Whensday: 1602 world’s first stock exchange

In the Netherlands and Belgium, throughout Europe, the lottery is something that is well-known. In the Netherlands you can “play” with the other people on your street, joining in the postcode lottery. The whole idea behind a lottery is that people can take their chances in winning a much larger sum. You buy a lot and take your lot in your own hands - or at least that is what is sold. 

This idea of risking your money to make even more has been around a long time. There has always been all sorts of gambling. But it was the Dutch who first came up with the idea of risking funds to help businesses grow. It was in the Netherlands in 1602 that the Dutch East India Company was set up. Some see this as the beginning of trading stock in a company. The Amsterdam Stock Exchange is often considered the beginning of modern securities markets, although lending had been present on a larger scale since the Middle Ages in places like Italy. 

The idea behind a stock exchange is that people can buy stock in a company. The buyer buys a part of the company and runs the risk that the company will do well, hoping that the stock will become more valuable as the company grows. But this is of course never certain. Some companies fail, others become suddenly very successful. Today we would say they go “viral”. The stock holders want the company to do well so that they can get their money back and more. 

The most well-known markets are now in the US and England: the New York Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ and the London Stock Exchange. The AEX is the exchange in Amsterdam. The buildings in which these exchanges are housed are often well-known, even as tourist attractions. The “Beurs” or the “Bourse” can be found in Brussels, in Amsterdam and in many other European cities. (The picture is of the exchange in New York on Wall Street).

Whensday - Beginnings (NL)

This evening Shirley and I will be visiting the congregation in Eindhoven, returning to our monthly Wednesday evening of singing. The congregation here is a relatively young one as far as the history of the church goes in The Netherlands. Of course the congregation in Maastricht is even younger. We helped establish that congregation with our colleagues, Ruud and Karla back in 1991. 

The church of Christ in The Netherlands has an interesting history. Basically the first congregations began after World War II when American soldiers came back to the country to share their faith with the people they had liberated. Congregations were established in Haarlem, Utrecht and The Hague. Later congregations in Amsterdam and a military group in Soesterberg were added. 

In the 1960’s and 70’s buildings were purchased in Haarlem, Amsterdam and The Hague. The congregation in The Hague was at one time as large as 200 members and served a broad group of ex-pats and native Dutch. By the 1990’s the building in Amsterdam had been sold, the congregation in Schiedam (near Rotterdam) which had begun in the 80’s was rolled into the group in The Hague, and congregations had arisen in Groningen in the North and in Eindhoven and Maastricht in the South. 

Throughout the years there were efforts to reach any who were willing to put into practice what is found in the Bible about the first followers of Jesus. This has meant that various congregations are not always clones or copies of American churches. Some members have come to Christ on their own by reading the Bible and understanding what it is that God desires and then seeking a group of people who are living that very truth. 

At present there are congregations in six different Dutch cities from Maastricht in the South to Groningen in the North. The largest group is perhaps the Ghanian church meeting in Amsterdam, followed by the group meeting in Eindhoven. The congregation is also still meeting and strong in Haarlem and in Den Dolder (the continuation of the former US military group in past years). The church building in The Hague is still the largest building. Most recently it has hosted a group of very active Ukrainian refugees. 

In the past two months there have been 5 young people who have given their lives to Christ. Some of this has been as a result of work in and conversations during Bible camp. Others have been through the efforts of refugees currently living in the building in The Hague. 

Europe is an interesting and challenging field. It often resembles the first century in which the church grew up. God continues to use His own people in all areas to bring people to life in the eternal Kingdom of His love. We are thankful that we can be part of this history and that God can use us in any way possible. Thank you for your prayers for the efforts here. 

(This picture is of the Spring gathering this year at the building in The Hague)