Zuiderkerk

Built as the Reformed Southern Church. Large, iconic church with tower. No longer in use as a Reformed Church in 1996. Threatened with demolition. Application for national monument status, rejected by (among others) the Cuypersgenootschap. In the meantime, there were plans to partially preserve the church building, in particular the tower. These plans included the incorporation of a supermarket and the construction of houses. The Assembly of Believers is said to have temporarily used the Reformed Southern Church; it is unclear whether this is correct. The Assembly of Believers Hilversum has been using the church building "Silo", Zadelstraat 3, since 1948. In 2006, the Southern Church was temporarily put into use by an Evangelical congregation (English and Dutch-language services), with the original name "Hilversum International Christian Center" (HICC), pending further plans. In November 2009, the name of this congregation was changed to "Thousand Hills International Church". In the meantime, the focal point had been changed considerably, including the removal of the pulpit and organ, replaced by screens and sound systems. The architectural spatial effect of the interior (particularly the very extensive wooden vault) remained intact. This also applies to the many stained glass windows, in the left and right side walls, in abstract expressionist forms. In the spring of 2012, this former Zuiderkerk was purchased by the "Thousand Hills International Church", after many financial campaigns, which wants to keep this church building in full use. The earlier plans for partial demolition and integration seem to have been abandoned. The current user wants to renovate the church building, which is in some disrepair, including returning the church tower to its original state. This restoration/renovation was subsidized by the Municipality of Hilversum in 2012-2013 with € 50,000.