The decision has finally been made. The Resurrection Church in Marsdijk goes to the Marsdijk Bloeit Alliance, which consists of several clubs. Together they become owners of the church, to turn it into a community center. The building will be officially handed over on December 22.
A new name is still being sought, as well as funds. Because the church still needs some renovation work inside.
The white smoke came after another one-on-one conversation last month between the church board and the club from Marsdijk. It has been looking for a central location for a second community center in Marsdijk for some time. And the Resurrection Church, which is located next to the shopping center, fits perfectly into that picture.
The Protestant Church of Assen put the building up for sale at the beginning of this year, because there are fewer and fewer churchgoers and it can no longer financially support all the buildings. Now she gives Alliance Marsdijk Bloeit the blessing to take over the church.
“I am really happy that we have now been awarded it,” says a relieved foreman Rudolf Setz of Marsdijk Bloeit. “This is a very good opportunity for Marsdijk.” But Setz recalls that it was achieved through ‘a hard-fought road, with many bumps’. “It was an intensive route that took a lot out of us. But we are going full steam ahead to make it a pleasant place for Marsdijk.”
A few months ago, Setz and his colleagues felt discouraged. They had been working for months, as one of three candidates, to acquire the church building. They held campaigns for loans and donations in the neighborhood, which raised around 1 million euros. Enough, they thought, to make their dream come true and start a second community center.
But after a period of bidding and a long wait for white smoke, the church board suddenly put the sale of the church on hold before the summer holidays. It was time for reconsideration. None of the three interested parties made the minimum bid of 1 million euros, which was an important condition.
The second sales round started last month, with one-on-one conversations. The Marsdijk Bloeit Alliance was the first to qualify for this. And now with good results. Chairman Gerard Schoep of the church council is relieved that Marsdijk Bloeit has now succeeded. “There is a lot of sympathy for this club, because the initiative is widely supported in the neighborhood.” Schoep also acknowledges that it was ‘a difficult process’. “But all’s well that ends well.”
The organizations that take over the Resurrection Church want to turn the church into a vibrant meeting center. The De Dissel district building, which is located a little further away, has been overcrowded for some time. In any case, Rudolf Setz has experience with converting a church into a lively place in the neighborhood. He already did this in Assen-Oost with the reformed church the Open Hof. “We’re going to make things cozy first. Because a church like that is quite boring, but with a few tricks you can quickly improve that.”
They want to open on January 1, and it must also be given a fresh name, in the meantime renovation plans are being worked on. And gradually the building must transform into a community center. “Not everything can and needs to be done at once, you can do it in phases. That’s how we did it in Assen-East.” There will also be actions in the neighborhood to raise money for redevelopment of the building. “This is how you also create involvement.”
Seller and buyer will make no further statements about the purchase price. But the amount is said to have ended up at 1 million, with a small step back from the church board and a step up from Marsdijk Bloeit. This had raised more than 1.1 million euros through loans and donations. “But the point is that there is a deal, for what price is not important,” says chairman Schoep.
The organizations that will be accommodated in the new community center include Assen Bloeit, as a follow-up to their success formula in Assen-oost, Activities Marsdijk, the Diaconie of the Protestant Church, Vaart Welzijn and Pentecostal Church De Ontmoeting.