Anglican
Sphere
Vol. LIII, No. 10
The Monthly Magazine of St Mary’s Church
Pieter de Hoochweg 131
3024 BG Rotterdam
Price € 2.00 (excluding postage)
December 2014 /January 2015
St Mary’s Anglican and Episcopal Church
ROTTERDAM
Pieter de Hoochweg 131 3024 BG Rotterdam (Tel. 06-16781614)
info@stmarys.nl
www.stmarys.nl
Priest-in-Charge and Port Chaplain: Rev Stephen Hazlett (010-4270063 / 06-38548446 )
stephen.hazlett@mtsmail.org
Churchwardens
Aad van Elswijk (06-55107854)
vanelswijk@rpadvocaten.nl
Licensed Reader
Grada Schadee (010-4253812 or 06-28483880)
grschadee@gmail.com
Anneke Barends Kraak (06-27124546)
anneke.barends@upcmail.nl
Sunday School Coordinator
Corrie Vuerhard (0180-313945)
Hon. Secretary to the Chaplaincy Council
Anneke Barends-Kraak
Safeguarding Officer
Gaynor Koobs (079-3603652)
koobsmcgregor@hotmail.com
Hon. Treasurer/Freewill Offering Secretary
Harry van der Meijden (010-4470852)
meigroen@hotmail.com
Readers /Sidesmen Rota
Grada Schadee (010-4253812 or 06-28483880)
grschadee@gmail.com
Church Hire
Anneke Barends Kraak.
For baptisms, weddings and funerals please contact
the priest-in-charge.
Organist
David van der Vlies (078-6170349)
Flowers
Margaret Powell (0180-682254)
Anglican Sphere
Editor:
Layout:
Subscription and Distribution:
Churchwardens
Tabitha Vuijst
Jean Soetebier (010-4741250)
Opinions expressed in the Anglican Sphere by individual correspondents are their personal views and do
not necessarily represent the doctrine, beliefs, or practice of the Church of England nor of St. Mary’s,
Rotterdam. The editors reserve the right to amend any items.
St. Mary’s Church Accounts
ABN AMRO Bank No.
NL31ABNA0563364750 (Ministry Fund)
ABN Checking Account
NL82ABNA0480215529
(Please mark the payment “Anglican Sphere subscription”.)
WORSHIP
Sundays
10:30 am Sung Eucharist or Family Service or Matins
9:00 am Second Sunday Catholic Apostolic Sung Eucharist
Sunday School and crèche except at Family Service and during school holidays.
In association with St. Mary’s Church:
The Mission to Seafarers in the Port of Rotterdam
Chaplain: Revd. Stephen Hazlett
Manager: David Rainey
International Seafarers’ Centre, Admiraal Trompstraat 1, 3115 HK Schiedam (010-4260933)
Every Sunday: Holy Eucharist at 20:00 hours.
December 2014 /January 2015
From Father Stephen
A Christmas Message
One of the special aspects of Christmas is surely the Christmas carols.
I have a least favourite carol and a favourite. My least, and this is
purely subjective, is God rest you merry gentlemen. It just conjurs up
an image of portly Victorian men standing outside the King's Arms
congratulating each other in male- only munificence. To be fair, as the
hymn progresses the words become quite scriptural. My favourite is
also very personal; as a family we once lived in the author's former
home in rural County Tyrone.
Now try to imagine a large wealthy Victorian matron, wife of the bishop
of Derry no less. Unlike many of her class and times, she had a caring
passion for the most castigated members of society; young women
who found themselves expecting a child. Cecile Frances Alexander
often found these poor girls huddled in the straw of barns and lonely
farm houses --- and she gave them a home and pastoral care. It is said
that the Christmas hymn she wrote was influenced by this harrowing
experience, not leastly because it reminded her of the Virgin Mary and the birth of our Lord in such abject
circumstances.
She wrote Once in royal David's city stood a lowly cattle shed, where a mother laid her baby, in a manger
for his bed. Mary was that mother mild, Jesus Christ her little child. This is my favourite Christmas carol.
A big Happy Christmas to you all!
Stephen D. Hazlett
Diary 2014
7 December Cake Sale (St. Nicolaas)
14 December Carol Service 5.00 pm
17 December 2014 Seniors’ service and lunch
21 December Potluck Lunch (Christmas)
24 December Midnight Mass 11.30 pm
25 December 10.30 am Christmas Eucharist
Away Dates Father Stephen
I shall be on holiday from 27 December to 9 January. For routine church business or the services please
contact the church wardens or lay reader. If a priest is required, Father Barry Birch in the Hague has kindly
agreed to be "on call" [tel. 0702134942]. For Mission business, please refer to Dave Rainey the centre
manager, or if a clergyperson is required, Rev. Helene Perfors [0653679265] may be contacted.
