Here is a letter from one of the leaders of the trip explaining where and what we will be doing? He also gives us the spiritual climate of those places.
I’m typing this at 30,000 feet with the recognition that I’ll be conversing with most of you at the same altitude in just a couple days. As you pack your bags and enlist support from your prayer warriors, I want to give you a quick peek at how this excursion is mapped out. Additionally, I’d like to give you an insider’s look into the potential impact your 10-day investment of time, energy, and talent for the Kingdom of God.
For those of you ADD readers, here’s the synopsis: pack light, come “filled” and ready to pour out, stay flexible, and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. We will hit it hard on the front end and then have an evening and full day at the end of the trip to unwind, relax, and sightsee in Prague. Your hard travel schedule yields a powerful impact on the historical development of the Church of God in this part of the world.
Central Europe is a pioneer Missions field. I probably should have put that in bold and underlined. Most, if not all, the locations where Tony has led these conferences have been where the church is developed. You traveled together, went to a central location for the Conference, and pretty much stayed there together for the duration. Heads up- this will not be that. This is mainly due to the stage the church is in that you are ministering to. (Note: I’ll be available for any blame or abuse this change inspires, DO NOT inflict this upon Brother Tony)
Just eleven years ago, there were no registered Church of God churches in Central Europe. Today there are nearly 50 and most of these have been planted during this time. Those that joined the Church of God come from a wide diversity of backgrounds and God has knit us together. Few, if any, of the leaders you meet will be familiar with the “who’s who” in the Church of God, but I’m confident that you will see a strong resemblance to our forefathers and you may be surprised at how readily you identify with their ministry model- the COG DNA is there. Big THANK YOU to Tony for all his hard work in putting this team and Conference together for our Region.
Ok, let’s take a walk through our week:
Day 1, Wednesday: The city we will land in, Prague, is the atheistic capital of the European continent. We will travel the same day to Poland, which has less Evangelical Christians per capita than Saudi Arabia. (I wanted to share a few “glamorous” facts first, because there won’t be anything else glamorous about this first day. Hopefully my charm will win you over by the end of the week- but I’m resigned to the fact that you will not like me on day one.)
Within hours of landing in Prague, we’ll all be onboard a train bound for Katowice, Poland. Yes, I’m killing you the first day. The good news? This is a comfortable, high speed train you can rest on and we get there by 6:30pm- in time for a nice meal and a good night’s rest.
Day 2, Thursday: Team A will be staying in Katowice to minister in the local church there. The pastor, Arek Biczak has done a tremendous work with very little- your visit and ministry will be a great empowerment of he and his leadership team. Team B will take a morning train to Wroclaw to minister in the church there- we will arrive about noon and the training will start in the evening. Both of these churches are vibrant, strong, key churches for our national movement in Poland. Team B- I will be traveling with you to a strong church whose pastor is bringing this church into the Church of God. He has been a good friend for years and is with us, but had opposition from former elders in bringing his independent church into the Church of God. Your ministry in this church will be a powerful expression of the benefit of being a part of a larger church family and help him in generating momentum and excitement about the change. This visit and your ministry in this church is HUGELY important for our work in Poland and the Region- literally could result in this church joining the Church of God very shortly after.
Day 3, Friday: Team B- we will leave early from Wroclaw and travel through Katowice to pick up Team A at the train station and continue on together to Ostrava where our host pastor has arranged transportation to our hotel. We will have enough time to check-in, change, and head to the Conference site. The band will set up, and prior to the official beginning of the Conference we will meet with Czech pastors- this will be a time of encouraging lead pastors specifically. We will then kick off the Conference.
Day 4, Saturday: This is Conference day with breakout sessions and worship galore (thanks Steven’s Creek). At the conclusion of the Conference, we will again break up in teams and head out with respective pastors back to their cities in preparation for Sunday (Palm Sunday- which you’ll want to reference)
Day 5, Sunday: Preach, teach and be merry for in the evening we all ride to Prague. Your pastoral hosts will get you to the train station with those farthest away getting on earlier and then others jumping on the same train as it passes through their city on the way to Prague. We all arrive together about 6:30pm for a relaxing dinner, fellowship, and a good nights sleep in a comfy hotel.
Day 6, Monday: Free day in Prague. Unwind and enjoy. As one who lived 7 ½ yrs. In the city, I’ll give you the royal tour.
Day 7, Tuesday: Depart early for the US.
And there you are, safely back at home from a true Missions adventure, wondering how you got conned into such a whirlwind of activity…and then the faces of the pioneers you impacted start to fill your mind. Something moves deep within and you realize you actually enjoyed it with a joy that came from the heart of God. The phone rings and you hear yourself say, “wherever it is Tony, sign me up.”
See you soon,
Jonathan Augustine
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