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| Office / Guest Room |
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| Office / Guest Room |
We have received delivery of our final pieces of furniture, a wardrobe, sleeper-sofa and book shelf unit for the office/guest room, and are pretty well settled into our apartment. We still have to get some stuff on the walls, but most things are in place. We have really come to like living in the city in an apartment. I sometimes think that it was good to make a drastic break from our lives in Wisconsin - from a 4 bedroom house on 5 acres in the country to a four-room apartment in the city. The fact that it is so drastically different helps in some way. We take long walks almost every day to some new or familiar part of the city. We try to find spots where International people will congregate...like McDonald's or Starbucks. We picked up an English Language newspaper recently, and we take it with us to the restaurant. We will either read articles to each other, or to ourselves, or sometimes just leave the paper on the table in plain view so people can see that we are English speakers. We listen for couples talking at the counter in English, or a parent talking to their child, and then engage them, or ask them to join us if they would like. It is great fun.
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| Consulate Event |
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| Consulate Event |
We attended a couple of social events last week. One was an American Citizen Information Night at the US Consulate in Frankfurt. It was an interesting experience. Held in a room that was about the size of a small school gymnasium, the room was lined with a double ring of tables which had various displays set up on them. There were representatives from government agencies like Social Security and the IRS. There were also booths to help with voting from overseas, passport issues, etc. Then there were tables for English-speaking churches in the area. We were able to put up a display, along with two other Frankfurt-area IBC churches. We were next to an Anglican church table, and shared our table with a Lutheran church. Other social groups had displays up as well - Ski clubs, bicycle groups, etc.
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| Kontakt Darmstadt Group |
But then we found a group called "Kontakt Darmstadt" - it is a "German American Friendship Outreach." We had never heard of this group, but you can imagine how our interest was raised! We introduced ourselves and got information about joining them. They meet twice a month at the McDonalds just a mile south of our apartment, and they have social events at least once a month - like a hike in the woods, or a visit to a castle in the area. We are very excited to be part of the group!
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| InterNations Event |
The second event, later that same night, was an "After 5" social hour at a local club in Frankfurt, This event was organized and hosted by InterNations, a global, web-based social organization that gathers global travelers for support, community and education. The event was expected to draw about 400 people from all over the globe to the club that evening. In just a few minutes, Carol and I met people from Germany, England, Italy, Brasil, Argentina and the US. And, of course, the language of the evening was English! Carol spotted a gentleman who was standing off to one side alone, so we went over and introduced ourselevs. He was also at his first InterNations event. He introduced us to his girlfriend. a Brazilian woman, and she and Carol began talking about her trip to Brazil in 1978. As I talked with Falk, he asked where we were from - turns out he had been an exchange student in Milwaukee back in the 90's. When he asked me why we were in Germany, and I shared about our International English-language church planting work, he was very excited. He told me about a time of Spiritual renewal that he was experiencing. At one point, he said, "I feel that it was destined that we talk tonight!" I share that feeling.
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| InterNations Event |
InterNations is a International Church Planter's dream! What a target-rich environment! Young (mostly in their 20s or 30s), expats and international business people looking for some way to develop friendships and support networks...HMMM - may be we should be part of that!!!
The work on the church here is going really well. God has blessed us with a wonderful group of people who are excited to see a new church in Darmstadt. Each week it seems a new face joins the group. We spent last night in Bible study of the second half of the first chapter of Acts. The early church was Constantly in Prayer (vs 14) and Humble before the Sovereign Lord (vs 24&25). A great pattern for all of us.
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| Lilya (their daughter) |
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| Eric & Natalka |
We have laid out a plan for the New Year. Of course, God is ultimately in control. Our plans are subject to His will and His timetable. He may accelerate things, or slow things down based on what he knows is best for the growth of His body...after all It is He who is building His church...we are just along to walk the journey and witness His work unfold before us. But we are also called to faithfully do our part. "Who among you would build a tower without first considering the cost?"
Here's the outline for 2012 that we have placed before the Lord:
January
- Multiply current group into two groups, each meeting weekly in homes for Bible study.
- Invite people to Bible studies – believers and “pre-Christians” who are interested in studying the Bible.
- Initiate weekly or biweekly planning & prayer meetings separate from Bible studies for those from the group who are interested in being part of the church planting effort. “Planning Team”
February – March
- Expand the small groups – at least double the number of people in each group, multiplying into 3rd and 4thgroups as able.
- Solidify and grow the “Planning Team” to 40 people. This team will become the "Launch Team."
- Initiate “Preview Period.” (Private worship events to begin monthly, then bi-weekly.)
- Set up systems (i.e., Assimilation, Small Groups, Children’s care & ministry, etc.)
April – May
- Initiate “Private Worship” weekly – personal invitation only - no marketing.
- Establish ministry teams, train personnel, refine systems, work out the "kinks."
June – August Summer
- Continued "Private Worship" together weekly.
- Small groups multiplying
- Planning for Launch.
September - October
- PUBLIC LAUNCH
- Outreach to campuses, city center, focusing on international population centers through various media,
- Assimilation of new people into Small Groups - continued multiplication of groups.
Please pray for us as we seek the Lord and trust Him with this plan, and with our efforts to connect and reach out to the community each day.
