Update for Monday, October 30th
Dear Church family and friends,
Why do you go to Church on Sunday? Is it something you look forward to, or a place you go to just to please someone else’s wishes? We see again that sometimes our intentions and attitudes are perhaps not those that God hopes for…
Larry Norman set himself the large task of convincing Sunday’s congregation that going to Church – and moreover hearing the Bible – is a slice of heaven on earth. To listen to his line of thinking, and see how he got on, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7vW5AgdBps.
This Week in Church…
Young Adult Bible Study (YABS) will be meeting on Tuesday at 7pm. To find out more about the group and where they meet, please write to yabs@ibc-giessen.org
The Mid-Week Meet-Up on Wednesday evening at 7pm via Zoom. During these sessions the group will be looking at prayer, and its presence in The Bible. As it is such a vital element of our faith, there will of course be a time of prayer as well as study. To get a link to the meeting, please e-mail office@ibc-giessen.org
After our service on Sunday, we will be having a Pot-Luck lunch! Sadly, those watching the livestream won’t be able to join us for the meal afterward – but we are looking forward to seeing lots of familiar faces! Of course, such a large gathering requires lots of works – and lots of tables! Johannes is therefore looking for members of a set-up team on Saturday afternoon/evening, as well as people to muscle in with clean up once we’re finished on Sunday. Is that you? Then either get in touch with Johannes or write to office@ibc-giessen.org. That e-mail address is also the one to use to tell us what dish you plan on bringing with you; or asking for the livestream link, should you need it .
The beginning of November means that Christmas is coming soon…
… but before we get to December, there’s one more King’s Daughters event coming up. On Saturday 11th November, the ladies plan on doing some hiking! Meeting at the FTH at 1pm, the group will travel on to a parking lot near the Kloster Schiffenberg, where they’ll enjoy an afternoon of walking, reading the Bible and fellowship. Contact Sung or office@ibc-giessen.org if you are a lady and that piques your interest!
The Women will be enjoying their annual Christmas Brunch on the second weekend of Advent this year. On Saturday 9th December at 10am, the Student kitchen at the FTH will once again be decorated beautifully, and the room filled with the smell of Christmassy breakfast food, as well as the sounds of singing and chatting. If you’re a woman, you won’t want to miss it! To sign up, there will be a sheet of paper at Church, just as you enter the room on Sunday morning… or write to office@ibc-giessen.org, whichever’s easier!
New for this year is the Children’s Nativity that will take place during the service on Sunday 10th December. Do you have a child who is at least 4 years old who would like to take part? Rehearsals are at 10am every Sunday until show day. For more information please talk to Jule or Caro as soon as possible – or as usual, write to office@ibc-giessen.org and we will forward the message on.
Our Christmas choir is still looking for singers! Get in touch with Simone (simone.mueller@bot2.bio.uni-giessen.de) and she will give you all the relevant information. The performance will be on 17th December (3rd Advent Sunday) 2023 during the service.
That’s a lot of information! The festive season does that though, doesn’t it? If it’s not the organising of your family’s celebrations, it’s attending parties, concerts or other events – and then trying to wrap things up nicely at your place of work! It can all get a bit overwhelming. We hope and pray that you can find God’s peace and guidance in these times and maybe our Sunday services can be a rest-point in otherwise chaotic and hectic week.
Let’s not forget to set aside some time to pray, too – especially for the ongoing situation in Israel.
Have a blessed week!
Update for Monday, October 23rd
Dear Church family and friends,
We could all do with a Herbstferien (autumn holiday) following the technical difficulties that we experienced on Sunday; but that particular privilege seems to be only for the children – and those blessed enough to have time off – to enjoy. The result of these issues is that there is no recording of the sermon that Johannes had given.
This Week in Church…
Young Adult Bible Study (YABS) will be meeting on Tuesday at 7pm. To find out more about the group and where they meet, please write to yabs@ibc-giessen.org
The Mid-Week Meet-Up on Wednesday evening at 7pm via Zoom. Last week, a new Bible study topic was introduced which will go through until 2nd December. Don’t feel that you have to have attended since the start, though – Johannes, Lucas and the rest of the group look forward to seeing you there to join the discussion on prayer at any time.
