Poland Update #7

Easter Report from Krakow

Missionary volunteer Dennis Johnson has sent this report of the first Easter celebrations for the new worshiping community in Krakow, Poland.

"Easter week provided a unique worship experience for our Polish Church family.  Traditionally, families see this weekend as a holiday time with focus on being with family.  We met with Peter, pastor of the Wesleyan Church, and planned for combined Great Friday and Easter services, a new experience for both groups.  

"Friday over 35 children and adults gathered at 6:00 in the Sweet Surrender Coffee Shop for a family worship time, with adults and children reading the Scriptures, walking through the last week in the life of Christ.  

"Each segment was followed by focused prayer leading to a brief devotional by Peter, an opportunity to 'nail our needs' to a cross and then share the common cup in Communion.  

"A wonderful time of fellowship followed with a variety of food and drink.

"Easter Sunday morning we gathered in the Theater worship center with the Wesleyan Church and enjoyed a wonderful service—beautiful music led by their  worship team, and 'a sermon in a sack' and Easter message, by Dennis interpreted by Maciej—a wonderful Easter celebration even with the constant rain and cool weather.  Peter said they did not have an Easter service last year because most of the families were gone, so this week was especially meaningful as we trust the Lord to expand His Kingdom in this beautiful city."

We rejoice with our new family in Krakow and praise God for His gracious presence among His people there.

Funds for "Outreach Events" given by 

Medford, OR, First Church of the Nazarene.

It was a special joy for us to visit Medford Nazarene Church during our recent home assignment.  It was the church where Rhonda's father served on staff for much of Rhonda's teen years.  This was also the church where we were married in 1984.  We have not visited for nearly 20 years, and have never come for deputation services until this past March, but the congregation embraced us in such a warm, supportive way, we will never forget our time there.  After the service on Sunday, the youth minister handed us two brand new microphones for the outreach services in Poland.  Additionally, we recently discovered that the Medford NMI council has sent support money to cover costs for roughly 5 of the outreach services at the Sheraton hotel over the coming year!  This is such a great answer to prayer and gets us well on our way toward being able to schedule the services on a monthly basis.

 -- Ev and Rhonda

Thanks again for all your help...

 Answered Prayer

Our special thanks to Medford, OR, First Nazarene Church for being the first to step forward to answer our prayer that we will be able to use "outreach events" more fully to reach those who will become a part of our growing communities of faith in Poland.

Prayer Needs

Please join us in focused prayer for the Poland ministry!

*Continue to pray for the continued effectiveness of ministry outreach events and worship services.

*Continue to pray that God will make funds and locations available for outreach events.

*Pray for our Volunteers. They are a key to what God is doing through the coffee shops.

*Pray for safe travel for the Tustins as they return to Poland May 1.

*Pray for our new Christians in Poland that they will be faithful and follow God's plan for their lives.

*Pray for Katie's new Bible study group in Krakow.

*Pray for future financial resources for outreach events and Krakow building payments.

Practical Suggestions to Support Poland Ministry

1. Pray that God will continue to pour out His Spirit on the ministry.

2. Sponsor an outreach event. (The cost is several hundred dollars for each event.)

3. Join with others who have decided to give a specific amount to this ministry monthly. This would help the ministry know how to plan as they search for a more adequate worship location.

4. Reach out to prospective “Poland Partners” or others who would be interested in supporting this ministry. 

Instructions for sending funds are found below, at the bottom of this blog page.

Poland Update #6

Tustins' Home Assignment Nearly Complete

From Ev and Rhonda:

Fast Food in Poland

“We send a heartfelt ‘Thank You!’ to all the churches in Michigan, Oregon, and California that have hosted us this past month.  We just finished up a stretch where we spoke in 22 churches in 27 days.  It was a very busy time, but we are thankful that even in a time when the economy is difficult, our Nazarene family has shown us such great support. We feel incredibly blessed to represent our church on the field. We are also blessed to represent our wonderful team from Poland while visiting these churches. Our last stop will be a return to the Seattle area to visit Ev's mother and see how she is handling the transition of Dad's passing in October. Then we will head to the Portland area to help Rhonda's parents transition to an assisted-living situation.  We so appreciate your prayers for all things and count it a privilege to think of you as partners in ministry.”

