Dear Church family and friends,
Anyone who has taught or learnt might be able to confirm this: a smaller class size makes a difference to the relationship between teacher and student. A larger class means that the teacher may not be able to get to know the individual that well, and the student can benefit from this by hiding in the background, especially if it is a subject they are not too interested in. One-on-one teaching, or that which takes place in a smaller group, makes the learning more personal – and the connection between teacher and student stronger. When it comes to assessment without a teacher, the likelihood that one would like to succeed for the teacher’s sake is higher. A good instructor, however, will seek to reassure and comfort, encouraging the student that they can achieve even without the teacher’s presence. This is where we find Jesus and His disciples in John 14 : 18 – 21, which is what Pastor Lucas preached on, on Sunday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anoiV7J7C1w.
Our internet connection on Sunday wasn’t as good as we hoped, meaning that there were lots of breaks in the transmission of our livestream. We are very sorry for all the disturbances – but are also very thankful that it didn’t seem to affect the recording of the sermon!
This week in Church…
Praying Moms will meet online to pray together tomorrow (Tuesday 24th) at 7:30pm. Next week’s Zoom gathering is on Monday 2nd March at 9:30am.
Young Adults’ Bible Study (YABS) meets on Tuesday evenings at 7pm. More information can be found in the WhatsApp group or by asking Pastor Johannes, Mona or Oliver. Another way you can get in touch is by writing to yabs@ibc-giessen.org.
Mid-Week Bible Study is also an online only event, but it takes place on Wednesday evening at 7pm. They have been looking at the kings of Israel, and all newcomers are welcome, even if you have missed prior sessions.
Men’s Breakfast is on Saturday – which is not only the fourth Saturday of the month, but also the last day in February! Starting at 9:30am, the men will join together for a time of food and fellowship at the Kitchen in the Campus für Christus buildings. We’d be thankful if anyone planning on attending could drop us a line to the e-mail address given below so that we may have an idea of numbers.
Worship Service will take place at the usual time of 11am on Sunday in the Chapel Room at the FTH. The new month begins on a Sunday, so we will be celebrating the Lord’s Table together. If you are unable to make it but would still like to feel part of the congregation, we encourage you to gather some bread and juice before clicking on our link to the livestream.
For a full list of all upcoming events at IBC Giessen, please take a look at the Church Calendar on our website: https://www.ibc-giessen.org/calendar/. If you require a link to our livestream or any other online activity we have coming up this week, please e-mail office@ibc-giessen.org.
Coming Up…
In a previous Church announcement we teased the return of King’s Daughters. Since then a more solid plan has formed: the women are doing breakfast too. Remaining on the second Saturday of the month, the ladies will meet instead at 9:30am in the Campus für Christus buildings and share a morning meal together. With February now at an end, the first date for this is Saturday 14th March. For more information, please drop a note in the King’s Daughters WhatsApp group or write to the e-mail address given above and we’ll forward it on.
Looking even further ahead, we wanted to give a few details about our Easter events. On Maundy Thursday (2nd April), we will hold a service commemorating the sacrifice that our Lord made for us through Christ’s death on the cross. On Easter Sunday (5th) we will celebrate the promise that He kept – he did not remain in the grave, but arose! Before the service, we will have breakfast together in the Student Kitchen of the FTH. There will be sign-up sheets for that at the back of the Church soon, so that we can ensure there’s enough for everybody!
The first signs of spring are cropping up wherever you look – temperatures are rising, snow drops are flowering and there’s gardening paraphernalia in most supermarkets. It is a sign that there is light at the end of the tunnel of winter. We pray that it provides you with renewed energy this week, and that His blessings can bloom in abundance for you this week!