Our flight from Heathrow had been a smooth and uneventful prelude to
what was to be an exciting, busy and productive four days.The plane
landed at Warsaw Airport at 3.00pm, where Pastor Andrzej Nedzusiak was
waiting to welcome us and to take us to our accommodation. Our accommodation
in Warsaw had been provided by another church organisation - it was
small, clean and perfectly adequate.
We were accommodated in an area of Warsaw called Praga, and we were
warned that it was a very high crime area and to be careful if we ventured
outside. This advice seemed to be supported by the fact that every apartment
block window, door and shop front was protected by metal bars on the
windows, and heavy metal doors that fitted over the normal doors.
The main city roads in Warsaw were very wide and straight - this allowed
a relatively small volume of private vehicles (compared to London) to
move at high speed around the city, sharing the roads with what seemed
to be an efficient public transport system comprising of bus, taxi and
tram services.
The first meeting on Richard's itinerary was in Praga, in a church called
'Praga for Christ.' We arrived outside of what can only be described
as an average shop front window, the kind of which can still be seen
in the British suburbs.This was in fact a church that had, and continues
to have, strong and sometimes violent opposition from the local criminal
gangs through intimidation, disruption and, in some cases, physical
violence. The meeting numbered 15 people (originally from a beginnings
of two people wanting to worship), and what they lacked in numbers they
made up for in their commitment, attentiveness and in the vocal strength
of the praise which was very moving to listen to, and exciting to join
in with, as one or two of the praise songs I had heard sung at Lancing
Tab and at Elim Christian Fellowship. Nothing was hidden from those
passing 'the shop window,' the singing could be clearly heard and the
worshipers seen.
Throughout the meeting there was a strong sense of devotion to God,
with everyone paying great attention to what Richard had to say. Richard
spoke from the Book of Samuel.
After the service, we talked with the Pastor and some of those in attendance,
there was a strong sense of evangelism and purpose. The Pastor and his
congregation believed in getting out to the people two days a week,
every week. One day in meeting people on the street, to evangelise and
to give out tracts, and the other day to serve the needy and the homeless.
After the service had ended we were told that the 'shop front' would
have steel doors closed completely over the window and door, thus giving
complete protection.
MAY 24
The morning of the second day in Warsaw proved to be one of great poignancy,
in that Pastor Andrzej took us to see the dramatic memorial that was
made and dedicated in memory of the Warsaw uprising. We were also taken
to see other memorial sites that represented and marked the spot where
hundreds of thousands of Jews began their journey to Treblinka and to
death for most of them. We were able through the visually powerful sculpture
and the written texts in English, to have some idea of what can happen
when mankind decides to abandon God, and to allow evil to flourish.
In the afternoon Richard was due to give a sermon to a church in a town
called Kutno, 100 kilometres from Warsaw. The church was called 'Christian
Jesus Is Alive' and the people in attendance numbered 21. Richard started
the meeting with a resume of his travels to Africa, and the many and
varied conditions and situations that he had experienced whilst preaching
there.The people in attendance proved to be a very attentive, committed
group of Christians, all eager to hear the word of God. The praise was
impressive, and Richard prayed for individuals in the group. Again evangelism
was the main focal point and purpose of this little church. After the
service, one of the ladies invited us back to her home for a meal. The
generosity and friendliness of the people throughout the whole trip
was impressive, moving, and so very genuine. Richard spoke on Matthew
1:18-25.
At 10.00pm we undertook an hours drive to our next destination, a place
called Skierniewice where we had been booked into a comfortable hotel
for the night. This must have been quite a financial outgoing for such
a small, relatively poor group of people.
MAY 25
The day in Skierniewice was a full teaching day for Pastors and Leaders,
and was held in the home of one of the ministers.There was 14 people
in attendance. The day was split into three sessions, and began with
very strong praise in song and in prayer, with regular intermittent
speaking in tongues by individuals as well as other examples of personal
devotion and worship. As with all of the churches that we visited, there
was strong emphasis on praise singing, the prophetic word, prayers from
individuals and from the group, that was spontaneous, genuine and carried
out with great enthusiasm, feeling and passion. Richard began by giving
his testimony and a resume of his travels, the different countries visited,
the anecdotes and the varied experiences and commitments necessary to
bring God's word to the people.
The three sessions were used to good effect by Richard, who talked about
a wide range of related subject areas amongst which were the following:
God's
plan to bring the tribes together under David and to exist as a nation.
God's
plan to build leaders up and for them to lead by example.
The
testing of leaders.
Hearing
from God.
How
we hear from God.
The
church as a place of discipleship and not just converts.
The
Bible references used by Richard throughout the three sessions consisted
of the following: 1 Samuel, Judges, 1 Peter, 2 Timothy and Matthew.
These sessions proved to be very popular and enabled the Pastors and
Leaders to take notes, receive literature that we had brought with us,
exchange ideas and views, ask questions, to pray for one another and
to offer one another moral and spiritual support. The group at the end
of the day felt that it had been of great benefit to them in a practical
and spiritual sense. The request from the group was for more of the
same when possible.