The Latest News from Poznan

Poznan is still growing!

Partners, you member the great report about the third worship service on March 2: over 160 people attended this worship service, with the room packed; the holy Spirit was present; and people responded to the Word of God. After the service over 100 people came to the party at the coffee shop. At the shop Rhonda prayed with a precious young woman who was in crisis and looking for the answer. She prayed to accept Christ, and she is a new creation.

Sharing needs in Poznan

We need our Partners to pray about two big needs:

1. Something BIG is happening in Poland. If we had the ability to rent a bigger facility, we would have the makings of a large congregation here. We KNOW that this is a time when finance is low for the church, and yet we see that God is pouring out his spirit on Poland just now and reaching into the lives of young people, calling them. So, we are calling on God and asking Him to send the way to do this.

2. Pray for the young woman mentioned above, regarding the transformation needed in her life as she has daily struggles to move away from her past.  

Our next outreach service has been scheduled for May 28.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Good News from Krakow!

Prayer is Answered!

Sweet Surrender Coffee Shop is Open!

Katie reports:

Welcome to Sweet Surrender!

“WE ARE OPEN! We received the official approval on Monday. And at the same time our Espresso machine broke….so, we did not get to open until Wednesday afternoon….We have two girls working part time starting Monday they will be splitting time in the shop with us. And that will give me or Emily time to go out and promote the shop. Also, we are planning another big concert on the 29th….So, it will be a big night. Like a second opening!

“Things with church are going great. Ever since the opening weekend there has been a different spirit with us. Like we are all closer. The families have started rotating who is leading the service each week. It has been really neat to hear everyone share their stories and things God has laid on their heart. …Emily has been doing great with the kids…teaching them worship songs with fun motions and lots of games before the lesson. It has really helped bring them all together. I am starting a Bible Study with some of the girls from [a music group] during the week….They are interested in learning more about women in the Bible. I am excited about it.

We are moving along! Everyone is doing really well. We may not have a lot of business in the shop yet, but we are not discouraged; instead we are excitedly planning any events possible to bring people in. Things are good.

Thank you for the prayers!” – Katie R. Fitch

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

The Johnsons report:   (Dr. Dennis & Jamie Johnson will be in the States April 28-May 26.)

“Jamie and I have made a number of contacts.  Tuesday we spoke in a class at the University at the invitation of the teacher, Maria, who attended our ‘soft’ Grand Opening.  She came with Ela, a lady we had met in a coffee shop at the Old City Center.  Ela and her husband Arthur and son Peter came to the Grand Opening and brought Maria and another couple, Robert and Agata. … These folks all have Catholic background but certainly are open to us and we trust God can move as He will through our friendship.

“Training is going very well with Slawek.  We meet for three+ hours each Wednesday. . . .  We will complete History and Polity before we head back to the States.  [We have] … had excellent discussions … about theology, worship, service planning, leadership, Biblical authority. … We have spent time in each of their homes and are very much enjoying growing friendships. The group is aware that our time is limited here, and do want to take advantage of further teaching.  They plan to meet in one of their homes every other Saturday when we return for extended teaching times.

“Children's ministry.  Savannah will be arriving May 12 and is bringing puppet equipment with her.  She still needs to have more puppets if you know any churches that could donate from their inventory.  Also, we need to have material that we can translate and get approved for released time religious studies.  We only need one copy of each level of age-graded material, and do not plan to publish--only provide for our own use. 

“Jamie and I are very much enjoying our time here.  Our core families are very loving and truly reflect their faith in Christ.  We are planning a Good Friday service here at the Shop and have invited the Wesleyan Church group to join us.  We will be joining them for Easter Sunday service and I will bring the message. …

“Thanks so much for your prayers and support.  Grace and peace to all.” – Dennis and Jamie

Answered Prayer

*Krakow shop has officially opened! 

     Paperwork is completed!

     Equipment is paid for and installed!

     Finish work on shop is finished!

Prayer Needs

Please join us in focused prayer for the Poland ministry!

