Updates May 2022


Update for Sunday, May 29th

Dear Church family and friends,

Ascension Day, which we celebrated on Thursday, marks Jesus’ return to heaven and to His Father. He went before us to His place at God’s right hand side to vouch for us. He went before us to make a way for us to join our eternal Father when we are called. He keeps His promise, yet He doesn’t leave us alone. Next Sunday we will mark Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was sent to be in us and with us as Jesus once was. While it might take us a while to realise it, when we do figure out how much we need God’s grace, mercy and love, we quickly notice that we can no longer live without it – and He knows that too.

When we finally see Jesus for who He is we can’t help but bow down in worship and joyfully praise Him – much like the blind beggar in Luke 18, the focus of Pastor Buddy’s sermon this Sunday. We will meet at 11am at the FTH facilities for our service, but if you are unable to make it you are more than welcome to be part of our online congregation. Please e-mail office@ibc-giessen.org for a link to our Zoom livestream.

We hope that you can see God blessings for you in this upcoming week, and can feel His presence in all that you do!


Update for Wednesday, May 25th

Dear Church family and friends,

Even though we’ve already shared the link to Pastor Buddy’s pre-recorded sermon, here it is again so that you don’t have to go searching if you missed it or would like to listen again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFZX9vvE1e0

We are so grateful for all the feedback on our experiments with improving the sound quality on the livestream of Sunday’s service. A massive improvement has been made, but we aware that not everything is perfect. We will continue to make adjustments and changes to further better our online experience.

For our Women’s and Men’s Bible Studies this week we will also have the possibility of meeting via Zoom if you cannot make it to the FTH facilities for the start time of 7pm. We will, as always, be meeting on Wednesday evening with both groups studying the book of Nehemiah, but in different ways. To learn more, get the link to the Zoom meeting or to register an interest in joining, please e-mail Pastor Buddy or office@ibc-giessen.org

Lastly, a quick reminder that Thursday is a Bank Holiday. The shops will be shut and schools closed to mark Ascension Day – when Jesus went before us to heaven. We will not be having a special Church service on this day, but hope that you enjoy the day off.

Have a great week!


Update for Sunday, May 22nd

Dear Church family and friends,

For our livestream viewers, this week’s service has a “Work in Progress” sign hanging on it. In our attempts to improve the audio quality, and the experience in general, we will be testing out some new equipment. To see the results, please e-mail office@ibc-giessen.org for a link. Just in case it shouldn’t work as desired, we would like to share the pre-recorded version with you now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFZX9vvE1e0

Of course, our experimentation with new technology will not stop us from having a traditional “live” Church service at the FTH facilities at our usual time of 11am. Please join us if you can!

No matter which way you have been attending Church in the last couple of months, we would like to thank you for your patience as we have been figuring out how best to continue or re-build Church life since the lockdowns and restrictions. We are not finished as perhaps some more things need changing that we had not yet thought about – but we thank you for your support, ideas and prayers. 

Be blessed – and see you on Sunday!


Update for Wednesday, May 18th

Dear Church family and friends,

On Sunday, Pastor Buddy looked at Luke chapter 18, where Jesus advises the rich ruler to sell everything and follow him. The full sermon can be found here, if you would like to refresh your memory or listen for the first time:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbc5rL9SjZM

The Men’s and Women’s Bible Studies will be meeting again this week to explore the book of Nehemiah. While the men will be taking a chapter by chapter approach, the women have a specific book to work through. To get involved with either group, or for more information, please e-mail Pastor Buddy or office@ibc-giessen.org . Both meetings happen on Wednesday, starting at 7pm, and take place in the side building at the FTH facilities.

Another group that we have meeting during the week is YABS. YABS stands for ‘Young Adult Bible Study’, and they meet on a Tuesday evening. If you would like to join them, please e-mail office@ibc-giessen.org

Have a blessed week!  


