Timeline
On-Going
Status
Currently Operating
Topics
Church Planting, Discipleship, Evangelism, Gospel Music, Leadership Development
The Need
Although 95% of people in Poland would identify themselves as Roman Catholic, many have never heard that God wants a personal relationship with them.
Evangelicals - those who believe and preach a grace and relationship based salvation as opposed to a rules or works-based salvation - are often viewed as a cult.
They are suspicious. They are insane.
They are shunned.
This means evangelism in Poland requires unique creativity, persistence and boldness.
Description
Gospel Joy Workshops and Evangelism is one solution to this challenge. It creatively uses people's interest in Gospel Music in Poland to explain the reason for the existence of the songs: the author's relationship with Jesus.
The popularity of Gospel Music in Poland is growing. Hundreds of non-believers come - and even pay for - the Gospel Joy Workshops.
They want to listen to and sing this popular and dynamic music.
Gospel Joy Workshops
The Gospel Joy Workshops are high octane full-weekend events where a Gospel Music Instructor and a Polish Choir Director teach participants Gospel songs in English.
To the workshop attendees, the Gospel Music Instructor is something like a rockstar, due to the popularity of the music. He or she has a unique platform to talk about his or her relationship with Jesus because of this status.
The workshops include time for the meaning of the songs to be explained.
The explanation of the heart-felt Gospel lyrics is the Gospel itself. The very existence of this music provides a joyful example of what having a relationship with Jesus can be like.
But they also get to see this joy when they connect with the staff, volunteers or previous attendees who are discovering Jesus. There's lots of connecting and relationship building that happens throughout the weekend.
Connections and relationships are built during the Workshop weekends.
The workshop participants display a positive reaction to the explanations of the songs as they truly want to know what they are singing about. Some are even surprised to find that the Gospel message can be interesting and relevant. One participant shared,
“I was touched. If we had worship like this in my church, ...I would be there everyday.”
Another said,
“The interpretations of the songs made me think a lot. Because of what I heard yesterday at the workshops, I woke up this morning, thanked God that He was caring for me throughout the night, and asked for His blessing on my day.”
A Gospel Joy Gospel Music Concert.
The workshop concludes with a final concert in which the participants present the music they have just learned to a packed auditorium of family and friends.
The good news that Jesus, the Son of God, pursues and desires a relationship with us is also given at the concerts.
A full house hears that they can have a relationship with Jesus at the final performance concert for a Gospel Joy Workshop.
Gospel Joy puts on workshops in multiple cities around Poland throughout the year.
Word Zone Bible Groups
What is wonderful about this particular method of outreach is that it does not leave a group of new believers alone after the workshop. Being invited to a local Evangelical church might cause these newborn believers to be instantly ostracized within their community.
Instead, loving follow-up is conducted in a natural setting in two ways.
1. Future Workshops.
Newborn believers are invited to attend future workshops so they can build relationships with the believers there.
2. Word Zone Bible Groups.
All participants have the opportunity to sign up for these after the final concert.
Word Zones meet in the non-threatening environment of people's homes.
Amazing Results
This method is EXPLODING.
You can read Basia's story, Joanna's story, Karolina's story and Anna's story. That's just the tip of the iceberg. So many have come to Christ and been discipled!
There are now multiple thriving Word Zone groups!
Men in Action
Men in Action launched in 2015, after the Gospel Joy leadership realized that the ratio of women to men in the Word Zones was tipped in favor of the women.
That meant many who desired to marry, weren't finding godly partners to raise Jesus-centered families with.
Men in Action takes its cues from the success of the Gospel Joy Workshops and targets the initial outreach for men with fun, attractive, adrenaline high, friendship-based events.
Then the men can join a discipleship group or an evangelism group, depending on where they are in their journey. These groups will focus on:
1) Spiritual growth - preparing men to lead in their families and the church.
2) Multiplication - constantly identifying and equipping new leaders.
Worship time at one of the Men in Action events.
Goals
- Provide 20,000 non-believers a chance to hear the gospel each year.
- Disciple new believers and see them create disciples of their own.
- Equip Polish religious leaders to use Gospel Music as a tool to build God's Kingdom.
- Establish Bible home groups in places where Gospel Joy performs and ministers.
- Establish a network of groups of people (choirs) with whom Gospel Joy will work closely for one year.
- Establish a network of 50 kids choirs from all of Poland.
Needs
- Prayer support.
- Guest artists who can instruct the workshops.
- A vehicle for transportation of equipment and staff.
- Groups of believers to blend with the non-believers at the workshop.
- Financial support. The cost of the project over the next five years totals about $220,000 USD. We need organizations and people like you to respond to meet this need. Will you please consider partnering with us to help spread the Gospel of Christ to Poland in this wonderfully creative way?
Who’s Involved
- ITMI to provide US exposure and oversight.
- ITMI European Director Piotr Zaremba and the 5N Church in Poznan to provide additional oversight.
- Pronovis Foundation.
- Avant Poland, Warsztaty Gospel, Perimeter Church, Atlanta, GA.
- Andrew Gorski, Director of Gospel Joy Workshops and Choir
Andrew originally realized the opportunity to share Christ with others through the workshops because of his sister's passionate interest in this genre of music. When he saw its popularity in Poland, he immediately sprang into action, creating this wonderful strategy to help draw men and women into personal relationships with Jesus. A visionary, Andrew never stops thinking of new ways Gospel Joy can reach more and more people with this message.