*Continue to pray for the continued effectiveness of ministry outreach events and worship services.

*Continue to pray that God will make funds and locations available for outreach events.

*Pray for our Volunteers. They are a key to what God is doing through the coffee shops.

*Pray for safe travel for the Tustins as they return to Poland May 1.

*Pray for our new Christians in Poland that they will be faithful and follow God's plan for their lives.

*Pray for Katie's new Bible study group in Krakow.

*Pray for future financial resources for outreach events and Krakow building payments.

Practical Suggestions to Support Poland Ministry

1. Pray that God will continue to pour out His Spirit on the ministry.

2. Sponsor an outreach event. (The cost is several hundred dollars for each event.)

3. Join with others who have decided to give a specific amount to this ministry monthly. This would help the ministry know how to plan as they search for a more adequate worship location.

4. Reach out to prospective “Poland Partners” or others who would be interested in supporting this ministry. 

Instructions for sending funds are found below, at the bottom of this blog page.

Poland Update #5

Celebration!  
“Soft” opening of Sweet Surrender in Krakow, Poland!

Krakow Sweet Surrender Coffee Shop

Sweet Surrender opened its doors in Krakow last Saturday night for a party for the people of Krakow, Poland. This is the day the Partners have been praying for and giving sacrificially to over recent weeks. Because some official inspections are yet to be completed, we cannot call this an official opening yet. But you can see from the pictures below that the event was a rousing success.

We’re sharing two first-person accounts of the weekend’s two primary events. The first is from volunteer Katie Fitch. The second is from volunteer Dr. Dennis Johnson.

First, Katie Fitch:

“Hi!

Katie Fitch

We had a great opening weekend!!! We had about 200 people Saturday night for the opening. The shop was so packed we could not fit anyone else in! Brian & reGENERATION came down from Poznan and did an amazing concert for us. …

Today we did a combined service with reGENERATION. There were about 60 people here. Dennis preached a great message about the prodigal son and the character of God. People were moved. And we had great fellowship afterward.

The best thing for me this weekend was to see the families of the church. They were so blessed by the opening and the service. During the opening and the service you could feel the presence of the Spirit. I don't think we could have had a more perfect weekend.

Thanks for all of the prayers!

Katie R. Fitch”

Thank you, Katie, for this glowing report of the work God is doing in Krakow. We are grateful to you for the hours you have given in order to make this spiritual vision a reality. We hope that all our volunteers in the future have your drive and commitment to do God’s will. You are a great blessing!

Second, Dr. Dennis Johnson:

“Good evening,

Dennis Johnson

An estimate of nearly 200 people, jammed together, filling every available space in Sweet Surrender Coffee Shop was the culmination of months of planning and preparation and a final week of intense work that led to this grand opening event last Saturday. An actual head-count was impossible, and the celebration with Brian Fentress and reGENERATION Gospel Choir resulted in a weekend attendance far beyond our expectations.

Sunday morning sixty people gathered for worship. Members of Krakow Church of the Nazarene were involved in every part of the service as Brian Fentress and reGENERATION led in praise and worship. Several of those attending said they would be returning next Sunday.  We have planned a spaghetti dinner following the service and expect to have a great time of fellowship.  Church members will be speaking and leading the services for the next four weeks, and we will plan a special Easter Sunday celebration. 

There have been several requests for meetings in the Coffee Shop by a variety of groups.  We're expecting great days ahead! With the participation of the church members, the Sweet Surrender Coffee Shop (and church) was dedicated as a place where the presence of the Lord would be evident:  a place of peace, love, grace, hope and joy. 

Take care,

Dennis”

Thank you, Dennis and Jamie, for the blessing of your service to our new ministry in Krakow! Your willingness to give months of your hard-earned retirement years to mentor the development of this new work is a standard for those who will follow you. Your encouragement, your personal hard work, and your optimistic and fruitful ministry are laying a solid foundation in Christ Jesus in Krakow. We look forward to more news of all that God is beginning to do in this ministry.

Our special thanks go to all of you, our Partners. You prayed and God has answered. You saw the need and you gave. You trusted God on our behalf, and He has answered resoundingly.

