News & downloads

Effective March 3, 2022, Ms. Dr. F. Stark has been appointed to the board of the Rotterdam Foundation.

By Prof. Dr Thijs Tromp. Download the PDF in Dutch.

Dr Thijs Tromp – special professor of diaconate at PThU – gave his inaugural speech on Friday 16 October 2020.

Download the PDF here.
Watch on YouTube here. 
Download the audio MP3 here (29mb). 

How is Stichting Rotterdam affected by the Corona virus?
Download the PDF in Dutch here.

Everyone needs to manage their finances and many people can use a helping hand. For a fresh look at your money, a better overview, and insight into your financial housekeeping. With this in mind, we offer churches and organizations the In.Kas course, through a starter package. We’re happy to share our experience, so that more people can support each other in day-to-day financial matters. 

Website > www.inkas.amsterdam
Summary in Dutch here.

The Special Chair for Diaconate at the Protestant Theological University was established on 1 September 2007. Stichting Rotterdam finances the Chair, which was held until 2018 by Herman Noordegraaf. Thijs Tromp will be appointed from 1 September 2019. See the press release 25 April 2019 in Dutch here.

On May 27, 2019, George Hooijer hopes to defend his dissertation publicly. The ceremony is scheduled for 1.45 pm in the auditorium of the VU in Amsterdam. A short summary of his dissertation in Dutch can be found here.

On March 7, 2018, Prof. H. Noordegraaf, professor of diaconate at the Protestant Theological University, and board member of Stichting Rotterdam, will present the research he conducted in recent years into Diaconal Development in Amsterdam. You can download the report in Dutch for the period 2014 – 2017 here. 

As per the first of January 2017 Ms drs. M.A. Grant has been appointed to boardmember of Stichting Rotterdam.

Madelon Grant is taking over the boardseat from Duca de Bruijn who was a board member since January 2007.

As per the first of January 2017 Mr W.P. de Pater RA has been appointed to treasurer of Stichting Rotterdam.

Peter de Pater is taking over from Henk Wiegers who has been treasurer since January 1993.

As per the first of January 2016 Mr drs. R.J. Rijnbende has been appointed to chairman of Stichting Rotterdam.

Ron Rijnbende is taking over the chair from Hans Bruning who was acting chairman since October 2009.

Suzanne Kooij, Ars Memorandi. Download this report in PDF format in Dutch via this link.

On Thursday 6 December 2012 the Protestant Theological University celebrated the anniversary of its foundation day. Prof. Mechteld Jansen delivered the Foundation Day Address. During the discussion following this address entitled ‘Volk en elite‘, reference was made to the Diaconal Lecture 2012. For the text of this lecture in Dutch please click here.

On Friday 5 October 2012, Prof. Herman Noordegraaf presented his study Kerken en WMO, terugblik en perspectief (Churches and the Social Support Act (WMO), retrospective and perspective) during a seminar at the Protestant National Service Centre in Utrecht.

To download the study report in PDF format in Dutch please click here.

The Special Chair for Diaconate at the Protestant Theological University has been instituted for a period of five years as of 1 September 2007.

Stichting Rotterdam is funding the chair and has also provided funds for the employment of a trainee researcher/PhD student. With the establishment of the chair and the appointment of Dr Herman Noordegraaf the foundation aims to promote academic thought on the diaconal actions of churches. It expects that diaconal practice will gain new impetus from the creation of the chair.

Prof. Noordegraaf held his oration in Leiden on 25 April 2008, entitled: Voor wie nemen wij de hoed af? (For whom do we remove our hats?)

The text of this first Diaconal Lecture can be downloaded in Dutch via this link.

The 14th Diaconal Lecture was given in 2022 by Thijs Tromp, the new Professor for Diaconate, by special appointment, at the Protestant Theological University PTHU. Download the PowerPoint here (Dutch).

The 13th Diaconal Lecture was held on Saturday 7 November by Erica Meijers, assistant professor of Diaconate at the Protestant Theological University. The lecture was also held this year on Kerk in Actie’s National Diaconal Day.

An online event packed with speakers, webinars, musical performances and interactive sessions. More information can be found via the following links

Download the PDF in Dutch here.

Watch on YouTube here.

