Update for Friday, April 28th
Dear Church family and friends,
This week it’s the ladies’ turn to be reminded of something, but not yet for the final time. There’s just one week to go until the Ladies’ Kaffeetrinken on Saturday 6th May 2023 at 3pm – don’t forget to sign up (office@ibc-giessen.org) and prepare some goodies to bring along with you!
Everyone is invited to our service on Sunday, though. We will meet at 11am at the FTH facilities for worship, His Word and this week there will also be a Baby Dedication. Our livestream will, of course, be available for those unable to attend, and a link for that can be obtained by writing to office@ibc-giessen.org .
What with the Bank Holiday on Monday, we pray that you have a blessed long weekend!
Update for Monday, April 24th
Dear Church family and friends,
If you missed Johannes’ sermon on Sunday, don’t grumble you can listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3tyxOCqZwI !
Young Adult Bible Study (YABS) returns to meeting in smaller groups around Giessen this week. All of them start at 7pm and follow the same Bible Study plan. To find out more details, please get in touch with yabs@ibc-giessen.org
Wednesdays, of course, start with an 8am meet-up in the Prayer Room at the FTH for prayer, and end with a 7pm Mid-Week Bible Study on the book of Philippians via Zoom. To take part, please write to the e-mail address below for a link.
As it is the last week of April, we would like to remind you that there is a Bank Holiday coming up. May starts with a day off, so the shops, schools and most offices will be closed. It is not a Church-related holiday, so there will be no service or special event held at IBC Giessen that day. We do have however, a few extra dates to add into your calendar for the month, the first of which being the Ladies’ Kaffeetrinken on Saturday 6th May at 3pm. The women will be meeting in the student kitchen at the FTH for a time of fellowship, prayer and encouragement – and of course coffee and cake! If you are a lady and would like to attend, we invite you to bake or make something tasty that can be shared with the rest of the group.
The following Friday, the 12th May, our next Worship Night will take place. We look forward to seeing lots of people gathered in the Chapel room – where we meet as a Church on Sundays – at 7pm that evening and lifting our voices together in worship.
A reliable way of contacting us for all questions, Zoom meeting link requests and event registrations is office@ibc-giessen.org, so just drop us an e-mail and we will reply as soon as we can.
For those returning to classrooms this week, in whatever capacity, we hope that you have had a wonderful Easter holiday and that re-entry into school- or work-life is not too much of an upheaval.
We pray that you all – regardless of whether you have had a 3 week break or not – have a blessed week!
Update for Friday, April 21st
Dear Church family and friends,
Last call for the Men’s Breakfast tomorrow morning at 9:30am in the student kitchen! The ladies have to wait a little longer for their Kaffeetrinken on the 6th May at the more friendly time of 3pm.
Other than that, we look forward to seeing you on Sunday at 11am. Those unable to make it can follow along on our livestream, by e-mailing office@ibc-giessen.org for a link.
Have a blessed weekend!
Update for Monday, April 17th
Dear Church family and friends,
As in life so in Church: many parts make a whole. While we do meet all together during our service on a Sunday – you can listen again to this week’s sermon here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4SR2hf0JZ0 – we are comprised of different groups.
Firstly, there’s Young Adult Bible Study (YABS) who will be meeting as a larger group – ‘Big YABS’ – in the student kitchen at the FTH at 7pm on Tuesday. YABS itself is so large that they have had to divide themselves into smaller gatherings in different locations. This Tuesday, though, everyone will be sharing a meal, praying and having a time of fellowship together. If you’ve been thinking about joining YABS, this could be the perfect first time! For more information, please write to yabs@ibc-giessen.org
On Wednesday morning at 8am in the FTH Prayer Room, a group of people meet to share requests and concerns before putting before God. There’s no need to register – new faces are always welcome!
At 7pm on the same day, our mid-week Zoom Bible Study will be happening. You need not have joined us for any previous sessions, but it might be useful to have a glance through the book of Philippians before you take part on Wednesday evening. Even if you haven’t had the chance to, that’s ok! All you need is a Bible and a link to the meeting, which you can get by e-mailing office@ibc-giessen.org
The men will be meeting for their monthly breakfast this Saturday (22nd) at 9:30am. It’s another event that will take place in the student kitchen at the FTH, as they will need access to the oven and hob! How else will all those eggs be cooked so perfectly? If you are a man and would like to help with eating all the breakfast goods, please write to office@ibc-giessen.org and tell us how many people you will be bringing and what items you will contribute to the feast.
Usually, Women’s Christmas Brunch is the date that our ladies get excited about – but there’s something new coming very soon! Keep the Saturday 6th May at 3pm free in your diaries, as there will be a coffee time for you to enjoy, most likely in the student kitchen at the FTH…
Church is more than just what happens on Sunday – and as you can see, there’s plenty to choose from! Whatever you choose, we look forward to meeting you!
Update for Friday, April 14th
Dear Church family and friends,
A joint breakfast before a service sounds like a wonderful thing to do more often – but it involves a lot of work! We would like to take the opportunity to thank all those who made last week’s Easter Breakfast possible, whether you provided food; emptied the bins more times than you can count; wiped tables or vacuumed floors at the end. Without your help it simply would not have been the success that it was! Thank you!
This isn’t the last breakfast we’ll be having, though. In fact, the next Men’s Breakfast is next Saturday (22nd) at 9:30am in the same place we met for Easter breakfast. All you need to do is e-mail office@ibc-giessen.org to tell us that you are coming and what you plan on bringing with you.
The ladies are not being left out either: their next get together takes place on Saturday 6th May – further details to come!
