Update for Monday, November 28th
Dear Church family and friends,
The beautifully laid tables, the spread of food and encouraging testimony of one of our own ladies – oh how glad we are that we could have a Women’s Christmas Brunch this past Saturday! If you were paying attention to how the front of the stage was decorated for Sunday morning’s Church service, something in the picture above might be familiar to you…
Our next special event will be the Christmas Cantata on the 18th December, so there’s a while to wait yet. For this week, though, we will be having our usual Young Adult and mid-week Bible Studies meeting on Tuesdays and Wednesdays respectively. For more information on YABS we recommend that you e-mail yabs@ibc-giessen.org directly and ask where they are meeting and at what time. The mixed mid-week Bible Study, however, will be held in a hybrid way, with those unable to get to the FTH for 7pm being able to take part via Zoom. For a link to the meeting, or if you have any other questions, please write to office@ibc-giessen.org
We pray that you are having a blessed first week of Advent!
Update for Sunday, November 27th
Dear Church family and friends,
Anticipation and then realisation, preparation and then the main event – life is full of these moments, but we are most keenly aware of the period of waiting and wanting at Advent. The lead up to Christmas: the countdown to something life-changing.
What exactly are we waiting for, though? The present under the tree? A warm-and-fuzzy feeling? Or perhaps something less temporary in our lives? The expectations on that first Christmas were also huge: they were looking for a king in battle armour, arriving triumphantly, probably in a chariot or some other imposing mode of transportation. What they got, however, was a baby, wrapped in cloth, laid in an animal’s feeding trough. Maybe what you get isn’t what you want, but what you need.
Let us search together through Advent for what it is that we need. You can join us each Sunday at 11am at the FTH facilities or online via Zoom – for this week’s Zoom link, please e-mail office@ibc-giessen.org – where we will light the advent wreath, sing songs and listen to God’s Word.
What are you looking for this season? We look forward to helping you in your search this Sunday (27th)!
Update for Monday, November 21st
Dear Church family and friends,
Off the back of Johannes’ sermon about unity and harmony – which you can listen to again, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i49FZ0E-TGw – we’d like to offer some opportunities to put that into practise in Church this week!
Our Young Adults’ Bible Study (YABS) will be meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) in their different groups beginning at 7pm. To find out where and what they’ll be doing, e-mailing yabs@ibc-giessen.org will provide you an answer.
This week, Wednesday’s Bible Study will be held online as well as live from the Israel Room at the FTH at 7pm. If you need a link, then please e-mail office@ibc-giessen.org. Otherwise, you’ll need a Bible and a desire to dig deeper into Psalm 23.
If you are a woman and have not yet signed up to this Saturday’s Christmas Brunch, you have not completely missed your chance! While there are no more Sundays to write on the sheet, you can drop an e-mail to office@ibc-giessen.org and tell us that you would like to attend. Contributions to the buffet are welcome! If you’d like to know what to bring – or what we already have plenty of – don’t be afraid to ask!
The Brunch itself will take place this coming Saturday (26th) at 10am in the FTH facilities.
We look forward to spending more time with our Church family this week!
Update for Sunday, November 20th
Dear Church family and friends,
One more Sunday to go and then we’re back to lighting candles, putting on special events and counting down the days until the promised King arrives. The First Advent Sunday marks the beginning of the Church year – but before we get too ahead of ourselves, we have this coming Sunday’s service to think about. Starting as always at 11am at the FTH facilities, you are invited to join us live or via the livestream – please e-mail office@ibc-giessen.org for a link – and worship God as we give thanks for all that He has given us and aided us through.
As mentioned, there are some special dates coming up. The closest to us is the Women’s Christmas Brunch on Saturday 26th November at 10am. There will be a sign-up sheet at Church this Sunday, so, even if you are unsure what you would like to bring with you, ladies, please put your name somewhere on the paper; that way you will definitely have a seat waiting for you! If you won’t be at Church on Sunday, but would still like to come to the brunch, please write an e-mail to office@ibc-giessen.org and we will forward your name to the appropriate place.
Beyond that, there will be a Christmas Cantata service on the 18th December, which will be followed by an opportunity to bring and share Christmas cookies with one another. It will be a great time of fellowship and catching up with each other, as well as talking about how good the choir was!
There will be another chance to talk and be with one another after the Christmas Eve service. Held in the evening at 5pm, the service takes around an hour and will be followed by a finger food buffet. We invite all planning on coming to contribute something to the buffet which does not need warming up to be enjoyed.
It is odd to finish the Church year in November – it is however, wonderful, that the new Church year starts with anticipation and hope of a promise fulfilled!
Update for Monday, November 14th
Dear Church family and friends,
After the schedule change on Sunday, the challenges just kept coming – but we faced every one of them knowing that our strength to do so comes from God, and that He deserves our very best efforts.
