Dear Church family and friends,
‘Freedom’, like many rights, also comes with responsibilities. Not rules as such, rather a consideration of those around you, including those who allow you such freedom. Pastor Buddy starts with example of two different dogs, before turning to his text in Matthew 21 to expand on these points: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4t1E7nLIuA
This Week in Church…
Our Young Adults meet in their smaller groups on Tuesday at 7pm. To find out what they are studying and where they are meeting, please write to yabs@ibc-giessen.org
Mid-Week Bible Study continues at 7pm on Wednesday evening in the Israel Room at the FTH. There is of course, a link to a Zoom meeting in case you can’t make it for that time. Just write to office@ibc-giessen.org and we’ll get you sorted!
The last Men’s Breakfast of 2024 takes place in the Student Kitchen this coming Saturday (23rd) at 9:30am. As always, it would be appreciated if the gentlemen planning on attending send us a short e-mail – using the address above – stating how many people they will bring with them, as well as what food or drink items they will provide for the feast
Sunday is the last Sunday in November, and the last one before Advent begins! Please do join us as we worship the Lord together through songs and the reading of His Word at 11am in the Chapel Room of the FTH. For those unable to attend, whatever the reason, a link to the livestream can be given to you upon request from the e-mail address given above.
After the service there will be a packing party for the boxes going off to the sailors, in support of Felix Henrichs‘ mission. If you are unable to gather items for a box, you can donate to the cause, by transferring money to the Church account with ‚Seafarers Christmas Box‘ in the ‚intended use‘ section of the transfer form. Each box should include a wooly hat; something delicious to eat; shampoo and shower gel in a zip-lock bag; toothbrush and toothpaste, and deodorant that a man could use. Felix will supply a tract at a later point. Of course, you are more than welcome to pack your own box at home – just don’t forget to bring it with you on Sunday morning!
December Details…
Okay, the Women’s Christmas Brunch isn’t quite December, but it’s Saturday 30th November – so it’s as close as it can be. Starting at 10am, the ladies are invited to a cosy, festive brunch together with a testimony, some singing and good company!
The children will have their traditional Birthday Party for Jesus during the service on Sunday 8th December. Here, there will be crafts, games, presents and music. Everything you’d expect when celebrating someone’s birthday! There’s no need to register your child, but if they plan on bringing friends with them, it would be nice to have an idea of how many we would be having.
In place of our Christmas Cantata, we will be having a Christmas Carol Service on the Third Advent Sunday (15th December 2024). This event has been in the announcement for some weeks now, but we are still looking for people willing to perform or request songs! After the service we will have a time of extended fellowship in the Student Kitchen. So, if you don’t feel you can contribute to the main service, perhaps providing a Christmas treat is something that you can do instead? It can be sweet or savoury, but not something that you would take to a pot-luck: definitely not something that needs to be re-heated.
On Christmas Eve (Tuesday 24th December) at 5pm, we will be having an additional service to celebrate the birth of our Lord. There will not be a Christmas Day service. As part of this evening service we will be singing songs and reflecting upon this life-changing event. Afterward we invite you to stay with us and enjoy a bring-and-share style buffet. Again, we ask for contributions which do not need re-heating, but can be enjoyed as they are, either sweet or savoury.
If you have any questions about any of these events, or would like to register for the Women’s Christmas Brunch, please write to office@ibc-giessen.org
May God bless you richly this week!