End of an era for the Resurrection Church in Marsdijk in Assen. In April 1991, the Protestant church on Wilgenbeemd was opened in Assen’s youngest new residential area at the time. But on December 22, 2025, the status of a house of worship will end and a new era will start as the De Wilg community center.
This afternoon the keys were officially handed over to the new owners by the church steward of the Protestant Church Assen. That is the Marsdijk Bloeit Foundation, an alliance of various organizations that will jointly fill the former church building with numerous activities. And this is done under the new name De Wilg.
Assen once had an open-air bath with the same name, but that is ‘pure coincidence’. “There was a competition, and De Wilg came out as the best name,” explains Els Timmerman of Activities Marsdijk. “First of all, because it is clear and nice and short, and also the building is located on the Wilgenbeemd.”
Furthermore, the willow symbolizes rebirth. And the deeper spiritual meaning is that the willow is always there for you, offers comfort, and gives strength. It is also a ‘threshold tree’ that helps close the old and the beginning of something new
And all of this applies to the Resurrection Church and its upcoming transformation into a neighborhood meeting center. The road to purchase was one with many setbacks, including a hard ‘no’ from the Asser city council that did not want to provide a cent of subsidy. The purchase was also frozen for a while, because the church board did not receive the amount of money they wanted.
Nevertheless, Marsdijk Bloeit eventually succeeded in purchasing the church. The foundation had raised more than 1 million euros, mainly thanks to private loans and donations from local residents. In the coming months, the church must transform step by step into a community center. The generous (lender) providers are all represented in the De Wilg Foundation, which ensures that Marsdijk Bloeit spends the money well.
With the transfer of keys and official papers, the Asser church board has been definitively relieved of a cost item, and the joint clubs in Marsdijk finally have the space they have been wanting for some time. The De Dissel district building, which is a few hundred meters away, is full.
In the coming weeks, Marsdijk Bloeit will decide what needs to be renovated first in the building. There is still a ton available to make adjustments. The foundation is also on the hunt for subsidy funds. This time she hopes to be able to collect something from the municipality of Assen.
The intention is that there will be handyman days from February onwards to carry out the renovation as cheaply as possible. The official reopening of the De Wilg district building will follow in September. Organizations that have joined Marsdijk Bloeit are Activities Marsdijk, Vaart Welzijn, the diaconate of the Protestant Church and the Pentecostal Church.