Welcome back to all who have been away

While our (rather hot) summer is still lingering and we begin to see early signs of autumn (“Fall”, for Americans!), we are very aware of the fact that a new school year is upon us. With the new year and end-of-summer it also feels as if the church is getting back to some “normality” – if there is even such a thing as a “normal” church! It’s great to enjoy the warm weather, holidays and travelling, but life does need to go on and get back in some sort of routine.

Welcome back to all who have been away, making use of all the opportunities offered by summer-time in Europe. We also would like to welcome all the newcomers to our city. We thank the Lord for giving us the opportunity to be your family away from home.

Many expats pass through Bratislava – and more are coming with all the developments taking place and big companies opening operations (offices, factories) in and around our city. Please be on the look-out for newcomers and invite them to join us as we serve the Lord together as a family of believers.

On Sunday, 10^th September, we are offering a unique and new opportunity to invite newcomers to an afternoon/evening of fun, fellowship, snacks, games and also a talk about what it means to live and work in Bratislava. This is your opportunity to reach out and participate in extending the Kingdom of God in our city.

Thank you for being our family-away-from-home. We pray for our church and for you as members on a regular basis.

Summer 2017

Summer is here in full swing with beautiful days, lovely sunshine and ideal weather to fully enjoy life outside, do some travelling and visiting new places. I hope that you are making the most of all your opportunities to enjoy this great gift from God.

As much as many of our members are travelling, we also are on the receiving end of people visiting our city. It’s wonderful to meet people at church who either just arrived or who are simply passing through. I am especially encouraged by the fact that people make time to find a place of worship when they are travelling, visiting or arrive to stay for a while. As people “stop by” it gives us an opportunity to reach out to them with God’s love. It’s great to see our members engage with visitors – something I want to encourage us to continue to do. In this way we not only share the love of Christ with them, but also provide visitors and newcomers with the “family-away-from-home”, so much needed when we are away from our home countries. Our church has a reputation of being warm and friendly. Let’s keep it that way!

During the month of August many new people will arrive in Bratislava in preparation for the new school year or to come to work on a contract basis. Let us keep our eyes and ears open to see those who are new, and who are open to be invited to come to church. If you have a new colleague or neighbour, bear in mind that they are in need of friendship and may be very open to discuss issues of faith with you. We are also planning to have an event for newcomers early in September to which you can invite them to come.

As you continue to enjoy the summer weather, please remember what we learned from Jesus about the Christian Way in the Sermon on the Mount. May He help us to live in such a way that our lives will attract others to Him.

With much love and prayer for you

Gerhard & Joan