I hope this finds you well.
This is a bit longer than I know most of you will read, but I’ll throw it out there anyway, because I believe God will move on this.
A while back I asked some Polish friends of ours, this question “How do you think we could effectively reach Poland for Jesus, from a Polish point of view?” Here is one Polish perspective:
Briefly, from my point of view Poland needs to be taught how to do cell groups and encouraged in the first years. This structure has to know that it is a part of a bigger project. Accountability projects for men and women need to be put together as well. Of course, the more people are taught, grown, and sent to evangelize among their peers the better. For me personally there is got to be a sturdy mentor program in place as well, so that people are not led astray by unsound theologies, or life circumstances they don’t have the skills to face etc. Apart from that, there is a dramatic need to show teenagers and young-adults that Christianity can be a fulfilling and cool lifestyle – there are too many connotations built around Catholic Church altar boy boring Christian life.
The greatest challenge – the tradition of the Catholic Church. It has its blessings and surely leads people to Jesus, but at the same time labels anything other than the CC a sect. There would have to be a conduit through priests to spread the good news and recognition of at least some efforts by the CC to change that. People in Poland who are not Christian go to church as well because it is their tradition!!! People in Poland don’t think that they need somebody else coming and telling them that they need Christ because they have been through all sacraments, and that fixes all dues with God. There is a warped perspective of what it means to be a Christian in Poland and it runs deep as it’s solidified over generations and centuries. There are unchurched countries, or countries that are openly hostile towards Christians, but Poland is a country, which believes to be Christian (plus following the one and only right church) although it’s very heathen. This belief that we’re Christian comes first when filling out opinion polls etc, but it comes last in actions and viewpoints.
I hope this helps in seeing the bigger picture, what we do in Poland is not just a vacation, or a visit with close friends, it’s a chance to bring what God has trained us in, equipped us in, and is calling us to do – to a place that has very little workers, and a lot of confusion and push back. Read the “Why Poland” page and you’ll see that our vision is supported by the words above.
Help get us there this October, we need just 430 more donations of just $15…
Click to donate
Thanks for your support and prayers,
Travis, Alexis, and Emma Mielonen
“Enemy-occupied territory – that is what this world is.” – C. S. Lewis