ICF International Newsletter Nr. 12/2009

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Heartbeat from Leo & Susanna Bigger

Dear ICF

The Santa Reloaded tour is already almost over. What remains are hundreds of people who maybe entered a church for the first time and who were touched by the music, the love which can be felt among all of us and the message, that God loves them. As of January we are going to offer an Alphalive course in ICF. This is a great course to invite friends to join. It has been tested over many years and is a successful instrument to bring people closer in their belief in Jesus.

We want to give a special thanks to all of you, who donated money for the download project 2010. What a wonderful chance we have to be able to make our resources accessible to other churches and in this manner enlarge the Kingdom of God. On the 3^rd of January everything will be ready to be downloaded, including the application of the I-phone and lifestreaming! We as a church are going into the year 2010 on a new level.

We wish you a merry Christmas and a blessed new year!

Yours Susanna and Leo

ICF Musical: Santa Reloaded

Sunday, 20^th Dec. 09: Musical in Zurich: Santa Reloaded

Sunday, 27^th Dec. 09: Open Topic

Sunday, 3^rd Jan. 10: Leo Bigger Vision Sunday

Radicals

The new series in January and February 2010

Sunday, 10^th Dec. 09: Radicals: Thomas – A doubter changes the world

Sunday, 17^th Dec. 09: Radicals: Perpetua – A martyr for the faith

Sunday, 24^th Jan. 10: Radicals: Augustine – A seeker becomes a church father

Sunday, 31^st Jan. 10: Radicals: Benedict of Nursia – A father for the western world

Feedback of the Santa Reloaded tour

Hi Leo and the whole muscial crew!
I can hardly put it down in words. You were a huge blessing for our church yesterday! Today I am getting feedback from people who found you every inspiring yesterday. They are starting to think about the visions they “covered up long ago” and were challenged by your ministry to go the next level.

It was not the “show” which was inspiring, but you as people. During the whole setting up I could feel that though the technician crew had not slept much they were totally with it and gave their all so that the evening would be wonderful for all the visitors. I saw people who have an enormous artistic talent, but who were not too good to use their muscles help take things down.

We could clearly see your attitude of thanks when you always had a friendly word for people though you were under extreme time pressure and you even took the time to write a “thank you card” for the helpers from Berlin. Not to forget the hundreds of hours of practice, memorizing the text, cutting excellent video sequences and reading one or the other instruction books for the highly technological light and sound desks.

I was proven that there is a God when your voices came out sounding so beautifully. You too the gift God gave you seriously, made it your calling and are developing it further.

All this effort was maybe only made for one single mother with three children who was sitting there with tears in her eyes yesterday evening. She was able to be pulled out of her miserable life for 90 minutes and go home with a hope and knowledge in her heart that God knows her situation and will bring positive changes in the near future.

I am so happy to be a part of the movement. It is an honour to work with you.

Hong Cheng! The Berliner.

I pray that God returns all you have invested in this tour manifold.

Stefan

Newcomer

Josephin is 19 years old, studies music at the conservatory in Zurich and lives in Rüti. She was baptized on the Big Day in October 2009.

In 1994 Josephin (then four years old) and her whole family moved from Dresden (EX-DDR) to Switzerland. The integration in Switzerland was very difficult for her. “I always felt like an outsider and couldn’t build up relationships.” This was not only because she already had a great interest for music and science from a very young age, but also because she had a different mentality and the financial cutbacks from home strengthened this feeling of not belonging. She was willing to pay any price to be accepted and put herself under a lot of pressure. Already at the age of 11 she started suffering from sleep disorder, fear and depression. “Pretty soon my Darwinist worldview fell apart.”

First encounter with God

A death in the close surroundings moved her parents to go to an Alphalive course. This was her chance. They gave their life to Jesus! Her mother sometimes encouraged her to read the Bible. So she read the Gospels and “right away I knew in my heart that Jesus meant me.” She still suffered from the need to work really hard and she tried to become a “perfect” Christian and put herself under a lot of pressure. “Because I couldn’t reach my goal I wanted to put an end to my life when I was 14.”

Loved, just the way I am

In the orchestra she got to know a Christian who she told her problems to. Through him and other Christians she changed her belief step by step: away from perfectionism to a life of grace!

“In June 2009 I came to ICF for the first time. My excitement about the church, the way people lived their faith and the love amongst each other started to excite my family, too. My parents and both of my brothers started coming to ICF. I don’t have to wear a mask here, I can be the way I am and I know that I am loved. God always helps me to look way from my focus on hard work and I am learning to rely on him. I want to serve him in this freedom with all that I am and have.

The Alphalive course

Discover the Christian faith!

Alphalive is a practical introduction in the Christian faith. The course participant has the possibility to be founded in the Christian faith and at the same time experience it in an unconventional way over 10 weeks and one weekend. Up to today over 11 million people in more than 165 counties have gone to an Alphalive course. Alphalive courses have been offered in local churches all over Switzerland for the last 13 years. Alphalive is open for everyone. You can also invite your VIPs to come to the course. We really look forward to having you there!