We will continue to share what God is doing as He leads us in future days. For now, enjoy the activities of the weekend vicariously through pictures that Katie and Dennis have sent.

We pray God’s rich blessings on you all and offer grateful praise for your faithful prayers! Continue to pray for the final official approvals for the shop’s official opening for regular business.

Saturday Night Opening Party

Sunday Worship

Poland Update #4

Historic Day for Nazarene Missions in Poland!

Sunday, March 6, 2011, was an historic “first” in Nazarene Missions in Poland. The first families to become members of the Church or the Nazarene live in Krakow, Poland, the location of the newest Sweet Surrender Coffee House ministry center. Here is the report as given by Dr. Dennis Johnson, volunteer serving in Krakow:

“Sunday was an historic day as we received the First Members into the birthing Polish Church of the Nazarene--thirteen new members!  As is the practice in other parts of Europe, children were received with their parents. Over our first few weeks here, I had taught the membership material, anticipating this day of celebration. Ev and Rhonda Tustin were with us for the week-end, joined in the worship/celebration.”

For our Poland Partners, these are sweet words that mark what God has been doing in Poland as our work grows. Here is a picture of the three families along with missionaries Ev and Rhonda Tustin and Volunteers Dennis and Jamie Johnson.

With all our hearts, welcome to the Church of the Nazarene: Maciej, Barbara, Kacper, and Emilia; Izabela, Slawomir, Kamila, and Sebastian; Jaroslaw, Agnieszka, Eliza, Jonatan, and Luiza! May you know the grace and peace of the One who loves us all!

March 19, 2011.

Krakow Sweet Surrender Coffee Shop Grand Opening! 

As of this writing, the opening date for the Sweet Surrender Coffee Shop ministry center will be March 19, 2011. This has been made possible by the generous responses of our Partners, both in their prayers and in their giving of the funds necessary to complete the project. We now turn our attention in prayer to all that God wants to do through this creative ministry. Let us join in prayer for the worship services and the outreach efforts of this ministry. Here are some pictures of the finishing work and the fixtures your gifts have made possible.

Kitchen area

Serving bar

Dishwasher in progress

We are all excited about the Grand Opening of Sweet Surrender Coffee House on March 19, 2011. We hope to have pictures and descriptions and a report of this grand event. This week our challenges are:

     completion of the complex official paperwork necessary
     completion of the shop itself
     the Grand Opening event.

Poznan Sweet Surrender Coffee Shop Faces Problems!
(Good Ones!)

One of the challenging aspects of serving God is that when you pray for His help and blessings on a ministry, He gives you what you ask. And that generates new kinds of problems. They are good problems, but they are challenging and we need to join with the Tustins and Volunteers in Poznan that they will be able to cope with what is happening. Here is a communication from Rhonda Tustin to Field Strategy Coordinator Rev. Philip McAlister on March 3:

 “Good morning,

It is very early here in Poznan, Poland. I wanted to write and tell you about last night’s happenings. The Sweet Surrender Coffee Shop sponsored last night the third worship service off campus and away from the shop. It was held at the Sheraton Hotel here in town.

We are honestly SHOCKED that OVER 160 people attended this worship service. The room was packed and people were standing because we ran out of chairs. The Holy Spirit came on that room and people were moved by the word of God.

After the service, we held an after-party at the coffee shop. Over one hundred people came to be part of that time as well. I was approached by a young woman who asked if I would pray with her. After twice attempting suicide and an addiction to drugs, she was looking for the answer. She prayed to accept Christ, and she is a new creation!*

Something BIG is happening in Poland. After praying about this, we feel that if we had the ability to rent a bigger facility we would have the makings of a large congregation here. We KNOW that this is a time when finances are low for the Nazarene Church, and yet we see that God is pouring out his spirit on Poland just now and reaching into the lives of young people, calling them. So, we are calling on God and asking him to send the way to do this. His storehouse is full and we know He has a way to do this! We need a way to meet together regularly. Will you pray with us?

Today we drive to Krakow, where the church also has had a promising start. God is moving in Poland. We could never have predicted that this could happen in such a short time in Poland. We wanted to share the good news with you.

