LIGHT
The American Protestant Church's vision of how we can best serve others and the Lord.
Our basic vision is that together we want to become a light for Christ in the city of Bonn. As a church family, God has given us so many wonderful things that we want to share with others around us. Therefore, we developed ministry teams representing the APC's five basic purposes. These purposes are captured in the acronym of "LIGHT".
L - Love one another. (Fellowship) Jesus said that others would know that we are his followers by how we love each other (John 13:34-35). The Fellowship team works to develop opportunities for the congregation to enjoy fellowship with one another, such as the weekly coffees and special events throughout the year. Special events include an annual all-Church retreat, Thanksgiving meal celebration and barbeque for the nearby fireworks "Rhein in Flammen". APC also supports a men’s ministry and a women’s fellowship.
I - Invite others to join us. (Evangelism) The word evangelism can be summed up in the words "inviting others". We've been given a wonderful "feast" at the APC, and we need to invite our friends and neighbors to come and join us (Matt. 22:9). In the past, this team has run Alpha courses and organized our involvement in the city events of International Day and Münsterplatzfest. The Pastor also invites newcomers to his home for lunch 3-4 times per year for them to learn more about the life of the APC.
G - God at the center of all that we do. (Worship) Learning to worship God through Christ by the Holy Spirit must be at the center of who we are as a church (Rev. 7:17). Emphasis here is both on individual and congregational times of worship. In addition to the four musical groups which regularly lead the worship (see worship above), we also have an international children’s choir. Special worship services include a children’s musical Christmas presentation in Advent, a special "African Sunday" and "Youth Sunday".
The Prayer Team organizes a prayer service on the First Friday of each month and a prayer gathering on the Third Thursday of each month. Additionally, this team prays for individuals during communion and after our morning worship services.
H - Help one another. (Service/Missions) Our desire is to help others less fortunate than ourselves in our congregation, in Bonn and throughout the world. "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10). The Missions team organizes our support for over 15 projects through giving, a food closet and a Pastoral Care Team (PCT). Our policy at the church is to give 12% of our income towards missions. In the past year, all of our giving to our missions came from fundraising projects which have included, an International Charity Fashion Show, a charity art exhibit, an APC calendar, concerts and a "grass-roots" effort called the Mustard Seed program where individuals each developed their own projects. The PCT helps take care of the needs of the congregation. The PCT also runs a Marriage course to help meet this significant need in the international community, and the PCT led the teaching at our last Church Retreat.
T - Teach and equip each other for life. (Teaching) Our purpose here is that we can become stronger disciples of Christ, and that we can provide teaching that will help ourselves and others face the daily questions of life (John 6:68). The teaching team involves discipleship in three major areas: the weekly children’s program, adult educations specials (which in the past have included Bible and topical studies as well as half-day workshops on tithing and evangelism) and home groups (currently we have three active groups).
The APC also works together with local and regional interdenominational organizations to further spread the Word of the Lord. Those we are members of and work most closely with are the Evanglical Alliance (EA) of Bonn, the Working Group of Christian Churches (ACK), and the Association of International Churches in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (AICEMEA)


