Community Oudezijds 100

I would like to dedicate this blog to a Christian community Oudezijds 100, which offers to help people on the fringe of society in the city of Amsterdam. Their doors are open for everyone who needs help in one point of life, when they feel lonely, helpless or when all this leads to homelessness, addictions, weak social network and financial difficulties.

They work together as a big family, so everyone gets something and gives something back to the community. They cook together, clean, go on holidays, babysit, learn how to pray, handle money, establish social contacts etc.  Even if people think they just hit rock bottom and they have nothing to give, there is always something in what they can participate so they can start feeling alive and useful. They give help and they receive help.

There are people living in this community who made a vow that they will carry the daily responsibility for the life of the broader community in all aspects. They made a commitment to each other on the basis of their calling to live out the gospel of Jesus Christ, in the city of Amsterdam.  Big parts of Oudezijds 100 are also volunteers, who are not paid for their job in this community. They work as social workers, doctors, coordinators of technical services and supervisors of residents and they don’t want to do it for the money but because their work is something they believe in and something they want to share.

Besides 10 people who made a vow together to take care of community, ‘members’ come and go all the time. Ones who need help usually stay for 6 months or one year and then they can start living on their own again. If this is not the case, they of course don’t throw them out, but they keep helping them to put their life back on track so they can start living independently again.

During the visit, I was very interested if they accept also people who are not Christian and the answer was yes. Their religion plays a very big role in their lives, and they showed us it is not focused only on people with the same belief, but on everyone who is in need of help. They only said that, if you didn’t make a vow as they did, they don’t think you can be as committed as they are, because they feel they have been called from Jesus to do this work on Earth.  As much as I heard that day, I have to say these are people with a very big heart, where religion plays a very big role and is a guide in their everyday life. I personally think also people who don’t have such a strong faith can be prepared to help others and dedicate a life or part of their life to others who need help.

I respect people who decide not to judge and are willing to listen and accept anyone, no matter what race, religion, ethnics or gender a person is. We need more of that, because our world is becoming more full of prejudices and I think it can happen to anyone that in one point of life you have nowhere to go, on noone to rely on and people like Oudezijds 100 Community are worth more than we can ever imagine in that moment.