EU-Digest: Religion -The Netherlands : Almere: A Christian Church where Nourishment of the Soul and Soul Food go Hand in Hand
Ethnic food at NDIC Almere
Special EU-Digest report on Places of Worship
The Netherlands - Almere: A Christian Church where Nourishment of the Soul and Soul Food go Hand in Hand
New Day International Church (NDIC), an English language Christian Church, which opened its doors in Almere only 15 months ago, believes that nourishment not only includes the Word of God, but also good food. The Church which counts some 100 plus members recently started a bi-monthly "potLuck" Cafe program after its Sunday Worship Service. It calls this "New Day Cafe". The difference with other cafe's is that the food at "New Day Cafe" is free and voluntarily supplied by the members of the congregation - a rainbow mix of people from 16 different countries. The result, a spectacular variety of ethnic food specialties. Certainly a great incentive to visit NDIC, but that is not the only incentive. Peter and Nancy van der Meyden, the pastoral leaders and their organizational team say their objective is seeking to serve the international community in Almere by providing a growing relational and supportive network; an inspiring and contemporary Sunday morning church experience; and many resources (pastoral care, teaching, relevant literature, etc.), to help people connect faith to life. "We want visitors to NDIC to find this to be an inclusive environment they can feel comfortable with", says Pastor Peter van der Meyden.
All this adds up to the special character of Almere, a brand new city, to the northeast of Amsterdam, built on ocean reclaimed land during the early seventies. Its ambitious planners at the time envisioned a suburban living environment for commuters to the nearby capital Amsterdam, Schiphol airport and the very richy "Het Gooi" area. Currently, over 176,000 people live in Almere — one of the fastest growing cities in the Netherlands. The Dutch government recently announced plans for it to become the fourth largest city in the country, housing more than 400,000 inhabitants. It is also a very internationally flavored city with approximately a quarter of Almere’s citizens originating from outside the Netherlands, representing a variety of ethnic, cultural, social and religious backgrounds. Only 5 percent of these inhabitants come from Western European or US heritage. Places of worship in Almere also include Mosques and prayer centers for the Muslim community.
Almere is also a very open spaced community. According to the local government, there are on average 420 homes per square kilometers, compared with 1,930 homes per square kilometer in the four largest cities of the Netherlands - Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht. Even though it is still looked down on by citizens of most "cozy, old-style, and traditional" Dutch cities, Almere is already viewed throughout Europe, and by most of its own inhabitants, as a leading example of a successful new and modern designed city. It certainly has a great deal to offer people who seek a suburban lifestyle in a central easily accessible location. Innovative ideas like the NDIC Cafe ( http://www.ndic.nl) just seem to materialize spontaneously on a daily basis in this surprising bustling new Dutch city.
Labels: Almere, EU, Religion, Soul Food, The Netherlands
