Introduction
Since the summer of 2015, we, as a Protestant Reformed Church in Utrecht, have been subletting 10 rooms to students in the houses we own at the Wittevrouwensingel 31, in Utrecht. Our beautiful building is not just a regular student house. It houses an international community that is hospitable to both foreign and Dutch students. We are convinced that housing students from all kinds of countries and cultures creates an inspiring and enriching environment.

Identity
The students not only form an international community, but a Christian community as well. This can be seen in the way they live together, with certain habits like a weekly morning prayer. There is also a connection with the local international Christian fellowship ‘Christian Union’ (IFES). Christian Union frequently meets in the living room of the student house. The students in this community are willing to invest time into the community and the other (international) students.

Community means frequent attendance.
Every Monday night it is House Night! Around 18.30, all 10 students first have dinner together in the living room downstairs, where they share the highs and lows of their weeks and discuss things that need to be taken care of. After dinner, it is time for some community- and/or faith building activity, organized by one of the roommates. Afterwards and during most other evenings of the week, it is time for the famous Dutch ‘gezelligheid’ – meaning time for a game, watching a movie or just hang out and have a good conversation.
One weekend a month, a House Activity is scheduled. As a community, together you will do something fun and/or socially useful, like doing volunteer work, having a house party or discovering the city.
The community also likes to have students who want to attend and help organize activities of the Christian Union international student bible study group.
Among the ten students there are also two house elders. They take care of ongoing affairs and keep an eye on the way the community is developing and if everyone feels at home. They meet with the church sometimes to discuss how things are going and they are the ones you can come to if you have any questions about or problems with the community.

Student profile
If you recognize yourself in the statements below, you may fit in our community!
• You are willing to be actively involved in the community life of the student house; you are prepared to engage in open-minded and transparent relations with the other students in the student house.
• You are a Christian and you help in shaping the Christian identity of the student house.
• You are studying in Utrecht and are staying here for at least 6 months uninterrupted, in case of an international student or at least 2 years, in case of a Dutch student.
• You are always present at house nights, house meetings and house activities and make sure you don’t plan other obligations.
• You are open to taking up certain tasks in the house, like organizing Christian Union activities, becoming a house elder, helping organize lectures in the Singelkerk, etc.

What’s in it for you…?
The Singelkerk Student Committee and the student pastor take care of the conditions that are necessary to create a community where each student, both Dutch and international, gets a chance to:
• relate to students from other cultures that are mutually enriching, and
• find a home during your study period in the Netherlands, where you share and celebrate your life with others.

Contract
All tenants first get a 6 months’ contract. We assume that this contract will be prolonged after this ‘trial period’ until the end of your period of study in Utrecht. Unless… you are not fully participating in the student community life. So, we will evaluate your presence in the house when the trial period is ending. Next to your general attitude and fit in the community we will look at more concrete factors, like:
1. Whether you attend the Tuesday House Night.
2. Whether you are involved in the monthly House Activity on the weekend
3. Whether you are taking responsibility and initiative in the house

House and rooms
In the student house, there are five rooms available for international students. These rooms are furnished and have an all-in price, ranging from € 382 to € 503 per month. The other five rooms are rented to Dutch students. Those rooms are not furnished and the prices range from € 277 to € 436 per month.
In addition, there are a large common room and a kitchen. The house consists of two sections, that both exit in the common room. The left side of the house is the ‘male section’ with 4 bedrooms. In the right side of the house is the ‘female section’ with 6 bedrooms. Both sections have their own sanitary facilities. For facility services, there is a facility manager who works in the service of the Singelkerk.

Application Form
If you want to apply for a student room in our house, we kindly ask you to fill in the application form below. In this form we also would like you to write a (short) motivation in which you describe:
• Why you would like to live in this house,
• What you would like to learn, and
• What you can contribute to the Christian international community.