Whilst I always enjoy the Christmas services in St. Mary's and the Mission --- I am looking forward to one
particular Carol service this year--- I conduct it on board the Stena Hollandica on Christmas 2 / St.
Stephen's Day before her evening sailing from Hoek van Holland to Harwich! Her Captain Bert and OBS
manager Kay Shields opened our bazaar this year.
SDH
Anglican Sphere Deadline for February 2015 edition:
Wednesday January 14th - Mail to info@stmarys.nl
1
The Anglican Sphere Vol. LIII, No. 10
CHRISTMAS MESSAGE 2014
The nine lessons and carols service from King’s College Cambridge is listened to by millions of
people all over the world. It is one of England’s most distinctive and successful religious exports! For me,
the service has especial resonance, because this was the college where I studied as an undergraduate and so
the distinctive sound of the treble voices and fulsome reed organ stops brings back happy memories of
student life.
Eric Milner-White introduced the nine lessons and carol service in 1918. He had been appointed as Dean of
King’s at the age of 34. He developed the carol service because his experience as an army chaplain during
the war had convinced him that the Church of England needed to introduce more imaginative worship. The
nine lessons and carols format quickly became popular (indeed – how quickly do innovations become
‘traditions’!) and is today widely copied and imitated. In our European chaplaincies ‘the carol service’ is
now one of the best loved services in the whole year and delighted in by people of many different
nationalities.
The beauty of our Christmas music has the ability to touch and soften the hearts of those who would not
respond to a more prosaic declaration of Christian truth. But offering a delightful aesthetic experience is not
enough. We long that people would encounter God! And if Milner-White were alive today, I am sure he
would again be urging us always to be vigilant to the need imaginatively to portray the extraordinary story
of the birth of the Saviour in a way that would impress upon its sceptical 21st century hearers the
incomparable meekness and majesty, suffering and glory of the first Christmas.
We need again to feel the shocking reality of God becoming incarnate in conditions of extreme vulnerability
and deprivation. For, as the evangelists tell us, God’s Son was born in a feeding trough far from home as the
first child of an unmarried, and presumably very scared young mother. From his birth he was hunted down
by a mad and bad tyrant. Whilst still small, he and his parents were forced to migrate into neighbouring
Egypt where I suppose they lived as refugees. I always find it striking that in Matthew’s account of
Christmas, the first half of chapter 2 which relates the adoration of new-born King by the magi, is counter2
December 2014 /January 2015
balanced by the second half which graphically relates the attempts by the hostile powers of his day to end
this would be King’s young life before it has scarcely begun.
2014 has been marked for many of us by commemorations of the outbreak of World War 1. It may be
significant that Milner-White composed his carol service after war-time service both in Italy and on the
Western Front. He certainly knew how to reclaim beauty from brokenness.
In our own time, we are massively aware of the tragedy of war. It is reckoned that about 14 million people
have been displaced by the conflicts in Syria and Iraq. In Lebanon, one in four of the population is now a
refugee. We Christians, whose Saviour began life as a refugee, have particular responsibilities to do what we
can to help and to urge our governments to act together to provide aid. And we pray earnestly for those
many men, women and children who face a winter without adequate food or shelter.
It is in this sobering international context that this Christmas we celebrate in word and in song the great and
wonderful mystery of the incarnation, the enfleshment, of God’s Son.
I am very aware that the Christmas season puts particular opportunities and pressures in the way of our
chaplaincies. We are typically receiving lots of visitors who don’t normally darken the doors of our
churches. At the same time, many regular church members are away at Christmas itself, visiting family or
friends. So those that remain have to work especially hard to keep everything running and to provide a
cheerful welcome. Whether we have the resources of a great church or cathedral or something far more
modest, it is the authenticity of what we do and the warmth of our welcome that makes the biggest impact.
So to all those who sustain and enable our worship over Christmas I give my warm and sincere thanks: to
our clergy, lay readers and leaders, musicians, welcomers, wardens, caterers and cleaners.
And may the God whose message of peace was sung by the angels to herald the birth of his Son, bring his
peace to our hearts, our homes, our families and our world over this Christmas time.
+Robert Gibraltar in Europe
3
The Anglican Sphere Vol. LIII, No. 10
The British Christmas Bazaar 2014
This year our Bazaar did extremely well, we have a record profit of € 5070.
The mild weather helped of course as did Radio Rijnmond, paying special attention to our Bazaar in a radio
interview.