One of these difficulties had to do with Zoom and the recording of the sermon. As a result, we unfortunately cannot provide a recorded version of what Kennedy had to say to us. The issue also affected the livestream, which after a momentary pause did manage to continue. We are confident that this is a one-off problem and will continue livestreaming and recording future services.
In fact, we will be having our mid-week Bible Study via Zoom only this week. Pastor Buddy will continue leading us in our reading and consideration of Psalm 23 and looks forward to people joining him virtually from 7pm on Wednesday evening. To be part of the (joint Men’s and Women’s) Bible Study, please e-mail office@ibc-giessen.org for a link.
YABS (Young Adult Bible Study) will meet this week, too, in their various groups. If you would like to be part of a group, or to find out more about YABS, please e-mail yabs@ibc-giessen.org for more information. Usually, all groups meet at 7pm on a Tuesday evening.
Last, but by no means least, it still isn’t too late to join the Christmas choir – especially if you are a man! Rehearsals are being held on Sundays after the Church service and Simone would be very appreciative if some brave male voices were to take part. The ability to read music is not essential, just motivation and willingness to participate. To show your interest either write an e-mail to office@ibc-giessen.org, or turn up ready to sing after the service this coming Sunday.
Whatever difficulties you face this week limitless opportunities given by God’s grace to stand up, shake yourself off, and try again. Have a blessed week!
Update for Sunday, November 13th
Dear Church family and friends,
We can make our plans, but often God has other ideas.
In recent weeks we have mentioned that this coming Sunday would be a concert-service given by the pianist Theresa Walters. Unfortunately she has tested positive for COVID and is therefore unable to perform live at the FTH. While we try to re-schedule this event, please join us in prayer for her swift and full recovery.
A Church service will still be taking place on Sunday, though! Please do join our congregation at 11am for worship, prayer and His Word. If you cannot join us physically – perhaps you too are unwell – then you can send an e-mail to office@ibc-giessen.org and watch via our livestream.
Perhaps, as we kept our distance over the last couple of years, it seems that now more people are getting sick from other illnesses as well as coronavirus. The message from the beginning of the pandemic remains: stay safe, stay healthy and look after yourselves and each other.
Update for Monday, November 7th
Dear Church family and friends,
The link for yesterday’s sermon is already up and ready to be listened to, in case you missed it. Just click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czM2rTyuhr0
Now that Sunday’s over, what’s happening during the week?
Tomorrow (Tuesday 8th November) Young Adult Bible Study (YABS) will be having an all-groups-together gathering in the student lounge of the FTH. Starting with dinner at 7pm, it will be a good time of fellowship and encouragement. If you’ve been thinking about going to YABS but haven’t quite made that step, tomorrow’s meet up is a great opportunity to meet everybody and get to know what YABS is all about. So that they can plan a little better, it might be worth dropping an e-mail to YABS@ibc-giessen.org to say that you’ll be there.
Wednesday (9th) sees the return of our mid-week Bible Study. This time, both men and women will meet together and take an in-depth look at Psalm 23. Again, it’s a 7pm start time at the FTH facilities, but there is an option to join in via Zoom if you cannot get there in time. For a link, please write to office@ibc-giessen.org
Church doesn’t just happen on Sunday – we’re here all week!
Update for Sunday, November 6th
Dear Church family and friends,
In last week’s sermon, we were re-directed on our journey through Jesus’ life from the book of Luke to the book of John. In chapter 11, verses one to seven, sisters Mary and Martha send the news to Jesus that their brother, Lazarus, is sick. The story continues this week with Jesus ultimately deciding to go to him, despite the disciples concerns (verses 8-16).
Of course, Jesus’ attempts to reassure his disciples also provide a lesson or reminder for us in our own walk with Christ. So, we invite you to our service this Sunday at 11am at the FTH facilities or online – please write to office@ibc-giessen.org for a link to our Zoom livestream – to listen to God’s Word and open your ears, minds and hearts to what He has to say.
Perhaps the more alert among us may have noticed what the next chapter and event in the book of Luke would have been had we continued in that way: Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, before he is betrayed, disowned, put on trial and then crucified. In other words, what we commemorate at Easter. In our focus passage for this week, however, one of Jesus’ responses more appropriately fits the season we are currently approaching…
See you on Sunday!
Update for Wednesday, November 2nd
Dear Church family and friends,
November has arrived and that means our next mid-week Bible Study is only one week away. Both Men’s and Women’s Bible Studies will be combined to look through Psalm 23 from next Wednesday at 7pm.
Until then, you might want to catch up on a few recent sermons from IBC Giessen:
16th October : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dgWMrBla4U
23rd October : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9kIQgTHviI
Lastly, we’d like to remind you of our upcoming Worship Night. We’ll have an evening of praise, prayer and music this coming Friday (4th November) at 7:30pm at the FTH facilities. It would be brilliant if we could fill the room with voices singing of God’s goodness!
There are quite a few events coming up in the next months here at IBC Giessen. We pray that God will keep you safe and healthy so that you can join us in our worship to Him. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Older information and online sermons are available in our archive: Update Archive