Story... pt 2

As I said, Europe was a whole different world... not just in the sense of living cross-culturally (though honestly- Holland is about the most pro-American place on Continental Europe. The Dutch have long memories), but in the sense of finally swimming outside my limited baptist pool. 

Raised in the Baptist General Conference ("Sven, have you seen Pastor Anderson?" "No, I think he went back to a conference in Minneapolis with Arne, Erik and Gunnar."), educated in Baptist institutions (Christian Heritage College (Independent Baptist, now SBC) and Western Seminary (CBA), I eventually pastored in CBA churches and was ordained in the European Baptist Convention (an offshoot of the SBC)

That's a lot of Baptist. 

But it was that time in an international Baptist church in Holland that really started me on my journey to where I am now. 

Though Baptist in name, our church was made up of people from everywhere around the world- and from all different denominations- Anglicans, Presbyterians, Methodists... Nigerians, South Africans, Brits... It was a real melting pot, and more than anything, it exposed me for the first time to significantly different traditions and thought within Christianity. I prayed with Africans and ate with Australians and served alongside people from the Antilles and elsewhere. There were even a couple of Canadians!

But especially significant were my friendships with Ben Mizen and Ollie Harrison, two Anglican youth workers in my area. Ollie freaked me out five minutes into our first conversation by asking "So that's a California accent, is it?" I didn't know there was thing, much less that I had it...

Ben and I were and are probably closer to each other theologically, Ollie being a socialist,a  panentheist, and always trying to get me to eat Vegan, but over two years of hanging out (from 97-99), they both managed to convince me that there was more to the world than I had imagined before. 

And more to Jesus and His people than I had been able to grasp, either... 

To be cont'd...

Comments

[mary]

I lived in Amsterdam from 1995-1999...what church did you work for?

[Dan]

No more "to be continued"! I'm getting anxious here!

[Bob]

Mary- I was at Trinity International Church in Wassenaar. You were working with YWAM in Amsterdam?

[mary]

Yeah-lived in the Rosa Buurt-wass a great time in my life-still love Holland.

[Michael Walcher]

Are you not a Portland native? I don't know why I just assumed you were. I knew you went to Western, and I know the mega church you worked for (I have a lot of friends that go to that church, one friend is a new pastor there and having a hard time working at a mega church, but he says they are becoming more 'missional' whatever that means) (I also notice that you avoid naming that church for whatever reason, so I will do the same)

Anyways, I have read your blog for a while, but thought I should start commenting more on the blogs I read. The Mark Driscoll one was probably a bad place to start though.... :)