When I first set foot in the Old Catholic Church to attend an All Saints service, I knew I had found a special place. Today is the third time I make it to their service, which is always on the second Sunday of the month.

It just so happens that this second Sunday falls on Easter, and it’s perhaps because of this that the service is more crowded than previous times. I see All Saints regulars as well as new people, shy and seemingly hopeful.

One woman in particular stands out to me because she smiles intently at me a few times. She has the demeanor of that good Christian girl from that Office US episode “Christening”.

After service she finds me immediately: “You’re Zinzy from Queer Salon, right?” Annika says. Pre-pandemic memories begin to surface, and once she mentions her son I remember her again. “The first time I came here, I thought of you”, she says. We shmooze over crackers and sweet bread, exchange numbers to set a coffee date.

This new church is really a pilot by two reverends hoping to bring fully inclusive Christianity to the Amsterdam expat community. This is service eight out of ten. When I say that out loud, Reverend Howie casually says “yes, we’ll have to talk about that next time.”

I already can’t imagine myself without this community.