Poland
Evangelicals make up just a half of 1% of Poland’s population.
That means Evangelical churches face constant shortages of manpower, discipleship resources and finances - to name a few.
But despite all of this, the K5N church in Poznan, Poland, though small in number by American standards, has been a powerhouse of sacrifice and faithfulness.
Many of its members are unusually eager to shoulder the cost of outreaches and give their time and energy to see their friends and neighbors learn of the saving work of Jesus Christ.
In short, they are sold-out for Jesus and the life and work of their church as it follows the Great Commission together, led by a man of gentle passion that fuels a remarkable tenacity. That man is ITMI partner, Piotr Zaremba.
For this body of believers under his pastoral care, last month’s celebration of the baptism of new believers was a sweet reward for their relentless service.
Piotr’s church does baptismal services on a regular basis, but the one last month was particularly special because it was the first in the church’s new meeting location.
For years, the congregation had met in an old movie theater, but for quite some time now, Piotr has known they needed to move in the near future. When the Coronavirus forced everything to close, Piotr’s church, too, had to begin conducting services online.
Seeing his people’s need, the pastor and teacher sprang into action, producing sermons online that were viewed by many more than just the regular attenders of his church.
Piotr also produced 120 daily devotional videos specifically addressing Coronavirus topics and questions from a Biblical perspective, two weekly live question and answer sessions online in addition to moving his translation, pastoral and seminary teaching duties online.
His church covered the cost of production and equipment needed, while stretching to also provide assistance for at least a few of the members who found themselves in need due to the pandemic.
Even with all he was doing to bring God’s Word to his people, Piotr was able to find his church a new meeting place.
What Piotr would really like us to pray with him about is that the Lord will provide a meeting place of their own. Perhaps the Lord will provide the opportunity to build one, or better yet, purchase something already built.
But for the moment, Piotr is excited about this one because it will allow them to grow past what they could have in the movie theater. The rent is quite a bit higher for the new location, but it was the best deal among the few rooms of that size available in Poznan.
As they grow, this may be less of a challenge, but at the moment, resources are stretched, and this church could use some help from it’s brothers and sisters.
As the smiles graced the faces of the new believers waiting for immersion, there were two things to celebrate: His divine provision of a meeting place and the spreading gift of Salvation.
These men and women of the highest quality of character and leadership aren’t doing it for virtue’s sake. They are doing it because they are passionate. Passionate about Jesus, passionate about his mission, and deeply dedicated to seeing people in their spheres come to know Jesus as their Savior and Lord.
Other Stories in This Series
A dull, numb feeling wrapped around Sarah (name changed for privacy) like a dark cocoon. She was attending a hygiene and virus suppression seminar in her community, put on by ITMI’s Lazarus Yezinai and his team. But…
For a go-getter like Taru Kumar, whose feet grass wouldn’t dare grow under, being forced to close their ministry center in Modi Road Muslim slum by the government due to concerns of COVID-19 was not ideal….
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Steve Evers has advocated for and served the ITMI partners as ITMI Director since 2001. Approximately once a year, Steve visits with ITMI partners in their countries and brings stories back to encourage supporters. Steve enjoys photography and mechanics (both hobbies that have greatly benefited ITMI partners!) Prior to becoming ITMI’s Director, Steve served on […]
Get Weekly Updates from the Field!
Subscribe to our email updates