Thank you to everybody who helped to make this Bazaar a success, with so many hands we can do so
much.
We will not be able to use Humanitas again next year, due to an extensive renovation which means
restoring the 1920’s building to its former glory when it was the office of Scheepvaart Vereniging Zuid and it
will not be used for public events.
So we will have to think of another venue or perhaps other ways of fundraising. If you have any ideas,
please let us know!
Aad & Anneke
Books
Brocante
Cakes
Crafts
Groceries
Mission to Seafarers
Music
Raffle
Snowman
Tearoom
Tombola
Touch of Britain
Subtotal
Donations
General expenses
Revenue
446
569
592
700
356
493
34
379
108
881
283
283
5080
Expenses
0
17
0
0
147
443
0
41
0
61
0
30
793
Net income
446
640
592
700
209
50
34
338
108
820
283
253
4473
735
192
€5070
Total
The British Christmas Bazaar Lottery 2014
1st prize
2nd prize
3rd prize
4th prize
5th prize
6th prize
7th prize
8th prize
9th prize
10th prize
11th prize
12th prize
4
Dinner for two at the Noordmolen
Family studioportrait by Aat Rietdijk
Bottle of Scottish whisky, crystal carafe and 2 glasses
Bottle of Irish whiskey and 2 crystal Irish coffee glasses
Bicycle basket with tyre repair set
Breakfast in bed tray
Silver engraved tray
Leather gloves
Coffee tray
Pedicure and manicure set
Travel bag
Douwe Egberts surprise gift
Manja
Chris Krol
Ronda
Daniel Eze
Stephen
Jean Soetebier
Jenny Pridmore
Julia
Fiona
Paul West
Chris Krol
??
December 2014 /January 2015
Mission to Seafarers
We have received a few early and most welcome Christmas presents. Two generous donations from local
Anglican congregations in Eindhoven and Utrecht --- both well inland! --- are heartily appreciated. Another
"Christmas" bonus came from the huge Italian cruiseship the mv Magnifica, when she was being repaired in
the Damen yard. This magnificent vessel has passenger capacity of 2.5 thousand and a crew of nearly one
thousand. Put another way, her tonnage is twice that of the Titanic!
Night after night her crew visited our Club in great and happy profusion often quadrupling our usual intake.
Most importantly we were able to give pastoral care to individuals, and one memorable Sunday evening our
chapel service was literally full. The October karaoke party was attended by a record 90 persons. A feature
of the Magnifica was the high number of young female mariners, who having families to support on a low
wage defined a pastoral priority for us. One young male steward, without a word of complaint, spoke of
being "on-call" even on his day -off. I wonder how many cruise passengers are aware of just how hard
these young men and women work?
Thanks to our hard-working volunteers we were able to offer our seafarers the usual home-from-home. In
turn, all our volunteers are being invited to a Christmas Carol service and party [with really good food
organised by Miriam--- she says come hungry], and featuring special music from Adrienne and her family,
on Sunday 21 December at 2000 hrs. Any mariners present are of course also welcome. The sailors'
Christmas party in on Saturday 20 December at aprox 1900 hrs, organised by CASCO. Rev. Helene
Perfors of the Dutch Zeemansmission and I will be leading a service at 1930 hrs on Christmas Eve in the
Mission, followed by another karaoke /party.
As a number of you know our cleaner has left after many years' service, and recent ill health. Until we have
finally sorted the new arrangement, David Rainey needs to be acknowledged for the extra work he has
taken on-- including the extended opening hours which have so far proven successful.
Even as these words are being written, Kathy and Mick Hill are busily preparing Christmas parcels for the
seafarers which an unamed Irish Father Christmas will deliver on Christmas Eve--Stephen D. Hazlett, Port Chaplain
Would you like to meet interesting people
from all over the world?
Then sign on as a M.T.S. volunteer and give us
1 evening a month. (6 till 11 pm)
We need prayers, people and donations for our work.
Contact the M.T.S. club (details on the inside front cover) or the Chaplain.
"Anoiksis"
Bill George has kindly brought our attention to the English language edition of the Dutch Patients
Association Anoiksis (Greek for "open mind") booklet on psycho-education. Highly readable, it is available
online at www.psychosegevoelig.nl/english, or from him.
“Make a Wish” Christmas tree tags for sale
This year we are going to have a different Christmas tree in the Holt Hall. It will be
decorated with tags which you can buy from the Churchwardens and write a wish, a
thanksgiving or a prayer on. The price of a tag is € 2 and the proceeds will go towards the
deficit we have in our finances.
