In Rotterdam there are about 200 Christian international communities active with all possible Christian denominations and varying from 30 – 2000 members.
SKIN-Rotterdam wants to bring these communities together and support them, with the goal: to create stable organizations that together can make a strong and positive voice heard in Rotterdam society, and where possible outside it.
We will only achieve this if as many Christian communities as possible join SKIN-Rotterdam.
Samen Kerk in Nederland (SKIN) Rotterdam is a foundation for and by the Christian international communities in and around Rotterdam. The organisation was founded in 2007 by a number of pastors. Their goal was to join forces and work together. This came from a vision based on the call to unity among Christians in e.g. John 17 and 1 Corinthians 12: ‘A body is a unity consisting of many parts; despite their multiplicity all those parts together form one body.
So it is with the body of Christ’. Jesus calls on Christians not to distinguish between, for example, origin or form. On the contrary, the diversity of Christianity is a great strength, because in this way it can acquire meaning for all kinds of different people in a way that suits them. As the body, this power can only be expressed optimally when all the different parts work together.
The focus areas of SKIN-Rotterdam are ‘stable organisations’ and ‘healthy families’. Healthy families form the foundation to a stable organization within the Christian communities.
On the other hand, stable organizations are encouraging a healthy family life for the members of the communities. This connection with each other and the community strengthens the capacity and gives room to make a powerful positive voice heard and to be of value to the whole society.
The logo of SKIN-Rotterdam expresses our field of work: the triangle of church, government and society. With a broad, solid foundation of stable organizations and healthy families. We are always looking for the connection between the international churches, ‘native’ churches, government and civil society organizations. By joining forces and sharing expertise, we can achieve much more together in and for society.
Would you like to know how you can contribute to the work of SKIN-Rotterdam? Take a look at Join us!
SKIN-Rotterdam came to birth during a conversation in a car, between two board members of the national SKIN, Rev. Robert Calvert of the Scots International Church Rotterdam and pastor Ola Asubiaro of Glorious Chapel International, on their way to a board meeting of the national board in Utrecht. They decided to present this vision they had received on the way to the meeting to the other board members: to start a SKIN subsidiary in Rotterdam – and everyone welcomed this idea with a warm heart.
We assured them that we did not want to set up another organization that would compete with the work that SKIN was already doing, but that we wanted to strengthen the work that SKIN was doing in the Netherlands at a local level, because we would be more effective and efficient at a local level. In the month of May 2005, Rev. Calvert invited some pastors to discuss this vision and hear their opinions. The turnout was good, with many pastors from international churches coming to express their opinions, share information and ideas, and what they would expect from the new organization. It was a very successful meeting.
Seven board members were elected: Pastor Ola Asubiaro, Rev. Calvert, Rev. Nana Opoku, Rev. Arie Potuyt, Rev, Relies Riley, Mrs. Leah Lynch, Mr. Piet de Vries as advisor and mrs. Florence Greatbanks who did a great job as secretary. In 2007, Piet de Vries and Kap. Tjakko Bouwman joins the board.
SKIN-Rotterdam strives for four things:
Pastor Ola Asubiaro