Weekly Update |   August 10, 2023

Missionary Trip to Poland

Andrey Kobzar

Peace be with you, dear brothers and sisters!

Just a few weeks ago, God allowed a group of 13 volunteers to embark on a short-term missionary trip to Poland. We visited both Torun and Warsaw. Europe differs from the US in that it is brimming with medieval history. Wherever you look, there are towns with histories spanning 500 to 800 years, and some with more than a millennium of history. Cities exude medieval architecture. One striking feature that you cannot overlook is the captivating cathedrals and churches constructed centuries ago that still stand today. You can spend hours marveling at the glory these buildings once possessed.

As you stand there, admiring these cathedrals and their architectural glory, you become even more amazed at how distant they are from true Christianity. Repeatedly during this missionary trip, I was reminded of John Piper’s book, “Let the Nations Be Glad.” Piper opens the book with these words:

“Mission is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Mission exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.”

He proceeds by stating the thesis of his book with the following words:

“So worship is the fuel and the goal of missions.”

During our three-week trip, my heart was burdened by witnessing and realizing that these magnificent buildings bring little to no glory to God. For the most part, God isn’t worshipped within these structures, nor in the lives of those residing near these grand cathedrals. My heart ached as I discovered that the statistics for evangelical believers in Europe are around 2.5% of the population (evangelicalfocus.com and evangelicalmagazine.com/article/europe-needs-the-gospel/). This sobering statistic represents real individuals: 98 out of every 100 people in Europe are not evangelical Christians. I do believe that it’s possible that there are genuine Christians who don’t label themselves as evangelicals. But that doesn’t change the ultimate reality, almost all people that I randomly ran into on this trip didn’t know Jesus as their Savior. All of this underscores the necessity for missions. The stark reality is that less than 3% of Europeans find their joy in knowing God and aren’t satisfied in God alone; in other words, they don’t live to glorify Christ. This sentiment is also drawn from one of John Piper’s most well-known quotes:

“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”

This is the driving force behind missions. This is why we ventured abroad. Our heartfelt desire was to share the Good News that our Heavenly Father desires to provide ultimate satisfaction for our hungry and thirsty souls. This year, we were blessed to organize two VBS events. The first camp took place in Toruń, Poland, at a church named EXODUS – a Christian Baptist church led by Pastor Serghei Potapov. The second camp was held in Warsaw, at a church where Pastor Joseph Sheremet serves. We had numerous opportunities to share our faith with both children and their parents. On the final day, we were able to distribute Bibles and Christian literature for them to take home and read.

The camp spanned 5 days, each day centered around a different theme.

Day 1: God is Great! There is only one God. You cannot create a god of your choice.

Day 2: God is Almighty! There is nothing too difficult for Him.

Day 3: God is Ruler! He reigns over all of creation.

Day 4: God is Emmanuel. This is the day of presenting the Gospel.

Day 5: God is Trustworthy. People may let us down, but God never does!

It brought us immense joy to witness the responses of both children and parents to the Gospel. Many children were amazed to learn about the existence of a real God who loves and cares for them. The hunger that God has placed in their hearts was evident through the questions they posed to our group leaders. Our group leaders often shared how the one-hour group discussions, following the 50-minute Bible lessons, weren’t enough to address all the questions and curiosity they sparked.

Remarkably, parents were also deeply moved by their children’s testimonies. Some parents were so intrigued that they attended the VBS themselves, expressing a desire to stay with their children and observe what we were teaching and doing with kids. They happily joined all Bible lessons and group time, during which they had the opportunity to hear the Gospel from both our Bible lesson teachers and group leaders. Parents shared that although our camp was not as elaborate as other camps their children had attended, their kids returned home more enthusiastic. They were curious to discover what had ignited such excitement in their children.

Our team’s objective wasn’t only preaching the Gospel; we also aimed to equip local teams to independently conduct future camps. We closely collaborated with the local youth and adults in both locations, conducting training sessions. The enthusiasm of the local youth to serve the Lord was evident, and they were eager to learn from us. Our prayer is that they will eventually be able to organize these camps independently in the years to come.

Drawing from Jesus’s words in the parable recorded in Mark 4:26-29, our mission was to “scatter the seed.” We are deeply grateful to God for the countless opportunities we had to sow this seed during our journey. Our gratitude extends to Grace Family Church and all those who upheld us in prayer. We are well aware that achieving anything would have been impossible without God’s work in our hearts and the hearts of those who encountered the Gospel. We ask for your ongoing prayers for each heart where the seeds have fallen. May God continue His transformative work by softening the stony hearts, allowing them to receive the seed and bear the fruit of salvation.

We also thank God for every dollar you donated. Be reminded that through your giving, you actively participated in this ministry, resulting in an overflow of thanksgiving to God (2 Cor 9:12).

I would also like to emphasize the importance of continuing to pray for the churches in Torun and Warsaw. These congregations are deeply committed to evangelism, and their ministries are centered around sharing the Gospel with the lost. Please uplift Pastor Serghei and Pastor Joseph in your prayers, asking for God’s wisdom as they lead their congregations and preach the Gospel to the lost. Lastly, please pray for for local evangelism wherever God has placed you. Pray that God may use you to reach the lost in your city and on your street.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Continue supporting the churches working among the people who have suffered from the war in Ukraine: gfchurch.com/ukraine/

Future event:

Saturday, August 19, 8:30AM – 1:00PM  – Prayer retreat for church volunteers and staff (open for everyone)

You can post your questions and comments for the Q&A session at the prayer retreat through this link: https://forms.gle/LW7ufFvywL5bLK9N9

Friends, the church choir has resumed its meetings, but it’s not too late to join this ministry!

Choir rehearsals are every Wednesday at 6:30 pm; if you are interested, come at 6:00 pm to audition.

Below are the services and meetings for this weekend:

• Thursday (7:00 PM) – Bible study and prayer meeting with Communion
• Sunday services:
  • Worship Service in Russian at 9:00 AM
  • Worship Service in English at 11:15 AM

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