April Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Greetings to you in this Resurrection Week 2012!  He is Risen!  Hallelujah!

 

Germany, like much of the world, experienced “the year without winter.”  We had only one day with measureable snow in Darmstadt, and while there were two weeks in March that were “cold,” it was not really too bad at all – it never got below zero degrees Fahrenheit, which is how we measure cold in Wisconsin!  For many of us it was an incredibly mild winter – but it’s still great to see Spring arrive!

All around our city, there are reminders of resurrected life.  It is our first spring here – so bear with us as we gush a little.  All around the city, wild flowers have begun to pop up.  It began weeks ago, in early March, with crocus plants blooming in purple, white and yellow.  In more recent weeks, voluntary tulips have shot up next to the now-fading crocuses.  Those flowers, together with the flowering trees, shrubs and quickly greening grass, remind us of the renewal of life in Spring – and they serve as a reminder of new life in Christ.

Think about it.  On the night before He was betrayed, rejected and crucified, one of the chief thoughts on Jesus’ mind was that His disciples would forget.   He established the Lord’s Supper – Communion – Eucharist – as a reminder of His death.  He knew (of course) that as human beings, we would have a tendency to forget.  He knew that the hectic pace of life would distract us.  He knew that our memories are short – “What have you done for me lately?”  He knew that the enemy of our soul would do all he could to cause us to forget – like eggs, rabbits and chocolate.  So He established reminders…broken bread, poured out wine.  Let’s add another reminder – new life.  When you see a blossom this season, let it trigger within you a response of worship – to marvel at the new life we have in Chirst. “And you has he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins…” (Eph 2:1)

Converge International Fellowship - March, 2012

In this Spring, 2012, we continue to witness the emerging new life of Converge International Fellowship in Darmstadt.  Our LIFE Groups continue, and were highlighted by two combined meetings where we all gathered together for Bible study, prayer, worship and fellowship – it looked a lot like church!  We’ve seen more folks join the groups, and have added a tenth nation to our roster – welcome, Lebanon!  One of the highlights of one study was the reading of one verse from our Bible text in 5 languages - English, German, Korean, Romanian and Spanish.  In John 8:12. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."  How wonderful it was to hear that bold claim of Jesus read in 5 different languages of the world that He loves and came to save!

We’ve had some really great times of fellowship over the past few weeks.  Several of the women of the church organized a “Ladies Night” at our flat.  A group of the men got together at a cook out that one of the guys had previously scheduled with some of his neighbors and co-workers.  A good time to connect with each other and meet some new people. 

The Kyle Tromanhauser Family in Pompeii

The last part of March was highlighted by International Baptist Convention meetings in Sorrento, Italy.  Because the distances are so great, we tend to “bundle” our meetings, so we had a meeting of the Church Planting Ministry Team, LEAD Teams from around the world, and the IBC Leadership Conference.  It was a great period of connecting with old friends from around the globe – especially our dear friends Glenn and Susan Herschberger, who were partners with us in reaching Wisconsin, and are now serving in Panama City, Panama.  We also met some new friends, Kyle and Matilda Tromanhauser, and their two sons (at right), who are answering the call of God to plant a church in Munich.  It turns out that we were students at St. Paul Bible College with Kyle back in the 80’s!  We had a great time meeting and getting to know them.  Pray for the Tromanhauser family as they move forward in the process of coming to Germany to plant an International Church.

EFG Darmstadt

Our first “Preview Service” is scheduled for April 22.  Preview Services are times for us to gather for worship and have some “trial runs” as a group before our public launch as a church.  We will have several of these services through the summer.  We will be meeting at the Evangelisch-Freikirchliche Gemeinde Baptisten – the local German Baptist Church that is just a few blocks from our flat.  It is a beautiful facility and the leaders have been very welcoming and encouraging.  We are excited as we move to this next phase.  Please join us for a week of concentrated fasting and prayer in the week prior to that service – more details will follow as the date draws close! 

Thanks for your prayers and financial support!  Our work here is impossible without your partnership!