International Baptist Church of Zürich

Ogólne informacje

In September 1987, an English language worship service was being held regularly on Sunday evenings in the chapel of the International Baptist Theological Seminary in Rüschlikon. This service was led by two American missionary families who were associated with the seminary: Charles and Bobie Cottle and Wes and Jean Miller. At the same time, the German-speaking Rüschlikon Baptist Church was holding bilingual Sunday morning services in the seminary chapel. Noting the growing attendance at the Sunday evening services, the team believed the time had come to establish an English-speaking church. A place to meet was found in Wädenswil, at the Hotel Engel, and a small group began worshiping there on Sunday mornings. On December 13, 1987 the Lake Zürich Baptist Church was established with 18 members. Ben Leslie, a student at the Rüschlikon seminary, served as pastor. A highlight of 1988 was the church's January move into the Evangelical Methodist Church building, on Rosenbergstrasse in Wädenswil. The Methodist service concluded at 10 AM, which gave several members of the English-speaking congregation an opportunity to meet for choir practice. For the next few years, the International Baptist Church became known for its special music program since they were fortunate to have many opera singers in the congregation. The service began at 11 o’clock, followed by a Bible Study for adults. This schedule was typical as long as the church met in Wädenswil. In April of 1989, the church name...