Volunteers Christmas on the Pool put in limelight
More than 50 volunteers were put in the limelight last Friday for their efforts at Christmas on the Pool in Bovenkerk. In the new glass house of the Urbanus Church, the check was handed over of the amount raised by selling Christmas trees, Christmas centerpieces and selling cards. Chris van den Helder handed the check to Hans Zandvliet of the Friends of the Bovenkerk Urbanus Foundation. The amount is earmarked for refurbishing the church garden.
Amanda ten Cate recited the poem below at the volunteer night of the closing Christmas On The Poel. With her enthusiastic way of reciting, she put into words what all those volunteers have done for Kerst Aan De Poel. A thank you to all those volunteers who made Kerst Aan De Poel a great success.
Your hands
You extend your hands
Amanda ten Cate
They make rich your hands
Are even priceless
Your left hand makes
That the church smiles again
Let sunbeams shine through
The stained glass smiles
Signs on the cobblestones
Your right hand makes
The bells ring again
Hands strike
Together and work together
When the bells of the carillon
Through the pipes
From the organ
Sounds
of gratitude
Your hands
Let the garden once again
colors full of flowers
Let those who have passed away
Rest in peace once more
The tombstones stand shoulder to shoulder
And so my hand says,
Thank you!
The garden is devastated by the fatal fire on Sept. 15, 2018, and the four-year rebuilding of the church. The garden is being refurbished and will be maintained by about a dozen volunteers who would like to get started sooner rather than later.
Christmas at the Poel has become a tradition at Bovenkerk since the fire . There is a Nativity scene with a man-sized sculpture group. Christmas trees and Christmas centerpieces are sold. This year there was a wishing pond.
In addition to all those volunteers, 600 elementary school children also visited the beautiful outdoor nativity scene. While enjoying a mug of hot chocolate, they were told a Christmas story and sang delightfully. The children were also allowed to place a wish candle in the pond. Now let's hope all the wishes come true. And finally a visit to the church to admire the restored building.
These children raised a large amount for the new garden by selling homemade cards. Great to see the youth doing this. The fire had a great impact on the children as well. The children can process the disaster by experiencing that after a disaster something beautiful can arise again.
The team of volunteers from Kerst Aan De Poel also thank The Municipality of Amstelveen, Noorddamcentrum and Amstelidee.