AFRICAN COMMUNITY GROUP

The African Community Group helps the church fulfil her role in the community by bringing all the African parishioners together in a fellowship that expresses and shares love for family and neighbour displayed in liturgy and in the traditional African extended family custom. The Group helps to coordinate African representation and full participation in church organised activities and liturgy, reaching out to new and departing members, caring for those in need, and ensuring peaceful coexistence within the diversity of the church community. Contact: Steve Otim e-mail

CHRISTIAN MEDITATION

Are you looking for inspiration in your prayer life?

Would you like to experience the Divine Presence that lives in the silence of your own heart? Were you ever drawn to the gospel invitation to 'pray without ceasing' (1 Th 5:17)? Or would you just like to get away from the stress of work and home to spend half an hour in a deep and restoring silence? Christian Meditation is a way of praying that is a little different, yet rooted in the Christian monastic tradition and incredibly simple to learn. Come along and discover what may very well become the turning point of your spiritual life!. A meeting is held every Thursday at 19.15 in the COS Room (money-counting room) at the church. Also on the first Monday of each month, after the Parish House Mass/Liturgy, we have an hour of meditation at the Parish House.

Contact: Janet Warner 070-415 5998 or e-mail

Come and be inspired by Laurence Freeman OSB Director of The World Community for Christian Meditation and his talk on “The Eye of the Heart” at Church of Our Saviour 15 June 2010, 19h30 A reception will follow To find out more about Laurence Freeman follow this link

For more information call: Janet Warner 062 915 2577 (English) or Dorothe’ Wetering vdweter@telfort.nl (Dutch)

COUPLES GROUP

The Couples Group provides a chance to get out with your partner, meet other couples and discuss a variety of topics and issues relevant to married life. Relaxing, thought-provoking, community building and fun. For engaged couples this group also provides part of our Marriage Preparation programme. Regular monthly meetings are held (usually the third Thursday of the month) and full details of these meetings are published in the bulletin.
Contact: Sylvain & Ayesha Alliot or 070-753 2791.

CRAFT GROUP

CULTURAL TRIPS

From time to time one of the groups or an individual in the parish takes the initiative to arrange a trip out for any interested parties. This could be a trip to a place of tourist interest, a lunch party, a foreign journey.

In October 2009 a trip was made to the Veneto region of Italy and you can see photographs of the trip here.

In April 2007 a trip was made to The Philippines and a cheque handed over to a housing project we supported with our Lenten Campaign of that year (which you can read a bit more about HERE. You can see photographs of that trip here.

DIOCESAN CONTACTS

The Church of Our Saviour is a part of the Diocese of Rotterdam. Fr Sjaak has regular contact with the Diocese but we are also represented at many meetings by Elly Derksen.

ECUMENICAL CONTACTS

Liaison: Loek Caspers. There is regular contact between our parish and the other churches of the region and from time to time an ecumenical service is arranged. The Churches advertise each other's activities and ecumenical participation in discussion groups etc. is actively encouraged.

FRIENDS GROUP

A group where people have fun and engage socially in a Christian-based environment. A place for new Parishioners to make friends in The Hague.

A rich calendar of events is planned for 2010, beginning with a dinner at Thai-Fresh restaurant, Koningin Julianalaan 230, Voorburg on Sunday 28 February. To attend please do the following:

1. Register online for the Church of Our Saviour friends group at: http://tinyurl.com/yh49ss2
2. Send an e-mail to Adrian at oursaviourfriendsgroup@gmail.com to reserve your place(s) at the dinner as soon as possible. (This is a very popular restaurant and reservations are required at least a week in advance).

ICTY PRAYER GROUP

This group was set up specifically for people who work at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. It meets once a month (usually the first Tuesday) at 13.00 at the Tribunal building itself. It is an ecumenical prayer group, led in turn by the various local pastors. Contact is Cindy Selsky

INFANT & TODDLER PLAYGROUP

The Infant and Toddler Playgroup meets most Monday mornings from 09.30-10.45 in the Parish Hall (at the church). Enter the Hall from Helenastraat. The group is a loosely structured opportunity for Mums and babies to socialise with others. Age appropriate activities and toys are available and there is a short singing and circle time. Drop in anytime to play and learn!
The Coordinator is Claire Bennett.

PARISH SUPPORT GROUP/VOLUNTEERS

The Parish Support Group is the name for a whole range of people who volunteer their time and effort to support the working of the Parish. The role of the Parish Support Group is always evolving. We would encourage any one who thinks they could contribute in any way - men or women to sign up at the Welcome Table after Mass, to contact the Coordinator: Jose Miguel Barros (e-mail.) or contact the Parish House.