Gentlemen, it’s your turn for breakfast again this coming Saturday (28th) at 9:30am in the Student kitchen at the FTH. So get yourselves organised and e-mail office@ibc-giessen.org telling us you are going to be there – and what you will bring with you!
On Sunday morning we will be welcoming Larry Norman back to IBC Giessen. He will be bringing God’s Word to us during the service, which will start at the regular time of 11am. If you are unable to get to the FTH for that time, you are more than welcome to join in via the livestream.
For links to our Zoom meetings or livestreams, please e-mail office@ibc-giessen.org.
Keep in mind…
… that the clocks go back an hour on Sunday morning. Supposedly, this change allows us to enjoy more daylight hours as the colder, darker months approach. It’s most immediate effect, however, is that we all get an extra hour on Sunday morning. Remember: service starts at 11am!
We will be having a pot-luck on 5th November! A big Church meal like this is only successful if everyone works together: so we’re looking for helpers. Could you spare some time on Saturday 4th, setting things up, or perhaps you’re available to pitch in with the clear up afterward on Sunday? Either way, get in contact with Johannes, or e-mail office@ibc-giessen.org. Please also use that e-mail address to tell us what dish you will be bringing with you!
Our Christmas choir is still looking for singers! Get in touch with Simone (simone.mueller@bot2.bio.uni-giessen.de) and she will give you all the relevant information. The performance will be on 17th December (3rd Advent Sunday) 2023 during the service.
Let us continue to bring the situations in Israel and Ukraine to the Throne of Grace.
May our faithful, loving Father bless you this week.
Update for Monday, October 16th
Dear Church family and friends,
When one thinks of Church usually one thinks of a preacher standing at a pulpit or lectern giving a sermon, like Pastor Buddy did on Sunday (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jFvwM3VY0g). In IBC Giessen a lot of Church also seems to take place in the kitchen, as we will see in this update…
This Week in Church…
As it’s the beginning of the semester, YABS are meeting as one big group on Tuesday evening at 7pm. There will be food, chat, singing and Bible in the Student Kitchen of the FTH. For more information, or if you’re new and would like to register an interest in attending, please e-mail yabs@ibc-giessen.org
The Mid-Week Meet-Up on Wednesday evening at 7pm via Zoom.
Sunday morning at 11am we will be holding our regular worship service. If you are unable to get to the FTH for that time, you are more than welcome to join in via the livestream.
For links to either of the last two events, please e-mail office@ibc-giessen.org.
Very soon at IBC Giessen…
If you have been paying particular attention to the announcements during this Sunday’s service, you may have noticed that the date for the Men’s Breakfast has changed to keep in line with the “4th Saturday of the month” rule. Previously announced was the 21st; the 28th October at 9:30am in the Student Kitchen is correct. So gentlemen, get planning – who will turn up with what?
After the success of the King’s Daughters gathering last weekend, they are now aiming for a regular meeting on the second Saturday of every month. Ladies, there will be more information on the November event in the next updates!
On the subject of November – and another event being held in the Student Kitchen – we are pleased to invite everyone in the Church family to our next Pot-Luck! It will be held after the service on 5th November, which is in a little over two weeks’ time. To make it extra special and slightly more stress-free, Johannes is looking for some willing volunteers to help set-up the day before, as well as help with clean-up once it’s all finished on Sunday. If you can get stuck in with that, please get in contact with Johannes. Otherwise, we look forward to your contributions to what is always a very magnificent feast!
If you would like to attend any of these events, please write to us at office@ibc-giessen.org with the event name in the subject line and, if applicable, what you are planning on bringing with you in the main text of the e-mail.
Christmas is coming…
… and Simone is still looking for choir members. The repertoire has been chosen and the performance date has been set: (3rd Advent Sunday) 17th December 2023. It’s not too late to let Simone know you would like to join by writing to her at simone.mueller@bot2.bio.uni-giessen.de.
