Update for Monday, July 31st
Dear Church family and friends,
There’s no sign of us slowing down for summer this week…
Following last week’s short-noticed cancellation, Mid-Week Bible Study is back in action this Wednesday (2nd) at 7pm. This will be the second to last session in the series on the book of Philippians, but it isn’t too late to join! Just e-mail office@ibc-giessen.org for a Zoom link and grab your Bible.
Young Adults’ Bible Study will also be taking place as usual this week, on Tuesday evening at 7pm. For more information on what they’ll be doing where, please write to yabs@ibc-giessen.org. To find out more about anything else going on at IBC Giessen – including the Prayer Meeting that takes place at the FTH at 7:30am on Wednesday morning – office@ibc-giessen.org is the address you need.
Then there’s the weekend – but before we get there, you can remind yourselves of Pastor Buddy’s sermon from the last Sunday in July, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt8FOWUSSXk.
This coming Saturday (5th), a trip to the Burgerhaus in Wieseck is required if you would like to watch the musical being put on by the Adonia Juniors. ‘David wird König’ starts at 4pm and entrance is free!
Then, on Sunday (6th), it is celebration time as one of our congregation publicly declares their faith in the Lord – otherwise known as Baptism. Anyone who has visited IBC Giessen will be aware that we do not have our own Baptism pool, so we need to go elsewhere. After the morning service, we will be meeting up at the Wissmarer See for this extra service. To make it a real celebration, it would be great if anyone joining us would bring some snacks and cakes for afterwards!
While the weather may not feel like it, it is August tomorrow (Tuesday) – and we are looking forward to all that this month has in store for us!
Have a great start to the new month!
Update for Friday, July 28th
Dear Church family and friends,
August is just a couple of days away, so it is a good time to remind you of some events that will be happening very soon:
Burgerhaus Wieseck will be hosting the Adonia Juniors in their performance of ‘David wird König’ on Saturday 5th. Entry is free, with a start time of 4pm. The day after that, on Sunday 6th, we will be having a Baptismal service in addition to our morning service at the FTH. For the later service, we will be heading out to the Wissmarer See. If you would like to be baptised or have any questions regarding baptism and the service, please get in touch with Pastor Buddy or e-mail office@ibc-giessen.org.
Lastly, in two weeks’ time – Friday 11th August – there will be a Worship Night at 7pm in the Chapel Room of the FTH. It’ll be a brilliant time of lifting our voices together in praise and worship to the God who blesses us daily!
As for this Sunday, we will meet as usual at 11am both in-person and online via our zoom livestream (e-mail above address for a link). In the second instalment of his delve into Matthew 19:30 – 20:16, Pastor Buddy will be looking at what role envy plays in the text, as well as our day-to-day lives.
We are looking to make some more progress on our photo wall. If you don’t know what that is, when you arrive at IBC Giessen on a Sunday morning, on your right leaning against the window is a display with people’s portraits pegged to a line that goes across a board – but it is by no means complete! Miri will be around with her camera after the service this week, so if you would like to be part of the photo wall make sure to find her and have your photo taken!
August is full of routine changes – you might be covering someone’s workload while they are on holiday; you might be getting things ready to go on vacation yourself, or you may now be seeing the consequences of the schools finished for the (academic) year. May God give you strength as you navigate your way around these differences, and peace if it threatens to become overwhelming.
Have a blessed last few days of July!
Update for Wednesday, July 26th
Dear Church family and friends,
We are very sorry to give such short notice, but we have to cancel this week’s Mid-Week Bible Study. This is due to an internet outage, and is a situation beyond our control.
With the expectation that everything should be resolved by next week, you could use this evening to read Philippians 4:14-18 in preparation.
Apologies for the short notice – have a blessed evening!
Update for Monday, July 24th
Dear Church family and friends,
Pastor Buddy references a piece of recent history in this week’s sermon, in that it is a passage that he had already preached on last year, albeit from a different perspective (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9o-AaYHhc0). This newest look at Matthew 19:30 – 20 : 16 is also a two-part series, so be sure to be part of the congregation this Sunday (30th) to hear its conclusion.
Our video from this week (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07yq4QjTD9M) has a few audio blips and is a touch on the quiet side – please remember to turn your speakers back down again once you’ve finished listening!
There is another Big YABS this week! It will take place on the usual Young Adults’ Bible Study day and time of Tuesday at 7pm. If you would like to join in, please write to yabs@ibc-giessen.org. They will share a buffet dinner together, so all contributions to that are welcome – as are any newcomers or friends.