MAY 26
Day four saw us back in Warsaw and at 10.00am being welcomed at Pastor
Andrzej's own church. The church was sited in a local, general purpose
community hall that was rented to Pastor Andrzej every Sunday morning
for worship. We received a very warm welcome from the people attending
the service (approx 150+). Pastor Andrzej's church was an example of
a very well organised church that had a genuine warmth and empathy with
the people to leadership and to one another. There was a ground swell
of noise as people and children came into church and welcomed one another,
but which immediately ceased the moment the service started and the
praise team introduced the beginning of the service with their music.
The young children sat in miniature chairs in the front for the first
half an hour, before being taken out to their own special groups. It
was interesting to note that in their worship time with the adults they
were perfectly behaved and could be seen and heard joining in with the
praise.
At one point in the service, a man came forward to give a prophetic
word. He spoke for several minutes on a number of issues, every Sunday
a group of those with the gift of prophecy met before the service and
came forward at some point in the service. The church had a 'School
of prophecy' in which their gift could be concentrated on and developed.
Throughout the service there was beautiful praise singing that was spontaneous,
strong and very moving, some of the praise songs seemed to have a dramatic
Slavonic sound whilst others were songs that could be heard in our own
churches. The physical demonstration and verbal praise to God was immediate
and genuine. Richard was able to pray for two people who needed special
prayer, and the congregation who listened to his sermon very carefully,
responded well and after the service many made themselves known to him.
Richard spoke on Matthew 28:16-20, Acts 1:4-8.
The Sunday afternoon and evening was spent in Sochaeczew, and the service
was held in a very rundown, very small three roomed house (no upstairs).
After a year, this small house has now been given official recognition.
It has been difficult for this small group of Christians to exist, as
the local community and the authorities have been hostile to them being
there. At one point in our service a man walked into the room and was
quickly led out. He had been one of the people who had been continually
opposed to the church being there. On this occasion, however, there
was cause for celebration - we had been praying for the church to overcome
their difficulties and the man had come in to tell the Pastor that he
no longer objected to the premises being used as a church.
This visit to this little church was perhaps one of the most uplifting
moments for us in the whole of the Poland trip. The Pastor through sheer
determination and faith carried on every day fighting against local
community and official hostility, and he was winning the battle! There
had been no Christian church in Sochaczew until he had been called to
start a church with two or three people and no accommodation. The Pastor
knocked on the doors of the town's inhabitants, as well as posting up
information around the town. He has slowly gained acceptance and recognition
for his church, as well as gradually building up the numbers of regular
worshippers of between 10-12 people every week. It was very humbling
to experience the warmth and eagerness that these people demonstrated
towards us simply because we were visitors to their church.
The praise, as in every church that we had visited, was very heartfelt
and uplifting as the people sang and praised God, so that anyone who
passed by was aware that the house was a house of God. Richard was pleased
to hear that a married couple who had received prayer from him a year
ago had been given an answer to their prayers and they were now the
parents of a healthy, (very active) baby boy. Richard was able to relate
Bible scripture to the circumstances that this small group of Christians
were experiencing in their struggle to have the opportunity and the
freedom as well as a place to worship God. Richard's message was that
Jesus did not need a palace, and that you could meet with Jesus whether
it was in an African hut or in a small room in Poland. At the end of
the service, Richard was able to ease the burden of a woman who was
finding it difficult to let go of her past and the sin that was involved.
After a lot of prayer she was more at peace with herself and felt that
she could begin anew. Everyone was given the opportunity of being prayed
for, even the group of small children that had grouped themselves around
the door leading into the room.
After the afternoon service, we were invited back to the home of the
couple that had received prayer from Richard a year ago. We were treated
to a beautiful meal, that they and their friends must have spent some
time in its preparation and which they probably could not easily afford.
Their house was extremely basic and, in Britain, would have been described
as being more of an outbuilding or shack. However,the welcome was extremely
warm and very genuine and we were made to feel very much at home with
a group of friends.
MAY 27
On the morning of the day that we were due to fly back to Britain, we
were invited to have breakfast with an elderly lady who attended Pastor
Andrzej's church, along with the young Pastor whose church we had visited
in Praga. The lady was a devout Christian, whose husband (before he
had died), had himself been a Pastor and on more than one occasion been
put in prison by the communist authorities. The Pastor would not stop
preaching, and he repeatedly held baptismal services in his bathroom.
At one point the police went as far as putting locks on his home so
that he could not carry out his illegal activities. The Pastor tore
the locks off the door and took them down to the police station, telling
the police what he had done and that they had better put him back in
prison. The police eventually got tired of him and his continued opposition,
and told him to go home and not to bother them. His faith had won the
day.
Richard, at the breakfast meeting, was able to give healing prayer to
the lady and also give valued advice to the young Pastor on how he should
handle one of his Elders who was proving to be a disruptive influence
in the church.
The visit to Poland proved to be highly successful and productive time
for all concerned. Richard gave his testimony to various meetings as
well talking about his he work in Africa. He attended to the needs of
individuals through prayer, healing and advice on church matters. He
counselled the Pastor group in the workshop sessions and was able to
distribute various literature, clothing and knitted teddy bears where
they could be put to best use. Most of all he preached the word of God
to people in a variety of churches that was still dealing with the legacy
of the past communist regime.
The warmth of the people that we met was very rewarding and their commitment
as Christians, eager to hear the word of God and eager to express themselves
in a demonstrative way was infectious and very satisfying. Richard has
developed a strong rapport with the people and the Pastors; this can
only lead to a closer relationship with one another and (hopefully)
with our churches, and with God.
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