[Diocese in Europe] A new congregation in the Church of England's Diocese in Europe was ‘launched’ in the Netherlands, on 22 June when the Acting Archdeacon of North-West Europe, Meurig Williams, formally inaugurated the Church of All Saints’  in Maastricht.

This international congregation, which meets at the Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk, celebrated their formal new beginning with a festival Eucharist. The service included the renewal of baptismal promises and the congregation reaffirmed their commitment to continue in the apostles’ teaching and the breaking of bread, to serve Christ in all people, and to proclaim the good news of Christ. In his sermon, the Archdeacon recalled how the waters of baptism are a necessity for Christian life and mission:

To be the church, we need water. We need water to live – and to invite others to share our life. We need water to begin the pilgrimage, to travel into God’s risky, undiscovered, yet glorious future; when we shall confront him in all his mysterious otherness. We cannot be Christian people, a Christian community, without water… The new beginning we celebrate here in Maastricht is not just a local celebration: it is a cause for rejoicing and gladness across the Diocese in Europe. It stirs the hearts of all Christians who, like us, are formed by water and the Holy Spirit. They are ‘bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh.’ We begin our Christian life in those deep waters of death, and we are promised that we have a future to celebrate because, in those waters, we discover that, in the midst of death, we are inlife.

The celebrations also provided an opportunity for the congregation – and the Diocese – to give thanks to the Reverend Jenni Pridmore for her years of ministry in Maastricht as she moves with her family to Rotterdam.

On the evening before the Dedication Service, the Ministry Team and members of the Council met with the Archdeacon for reflection and to explore possibilities of future ministry in Maastricht.