Dear Members and Friends of IBCZ,
First, I want to thank the Elders for writing the news articles for the past several months so I could spend more time focusing on my German studies.
Second, I invite you to prayerfully consider attending our next church camp – Nov. 1-3 in the Black Forest area of Germany. I know that is still a way off, but the venue for the camp will need to know soon how many rooms to reserve for us. Why do I emphasize this? Because this offers us such a wonderful opportunity to deepen our relationships with one another, as well as with the Lord.
The Christian faith is a relational faith. It begins with the Triune God, who is relational in His very Being as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Scripture tells us that we have been created in the image of this relational God, which means we are made for relationship. This begins, or course, with our relationship with God through Christ. Then, our faith is lived out in relationship with one another. In the soil of loving, encouraging relationships, we grow into wholeness and maturity as our faith is nurtured. In addition, when people visit a church that is marked by an authentic love for God and for one another, they will be more likely to want to join such a fellowship. This supportive fellowship is one of God’s great gifts to us as His people.
The church camp this year is for people of all ages and stations of life: young and old, single and married, with and without children. Being together for a weekend gives all of us the chance to both deepen relationships with those we already know, and begin relationships with those we have not yet had the chance to meet. We will also have times of worship and devotion to cultivate our relationship with God. So again, please prayerfully consider joining us Nov. 1-3, and register soon.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Bob