Rhonda”


*In the next Poland Update we will publish this young woman's testimony!

Here is a short video of the third Outreach Event in Poznan:

Don't you wish you could have been there?

Prayer Needs

Please join us in focused prayer for the Poland ministry!
God will help solve the practical problems of His ministry, but we need to join together of one mind and trust Him for solutions! Let’s pray in a focused way in the following ways:

*Pray for the continued effectiveness of ministry outreach events and worship services.

*Pray for a suitable location for outreach and worship that will house this growing ministry.

*Pray for the necessary funds to meet this need.
*Pray for official paperwork approvals for Krakow Shop--they are necessary for opening.
*Pray for the Grand Opening of the Shop in Krakow on March 19.

Practical Suggestions to Support Poland Ministry

1. Pray that God will continue to pour out His Spirit on the ministry.

2. Sponsor an outreach event. (The cost is several hundred dollars for each event.)

3. Join with others who have decided to give a specific amount to this ministry monthly. This would help the ministry know how to plan as they search for a more adequate worship location.

4. Reach out to prospective “Poland Partners” or others who would be interested in supporting this ministry. 

Instructions for sending funds are found below, at the bottom of this blog page.

Poland Update #3

1. Miracle Offering is happening!

                It’s true: when God’s people pray, He answers! Thank you, Partners, for praying for the significant financial needs of the Krakow Sweet Surrender Coffee Shop so that it can be completed and opened for outreach.

                It was not long after our request for prayer for the still-needed appliances, the finishing work, and the legal fees that people began to respond: generous financial gifts were on their way. Praise God and thank you to everyone who is helping meet this need. Through your prayers and gifts the miracle is happening. It looks as if we are assured of what is needed to finish the shop and open it for business. We are already holding services in it.

Dr. Dennis Johnson Preaching in new shop

2. Shop Progress.

              As the funds are arriving, we are purchasing and installing the last of the appliances. Finishing work with the electric and plumbing is taking place even now. Here are some pictures in the kitchen, the pantry, the front coffee bar area, and the public restroom area.

Kitchen area

Coffee Bar area

Pantry with new Fridge!

Client Bathroom

3. Volunteers have arrived and are on the job.

Katie, Emily, Jamie, Dennis

                Katie Fitch has moved to Krakow from her volunteer position in Poznan to run the coffee shop. Emily Allred has arrived and will work with children and in the coffee shop. Josh and Paige Stines have just arrived from Tennessee. Pastors Dennis and Jamie Johnson have arrived for the first half of their six month commitment to work with the ministry development team as they lay plans to open Bible studies, hold outreach events, and begin worship services. They are all a part of the foundation of this work as God begins His work through the Nazarene Church in Krakow.

Josh and Paige

4. Inquiries about regular giving to Poland ministries.

Several of our Partners have asked if they could give monthly to this ministry. We are grateful for everyone’s help and, yes, this can be done. It is through the same way as larger one time gifts are given either through the local church or directly to Nazarene WEC, the General Treasurer’s Office. It is crucial that any funds for the ministry in Poland be clearly marked for Poland ministry. If not clearly designated, the funds may simply go to the general funds of the Church and not specifically to Poland Nazarene Missions.

5. Meanwhile, back in Poznan…

Poznan fellowship after service

            A video of the second worship service is on Facebook with lots of pictures of the after party and the service itself. Almost 100 people attended the service, and afterwards the shop was jammed with people having great fellowship. Thank the Lord.

           The Poznan shop is hosting a series of film production workshops by Monika beginning next weekend, a concert on the 25th, and another outreach service on March 2.

6. Prayer needs.  Please join us in a focused prayer…

* for the logistics that remain as we complete the Krakow shop and open it for ministry outreach. Focus on finishing the installation of the new equipment, completing the plumbing, electric, carpentry, and painting, and completing the complicated legal work.

* in thanking God for the generous gifts of support that are now flowing through the pipeline and are making this all possible.

* for the shop opening, perhaps in mid-March. This push to finish the shop and open for business will put tremendous strain on limited human resources, but God is able to give strength for the task.