5
The Anglican Sphere Vol. LIII, No. 10
The British Christmas Bazaar 2014
Bazaar in Humanitas building
The captain and his wife, and fr. Stephen,
at the opening of the bazaar.
Palm Court Ensemble
Dorcas Aid International
Dorcas is committed to care for the poor and the oppressed under the orders of Jesus Christ (Matthew
25:31-46). That is why Dorcas wants to act with Churches. For already 30 years there is the Food
Campaign. They raise food and money for the poor in Eastern Europe in November.
In September came a request to join them this year, and the Council decided to give it a go. We placed
articles in The Anglican Sphere (twice) and would use the Family service as collecting Sunday.
The theme for this year was “One shopping extra”. It did not mean that you had to give a whole parcel, but
we were hoping for goods to fill in the end Boxes.
Yes we did know that it was 2 weeks after Harvest and yes it was not for our own church. Those were some
comments we had. In the end 10 people supported the action.
I like to thank them very much and with an embarrassment feeling we handed two boxes over to Dorcas.
Nora Reitsma
Anglican Sphere subscriptions for 2015
Pick up from church € 20
By post in the Netherlands € 32,80
By post in the UK € 41,00
To be paid into St. Mary’s Checking account NL82ABNA0480215529 clearly marked Anglican Sphere or by
cash to me on Sundays mornings.
UK subscribers my send me a cheque personally for GBP 37 and I will pay euros into St. Mary’s.
Thank you
Jean Soetebier
6
December 2014 /January 2015
DATE
Rota for
December
2014
7 December
2nd Sunday of
Advent
Purple
14 December
3rd Sunday of
Advent
Purple
21 December
4th Sunday of Advent
24 December
Christmas Eve
25 December
Christmas Day
Purple
White/Gold
White/Gold
Service
10.30
All age service and
Eucharist
Sung Eucharist
Sung Eucharist
11.30 p.m.
Sung Eucharist
10.30 a.m
Sung Eucharist
Sung Eucharist
Sidespeople
Andy & Cynthia
Wallace
Jenny Rietdijk
Aat Rietdijk
Cécile van der Stelt
Jennifer Thomas
Aad van Elswijk
Jan Bol
Harry van der
Meiden
en ?
Jennifer Thomas
Cécile van der
Stelt
Readers
2 Peter 3; 18-15a,
Barbara Bijleveld,
Isaiah 40.1-11
Teri Scully
Psalm 85.1-2,8-13*
Isaiah 61.1-4,8-11
Cécile van der Stelt
Psalm 126
1 Thessalonians 5.1624
Barbara Bijleveld
Isaiah 62.6–end
Jennifer Thomas
Psalm 97
Titus 3.4–7
Margaret Powell
Isaiah 52.7-10
Grada Schadee
Psalm 98
Hebrews 1.1 – 4
Rietje van de
Meiden
Isaiah 63.7-9
Jean Soetebier
Psalm 148*
Hebrews 2.10-18
Christina Fischer
2 Peter 3.8-15a
Jennifer Thomas
Luke 2. 8–20
28 December
The First Sunday
of Christmas
Red
Matthew 2.13-23
Mark 1; 1-8
Mark 1.1-8
John 1.6-8,19-28
John 1.1 - 14
Intercessor
John Vuerhard
Jenny Rietdijk
Grada Schadee
Andy Wallace
Stephen Hazlett
Christina Fischer
Chalice
assistants
Christine Bol
David Rainey
Cécile van der Stelt
Jennifer Thomas
Jennifer Thomas
Andy Wallace
Chuck Sharp
Andy Wallace
John Vuerhard
David Rainey
Grada Schadee
John Vuerhard
Altar
assistants
David Rainey
Chris Krol
John Vuerhard
Chuck Sharp
David Rainey
Chris Krol
Chuck Sharp
David Rainey
Chuck Sharp
Chris Krol
David Rainey
Chris Krol
Children's
Ministry
Corrie Vuerhard
Nora Reitsma
Corrie Vuerhard
Nora Reitsma
No Sunday School
No crèche
No Sunday
School
No crèche
No Sunday School
No crèche
No Sunday
School
No crèche
Flowers
No flowers
No flowers
No flowers
Margaret Powell
Margaret Powell
Margaret Powell
Coffee
Helpers
Jenny & Aat
Mandy
Tabitha
