Darmstadt, Germany
Converge International Fellowship Turns 10
On 9 October, our church family had the great joy of celebrating our 10th anniversary. Birthdays and anniversaries are times of reflection, and this was no different for our church. We looked back at the last 10 years and were able to praise God for His faithfulness over the last decade, in fact, over the previous two decades!
Twenty years ago, God began to work in the hearts of a few people. He grew in them a vision to see a church planted to meet the gospel needs of the many English-speaking ex-pats now calling the broader Darmstadt area home.
For 10 years, God moved people into place, and He prepared the ground in Darmstadt so that this vision could become a reality. In 2012 Bob and Carol Marsh, along with those whose hearts God had been preparing, celebrated as they officially welcomed the birth of this new church; Converge International Fellowship was finally here!
The decade that followed indeed had bumps but overwhelmingly true is the reality that the bumps were small compared to the many blessings poured out on Converge as God provided. For 10 years, we have had a growing relationship with our host church (EFG Darmstadt), who graciously opened their doors so we could use their facilities. God has brought a steady stream of people through the doors for 10 years. For 10 years, God has provided financially. For 10 years, God has equipped His church to be an effective gospel witness to our local community.
On reflection, we could stop and praise because God has indeed been faithful to our church.
But anniversaries are not only a time of reflection. They are also times of contemplation as we look forward to the future. This anniversary celebration offered to Converge the opportunity to do just that — as we reminded ourselves that the vision and mission of the past remain true of us as we head into the future. We are a church that holds to “Knowing Jesus – Making Him Known – To Every Nation.”
As we head into the years ahead, we can continue to praise God because we know that He will continue to equip His church for the gospel, kingdom-building mission He has placed before us. What a joy to know that as we build, we do so with His help and equipping.
Chris Horn
