Partners for Nazarene Missions in Poland

Friday, February 17, 2012

Update #16

Mission Corps Volunteers in Poznan

Meet Dave, Marybeth, and Makayla Giles

We are grateful for the wonderful volunteers who come to Poland to make possible the Sweet Surrender Coffee Shop ministry centers. The Giles family is one of our most recent families to volunteer. I asked Dave to tell us the story of how God led them to this ministry. I think you will enjoy reading their story and will feel better informed as you lift our volunteers to the Lord in prayer. Here is their story:

For many years Marybeth and I have each felt God calling us to work in full-time missions. For twelve years Marybeth had taught overseas, where she met missionaries and was able to become involved in some missions work. While I was a pastor in Maine, I continued to feel a pull overseas. After Marybeth and I got married, we both continued to sense God directing our steps into missions. Two years ago, while living and working in Tbilisi, Georgia, in the CIS, we met with Bob Skinner and spoke with him about our desire to work with the Nazarene church and of our interest in coffee shop ministries. He told us about Rhonda and Ev Tustin, who had started a Coffee Shop ministry in Poland. After traveling to Poland to meet with Tustins, we prayed about coming to partner with them in Poland. The rest, as they say, is history. We are very excited to be here in Poznan now, fulfilling God’s call to missions! The coffee shop provides the perfect opportunity to meet people socially and get involved in the local community in order to share our faith.

We have been in Poland now for a short time and are thrilled to be a part of this growing ministry here. We work in the shop and have loved getting to know our team. We love to think of and discuss various events to host in the shop in order to draw in more people from the community.

In December I helped collect and take donations to a needy family that lives in a village near Poznan. Marybeth helped organize a visit to an orphanage. We took the orphans Christmas gifts and played games.

We are taking Polish language lessons and using some basic sentences while working in the shop. Dave divides preaching responsibilities at the church with another volunteer. Marybeth does some English conversation with English Club.

In addition to our continuing language lessons, our goal is to begin a conversational English class and Bible study as well as to make a monthly visit to the local orphanage. Please continue to pray for us and our ministries here. It is an exciting place to be, and we certainly feel God’s hand at work. Our prayer is that He will continue to guide and direct our steps as we find ways to minister, build relationships, and share the Gospel here in Poland.

Thank you Dave, Marybeth, and Makayla, for answering God’s call in your lives to this very special ministry. We welcome you to our ministry team and look forward to all that God will do through you to touch the lives of many people. –Ev Tustin

Work & Witness Copenhagen

One of our Poland Partners wrote to me and proposed that if the Partners could come up with the $12,000 needed for materials for a Work and Witness team, he would do his best to field a team to go to Copenhagen as soon as is feasible. The team members would pay their own way for transportation, food, and housing but would need the additional funds for the project as required by Work and Witness. So if any of you could assist with funding some or all of the materials needed, let me know soon and we will help move the Copenhagen Sweet Surrender Coffee Shop forward.

If you are in a church that would like to field a team, including the materials cost, let me know. I will put you in touch with those who will be scheduling teams for Copenhagen. Katie Fitch, who was instrumental in the development of our shops in Poznan and Krakow, will be facilitating this work. We are praying that the Lord will help raise up many people to participate in this project and push it to completion. Thank you all for your faithful support of the Sweet Surrender Coffee Shop ministry as it continues to expand.

Katie Fitch with a Danish Palace Guard in Copenhagen

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Update #15

Dear Friends:

We have two immediate "update prayer requests" for you today. Both are pressing needs at this very moment. God is able and so we call on you all to join with us for these two needs:

1. Snowstorm Strands Missionary Musicians

PRAYER ALERT!

Our Gospel Choir Director, Brian Fentress and his pianist, Jacek, went to Bulgaria to do a workshop. They were met by the pastor of the Razgrad Nazarene church yesterday. They are stranded in a blizzard in the Scar between Bucharest and Razgrad. They have not been able to move ahead, roads have been closed. Please pray for safety and the snow to clear. God can make a way...

2. Sweet Surrender Copenhagen needs our help!

This is today's email from Katie:

Hi All!

I updated my blog. Check it out- http://katieraesadventures.blogspot.com

Things with the youth group have been really good. And things with my housemate I have been trying to work with have gotten better. We have finally connected, and I think that we are moving together in a good direction. But, things with the cafe group are not going as well. We are really at a hard place. We do not have the financial backing to be able to purchase a building. We also are in a desperate need for work teams. Truth is things do not look good at this moment. But, we continue to meet each week and try to figure out how we can pull it off. We are also planning monthly events to invite friends to and invest in relationships with friends outside of church.

