Dear Friends,
It is with joy that I share with you an update about our English-speaking, church-planting work Frankfurt Presbyterian Church, which, by the Lord’s grace, has experienced modest growth over the past two years and is slowly but surely taking root in Offenbach. Though we come from very different backgrounds, what unites us is our faith in Jesus Christ, our Prince of Peace, who reconciles us to God and to our neighbors.
Baptisms
When Alex moved to the Hessian metropolis as a student, he soon longed for a church community. Though raised in a Christian environment, he had distanced himself from churches for some time. At that time churchgoers seemed hypocritical to him. After visiting various congregations in Frankfurt, Alex came to us and immediately felt at home. No more hypocrites—just brothers and fellow pilgrims who hear the gospel together every Sunday and regularly enjoy fellowship with the saints. After almost two years, he was baptized in faith, confessing Jesus Christ as his Redeemer who has reconciled him with God and with others.
When Rodolpho first visited, he came with his wife, Ana. She was a Christian; he was not. Since Ana works as an intensive care nurse and often cannot attend Sunday worship because of night shifts, we assumed we would not see Rodolpho every week. But to our surprise, he came on his own! He said it was the message about Christ and the friendly people from around the world peacefully gathering for prayer and fellowship that he looked forward to each week. Far from his homeland of Brazil, this gave him strength after a long week of German classes and work.
After a year I asked him in the church garden whether I was clear in my sermons and if he personally embraced the gospel—the good news. He responded that he had grown up in Brazil as an agnostic, always believing Jesus was just a man. But now he believed Jesus truly is the Son of God and trusted in His saving work. Yet he hesitated about baptism, wanting to understand more first. So I had the joy of meeting with Rodolpho over several weeks for baptism preparation, discussing not only baptism but also the ordo salutis through Scripture and our Reformed confessions. All this gave him courage. Please pray that baptism may continually remind him and Ana of their identity and belonging to Christ, like a wedding ring, until He calls them home.
A Newcomer
For my forty-fifth birthday, my family gave me permission to take a two-day trip by bus and train to the Zugspitze. On Sunday evening I packed my daypack with a tent and headed for Frankfurt Central Station. After a seventy-minute delay, I finally set off via Würzburg, Nuremberg, Munich, and Garmisch to a campsite near Lake Eibsee. But because of the delay, I got stranded in Nuremberg between 2:00 and 6:00 a.m.!
I then experienced what it is like to sleep on a train station bench—which is to say, I barely slept. I met a student from Brazil studying at TU Darmstadt. He told me about arriving in Germany and his bad experience with a fundamentalist church in Brazil. The next day we hiked around Lake Eibsee and even managed to reach a quarter of the Zugspitze—without the cable car—before returning to Frankfurt and saying goodbye. This young man now attends our church every Sunday, and we are happy that he feels at home among us.
This small birthday trip reminded me again how precious it is to have a roof over one’s head, food and drink, fellow human beings and, of course, God who provides for us.
Children Are a Gift from God
Children are always a special topic. I come from a country with the world’s lowest birth rate: South Korea. That is why I find it so wonderful that two babies are currently on the way in our little congregation. Every child is a gift from God. Please pray for healthy and safe deliveries. Also, pray for all families who desire children but are struggling or waiting—that their joy in the Lord may be their strength.
International Presbyterian Visit
Word is spreading about us—even beyond Offenbach and Frankfurt—all the way to Sheffield,
England! Last year, we had the privilege of hosting a special guest: Dr. Rev. Kevin Bidwell, pastor of Sheffield Presbyterian Church. He had asked if he could visit to learn more about our ministry. He spent much time with the families of our growing congregation. On Sunday, Dr. Bidwell preached from Romans on “Faith Alone,” strengthening the church. He thanked us for a refreshing time in Offenbach and Frankfurt and promised to report to the Trinity Presbytery and pray for us regularly. He called the Frankfurt Presbyterian Church an exciting and developing ministry with great potential in the Presbyterian world and prayed that we would continue to walk in faith with wisdom and care. In this, we feel confirmed that our work is not in vain.
Gratitude
We are grateful for all our partners’ interest, donations, and prayers. We are especially grateful for our supporting churches in South Korea who, under difficult circumstances, have never given up praying for us since the beginning of our church plant in 2017. We also thank God for Pastor Ludwig Schneider-Trotier and the session of the church in whose building we meet for their generous hospitality and for giving us a new space as our home. All this helps us fulfill the Great Commission of our Lord—to go and make disciples, baptize them, and teach them all we have learned from Christ until the end of the world (Matt 28:19–20).
The Power of Prayer
Please partner with us in prayer as we desire to start a midweek English-speaking prayer group—that this may be approved by our building host and that people would come to pray with us. Please also pray that we would reach more people in Frankfurt-Offenbach with the gospel of Jesus Christ. May the Lord richly bless us and fill us with His love and unity!
You can find more information about us on our website.
Warm Regards,
Pastor Jiwon Park
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Jiwon Park
Jiwon Park is a native of Frankfurt-Rhine-Main. Having a love for Reformed theology, he pursued theological studies at the university of Potchefstroom (BaTh and LTh) and received his MDiv from Westminster Seminary in Escondido, CA. Currently he is planting a confessional Reformed church in Frankfurt, Germany.
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