March 11, 2026

Dear Friends,

I trust that you will have read Bishop Mark’s pastoral letter by now. He shared that, despite leaving our worship on March 1 feeling fairly optimistic about the possibilities (though by no means naive about the challenges and limitations), the events of the following days caused him to reconsider and recommend that the Convocation suspend the All Saints mission in Amsterdam. I shared his assessment on March 1, and likewise agree with the diagnosis in his letter. From the messages I have received since then, it seems that most of you do too.

What does “suspend” mean though?

Before I answer that, let me say a brief word about procedure. The bishop has not shut us down. He has made a recommendation to the Committee on Mission Congregations, which will itself make a recommendation to the Council of Advice. The Council can withdraw The Episcopal Church’s support for a mission. I attended the COMC meeting last night, where there was broad agreement that where we are now is harmful, and we should stop worship and all church activities, at least for a time. They were not of one mind about what should come another that.

Should we dissolve the church as a Dutch corporation and let the ground lie fallow until a more opportune moment? Should we keep the association active, and create some interim arrangement for people who still want to be part of an Episcopal church to gather periodically, whether in person or on Zoom? Should there be some process of discernment to figure out what it would take to try this again without having the same problems? They could not decide, and are continuing their discussion. To be fair, I don’t even know what I think either.

What I do know is that I have worked with this committee for a while now. I trust these people. If they say they need time, it’s because they don’t want to make a hasty decision. I also know that I am exhausted from the roller coaster of these last few months and am frankly relieved that we do not have to make these decisions ourselves.

So where we? Standing by. Pending further clarity, we will not hold services or any other activities, and the WhatsApp group will remain set so that only admins can post. I am available to you individually.

I started my role at All Saints almost as soon as I arrived in this country. It went a long way toward making me glad to be here. No matter where we go from here, what was good about the thing we tried to do will remain part of the universe. It is offered to God, who will still use it. Whether it will nourish the life of a new or reconfigured Episcopal mission in Amsterdam, or build up the catholic church in some other way, it will not have been in vain. Thank you for being part of it.

I will write again when I know more.

Blessings,
Kyle+