By Gerrie Belo
HOOGEVEEN, Netherlands--"This Feast felt like a warm blanket in a cold winter," concluded church member Lamberta Danenberg. "It was great to be together with good friends and feel their warmth. That gave us the strength to all have an open and positive Feast."
Before the Feast the Dutch and Flemish churches went through a difficult period. Several brethren and ministers left the church for doctrinal reasons. People who organized the Feast had to be replaced overnight.
"We had to improvise a lot," said Hans de Moei, pastor of the Dutch-speaking areas, looking back at the hectic preparation.
Church member Adrie Verduijn agreed: "This was a Feast we really had to make ourselves. The personal involvement of the brethren was more important than ever." Mr. Verduijn had been a choir member for more than eight years when he was suddenly asked to also conduct it.
"One week before the Feast the choir lost 10 singers, its conductor and the pianist. But the Feast wouldn't have been the same without a choir, so we decided to go on. And we succeeded." Lamberta and Frans Danenberg, members of the Doorn church, organized a boat trip at Giethoorn, a village surrounded by lakes and channels, known as "The Venice of the North."
Hoogeveen, Netherlands ------- 340
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