---------------------
Anneke
Leen
Carol Service 14th December 5.00 pm; Catholic Apostolics 26th December 10.30 am
7
The Anglican Sphere Vol. LIII, No. 10
DATE
Rota for January
2015
4 January 2015
second Sunday of
Christmas
White
11 January 2015
Baptism of Christ
1st Sunday of
Epiphany
White or Gold
18 January 2015
2nd Sunday of Epiphany
Week of Prayer
for Christian Unity:
18–25 January
White
25 January 2015
3th Sunday of
Epiphany
White
1 February 2015
4th Sunday of
Epiphany
White
Service 10.30
Morning Prayer
Sung Eucharist
Sung Eucharist
Sung Eucharist
Morning Prayer
Sidespeople
Jennifer Thomas
Jan Bol
Andy & Cynthia
Wallace
Jenny &
Aat Rietdijk
Harry van der Meiden
Cécile van der Stelt
Jennifer Thomas
Jan Bol
Readers
Isaiah 60.1–6
Jennifer Thomas
Psalm 72. 10–15
Genesis 1.1–5
Teri Scully
Psalm 29
Acts 19.1–7
Olive Spruijt
1 Samuel 3.1–20
Anthony Treffers
Psalm 139.1–5, 12–18
Revelation 5.1–10
Maarten Tobé
Genesis 14.17-20
Rietje van der Meiden
Psalm 128
Revelation 19.6-10
Nikki Yates
Deuteronomy 18.15–
20
Barbara Bijleveld
Psalm 111
Matthew 2.1 – 12
Christina Fischer
Mark 1.4 - 11
John 1.43–end
John 2.1-11
Mark 1. 21 –28
Cécile van der Stelt
Intercessor
Jenny Rietdijk
Grada Schadee
Andy Wallace
Christina Fischer
John Vuerhard
Chalice assistants
--------------------------
Alice Bileti
Christine Bol
Teri Scully
Jennifer Thomas
Andy Wallace
John Vuerhard
-------------------------
Altar
assistants
-------------------------
Chuck Sharp
David Rainey
Chris Krol
Chuck Sharp
Chuck Sharp
David Rainey
-------------------------
Children's Ministry
No Sunday School
No crèche
Corrie Vuerhard
Nora Reitsma
Corrie Vuerhard
Nora Reitsma
Corrie Vuerhard
Nora Reitsma
Corrie Vuerhard
Nora Reitsma
Flowers
Christina Fischer
Anneke Barends
David Rainey
Corrie ten Brink
Tiny Koppen; in loving
memory of my dear
husband Henry
Coffee Helpers
Jenny & Aat
Tabitha
Mandy
Christina
Leen
Catholic Apostolics 11 January 9.00 am
PCC List 2013-2014
St. Mary’s Church Rotterdam
Priest-in-Charge
Revd Stephen Hazlett
06-38548446
stephen.hazlett@mtsmail.org
Churchwardens
Aad van Elswijk
06-55107854
vanelswijk@rpadvocaten.nl
Anneke Barends-Kraak
06-27124546
anneke.barends@upcmail.nl
Hon. Secretary
Anneke Barends-Kraak
06-27124546
anneke.barends@upcmail.n l
Hon. Treasurer
Harry van der Meijden
4470852
meigroen@hotmail.com
Lay Reader
Grada Schadee
06-28483880
grschadee@gmail.com
Archdeaconry Rep.
Grada Schadee
010-4253812
06-28483880
grschadee@gmail.com
Nora Reitsma
010-4588752
e.reitsma3@kpnplanet.nl
Safeguarding Officer
Gaynor Koobs
079-3603652
koobsmcgregor@hotmail.com
PCC Members
Jan Bol
0181-320987
j.bol75@chello.nl
Cécile van der Stelt
010-4361825
stelt@deken-rotterdam.nl
Leen de Koning
06-19773454
kode21@hotmail.com
Robert Domey
010-4525005
rhd@tiscali.nl
Anthony Treffers
010-4324576
aptreffers@gmail.com
Jenny Rietdijk
078-6175089
Jen.aat@vodafonevast
Jennifer Thomas
010-4259801
Tabitha Vuijst
06-52382317
tabitha.vuijst@gmail.com
Oranjeboomstraat 258 B
3071 BM, Rotterdam
Tel:
010-2459417
Fax:
010-2459417
Mobiel: 0621697027
E-mail: tty@online.nl
Aad van Elswijk’s Law Firm
Halfrond 86
3071 PP Rotterdam
Tel: 010-4111280
specialises in family law, criminal law and
legislation relating to foreigners.
Subsidised legal assistance available
(special tariffs).
P. Schreuder & Co. B.V.
Insurance Brokers
since 1915
Westersingel 45
3014 GT Rotterdam
Tel: 010-2772000;
Fax: 010-2772001
www.schreuder-co.nl
Anglican Sphere