Wednesday starts with a Morning Prayer Meeting at 7:30am in the Prayer Room of the FTH, and finishes with Mid-Week Bible Study at 7pm in the evening via Zoom. For more information on either of those groups, or a link to the Bible Study, please write to office@ibc-giessen.org.
We pray that you have a blessed last full week of July!
Update for Saturday, July 22nd
Dear Church family and friends,
It would be wrong to complain about the weather. While it isn’t particularly fair that the temperature has cooled and the rain has started just in time for the children’s summer holidays, at least we have had some relief from the hotter, drier weather. We will continue to pray for the same for those in southern Europe, where the heat has been more extreme and life has become more difficult because of it.
On Sunday, Pastor Buddy will start another two-part series, this time preaching from the book of Matthew. If you would like to hear what he has to say, do join us for our service at 11am in the FTH or online. You can get a link to our livestream by writing to the e-mail address below.
In two weeks, it will be another busy weekend. The Adonia Juniors will perform their “David wird König” musical in Wieseck on Saturday 5th August, and on Sunday 6th we will have our Baptism service. If you have an interest in being baptised, or would like to find out more about the concept of baptism, please talk to Pastor Buddy or write to office@ibc-giessen.org.
Have a blessed weekend!
Update for Monday, July 17th
Dear Church family and friends,
Projects – life seems to be full of them. Some are never-ending, like cooking and cleaning, and others are over before you know it. There are mundane projects, such as ironing or filing your taxes, and there are fun projects that seem special because they are so different to what you do in day-to-day life. In this last week before the summer holidays, schools have ‘project days’ which give the children the opportunity to do and learn something other than normal subjects: learning things beyond an academic level.
Here at IBC Giessen we have our own – slower paced – project. You may have noticed that the YouTube channel we have been directing you to has changed: we now have our own! Here, we have also created a playlist of the Philippians series Pastor Johannes has been preaching (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLevqjirL-fLNtkB-dugOHTsLq-QDJqz2C) which includes his most recent sermon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75M5izp4dSs). There will be more changes to come across our website and other platforms, but it will take a while. We’ll keep you informed!
Starting at the end of the week for this week’s Church announcement – the men have their own project to work on this coming Saturday (22nd July): to meet together, share life and eat as much breakfast food as possible. This will take place at 9:30am in the student kitchen, and if you’re a gentleman willing to help with this task, please write to office@ibc-giessen.org telling us what work material (food) you will bring with you.
That e-mail address is also the one to write to if you would like any information on Wednesday morning’s Prayer Meeting – which takes place at 7:30am in the Prayer Room at the FTH – or if you would like to join us in the evening (7pm) via Zoom. Any questions about baptism or anything else regarding Church life at the IBC can also be directed to that address too.
On Tuesday (tomorrow) evening the young adults will meet again in their smaller groups. To find out where they are meeting, and what they will be doing, yabs@ibc-giessen.org is your place to ask.
Whatever you are working on this week – whether you’ve only just begun or you are right in the thick of it – may it bring you joy and God glory. We will pray for your project’s success!
Update for Friday, July 14th
Dear Church family and friends,
Sometimes in these Church announcements we have to admit that things haven’t gone to plan. Not everything can go ‘our way’, and that’s fine. We dust ourselves down and trust that God has better knowledge of our lives than we do. The fact that Pastor Johannes is preaching this Sunday, though, has been on the calendar for a while – it just so happens to be that Pastor Buddy isn’t feeling that great. This, however, is a good reminder to pray for those who are not feeling well, whether it’s a longstanding illness or temporary, especially in these warmer days.
If you are feeling unwell, or are otherwise unable to make it at 11am on Sunday morning, then you are more than welcome to join our livestream.
Aside from that, we would like to again point out that there will a performance of ‘David wird König’ given by the Adonia Juniors on Saturday 5th August; and the day after we will be having a Baptism Service after our regular service. For more information on those two items, a link to Sunday’s livestream, or any other further questions, please get in touch with us via office@ibc-giessen.org.
Have a blessed weekend!
Update for Wednesday, July 12th
Good morning,
We are sorry to say that this evening’s Mid-Week Bible Study has been cancelled due to ill health. Please pray for Pastor Buddy and Kathy as they recover.
Stay safe, cool and hydrated, and have a great rest of the week. Be blessed!
