 Family
Dear Amsterdam50 Family,
At the family meeting last Sunday we made an important announcement:
Chris and Corey will be stepping down as pastors of Amsterdam50. The Leadership Team (Amber, Edwin, Farah, Ruben and Emily) have decided to step down as well. Based on this, we recommend to bring Amsterdam50 church to a close.
For all of us, this has been a very difficult decision to make, but we believe God has led us to do so.
A few weeks ago, Chris and Corey shared with the LT that they felt God was leading them and their families to leave A50 and start a new house church ministry.
As the LT considered this, they realized that all of them had been praying about leaving the church as well, for different reasons.
This meant that each one of us individually had been praying about their involvement with A50. We believe that God has been leading each of us to come to a conclusion in unity and in love. We want you to know that there are no hard feelings between us.
With A50 no longer having a pastor, the LT does not feel called to lead the church on, nor do we see any opportunities for calling a new pastor.
We understand you may have many questions about this. Here are a few answers already:
How many services will we still have?
On the 10th of July, we will have our final church service at Herengracht 88. On Saturday the 16th, we will have a celebration at Willemsstraat 39. This will be an opportunity to come together and remember all the beautiful things that God has done through this church.
We are aware that this is going very fast. The main reason for this is that we, as pastors and LT, want to finish together. Knowing that both the O'Gradys and the Kuykendalls will be gone for (part of) the summer, we decided to plan it in this way.
It does not mean that after the 16th you cannot meet with us or with anyone from the church anymore. It only means that there will be no more A50 services facilitated by Chris, Corey and the LT after this date.
Where can I go after the 16th?
You are more than welcome to join the house church that Chris and Corey are planning to start sometime this Fall. Please let them know if you are interested so they can keep you updated of their plans.
If you are in a community group, we encourage you to keep meeting!
If you feel led to continue A50 in some shape or form, please contact the board about the possibilities. They are legally responsible for A50.
We can also recommend these churches in Amsterdam, which either have services in English, or have English translation available:
Christ Church - www.babuk.nl
Crossroads - www.xrds.nl
Hillsong - hillsong.com/amsterdam
Liberty Church - www.libertychurch.amsterdam
Vineyard - www.vineyardamsterdam.nl
Who can I talk to about this?
Please know that all of us are available to talk to, to answer questions, or to simply share your thoughts. You can reach anyone below by sending a message to [email protected].
Chris Kuykendall
Cassandra Kuykendall
Corey O’Grady
Kaylee O'Grady
Edwin Deventer
Farah Deventer
Ruben Korstanje
Emily Korstanje
Amber Chang
Amsterdam50 Board
Jurren de Groot
Stegan de Groot
Kor Grit
Marcus Edwards
Our prayers are with you all.
In Christ,
Chris & Cassandra, Corey & Kaylee, Amber, Edwin & Farah, Ruben & Emily