NDIC : Family Fellowship and New Day Cafe Starting off the Summer Holidays On The Right Track - by RM

African and Caribbean Music Medley

This past Sunday  New Day International Church (NDIC)  had another fun and participative day of worship, music and food.

NDIC, is an English language Christian Church, which opened its doors in Almere about 5 years ago.

A Church which believes that nourishment not only includes the Word of God, but also good food.

One of its success stories of the church which today counts some 100 plus members is its quarterly "pot-luck" luncheon after Sundays services which is called "new Day Cafe"

Melvin Ho -Pastor

The difference with other cafe's is that the food at "New Day Cafe" is free and voluntarily supplied by the members of the congregation - a rainbow mix of people from 16 different countries. The result, a spectacular variety of ethnic food specialties. Certainly a great incentive to visit NDIC , but that is not the only incentive.

Melvin and Louise Ho the pastoral leaders and their organizational team say their objective is seeking to serve the international community in Almere by providing a growing relational and supportive network; an
inspiring and contemporary Sunday morning church experience; and many resources (pastoral care, teaching, relevant literature, etc.), to help people connect faith to life.

From Aruba - A saxophone solo

All this adds up to the special character of Almere, a brand new city, to the northeast of Amsterdam, built on ocean reclaimed land during the early seventies. Its ambitious planners at the time envisioned a suburban living environment for commuters to the nearby capital Amsterdam, Schiphol airport and the very richy "Het Gooi" area. Currently, over 176,000 people live in Almere — one of the fastest growing cities in the Netherlands.

The Dutch government recently announced plans for it to become the fourth largest city in the country, housing more than 400,000 inhabitants. It is also a very internationally flavored city with approximately a quarter of Almere’s citizens originating from outside the Netherlands, representing a variety of ethnic, cultural, social and religious backgrounds.

Only 5 percent of these inhabitants come from Western European or US heritage. Places of worship in Almere also include Mosques and prayer centers for the Muslim community.

Topping off a great event at NDIC Gafe

Almere is also a very open spaced community. According to the local government, there are on average 420 homes per square kilometers, compared with 1,930 homes per square kilometer in the four largest cities of the Netherlands - Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht.

Even though it is still looked down on by citizens of most "cozy, old-style, and traditional" Dutch cities, Almere is already viewed throughout Europe, and by most of its own inhabitants, as a leading example of a successful new and modern designed city. It certainly has a great deal to offer people who seek a suburban lifestyle in a central easily accessible location. Innovative ideas like the NDIC just seem to materialize spontaneously on a daily basis in this surprising bustling new Dutch city.

Almere-Digest