Please pray for us as we try to figure out what we can do to make this possible. Thanks!

Love & Prayers,

Katie R. Fitch

Thank you all for joining us in prayer for these two needs. God knows the whereabouts of Brian and Jacek. Let's pray for their safe travel to their next place of ministry.

The second request if for our missionary volunteer, Katie Fitch, who responded to our invitation for her to go to Copenhagen to help pioneer another Sweet Surrender Coffee House. Katie has been very instrumental in establishing our works in Poznan and Krakow. We believe that God has a way, through all of us and many others, to help bring this new outreach endeavor to fruition. Let's all join her and the Nazarenes in Copenhagen in prayer for this new outreach ministry. And if God shows you how you can be a part of this through gifts or initiating a Work & Witness team to go and help them, so much the better. If you know of people who might be interested in this work but are not part of our Poland Partners, feel free to forward this information to them. God can do another miracle through us.

Finally, thank you all for your prayers in our transition. God is helping us!

Our love to you all,

Ev and Rhonda

Monday, January 23, 2012

Update #14

Hello Dear friends and supporters for Poland Nazarene Mission Partnership,

After much thought and prayer over the past several months, Rhonda and I have made the decision that it is time for us to return from the mission field. The past year and a half have presented us with some very difficult family decisions to make, and those decisions have precipitated our move away from the field.

We have already given our notice to World Mission leadership and begun the process of transition in Poland. Please pray with us for those who will be charged with the task of leading the work the Lord has begun here. Many of you have met these people personally. They are precious people.

Our intent is to continue to be involved with the Poland Partnership as the Lord would allow. In fact, we would like to raise the banner again for your support:

Specific areas of need going forward....

1 - Prayer.

2 - Mission Corps support staff.

a) Bookkeeping and accounting

b) Coffee Baristas and Shop Managers to replace outgoing Mission Corps volunteers

c) Ministry development (music ministry or pastoral).

There are currently 8 Mission Corps workers in Poland and Denmark serving in these arenas who could be contacted for questions that anyone may have.

3 - Work and Witness.

We need teams to help with the developing works in Denmark and Sweden. We also are praying for a team that may come to replace the drafty, old windows in Poznan with new ones and a second project of updating the 50 year old bathroom in the ministry apartment.

4 – Financial: balloon payment due soon in Krakow.

The total indebtedness is approximately $300,000 for a complete payoff. $50,000 for the immediate payment needs will help us stay on track with our contract. If you, your zone, your district, or your church could take an offering to contribute toward this payment, we would be most thankful.

As mentioned earlier, this decision has come after many months of prayer. We have a great amount of grief associated with the "letting go" process in Poland. The people here have stolen our hearts. However, the Lord has given us assurance that this is His will for the next season of our lives and given us a new assignment as Pastor/Shepherds at Kent Church of the Nazarene in Washington State. The move there will put us within driving distance of both sets of parents.

Thank you for your prayers and support during these past six and a half years in Eastern Europe serving Christ with World Missions. We have been blessed beyond words by your encouragement. We now will join you and come alongside this wonderful ministry from the other side of the Atlantic.

Grace and peace,

Ev and Rhonda

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Poland Update Special Edition!

Dear Poland Partners:

For some time now we have been working with the wonderful pastor and people from the Greve Church of the Nazarene in Denmark. They have been looking for creative ways to reach out to the people of Denmark with the gospel story of Christ's redeeming love. After much prayer and consultation, they believe that the concept that we have used in Poland, the Sweet Surrender Coffee Shop, could work well in Denmark where there is a rich "coffee culture" among the people there.

Over the course of time, God led us to offer one of our key and most trusted volunteers, Katie Fitch, to move to Denmark to assist them in such a project. God graciously called Katie to this work and she moved to Denmark to work with the Greve Church of the Nazarene. The research and planning phases of this new adventure have brought the church to a place of readiness to move ahead this year, 2012. The following article contains the information that Katie has shared with her own prayer partners in her volunteer work. It occurred to Rhonda and me that our Poland Partners would not only want to know about this new "offspring" of the Sweet Surrender Coffee Shop ministry, but might also want to participate in this new venture for the Lord. There are ongoing needs and plans in Poland, but we believe that our Poland Partners are uniquely prepared to understand, pray for and support such a ministry as it expands to Denmark.

I wholeheartedly commend this future Sweet Surrender Coffee Shop ministry to you and urge you to join this outreach endeavor in any way that God may lead you.

Our prayers are with Katie and the Greve Church as the move forward under God's direction.

In His service,

Ev Tustin

From Katie:

Coffee is a way of life in Denmark!

