Interview with Pieter-Jan
Today we are interviewing Pieter-Jan who just came to be part of the staff of Redeemer to get to know him a little bit better!
Tell us a little bit about yourself?
Hi, I am Pieter-Jan!
I am excited to introduce myself in this blog.
For the last two years I have been part of Redeemer, first as a visitor, the last year doing a part-time leadership intern and now since the 1st of July I am working on staff full time!
Tell us something interesting about yourself!
Some personal interesting and less interesting details about me are
- that I just turned 30.
- that I am time after time amazed by the beauty there is in nature.
- that I still make movies in the plane even though I go on a plane once a month.
- that I am madly in love with a certain woman…
- that I think that it is so amazing to be part of such a group of diverse people we find in the church and that we actually are a family!
- that I love to see how God works in the local church to equip us to walk closer with Him by giving us His Word and Spirit.
- that I am exited how He uses us to invite and reach out to others who don’t know Him yet.
So what will you actually be doing?
As part of Redeemer’s Staff-team, my focus will primarily be in two areas.
The first one is overseeing pastoral care.
As part of the team I would love to help us as a church in taking good care for one another. It is fascinating that Jesus compares himself to a good Shepherd and everyone who wants to follow Him is compared to a sheep of his flock. And while we might not like the idea of being compared with a bunch of wooly sheep, I think everyone of us somehow loves the idea of being deeply known. Just like the shepherd knows every sheep, so are we as individuals fully known by God, He has shown us his love and mercy. With His example we can start to shepherd one another in getting to know and taking good care of each other.
The second focus will be in overseeing different training-tracks. A part of this is preparing two excellent courses, which we will start in September.
The first course coming up is the Freedom in Christ course. This is the first time this 10-weeks discipleships course is running in Redeemer!
It is designed to help us to take hold of the truth about our identity in Christ. Jesus came to set us free from a life of fear and bondage and wants to give us life in fullness. So if you experience that something is holding you back from living a life out of the freedom we have in Christ, this course might be something for you to consider! It helps us to resolve personal and spiritual conflicts, to be set free from fear, anxiety and bondage of the past and step into a life of wholeness, assurance and purpose!
The second excited thing is the start with a new Alpha Course in September!
The Alpha Course is designed for anyone who is curious what Christianity really is about and who wants to debate and explore the foundations of the Christian faith in a honest and informal environment. Maybe this is for you if you are not a Christian yet, or when you just turned to become a Christian, but really want to learn more about the basics of the Christian faith. If you have friends, family or neighbors who you would love to introduce them to the Christian faith, this might be an excellent opportunity to invite them to.
What are your hopes and dreams for Redeemer in the next season?
My desire is that we as a church will fully step out in all that God has for us and I really look forward to what God is going to do in Redeemer in the next season.
