T hree things unite the diverse community of the Reformed English Language International Service in Hanover (RELISH) in Hanover, Germany: they speak English, most are expats, and they love Jesus. The unique congregation was organized by former Reformed Church in America missionary Rev. Gretchen Schoon Tanis while her family was located in Hanover for her husband Phil’s work with the World Communion of Reformed Churches. (Read more about Gretchen’s calling and the start of RELISH here.) The timing of their return to the United States and the arrival of Rev. Jeff and Rev. Chelsea Lampen, RELISH’s new co-pastors, left a gap of several months during which the pulpit would be vacant. This created an opening for volunteer interim pastors to step in—an opportunity for which retired pastors were particularly well-positioned.
“When I was asked to fill in for an extended time at RELISH, I was very excited,” said retired pastor Thomas Jasperse.
One of the first things Jasperse noticed about RELISH was the congregation’s immediate posture of welcome.
“At least ten different countries were represented in our worship service. It seemed like a foretaste of heaven,” said Jasperse. “After one of the services, I was talking with a worshipper from Nigeria. … I couldn’t help but think how the special musicians were from South Korea, I was from Fremont, Michigan, [an attendee] was from Nigeria, and we were all meeting in Hanover, Germany. Only God can arrange ministry like that. It is encouraging to know he is at work around the world.”
Related: From a Dutch church to an immigrant church: one church’s journey of growth
Retired pastor Rev. Phil Assink also served for a stint at RELISH and experienced the same hospitality.
“The local German participants made sure we felt welcomed and offered to help in any way possible,” said Assink. “The experience was greatly enriched by the engagement of many of the local leaders in planning and conducting the worship services.”
Assink also shared about a special RELISH tradition he and his wife were able to participate in, which provided a literal taste of home during their short-term mission service abroad.
“Gretchen and Phil Schoon Tanis had established a Thanksgiving meal tradition. To sustain this tradition in the interim, one of the key local leaders invited eight people to his home where he and his wife hosted a traditional [U.S. Thanksgiving] meal featuring everything from turkey to pumpkin pie. Table guests were from Scotland, Korea, Indonesia, Germany, and the U.S. … We had the privilege of meeting people literally from around the world—a dynamic multiethnic, multigenerational fellowship.”
Pictured above: the Assinks (far end of the table) enjoy a traditional U.S. Thanksgiving meal with people from the RELISH community.
While both Jasperse and Assink went to RELISH to serve in a short-term mission capacity and bless the congregation with their seasoned leadership, both were, in turn, blessed by the experience and by the global community in particular.
“We were grateful for the privilege of being a part of the RCA Global Mission community, even for a short time,” said Assink. “It will be so wonderful to have names, faces, and places as we hear of the work continuing under the enthusiastic leadership of Jeff and Chelsea Lampen.”
Read Chelsea Lampen’s sermon, “Holding the hands of curiosity and hope,” delivered during her and Jeff’s installation service.
Short-term mission is for everyone!
It is natural to pair short-term mission with young adults, youth groups, and gap years, but stories like this one remind us there are opportunities for people of all ages to get involved. If you are retired or desire to engage your family or church group in mission, we have plenty of opportunities for you!
Kelli Gilmore
Kelli Gilmore is the coordinator for RCA Global Mission marketing and communications. You can connect with her by email at kgilmore@rca.org.