The 12th Diaconal Lecture will be given this year by Thijs Tromp, the new Professor for Diaconate, by special appointment, at the Protestant Theological University PTHU. Over the next five years, he will investigate the role that the diaconate can play in reducing social exclusion and promoting inclusion in church, care and society. “Social exclusion is a major threat to the sense of dignity of vulnerable people in society. Not counting in society puts pressure on a person’s sense of ‘being meaningful'”. Inclusion can be an answer, but how? And how can the diaconate contribute to inclusion? In this diaconal lecture, Thijs Tromp will be happy to talk with you about your experiences, questions and ideas. The lecture will be held this year during the National Diaconal Day on Saturday, November 9, 2019 in Utrecht. For more information in Dutch  > download here. 

The 11th Diaconal Lecture “Christian migrant communities and indigenous church communities; allies in diaconate?” will be held this year during the National Diaconal Day on Saturday, November 10, 2018. The lecture is available in Dutch here. The PowerPoint presentation in Dutch can be downloaded here.

The 10th Diaconal Lecture “Towards an inclusive society – the role of the diaconate. An exploration” was held this year by Prof.dr. H. Noordegraaf during the National Diaconal Day on Saturday 11 November. The lecture in Dutch is available here.

On Friday 7 October 2016 drs. Ineke Bakker delivered the 9th Diaconial Lecture. This lecture was titled ‘Wie niet op weg gaat, komt nergens.’ and is available in Dutch via this link.

On Friday 9 October 2015, Prof. Herman Noordegraaf delivered the 8th Diaconal Lecture for Stichting Rotterdam. This lecture is here available in PDF format in Dutch.

On Friday 12 September 2014, George Hooijer delivered the 7th Diaconal Lecture for Stichting Rotterdam. George Hooijer had been working at Stichting Rotterdam since 1993 and stepped down on 12 September 2014 due to retirement. 

The 7th Diaconal Lecture is available in PDF format in Dutch via this link.

The annual Diaconal Lecture was held on Wednesday 11 December. Prof. Herman Noordegraaf introduced the guest speaker Rev. Dr Carlos Ham, who worked at the World Council of Churches, Geneva until the end of 2013.

The theme of his lecture is:

‘Transformative Diakonia in a Rapidly Changing World’
The 6th lecture is available in PDF format here.

The Diaconal Lecture 2012 was held on Wednesday 31 October in the Gertrudiskapel (In de Driehoek, Willemsplantsoen 1c, Utrecht). Prof. Herman Noordegraaf presented the framework of research by the PhD students Herman van Well and Bert Roor. Following this they both gave a presentation of their work. 

For the 5th Diaconal Lecture in PDF format in Dutch please click here.

The Diaconal Lecture 2011 was held in Utrecht on Wednesday 2 November 2011. The title is: Diaconaat en het ouder worden van kerk en samenleving (Diaconate and the greying of church and society). Here Hans de Waal sets out the main lines of his research into diaconate and the elderly. The lecture is available in printed form for as long as stocks last.

The text of this 4th lecture is available as a PDF download in Dutch here.

Kerken en Wmo, kansen, uitdagingen en voorwaarden (Churches and the Social Support Act (WMO) is the title of the lecture delivered by Prof. Herman Noordegraaf in Utrecht on Friday 15 October 2010. The integral text of the 3rd Diaconal Lecture in Dutch can be downloaded via this link.

On Friday 23 October 2009, Stichting Rotterdam organized the 2nd Diaconal Lecture in the Gertrudiskapel in Utrecht. The lecture was delivered by Prof. Herman Noordegraaf and was entitled: De diaconale C-factor, de betekenis van Calvijn voor het diaconaat (The diaconal C factor, the significance of Calvin for the diaconate).

Calvin’s 500th birthday took place in 2009 and the event attracted a great deal of attention. What is less well-known is that this reformer, in his efforts to renew the Christian faith and the church, also put strong emphasis on the diaconate and the socio-economic issues of his age. We see this reflected in his theology and in the church practices he advocated.

Nienke van Dijk, (former) director of STEK, Foundation for City & Church, The Hague, and – the late – Dr Jurjen Beumer, preacher/director of the Ecumenical Diaconal Centre Stem in de Stad, Haarlem, provided responses based on their working practice.

The integral text of the lectures can be downloaded in Dutch via this link.