• Church Cleaning - Every last Saturday of the month a team from the Church of Our Saviour gathers to clean the church building. For this volunteers are always needed! We start at 09.30 and with plenty of support can be done in a couple of hours. If you can help please contact Christine Lamunu or Sue Bichsel



• Hospitality & Welcome - A great way to get to know people! Hospitality includes a wide range of activities from providing coffee, tea, soft drinks and donuts after Mass, to arranging receptions after special occasions during the year. Volunteers to help are always welcome! 'Welcome' initially involves trying to make personal contact with people as they arrive to join our community as well as helping with social events throughout the year to encourage newcomers to meet other parishioners. Wine and Cheese receptions are held fairly regularly after Saturday Mass. If you are able to help, please contact Wanda Smart or Janete Bloemen.



• Individual Care Support - As a Parish we try to be aware of various problems that may face families within the community and to provide such help and support as we can. This could take the shape of visiting the sick, helping provide lifts for people who are ill and have transport difficulties, or even providing an occasional meal for people in need. If you need help in this sort of way, or know of a family that does, then contact the Parish House.



• Men's Group - The men of the Parish are very supportive in helping organise special events such as the Parish Barbecue or in giving us a hand when we need 'scene shifters'. It is also this group that volunteers each week to count the collection. Contact: Arthur Faulkner



• Parish Information & Registration - After Mass the Welcome Table at the back of the church provides the place where your questions can be answered. We have Welcome Packs for newcomers (which include registration forms) and information books on all the activities in the parish (both for a small fee to help cover printing costs). Sign-up sheets can also be found here for occasional social and special events run by the parish. If you want to help man the table then contact Norah Moneypenny



• Parish House Asset Manager - We are currently without an Asset Manager



• Parish House Garden - The garden at Ruychrocklaan is kept in order by Marlies Simonis
  
  
• Parish House Supplies - The Parish is in search of someone to volunteer to keep the parish house supplies stocked up.



• Public Relations - Beryl Pavey is our PR lady and makes sure that events of our parish are brought to the attention of the local media.



• Remembrance - We try to acknowledge the special events of our parishioners and their families so please let us know of any births, marriages, deaths etc. in the Parish so that an appropriate card or gift may be sent.

PRAYER MEETING

If you are interested in meeting with other parishioners on Tuesdays from 20.00-21.30 at the church to pray together, meditate on God's word, share faith experiences and pray for prayer requests, contact Frank van Duren.

ROSARY PRAYER GROUP

On Saturday evenings in May and October at 19.00 in the Mary Chapel at the church, a group of parishioners come together to say the Rosary.
Contact: Rose Gbologah.

SAN EGIDIO MOVEMENT

San Egidio is a movement founded in Rome in 1968 by lay people who heard the powerful call of Jesus' love for the poor. The movement aims to give this love a face through friendship with the poor of the cities. The combination of prayer and involvement is one of the most important characteristics of the spirituality of the Saint Egidio movement. The members of the community live in communal brother/sisterhood. They do not make vows and do not live in a communal house. Each lives their own individual family and professional life. On a local and international level the involvement is directed to ecumenism, the dialogue between religions and the solidarity between North and South. In armed conflicts Saint Egidio works for peace and reconciliation. Saint Egidio achieved worldwide recognition for her mediation efforts in, among other places, Mozambique in Africa. In the Benelux the Saint Egidio movement was started in the Eighties in Antwerp, Belgium. Here she works with children and the elderly in the poorer parts of the city, also with the homeless, refugees and people from other countries. In different parts of Belgium and the Netherlands communities were have been formed in the past years. The communal evening prayer shapes the soul of the community and is an event open to everybody searching for a moment of reflection and time to listen to the Gospel.

Meetings for the Church of Our Saviour take place from time to time (advertised in the bulletin) at the chapel on Westeinde, beginning at 20.00 with a prayer and then a discussion meeting afterwards. For more information see www.santegidio.org (the site is available in a range of languages).
Our Parish Contact is Jacques van der Meer - 070-329 2049 or e-mail.

SCOUTS

Children from our Parish participate in different Scout groups. We do not run a group ourselves but occasionally invite representatives to join us in worship for special occasions. We stay in close touch with the Dutch Scouts group that regularly meets at our church and also have contact with an American troop of Cub Scouts who recently (November 2008) did a food drive to collect tinned and dried goods for the Soup Kitchen in Rotterdam which our Soup Kitchen Group delivered for them. You can see a few photos of the visit here.

YOUTH WORK

We have a new coordinator for the youth group in the person of Michele Cascianelli e-mail and look forward to watching the group continue to develop. You can see a few photos of the group's activities from 2008 here.