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january, 2021
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In remembrance: Helena
01-04-2019 14-01-2020
Helena first came to The Garden when she was only 12 weeks old, July 2019. A few weeks later she stopped drinking and many medical examinations pointed out that Helena had an autoimmune disease. From The Garden a prayer and help appgroup formed, during her period of time in the hospital. Joost and Hedwig were able to ask for prayer and practical help, like a meal train. In October things went worse quite quickly and at the end of December Helena was really struggling. At January 14th she went home to be with her heavenly father.
Through the grief and sadness of Joost and Hedwig we, as a church, witnessed how pure and rock-solid their faith in God is – which kept them upright. We are so thankful that they want to share their testimony with us:
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A short meditation by Joost & Hedwig Nearly a year ago our little girl went home to be with her heavenly Father. She has ‘passed on from her suffering.’ What a relief for her! Helena had an autoimmune disease which prevented her brain from developing. This caused many epileptic insults. We said goodbye when she was 9,5 months old. It was a difficult period of time for us to see her suffering daily. But it was in that time of suffering that God was very near. The saying, ‘God is close to the brokenhearted’, became a reality for us. Another one-liner is, ‘Pain is God’s megaphone’. In all the pain of the suffering and loss, God was so close. So comforting, healing and strengthening. Maybe it sounds strange, but we would rather be sorrowful with God than that our lives would just flow onward with less reason to come to God for every need. If something precious is taken out of your life it is as if a number of strings that have been holding you to the earth are cut loose. And that is a part of what faith in Jesus entails: laying your own life down everyday and choosing for God instead. This was also printed on Helena’s funeral card: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” from Philippians 1:21. Our goal is not life on this earth, but eternal life with God. We do not blame God at all and we are thankful that in this difficult period we could see how being a church looks in practice. We were well taken care of! During the pregnancy I (Hedwig) thought of the text from Romans 15:13: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” That text really spoke to me when I was looking forward to Helena’s birth. Now we look further: to the future when we can meet God and see Helena again. |
Online services
Almost every week there is an online service on live.icthegarden.com. Tune in at 11:00 AM to watch the service together!
We also have an archive of all past services of the last months, check it out here.
Freedom in Christ course
The Freedom in Christ course has started! A the end of November the Home Groups had their first sessions. It’s amazing that so many members participate! We pray for everyone for a deepening in their personal relationship with the Lord and for spiritual breakthroughs. We are thankful for what God is doing in our midst and how we can grow in our faith, together.
Aren’t you yet part of a Home Group? Contact us! Also if you are not able to participate in the course. It is possible to form a temporary group with others who also aren’t participating.
Home Groups
In The Garden we do life together in home groups. In the Home Groups we do bible studies and support one another. As our church grows we we believe home groups are essential to strengthen one another and build each other up. We encourage you to meet each other in safe circumstances with 1,5 meter of distance between people at all times.
Join an (online) Home Group! Also if you’re never been part of a group before. Now is the chance to sign up. Our Home Groups will welcome you with open arms, to also be online represented and be church together. You can e-mail to info@icthegarden.com to sign up and check out the overview of Home Groups.
Testimonies
We love to share your testimony of how you respond to COVID-19 and/ or what freedom in Christ means to you. We want to share this on social media as an encouragement for each other.
If you want to participate, please send us your picture (like examples) and a short devotional and bible text which appeals to you in this season. Mail to info@icthegarden.com
Also: check out our Instagram Feed on the Homepage. Or click on the photo to visit us on Instagram directly.
ANBI status
Great news; IC The Garden has the ANBI status. This means that every offering to The Garden by bank transfer is eligible for tax deduction! This works retroactively too, so offers to The Garden made last year can be taken into account with your tax declaration for 2020.
If you’d like to give, which we’d greatly appreciate, then use the following bank account number: NL20INGB0008291996, in the name of International Church The Garden.
“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” – 2 Corinthians 9:7
Praying & fasting
We invite you to pray with us! We believe in the power of fasting and prayer, that’s why we organize prayer and praise emetings on Special Sundays. During those meetings we pray for the whole cogregation. There is also a prayer group (bi-lingual) which meets twice a month on Friday mornings.
Let’s pray together for:
– pray for our government, for wisdom in decision making concerning Corona / Covid-19
– pray for our country and the world; mercy and healing and protection for the most vulnerable people
– pray that people find Jesus
– pray for healing for the sick
– pray that we may experience peace and no fear
– pray for Gods providence for every need, financially and emotionally
– pray for wisdom to lead this ‘online church’ community
Do you need prayer, for yourself or somebody else? Send an e-mail to info@icthegarden.com.