When I (Katie Fitch) moved from working in the Sweet Surrender coffee shops in Poznan and Krakow in Poland to Denmark, I thought my coffee habit would decrease. It has only increased! I have discovered that there is a huge coffee culture in Copenhagen.

Katie Fitch with Palace Guard, Copenhagen

Typical Danish Transportation

I also discovered that while the coffee culture may be thriving, the churches are not. Churches are really struggling in Denmark, and we have asked God to help us find creative ways to reach people. Our plan is to combine the familiar “coffee culture” in Denmark with outreach.

Copenhagen Street Scene

The vision God has given us is a coffee shop / ministry center in Copenhagen. We can reach people where they love to be, drinking coffee and enjoying good conversation. Through a coffee shop ministry we can find unique ways to share the gospel, start Bible studies, and support non-profit organizations (such as donations to Nazarene Compassionate Ministries).

Greve Nazarene Church

The Sweet Surrender Coffee Shop project in Copenhagen is the dream of our people in the Greve Church of the Nazarene. We are working in concert with the Sweet Surrender shops in Poland and will adapt their ministry plan to fit the culture of Denmark. After months of dreaming and talking, we are ready to get things started! We have researched locations and have some good possibilities. When the right place at the right time is known, we will then prepare to renovate it to function as a coffee shop. Our goal is to open the shop in September 2012.

We are now looking for churches, individuals and groups who are willing to come along side us with support through prayer, monetary contributions, and Work & Witness teams.

What do we need?

· Most important, we need people to join us in prayer.

· Since our present financial resources are limited, we must raise needed funds.

· Finally, we will need volunteers to work on the building.

Our present estimate is that we need to raise about $80,000 in order to be able to complete the renovation and open the shop.

We are looking for two or three work teams who will come and help us this late summer/early fall, 2012.

If you are interested in putting together a Work & Witness Team, please check out the following website for specific information:

http://www.workandwitness.org/projects/Projects/ProjectDetail.aspx?id=38115

For more information on how you can support us, please e-mail Katie Fitch at: katie_rae27@yahoo.com .

We are thankful that God has given us this creative challenge. We are praying that God will help us find those who will share the vision He has given us and join us as He leads us forward.

Thank You!

-Katie R. Fitch

Mission Corp Volunteer in Denmark

Please feel free to share this information with interested people. And if you would like to be added to Katie’s mailing list, please let her know by emailing her at Katie_rae@yahoo.com .

Friday, October 7, 2011

Poland Update #13

The past weeks have been very busy ones as we change seasons with the rest of the world! Time has slipped by, and there are so many things to tell you about what God is doing in Poland. Most of what we share with you in the Update is about our work and how God is blessing and challenging us with His grand purpose for the Sweet Surrender Coffee Shop ministry in Poland. Outreach events, days with happy people visiting the shop, worship experiences with those who become a part of our fellowship are just a few of the things that keep us all very busy and fulfilled with what God is doing in Poland.

Welcome! W & W Team from Spokane WA First Church

Team in Poznan Old Town

For our first Update of the fall we thought it would be a good idea to say “THANKS!” to many people by featuring a Work & Witness team from Spokane, Washington, this past July. And we also thought it would be interesting to you to hear directly from the team members themselves. Jeff Shea, Team Leader, sent us wonderful photos of them on the job.

Here are some of the team members’ thoughts about their experience and about what God is doing:

Doug Jones

“I went to the community outreach to observe how people from another culture worship. Instead God touched me at the core of who I am to help me come to a point of forgiving the most painful moment in my life.” – Doug Jones

Kathy Jones

“I am so excited that the Lord is working among the young adults in Poland. The worship service at the Mercury Hotel was so incredible. The reGeneration choir and Ev’s preaching really touched so many people, including Doug and me.”

-Kathy Jones

“My highlight was being able to use my skills to reach out and help our family in Christ, also the different opportunities to share Christ with others in many ways.”

-Victor Morrison

Vic in Kitchen before renovation.

Kitchen after renovation

Barry and Debbie

“After the Saturday evening service at Sweet Surrender Poznan, visiting with the young people in our broken/non-existent Polish, and laughing and learning a bit about their lives, is a very vivid/fond memory. “

-Barry Roth

“It was so rewarding to work so hard in the shop to be ready to ‘open’ for the Saturday night service. We were able to see the main reason Sweet Surrender exists, which was inspiring and encouraging knowing the Gospel is being preached in Poland.”