Start of the course: 27^th January 2010

End of the course: 14^th April 2010 (Every Wednesday other than week 7 and 8 because of the sports holidays)

Weekend: 13^th/14^th March 2010

Course location: ICF Zurich, Hardstr. 219, 8005 Zurich

Costs: non (an optical contribution towards expenses)

Information and registration: at the information desk or under www.icf.ch/kurse/alphalive.html

Alphalive: In case you have already gone to an Alphalive course or you would like to help out, please get in contact with alphalive@icf.ch.

Ladies House

All women are warmly invited to the Women’s Celebration on the 27^th of January 2010! Enjoy community, get to know people, get new power for everyday life, be inspired and encounter God. We look forward to you coming!

Susanna Bigger and Ladies’ House Team

Topic: “Typical God and purely Geri” with guest speaker Geri Keller

Start: 7.30pm, Food bar open from 7pm

Winterthur

The year 2009 is coming to an end. There are very many reasons to rejoice and thank God from the bottom of our hearts. One of them is the small group work in Winterthur. In the last half year we have continually been able to integrate new people in our small groups. Many small groups have been founded in this year and people have found a home. We know that in our paths with God the best is yet to come. That is why we believe that even more people will become excited to live their life as part of a community. It is a privilege to spend time with people and to share our lives with them.

Numbers in November - ICF Winterthur

Budget income: 10,000.-

Actual income: 15,351.-

Budget expense: 9,000.-

Actual expense: 26,842.- (including investment due to reconstruction)

Rapperswil

ICF Rappi in the mood of advent

To enter into the advent mood we took Zurich’s idea and also went into the streets of the city of Rapperswil dressed as “Santas”. 20 Santas carrying nuts, chocolates and Santa Reloaded flyers attracted the attention of many Christmas shoppers. It was a wonderful success! The atmosphere was great. The passers-by didn’t only take the chocolates, but kept on asking for the invitations for the musical Santa Reloaded. We were able to hand out 2000 flyers!

Community is really important to us! On New Year’s Eve we are going to turn on the burners and melt cheese. In a comfortable chalet and with the atmosphere of a fire place we are going to celebrate the beginning of the New Year as a whole church.

So that people find a home in ICF Rappi, Claudia Roa is starting now supporting the growing small group work and Heidi Baldinger is going to bring new ideas to the welcome bar.

At this point we would like to thank all the visitors, donators and volunteers for all that they have done. We have grown in all areas in this past year. Now we look forward to an exciting 2010 which will be full of miracles. The best is yet to come!

Numbers in November - ICF Rapperswil

Budget income: 12,500.-

Actual income: 17,126.-

Budget expense: 12,000.-

Actual expense: 8,431.-

ACTS

Blood donation campaign Successful blood donation campaign in ICF Zurich More than 110 people came to the celebration hall wanting to donate blood on the evening of the 7th of December. 96 people were allowed to donate blood and 64 of these donated for the first time! This is a record! In the city of Zurich there had never before been so many first time donators at one time. Thanks for donating!!!! This donation is badly needed, as the blood reserve is too small. Pre-information: Other blood donation campaigns are planned on the 5th of July and the 29th of November 2010 – information will follow!

Santa’s going to town

On the 5^th of December 60 ICFers dressed up as Santas went to the Limmatplatz and to Bellevue. With full motivation they handed out nuts, mandarins and flyers for the Santa Reloaded musical. The feedback they got was very positive and the participants had a great time. Thanks for volunteering!

Movement

On the last weekend of November 90 people from 6 countries and 18 cities met together in ICF Zurich. All of these people want to start an ICF in their city and came for the “Team & Start-Up Coaching”. The whole event was translated into 5 languages! A group of 10 people travelled 50 hours (one way) from 3 different town in Belarus, so they could get to know ICF. We are excited by the passion of these young people to build new churches in Europe. A special highlight was the inspiring input of “Together We Create”.

“It was just so cool to see that all these different people have the same dream on their heart. With Jesus We want to change our city!” Yonathan Mesfin – ICF Stuttgart

“We had a great time in ICF Zurich. Our team was so on fire that some people went home and shared their excitement with their friends right away and made them excited about the vision of ICF.” Arris van Duijvenboden – ICF Leiden

Numbers in November - ICF Zürich

Budget income: 320,000.-

Actual income: 356,875.-

Budget expense: 291,000.-

Actual expense: 325,514.-

Special

The amount from the extra collection “Download 2010” from the 4^th-6^th December is (On 10^th December):

Collection: 60,803.- (Zurich, Rapperswil und Winterthur)

Bank: 63,687.-

Donations for ICF Zurich

As of now ICF Zurich, Rapperswil and Winterthur, as well as the ACTS foundation have new bank arrangements. Following you will find the appropriate information:

ACTS Foundation

Payment for:

Raiffeisenbank Zürich

8001 Zürich

Clearing-No.: 81487

Account-No.: 96475.41

Postal Bank: 87-71996-7

IBAN CH91 8148 7000 0096 4754 1

SWIFT-BIC: RAIFCH22

In favour of:

ACTS Foundation

c/o ICF Zürich

Hardstr. 219

8005 Zürich

We ask all donators and supporters to only use these accounts from now on. Thank you so much!