Netherlands: “Taste the Church” campaign, Christian communities inviting people who have not gone to Church for a long time

The Dutch Catholic Church will join the second “Taste the Church” campaign, which the Council of Churches launched in 2017 and that will be held again in the weekend of 15-16 September this year. In preparation to the campaign, which sees ecclesial communities busy inviting people who have not gone to church at all or for a long time, an “inspiring workshop” will be held in Hilversum on April 6^th. The workshop will investigate a few aspects of the experience, taking inspiration from the meaning of inviting: who are the so-called “newcomers”? What problems need to be dealt with, in the light of the past experience? Three voices, bishop Gerard de Korte, reverend René de Reuver (Protestant Church) and professor Stefan Paas will open the debate. Some workshops will follow and will discuss a few practical dimensions of the campaign: from the actual preparations to the role of prayer in this process, the importance of follow-up, and the role of communication. There is a website (www.kerkproeverij.nl) where people can download materials, subscribe to receive the newsletter or register their communities in an interactive map. At the first “Taste the Church” campaign (9-10 September 2017), 450 communities and parishes had committed to inviting people who had not gone to church at all or for a long time, to make them (re)live the experience of Sunday Mass.