-Debbie Roth

Jeannie

“The church service at the hotel was inspiring. It was also inspiring that the girl in the seat next to me flying home wanted to talk about her feelings/rejection of God and her catholic religion. I’m not good with words but the Lord was there to give me words and thoughts for her.”

-Jeanie Partee

Jana, Jeff & Tyler

"It was an honor and privilege to see firsthand how the Lord is working in people's hearts in Poland. We were blessed to make wonderful new friends, and to be an encouragement to our missionaries and volunteers."
- Jana Shea

“We are so blessed to have gifted missionaries like Ev and Rhonda ministering to the people of Poland. It was a privilege to partner with them and assist in spreading the Gospel in this beautiful country.”

-Jeff Shea

Tyler and Garrett

God blessed the Sweet Surrender ministry in Poznan in very special ways through this dedicated team from Spokane First Nazarene Church. We are so grateful to them.

One of the creative things they did, in addition to the work on the Poznan shop, was to sponsor one of our Outreach Events. They fully funded the cost for the hotel venue where the event was held and also covered the expenses for other necessary arrangements for special music, PA equipment, etc. How wonderful for them to have caught the vision of how our work can be made more effective through these outreach events. We are happy to add them to the growing list of people and churches that have helped in the past and for those who will take up the challenge to help us in the future.

We are very thankful for all who have come to Poland to help us. Our wonderful corps of Volunteers is second to none! The people in our growing community of faith in Poznan and Krakow are also wonderfully gifted for the ministry we are doing together!

Facing big challenges ahead in this ministry, we continue to be thankful for your prayers. Many of you have not visited Poland to see the work yet. We hope that doing so becomes a part of your future plans. If you feel challenged to put together a Work & Witness team or to put together a Prayer/Vision trip to Poland, let us know and we will be happy to work with you on dates for the future.

In the meantime, continue to pray for these fledgling works in Poznan and Krakow. We will be bringing you additional information and inspiration about the work 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 our new Christians in Poland that they will be faithful and follow God's plan for their lives.

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

*Pray for Work & Witness teams.

*Pray for Katie Fitch as she heads to Copenhagen, Denmark, to begin a new Sweet Surrender Coffee Shop.

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.

5. Visit Poland by organizing or joining a Prayer/Vision or Work & Witness trip to see what's happening for yourself

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

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Poland Update #12

Renewal of Sweet Surrender Gdansk!

When we need help . . .

You Pray!

God calls!

. . . and you listen -- and come!

What an exciting week in Poland! Work and Witness teams from two different countries (a rare event!) joined together to serve the Lord’s work in Poland.

Team members from Nampa ID Fairview Church of the Nazarene arrived in Krakow the morning of July 2, a bit bleary from more than 20 hours of air travel. Aaron and Brittany Bolerjack of the Sweet Surrender ministry team met them at the airport and took them on the tram to the main train station, where they loaded their luggage, embarking on a 10-hour train ride to meet the other half of the group in Gdansk.

The Nazarene Work and Witness [WW] team from the British Isles had arrived the day before and spent the time doing prep work on the Sweet Surrender facility there.

The group totaled 20: 9 from Nampa, 6 from the British Isles, and 5 more from the Sweet Surrender ministry team. The combined group meshed together seamlessly.

They worked for five days: pulling weeds, planting shrubs, and laying weed barrier and lava rock to create an attractive "backyard" to the Sweet Surrender shop.

Meanwhile, inside the building they laid a fresh coat of paint to anything that stood still long enough to get a touch up.

Other work completed:

· New lighting strung to give the shop a brighter feel

· New artworks created and hung

A children's corner built and set up

A new kitchen laid out and plumbed

As the Gdansk facility prepares to be re-opened in the fall with new ministry team personnel, we still have a few more touches, but we’re 75% of the way there.

On July 7 at 11:00 p.m. the WW teams boarded a sleep train headed for Krakow. They visited Auschwitz and Schindler's Factory Museum and went on the Crazy Guides Communism Tour.

Early on Sunday morning, the weary crew from Nampa left Krakow by plane headed home.

At 11:00 a.m. that same day the UK group attended the church service at the Sweet Surrender in Krakow; it was a quiet gathering with roughly 20 in attendance. Rev. Bruce Lloyd from Sheffield Nazarene shared the message. At the conclusion there was time for some brief sharing about what the Lord was doing in the lives of those there. This share time led to some deeper discussions, which in turn led to one young schoolteacher from the Krakow church praying to ask Christ to become her Lord and Savior. Simultaneously, in another part of the coffee shop one member from UK team also asked Christ to come into his heart. The shop was aglow with the warmth of Jesus that day. Hours later, the UK contingent boarded their plane headed home, and the shop doors were closed.