Update for Sunday, May 15th

Dear Church family and friends,

While most are rejoicing in the sunny, almost summer-like weather, let’s spare a thought for the people that are suffering the most because of it – those with hay fever or other allergies.
Pollen. It gets everywhere. Sometimes it lands on fruitful ground and creates the most beautiful flowers; more often we find it stuck to freshly cleaned windows, car windscreens and garden furniture. A fine yellow dust that everyone can see causes irritation for some and a violent reaction in others. It’s a bit like spreading the Good News, isn’t it?

On Sunday we’ll meet indoors, protected from the weather and its consequences, at 11am in the FTH facilities and our service will also be livestreamed. To join in online, please e-mail office@ibc-giessen.org

For those who are affected by springtime health issues, we pray that you can stay safe and find some relief! The same applies to you as it does everyone else: keep hydrated, seek shade and don’t overdo it. Have a blessed week!


Update for Wednesday, May 11th

Dear Church family and friends,

After weeks of pre-announcements, it’s finally time for the Men‘s and Women’s Bible Studies to return! Both groups will be studying the book of Nehemiah and both groups will be meeting on Wednesday evenings at 7pm. If you have any questions, or would like further information, please e-mail Pastor Buddy or office@ibc-giessen.org

Not only did Johannes A. join us during Sunday’s service to preach, but he also pre-recorded his sermon for those who missed it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rwohvs7HQew

We pray that you are having a brilliant week and are making the most of the spring weather!


Update for Sunday, May 8th

Dear Church family and friends,

It’ll be the second Sunday of May this coming Sunday: that means that it’ll be Mother’s Day! While it is not a Bank Holiday, it is a day for showing appreciation for those who are mothers or mother-figures. For those who long to be mothers, or do not have a good relationship with their own, we pray that this day isn’t too hard for you, and that you may be comforted.

The original idea of Mother’s Day was to have a day when you could take your mothers along with you to Church. If you were to do that this Sunday – 11am at the FTH facilities – they too would have the privilege of hearing Johannes A. bringing the Word of God to us. Of course, there will be a livestream of the service, too. For a link, please e-mail Pastor Buddy or office@ibc-giessen.org

We look forward to seeing you on Sunday!


Update for Wednesday, May 4th

Dear Church family and friends,

„Alles neu macht der Mai“ – May makes everything new…

… well, nearly. This week’s Zoom Bible Study will be the last on the book of Revelation before our new Men’s and Women’s Bible Studies start. For a look at the last chapter and a re-cap and summary of everything that we have learnt so far, you are more than welcome to join us at 7pm on Wednesday evening. Just e-mail Pastor Buddy or office@ibc-giessen.org for a link.

We have heard that some people were struggling with the audio quality during Sunday’s service livestream. To listen again to an uninterrupted version of Pastor Buddy’s sermon, just click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhzBE66JsJI

Have a blessed rest of the week!


Update for Sunday, May 1st

Dear Church family and friends,

It’s a Bank Holiday on Sunday: not that you’d notice it as the banks, shops, schools and majority of the other workplaces are closed anyway. In Germany, if a Bank Holiday with a fixed date falls on a weekend there is no “compensation” day during the following week – which means that you just have to make the best out of it and wait for the longer weekends in late May and June.

The occasion of this particular Bank Holiday is “Day of Work”, where, historically, rights regarding the length of a work day were campaigned for and eventually enforced. Perhaps we can use this day to be thankful for our workplaces and how working conditions may have improved – as well as the wide choice of different vocations and jobs one can now have. Similarly, we could use this day to pray for those in training for a specific field of work, or those desperately trying to find employment.

As it is a Sunday, however, we will be having a Church service at the usual time of 11am in our usual place of the FTH facilities. A livestream link is available for those who cannot get there for whatever reason, which can be acquired by e-mailing office@ibc-giessen.org

We pray that God blesses your hands, thoughts and actions as you go about your work, and that you have a productive week!


Older information and online sermons are available in our archive: Update Archive