As for this Sunday, we will be meeting at the regular time of 11am in the Chapel. No breakfast beforehand, but maybe you would like to stick around after the service for a while to catch up with other people attending? For those unable to make it, we of course have our livestream (e-mail office@ibc-giessen.org for a link), which may well look different this time round. Please bear with us as there has been a change in technology at the FTH…
We look forward to spending Sunday morning with you however you wish to join us. Have a blessed weekend!
Update for Easter Monday, April 10th
Dear Church family and friends,
He is risen – He is risen indeed! That doesn’t just go for the Easter Sunday that we have just celebrated, but also for every day that we live. The empty tomb means that our Saviour lives and is a living hope. At Christmas we celebrate that He is ‘with us’ and at Easter we can add the word ‘always’ to the end of that sentence. Even death cannot stop Him! To listen to what Pastor Buddy had to say on what Easter means for our day-to-day lives, please click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0LD2ecsizk
This week at IBC Giessen, YABS will be continuing their study of the book Matthew in their groups on Tuesday evening at 7pm. You can find out who meets where by e-mailing yabs@ibc-giessen.org
Wednesdays at 8am provides an opportunity to gather together in the FTH Prayer Room and pray over a variety of different topics and concerns.
In the evening, the Mid-Week Bible Study will resume over on Zoom, this week we’ll be focussing on Epaphroditus who is found toward the end of the first half of the book of Philippians. To find out why he’s worth having a Bible Study session on, please e-mail office@ibc-giessen.org for a link to the meeting and join us at 7pm on Wednesday.
We hope that you have had a wonderful Easter weekend, being with family, friends, or even enjoying a few moments of peace and reflection. If you are still lucky enough to have Easter holidays, or even some time off of work, we pray that you can enjoy the time away from the usual routine. Be blessed!
Update for Good Friday, April 7th
Dear Church family and friends,
There on that Beautiful Terrible Cross, the cruellest creation of Man, a King was sent to His death. A King who had not sought power or had an egotistic plan, but One who had His people in His heart and on His mind. We reflected on His death during our Maundy Thursday service, and you can watch the sermonette delivered by Pastor Buddy during that evening, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8Sf4JJNzUo
Eventually His body was removed from the cross and taken to a grave. A stone was rolled in front of it and sealed in place, to prevent His followers from entering and stealing their Lord’s body and claiming it as an act of God. Nevertheless, a show of the Lord’s power occurred, a miracle happened – the stone had rolled away and the tomb was found empty. He lives! Death had been defeated! Hallelujah!
Come and celebrate this with us on Sunday morning, starting with breakfast at 9am. If you haven’t put your name on the sign-up sheet, you still have a little time to tell us that you’re attending as well as how many you are bringing with you and what you are bringing to the table: just use the e-mail address below! There will of course, be a service starting at 11am, with (another) performance from the Easter choir. Our livestream will be up and running for this service, so if you are unable to make to the FTH, you can be part of our online congregation by e-mailing office@ibc-giessen.org for a link.
For the first time this year, the Children’s Easter Egg hunt will be held after the service. If you have children, do stick around for the fun! So that the children have something to search for, we are still happily receiving donations of individually wrapped Easter eggs and treats. Don’t worry if you are a child looking to participate, but have left your Easter basket or bag at home: the Church will provide one for you.
We are looking forward to celebrating that Jesus’ victory over death, a promise fulfilled, with you on Sunday morning!
Update for Monday, April 3rd
Dear Church family and friends,
Some weeks just have a different feel to them than others.
That’s a sentiment that Jesus could agree with, particularly in the week leading up to his death. While He knew what would happen to Him, and why, that emotional build-up could not have escaped Him. As a human, there must have been a feeling of anticipation, but as the Son of God He remained obedient until the end.
The evening before He was crucified, Jesus took part in a Passover meal and told His disciples yet again what the immediate future would hold. This meal, the breaking of the bread and pouring of the wine are represented in what we know today as the Lord’s Table or Communion. We take part in it because Jesus’ command to His disciples to do so also applies to us. Usually at IBC Giessen, we include Communion as part of our service on the first Sunday of the month – or, as will be the case on Thursday 6th April, on Maundy Thursday (Gründonnerstag). There will be a service at 7pm in the evening to commemorate Christ’s death for us, with a special performance from the Easter choir. If you are unable to join us at the FTH, you may wish to gather some juice and bread wherever you may be and join us via the livestream – please e-mail office@ibc-giessen.org for a link.
On Good Friday (7th April) there will not be any form of service at the IBC Giessen, and our mid-week Bible Study on the book of Philippians will not be taking place either. Instead, perhaps you would like to listen to Pastor Buddy’s sermon from this Sunday (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlRHpbm1OL8), or consider the suggestion he makes at the end of it: reflect on Mark 10 verse 45, having substituted the word ‘many’ for ‘me’.
“Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as ransom for many [me]” Mark 10:45
In regards to YABS on Tuesday evening, at the time of writing it is unclear what will be happening. If you are interested with meeting with other Young Adults from our Church this week, we suggest that you e-mail yabs@ibc-giessen.org for more details.
Looking forward to Sunday already, we would like to remind you once more of our Easter Breakfast and the Children’s Easter Egg Hunt after the service. Don’t worry if you haven’t put your name on the list for Easter Breakfast! You can still e-mail office@ibc-giessen.org if you are planning on attending. If you have a specific dish you wish to bring then you can include that in your e-mail too, or you can ask whether there are any items missing from the list.
As for the Easter Egg Hunt, we are still accepting offers of individually wrapped Easter eggs and sweeties. Please bring them with you on Sunday!
We look forward to spending this Easter season with you – see you on Maundy Thursday at 7pm!