Here are scenes from:

• the Nathanael Kirche, Cologne

On June 23, some of the leaders of the IBC church Cologne met with the pastor and leaders of the Nathanael Reformierte Kirche in Cologne to work out the details of an agreement for us to begin meeting in this church facility on Sundays and Wednesdays. Then Sunday, July 6, the IBC church voted to enter into a contract with the Nathanael Kirche to lease their facilities for a meeting place starting the first of September. On Friday, July 11, church leaders of the IBC church met with the pastor and a representative of the Weinberg Gemeinde where the church has been meeting over the past several years. We worked out a lease termination agreement with this congregation, notifiying them officially of our intent to vacate the building at the end of August. The lease of the new facility will cut in half the cost of leasing a meeting place for the church; we will pay the Nathanael Kirche 500,-- € monthly for the use of their facilities, which are much nicer and larger than the present meeting place.

The first Sunday that Rev. and Mrs. Calvin Hogue will begin a four month interim will be the first Suday that the church will meet in the new facilities. God has systematically put things together for the advancement of the church. Both of these occasions represent gigantic steps forward in the renewal and growth of the IBC church.

Supply preachers have been arranged for the three Sundays in August after we return to NC on the 14th and before the arrival of Calvin and Betty Ann. Dr. Jimmy Martin, IBC general secretary, will preach August 17; Dr. David Packer, pastor of IBC Düsseldorf, on August 24; and Rev. Kurt Steinhart, retired German Baptist missionary on August 31. Step by step we are re-affirming our commitments to be an active member of both the International Baptist Convention and the German Baptist Union.

Nathanael Kirche in Cologne

Prayer requests: '

1. That we can gradually reclaim most of the former members, almost a 100 people total, who have left the church over the past five or six years out of dissatisfaction with the way things were being done. A growing number have indicated interest in returning to the church once they see that the past troubles are indeed in the past and aren't going to plague the church in the coming days.
2. For Calvin and Betty Ann Hogue, the founding pastor of the church, as they finish up an interim in Stockton California and begin finalizing plans to return to Cologne to begin an interim here the first Sunday of September. God is miraculously making financial provisions to pave the way for their return until Claire and I return in January to begin as regular pastor of the church. They will be here from Sept. 4 to Dec. 30, serving the church.
3. That the mission team from the Virginia Baptist Mission Board, who will be with us August 4-11, will have safe traveling and a productive week helping us create greater awareness of the IBC church throughout the Cologne Bonn metropolitan area. We have numerous outreach activities planned, along with some sight-seeing activities to introduce them to a city whose beginnings reach back in history to 57 BCE.
4. That the church can quickly recover from a devasting loss of funds over the past few years and regain solid financial footing to be free to expand its ministries to the people of Cologne. Significant progress has already been made, but much more remains to be achieved.
5. That the process of our obtaining the German Visum (visa) for permanent residency here will go smoothly and without delays. Much, much paper work is involved in setting up health insurance, residency status etc.

Good news on the apartment search. Claire and I signed a three year lease on an apartment yesterday afternoon to begin August 1. We also have arranged to have the telephone and internet connection with netcologne.de in place when we move in during the last week of July. Picture will follow once we get moved in. The internet/telephone cost here is about a third of that which Time-Warner Road Runner charges in NC, and is a faster connection.

Our permanent address in Germany from August on will be Aachenerstra. 128, D 50389 Wesseling, Germany. Just as soon as we have established the telephone number we will post that as well. The Hogues will live in the apartment during their stay here until the end of December. In our move to Germany at the beginning of January, this will become our home. The three bedroom apartment is being renovated and everything is scheduled to be ready for us no later than July 21, and possibly a few days before that. Gradually we're discovering that living costs here are relatively similar to living in a US city such as Charlotte. Housing costs are comparable, but food etc. oftentimes seems less expensive. Bargains and sales galore exist here, if one takes the time to seek them out. Claire has already begun shopping smart in the stores here. She continually amazes me with the bargains that she hunts out in various stores here.

God continues to bless the ministry here. Please include us in your prayers regularly as we continue to help the church re-organize and position itself for growth and outreach. Much progress has already been made, but so much more yet remains.

Lorin & Claire

Please note a correction to our German home telephone number; it was incorrectly listed at the beginning.

IBC - International Baptist Church Cologne  
Pastor Lorin Cranford
Postfach 800518 
D - 51005 Koeln


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