May our faithful, loving Father bless you this week.
Update for Monday, October 9th
Dear Church family and friends,
It’s Monday evening, time for another Church update!
If you missed Pastor Buddy’s sermon from Sunday, then here is your chance to listen to it. For those who regularly catch-up on our YouTube channel, or watch via the livestream, you may notice that the angle of the camera has changed: this is because it’s a new camera! As a result, the quality of image and audio have both improved enormously!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3UeG1VB08w
This Week in Church…
YABS meets on Tuesday evening at 7pm. To find out who’s meeting where, please e-mail yabs@ibc-giessen.org
The Mid-Week Meet-Up on Wednesday evening at 7pm via Zoom.
On Saturday (14th) at 2pm, there will be a ‘King’s Daughters’ event for the IBC Ladies. The first in a series of women’s events, the group will be focussing on inspiring female figures in the Bible, as well as spending time in prayer together, singing, and having fellowship with one another along with tea, coffee and cake. If you are a woman and would like to join the group at the FTH student kitchen for the afternoon, then please e-mail office@ibc-giessen.org. Contributions of cakes and snacks are always welcome, as well as anyone who would like to get involved with organising future meet-ups.
Sunday morning at 11am we will be holding our regular worship service. If you are unable to get to the FTH for that time, you are more than welcome to join in via the livestream:
Christmas is coming…
… and we’d love to have a Christmas Choir again this year! With a performance date of the 3rd Advent Sunday (17th December 2023), we are looking for singers to lend their voices. Please let Simone know as soon as possible if you would like to join in, so that she can get planning!.
For a while now, one of the prayer requests on the presentation during our services has been for Israel and the Gaza Strip. With the outbreak of heavier attacks and renewed violent conflict, our pleas to God for peace in this area have never been more urgent or more necessary. We must continue to pray for all countries in which war is being waged; in which people are trying to assert their power by military or aggressive. Similarly, we must always be assured that God is always more powerful and that He always intends for peace to reign.
If you have any questions about what’s going on at IBC Giessen, need links to Zoom meetings, or have any prayer/praise items or suggestions as to how we can improve communication, don’t be afraid to write to us at office@ibc-giessen.org.
Have a blessed week!
Update for Monday, October 2nd
Dear Church family and friends,
Yesterday morning Christoph did it – he mentioned Christmas. Now we’re in October, we should start considering planning for the end of the year, even if it does still seem some way away. It’s always there before you know it! Before Christmas is mentioned again in this update though, we would like to remind you of the Bank Holiday that takes place tomorrow, Tuesday 3rd October. It too is a time for reflection and remembering what was – two different halves of Germany – as well as being thankful and looking at what is, and what might be in the future. It feels particularly relevant considering that there are some elections coming up this Sunday (8th).
Perhaps you have some time during the week to listen (again) to Lucas’ sermon from yesterday’s service. Here’s the link to do so: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHYiEDqp3DY
This Week in Church…
YABS meets on Tuesday evening at 7pm. To find out who’s meeting where, please e-mail yabs@ibc-giessen.org
The Mid-Week Meet-Up on Wednesday evening at 7pm via Zoom. To get a link to the meeting, please e-mail office@ibc-giessen.org.
Sunday morning at 11am we will be holding our regular worship service. If you are unable to get to the FTH for that time, you are more than welcome to join in via the livestream.
Next week in Church…
On Saturday 14th, there will be a ‘King’s Daughters’ event for the IBC Ladies. It will be a time of tea, coffee, cake and getting to know one another. If you are a woman and would like to enjoy a time of fellowship and fun with other ladies, then this is the event for you!
Christmas is coming…
… and we’d love to have a Christmas Choir again this year! With a performance date of the 3rd Advent Sunday (17th December 2023), we are looking for singers to lend their voices. Please let Simone know as soon as possible if you would like to join in, so that she can get planning!
If you have any questions about what’s going on at IBC Giessen, would like a link to Sunday’s livestream, or more information on joining the Christmas choir, then the address to write to is office@ibc-giessen.org.
Have a blessed week!