Church Plant in Czech
We arrived in sunny Ostrava after a very efficient flight from Prague and spent the next week primarily encouraging the Roznov ministry team and fledgling church in how to reach out effectively into their local community and fulfill their vision for the town. We met with various expressions of the Apostolic Church in Roznov which is a church planting project from the ‘mother’ church in Valasske Mezirici (Val Mez for short!) which began in January of this year. They have a vision to see church planted throughout the Walachian region of Czech and already have a work in Vsettin and this new venture is a step of faith in obedience to the calling that Roman and his wife Marcie feel upon their lives.
Why Roznov? Because they believe that God wants to establish a fellowship that will love Him and carry on the witness of the gospel in a town that lies at the foot of the Radhost mountain with a population of around 18,000.
They hold to the values of worship, fellowship, spiritual growth, service and evangelization.
With an established ministry team, they have begun to meet weekly in life churches in Roznov and one Sunday a month in a local centre to celebrate Jesus. By June, the church will be meeting every week on a Sunday morning in the town centre.
The church has seen God faithfully provide their projected budget needs for the next three years when they expect to be fully self-sufficient and have a thriving work established. Already they are making significant inroads into the community and seeing new people join them.
We spent time with the ministry teams of both Roznov and Val Mez churches and Tim enjoyed linking up again with Tomas Galda in Vsettin who is running a project to reach out primarily to the youth of the city. It was with Tomas that the team from the Liquid Youth congregation in Haslemere worked in the summer of 2006 teaching at an English camp and taking part in a gospel outreach programme.
The work has an excitement and air of expectation to see God move powerfully in the town and we look forward to continuing our relationship with this vibrant new venture.
Article Date: 8th April 2008 |
