Retreat day for ministers and pastors
Multicultural day of rest and reflection on the theme: Father, make us one.
On Monday, January 19, 2026, the Migrant and Church Working Group is organizing a multicultural retreat day for pastors with and without a migrant background.
There is much unrest and division in our society, and this also affects our lives and work in the church. Christ shows us the way to peace and unity in his prayer to the Father. At the beginning of the year, as pastors working in the church, we want to seek peace in unity with God and with each other across cultural boundaries.
Come to the special retreat day on Monday, January 19, at the Evangelical Brethren Church building in Zeist. Find peace and receive nourishment for your soul in the midst of your busy work life, together with colleagues from different churches and cultural backgrounds.
The theme “Father, make us one” will be brought to life through an inspiring lecture on prayer by Dr. Samuel Ekpo, pastor of RCCG Throne of David in Zoetermeer. There will also be time for quiet reflection, communal prayer, and a walk. Rev. Jan-Maarten Goedhart from Gouda will lead this part of the retreat. The gathering will conclude with a celebration of Holy Communion.
“My name is Jan-Maarten Goedhart, and I am currently the pastor of St. John’s Church in Gouda. Throughout my life, I have often noticed how valuable it is when Christians from different cultures and countries meet each other. Recently, a pastor from India led our congregation, which made a big impression on many of our members. Our family lived in Peru for five years, working as missionaries. It was an intense and difficult period, but also very enriching. I therefore consider it a special privilege to participate in the pastors’ retreat, in which we, as pastors from very different churches and congregations, will seek God’s face together in order to experience unity in Christ.”
This retreat day is the sixth edition of the annual conference organized by the working group.
Thanks to a subsidy from the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, the personal contribution is low: €12.50.
Ministers receive continuing education credits for attending this day.
Migrant & Church Working Group
The following organizations collaborate in the Migrant & Church working group:
- Evangelie & Moslims (Gospel & Muslims)
- Gave
- Geloofsinburgering (Faith Integration)
- Intercultural Church Plants
- Protestant Church in the Netherlands
- SKIN (Churches Together in the Netherlands)
- Connecting Churches
This retreat day is the sixth edition of the annual conference organized by the working group.
Ticket includes:
- Retreat day
- Introduction to unity
- Coffee & tea
- Well-prepared Arabic lunch
- Sandwich to go
Questions?
Email here: info@geloofsinburgering.nl
Experiences
“Making contact with someone or a culture that is unfamiliar to me feels like a risk. However, every time it turns out that the risk is much smaller than I thought beforehand.”
“A breath of fresh air. It does you good: praying, thinking, and opening yourself up!”
“The lecture inspired me to continue on my own.”
Location
Evangelical Brethren Church in the Netherlands,
Zusterplein 20, 3703 CB Zeist
Date
Monday, January 19, 2026, doors open at 9:30 a.m., start at 10 a.m.
Contribution
Ministers and pastors: €12.50
Theology students are welcome! Register as a minister.
PE points
For PKN ministers: 0.25 PE points with digital certificate.
