Neighbors of the Bovenkerk Urbanuskerk in Amstelveen gathered yesterday to celebrate a new step in the restoration of the church that burned down in 2018. The first pile of the brand new meeting center was driven into the ground by young churchgoers.
The action may seem simple: the children only have to press a button and the pole is turned into the ground by a machine. The first pile in the ground does have a lot of symbolic value. “The formal students (someone who receives confirmation, ed.) will be the people who will use this meeting space,” says Ad Verkleij of the Friends of the Bovenkerkse Urbanus Foundation.
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The first pile of the brand new meeting center of the Urbanuskerk is in the ground – NH Nieuws
The 11-year-old Melo is therefore very proud. “I think it’s really cool, because later our children will also go here and then we can say that we did that,” he tells. NH News. The boy is very happy that the Urbanuskerk has been rebuilt. “I’m not used to any other church, so I’m glad I can just go to this one again.”
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The church board hopes that the Urbanus will serve as a meeting place for the neighborhood and perhaps even Amstelveen with the help of the new center. Verkleij: “This church is for anyone who wants to enjoy a beautiful building, who wants to celebrate something here or who wants to go to activities such as concerts or courses.”
On September 15, 2018, the Bovenkerk Urbanuskerk was badly damaged when a fire broke out due to a short circuit in the meter cupboard. The tower could be saved, but the roof collapsed completely. The ecclesiastical and Bovenkerk community decided to put their shoulders to the wheel and managed to have the church almost completely rebuilt. The new floor is currently being laid. The festive reopening is to take place in April 2023.
To make all the dreams of the community come true, a lot of money is still needed. The Friends of the Urbanuskerk Foundation therefore holds several fundraisers.