11 March 2013, Warsaw, Poland [Jóhann E. Jóhannsson, tedNEWS] Snow and frost welcomed Pastor Ted Wilson, Seventh-day Adventist Church President, and his wife Nancy on Sunday 10 March, when they arrived in Warsaw for a three-day visit to Poland. This was their first visit to this beautiful country. The Seventh-day Adventist Church with its 5,800 members is a small minority Church in Poland. It has a challenging mission as 91 per cent of 38 million population are of the Roman Catholic faith.
Upon their arrival, the first assignment was a meeting with the Pastor Pawel Lazar, the Polish Union Conference President and his fellow Officers, Pastor Marek Rakowski, Executive Secretary and Pastor Maksymilian Szklorz, Treasurer, together with the Trans-European Division (TED) representatives, Pastor Raafat Kamal, representing the Division President, and Jóhann E. Jóhannsson, Division Treasurer.
In the afternoon church members gathered in the Warsaw Central Church to worship and listen to a spiritual message from Pastor Wilson. “One of the greatest challenges we face is to accept that we are a unique group of people, with a special calling”, Wilson said. “We should not be strange people, but we should positively, and with smiles on our faces, spread the good news about God’s grace and Jesus’ second coming.” Questions and answers period followed, where questions ranged from what are the most effective methods to spread the Gospel message today to the correctness of Christmas celebrations. “We need to have a comprehensive approach for our outreach and to use common sense and Biblical principles when dealing with such cultural issues as Christmas celebrations”, Wilson said.
On March 11, Wilson and his team visited the Polish Union School and Theological Seminary at Podkowa Lesna. There pastors and other Church workers had gathered for a three-hour worship time and questions and answers session, followed by a fellowship lunch. Pastor Wilson gave an encouraging message and said, “I am your Brother; we are fellow-citizens on our way to heaven. We are no different from any other, as pastors and lay-members we are all in need of Jesus. God is calling on you to keep the mission and the vision that Jesus is coming soon alive. As leaders, we must spend time with God in His Word and in earnest prayer.” Wilson said.
At question time when asked about time prioritizing, Wilson stressed the importance of balance between work and family life.
To the questions: what is your aim of visiting Poland? Wilson answered, “To give encouragement to Church members and to be of assistance when meeting with Government officials where we can build relations and inform them about the work of the Church.” It is also for my own benefit”, Wilson said, “as I get to learn about the country and the work of the Church in Poland. I am encouraged to see the work moving forward.”
“This was a very good meeting and Ted Wilson’s message was inspiring and balanced. This visit is very important for the Church and the Church workers in Poland and it is encouraging to know that we are part of a large Church family,” said Mariusz Maikowski, district Pastor from Lublin.
“It was very nice to meet the General Conference President and I especially enjoyed the ‘questions and answers’ session,” said Agnieszka Baranowska, Accountant, Union office.
“We do not come to church for people, yet it is encouraging to see and hear leaders like Elder Wilson and his wife Nancy drawing the attention of their fellow believers to the unsurpassed example of our Saviour. It is a humbling experience to be reminded of the extent and magnitude of God’s power available to everyone. I only need to admit that I need it…”, said Piotr Lazar, Editor at the Polish Union Media Centre.
In the afternoon, the leaders met with Seminary’s administrators, as well as the union leadership and conference presidents.
The last visit of the day was to the Spring of Life Foundation, a supportive ministry that operates publishing and printing facilities as well as the New Start Health Program. The Foundation has printed 50,000 copies of the book Great Controversy for the Polish Union Conference and published Pastor Ted Wilson’s book, Almost Home, in Polish.
To read more about the work of the church in Poland, please click here and to see more photos of Pastor Wilson’s tour of the TED, please click here. [tedNEWS]
tedNEWS Staff: Miroslav Pujic, director; Deana Stojkovic, editor
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