Poland Update #9

! Prayer is needed for Outreach #4 in Poznan!

This Saturday, May 28, 2011, Sweet Surrender Ministry Poznan will hold its fourth Outreach Service. We are moving it more directly into a worship format with the music. We ask everyone to pray for God’s leading in this service:

·         Pray for people to come to this outreach as a first step in coming to know Christ personally.

·         Pray for the ReGeneration choir as they prepare to sing at this event.

·         Pray for missionary Ev Tustin as he preaches his message:  “Grace…The Gift I Don’t Deserve.”

·         Pray for responsive hearts for those who come to this event.

·         Pray for the follow-up fellowship at the Sweet Surrender Coffee House

·         Pray for the Staff and Volunteers of Sweet Surrender as they minister to those who come.

We want to thank the people from the Medford, OR, First Church of the Nazarene who are the financial sponsors for this Outreach Event. We are grateful that they will be sponsoring several upcoming events. We ask you to also pray that other churches, Sunday School classes, youth groups or families will step forward to  become sponsors of future Outreach Services. If you are interested in doing this, please let us know of your interest:  evtustin@hotmail.com . The cost of an outreach service is about US$700. God is using these to help us find people who are interested in following Christ and in becoming a part of our growing community of faith.

Mercure Hotel Poznan

Stary Brower Mall

This outreach event will be held at the Mercure Hotel in Poznan, not far from our Sweet Surrender coffee shop. On Saturday we will be hearing from the ReGeneration choir as they sing in the Stary Browar mall and on the city square in Poznan. They will be passing out flyers of invitation to the outreach service at the Mercure Hotel to be held that evening. Pray for them throughout the day as they do this important work.

Here is a hotlink to our ad that we are using: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=2144279806945

Thank you for your prayers! God is with us!

--Ev and Rhonda Tustin

Poland Update #8

Joshua and Paige Stines, Volunteers in Poznan

Joshua and Paige are two of our volunteers in Poznan. We thought you might like to know some of the things volunteers do in the Coffee Shop ministry. Here are some things you might find them doing, were you to visit Sweet Surrender Poznan:

On weekends, you might find them leading worship. Joshua plays the guitar in the worship band in the services held each Saturday evening.

During the week you might find Joshua playing Scrabble with a bright young (8 years old) girl, in Polish!

This is part of a game that Joshua played with a nine-year old Polish girl. After several minutes of play time, she was surprised to find out that there were insufficient pieces to spell many Polish words (since it was the English version). Can you guess which ones are Polish and which are English?

Or, you might find Paige working on her knitting skills with the help of a friend on Knitting Night. A purple scarf is her knitting objective.

Of course, there is the coffee shop work. You will find the two of them working behind the coffee counter. Paige is working on "pulling a shot" (preparing the puck for an espresso), while Joshua practices steaming the milk, which will eventually be used in any of the shop's lattes and cappuccino. 

To be a volunteer in Poland requires much paperwork. On the day that Paige and Joshua turned in all of their paperwork, they got pictures standing in front of the sign. Joshua said, “You can imagine, we were happy to turn it all in and be legal!”

Please join in prayer for Paige and Joshua and all our faithful volunteers! They are invaluable to the work of God in building the Kingdom of God through the Sweet Surrender Coffee Shop ministry. Thank you, Joshua and Paige, for your faithful work in Poznan.

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 now that they are safely back in Poland

*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 about $700.00 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 #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