Update for Monday, July 10th
Dear Church family and friends,
What a scorcher yesterday’s Church BBQ was! Even Pastor Buddy had to change into more weather-appropriate clothes before tucking in. You can see his original outfit – and listen to his sermon – here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvV47M1yEUA.
In spite of the heat there was a great turn-out, with plenty of delicious salads and desserts for everyone. Thanks, of course, go to the creators of all the culinary contributions, as well as Harri and Marcello for manning the barbecue. Thank you also to Kathy and her team of servers, sorters and cleaners who made sure that everything was set-up and tidied away efficiently. It just goes to show what we can achieve if we all work together!
Now that the Church BBQ’s finished, what’s next?
Well, there are all the weekly activities; Young Adults’ Bible Study on Tuesday at 7pm (yabs@ibc-giessen.org); Prayer Meeting at 7:30am on Wednesday, and Mid-Week Bible Study on Zoom on Wednesday evening at 7pm. For the link to the evening Bible Study, or more information on either of the Wednesday meet-ups, please write to office@ibc-giessen.org.
The men will have their next breakfast on Saturday 22nd July at 9:30am in the student kitchen – where the food was laid out yesterday after the service. If you are planning on coming, please register using the e-mail address above and include what you are bringing with you in your e-mail.
Going into August, there are three events that take place within a week-or-so of one another. The first isn’t organised by IBC Giessen, but we encourage you attend nevertheless: the Adonia musical ‘David wird König’. We have mentioned it in previous announcements, but now it’s getting closer (5th August), a reminder is always a good idea.
The day after that, on the 6th August, we will be having a Baptismal Service in the Wissmarer See after our regular service at 11am. If you have an interest in being baptised, or would like to know more about what baptism means, please talk to Pastor Buddy or get in contact with office@ibc-giessen.org.
Five days after that, on Friday (11th August), our next Worship Night takes place! So don’t think that the Church BBQ was the last chance to have an extended fellowship together – if you’ve missed one event, there’s always another around the corner.
Be blessed!
Update for Friday, July 7th
Dear Church family and friends,
Thank you to everyone who has replied to e-mails or written their names on lists regarding our Church BBQ this Sunday. The weather looks like it will be perfect, which just makes us look forward to it even more. If you plan on coming and have only just decided what to bring with you, don’t forget to write to us! office@ibc-giessen.org is, as always, the address to write to.
Before we all eat together, we will join together in worship. Our service will take place at the usual time of 11am, and of course we have the livestream for those who cannot attend (write to the e-mail address above for a link!). For those attending both the service and BBQ, please bring your dishes and desserts to the student kitchen; there is limited fridge and cooling space, but we’ll see what we can do.
Don’t forget to come hungry – for both His Word and for the food to be served afterwards! See you on Sunday!
Update for Monday, July 3rd
Dear Church family and friends,
What a busy service it was yesterday – we even said a temporary goodbye to the family whose baby we dedicated to the Lord! But it was otherwise one full of joy and family.
Even in his sermon, Pastor Buddy had talked about family and specifically what makes Church a different, special, type of family (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nGxRJOlrQo). He made a rather good observation too: that sat in our seats on a Sunday morning there isn’t much room for fellowship – which is why we meet afterward, as well as during the week!
Tuesday evenings are for the young adults – although there is no strict age-range – to meet together, listen to His Word, pray for and encourage one another. They meet as several smaller groups dotted around Giessen, all starting at 7pm. To find out which one is closest to you, please write to yabs@ibc-giessen.org.
Wednesdays are for everybody, whether you are a morning person or an evening person. At 7:30am in the Prayer Room of the FTH, a group meets to do exactly what you might expect in that room: pray. A mid-week boost with others and with God – don’t we all need that?
In the evening, again at 7pm, there will be our regular Mid-Week Bible Study via zoom. This is a chance to go deeper in the Scriptures, learning and sharing with others on the way. If you would like to participate, please e-mail office@ibc-giessen.org for a link.
Let’s not forget the Church BBQ that will happen after the service this coming Sunday (9th). Sausages, bread rolls and drinks are provided – we need you to do the rest! So that we have an idea of numbers, please could you write to the e-mail address above, telling us how many people you will be bringing with you, and, if you have an idea already, what you will contribute to the sides and desserts buffet?
‘Doing life together’ is what Church family is all about, and how are you supposed to do that if you don’t have the opportunity to connect with people? We look forward to seeing you at one of our weekly gatherings, as well as next Sunday at the service and barbecue!