It is still a bit nervous, but Father Stiekema is confident. His church, the H. Pauluskerk in Emmen, will offer an English service once a week from tonight. “I didn’t think that was bad for the first time,” he says after practicing the text once in a still empty church.
It is the first church in Emmen where masses or celebrations are offered in another language. “I even dare to say in Drenthe,” said the pastor. He’s been toying with the idea for a while, but after an email from a churchgoer, he put it into effect for good.
The pastor talks about the importance of the foreign service and is already practicing the text: