🇨🇿⛪️ The History of Christianity in the Czech Lands - Chapter 1: Early Societal Structures and the Great Migration of the Czech/Bohemian People

Building upon our prologue in the last ost, the best place to start is at the

Building upon our prologue in the last post, the best place to start is at the beginning, exploring the origins of the early Czech and Bohemian people, and the cultural interactions that have shaped them into who they are. Understanding these elements, especially in the context of the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the ensuing "Great Migration Period", provides a clearer picture of the foundation upon which Christianity would later establish itself.

The Fall of the Western Roman Empire and the Great Migration Period

The decline of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD, marked by the deposition of Romulus Augustulus by the Germanic chieftain Odoacer, created a power vacuum across Europe. This collapse led to the Great Migration Period (circa 5th to 6th centuries AD), characterized by large-scale movements of tribes, including Germanic, Slavic, and Hunnic groups. The weakened Roman structures made it easier for migrating tribes to settle in former Roman territories, including Central Europe.

Slavic Tribes and the Migration into Bohemia

Originating from regions around modern-day Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus, Slavic tribes were driven by climate changes, invasions, and the search for fertile lands to migrate into present day Bohemia in the 6th century AD. This migration was a cultural and linguistic transformation, blending Celtic legacies with Slavic traditions and interacting with Germanic tribes like the Bavarians and Saxons.

Tribal Organization and Governance

Early Czech/Bohemian society was organized into tribes and clans, each led by chieftains responsible for maintaining order and leading in times of conflict. A Council of Elders provided collective wisdom and guidance, fostering a strong sense of kinship and loyalty essential for survival amidst frequent invasions and other challenges.

Trade, Cultural Exchange, and External Influences

Bohemia's strategic location as a crossroads between Eastern and Western Europe facilitated robust trade and cultural exchanges. These interactions enriched the local culture, leading to a blending of Old Slavonic with Germanic languages and practices, which significantly shaped the development of Czech culture, from language, societal norms, customs, food, architecture, etc.

✨ Reflection

A deepening understanding of Czech history, culture, and societal structures enhances our ability to connect with Czechs about the Gospel. By appreciating their resilient and adaptable nature, we can approach conversations with greater empathy and insight, fostering meaningful engagements that resonate with their unique heritage.

🤝 Gratitude to Our Partners

Your support and prayers empower us to explore these intricate historical relationships, honoring the resilience of the Czech Christian community over many centuries. Together, we celebrate the foundations that have shaped Czech Christianity.

🙏 Prayer Focus

Let us pray for peace and unity in the Czech Republic, that the lessons of history inspire current generations to embrace faith and foster harmonious relationships.

🇨🇿⛪️ Embark on an Epic Journey with Us: The History of Christianity in the Czech Lands 🇨🇿

Hello, dear friends!

We’re thrilled to share a new series with you, where we’ll explore the rich and complex history of Christianity in the Czech Lands together. This series is both a way for us to organize our own thoughts and a means to share what we’re learning about Czech history and culture, and in particular the development of Christianity in Prague, Bohemia, Central Europe, and the broader Slavic world.

SETTING THE STAGE: FROM CELTIC TRIBES TO SLAVIC SETTLERS

Long before the Czechs settled in Bohemia, the region was home to various Celtic and Germanic tribes, whose presence is still evident in archaeological sites and cultural artifacts. These early inhabitants laid the foundational cultural and societal structures that would influence the incoming Slavic tribes during the 5th and 6th Century in what became knowns as "The Great Migration". Driven by factors such as changes in climate, invasions by nomadic groups like the Huns and Magyars, the fall of the Western Roman Empire, and the search for fertile lands, Slavic tribes migrated into Bohemia from around the 6th century AD from somewhere east of the Carpathian Mountains of Eastern Europe. This migration was not merely a physical movement but also a cultural and linguistic transformation, blending Celtic legacies with Slavic traditions.

MYTHICAL ORIGINS AND LEGENDARY FOUNDATIONS

The origins of the Czech and broader Slavic identities are intertwined with rich mythological narratives, and it is dificult to parse history from legend. Legends such as the story of the brothers Czech, Lech, and Rus highlight the intertwined stories of neighboring Slavic nations and the enduring spirit of the Czech people. These stories, while mythical, reflect values of unity, courage, and resilience that have guided the Czech people throughout history. They also emphasize the deep connections between the Czech lands and their Slavic neighbors, fostering a sense of shared heritage and purpose.

📜 WHAT TO EXPECT:

• Heroic Figures & Christian Martyrs: We'll learn about inspiring individuals like "Good King Wenceslas," Jan Hus, Jan Žižka, the 27 Protestant Martyrs of Prague's Old Town Square, Count Zinzendorf, and others whose faith and courage have helped shape Czech Christianity through the centuries.
• Key Historical Events: From the mission of Cyril & Methodius, which first introduced the Gospel to pre-Christian Bohemia and the Slavic world, to the Protestant Reformation, the tumultuous Thirty Years’ War, the Third Reich, Communism, and beyond.
• Influential Movements: We'll discover the impact of the Moravian Church, Count Zinzendorf, and the Czech Brethren Church on global Christianity.
• Villains & Oppressors: Understand the forces that have sought to suppress the Gospel and how Czech Christians responded.
• Cultural Context: We'll gain insight into the origins and societal structures of the Czech/Bohemian people before and after the arrival of Christianity, including the significant influences of Germanic language and culture on Czech language and traditions.

✨ WHY IT MATTERS:

By understanding this history together as partners together in the Gospel, we will not only honor those who came before us but also find inspiration to support and pray for the spread of the Gospel in one of the world’s most secular nations today. The blend of historical facts, cultural influences, and mythical narratives provides a comprehensive view of how Christianity has been woven into the very fabric of Czech identity.

🤝 A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS:

To our friends, family, prayer, and financial partners—you are holding the rope with us in this ministry journey, and we hope that this series will help you feel more connected to how God is at work (and has been at work for centuries!) in the heart of Europe. Your support and prayers are vital as we delve into this important history together.

🙏 JOIN US:

Let’s walk this path together, fostering empathy for the Czech people and a deeper connection to the Czech Christian community. Stay tuned for our first installment where we delve into the origins of the Czech people and their early beliefs. Stay tuned!

#ChristianHistory #CzechRepublic #FaithJourney #PrayForCzechia #PartnersInMinistry #HoldTheRope

📿🪢 Holding the Rope for God’s Mission 🪢📿

Have you ever thought of the mission field as a mine, and the lives touched by the Gospel as treasures, waiting to be uncovered for God’s glory? ⛏️💎 Our ministry in Prague through Faith Community Church is somewhat like that—a mine full of riches for the Gospel, waiting to be unearthed. But to extract these priceless riches of lives transformed by the Gospel of grace, some of us must go down into the pit, while others play the crucial role of “holding the rope” back home. 🤝💡 Thank you for holding the rope for us!

“I will go down into the mine, but you must hold the ropes”. ~William Carey

The Legacy of William Carey & Andrew Fuller: Mining Treasures of God’s Grace for the Gospel

In 1792, as William Carey, the "father of modern missions," began his lifelong mission to India, he understood the immense potential for seeing millions of people from hundreds of unreached people groups in India, reached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for God’s glory. But William Carey knew that he couldn't do it alone and that the partnership of those back home in England was absolutely critical for his ministry in India. In particular, Carey’s friend and fellow pastor back in England, Andrew Fuller, whom Carey told in a letter, “I will go down into the mine, but you must hold the ropes”. 🪢📿

William Carey’s role was to be the “miner” or missionary who was called to descend into the mine ⛏️, and Andrew Fuller enthusiastically launched into his role as a “rope holder” back home, providing prayer, encouragement, and financial support, as well as helping to mobilize others to join in holding the rope for Carey and his fellow workers in India. Both of their roles were vitally important callings to take part in God’s mission. In the same way, each one of us today who are Christians are called to either be “goers” or to be “senders” who help hold the rope in support of those the Lord has sent.

Prague: A Post-Post-Christian Landscape

Many American Christians today may be completely unaware of just how deeply secular Europe has become. You might even visit Europe and see beautiful, historic churches all around you, but today, many of these churches sit largely empty with the exception of tourists and a small and aging but devout remnant of believers gathered on a Sunday morning. These ancient and beautiful churches and cathedrals are often monuments to an ancient but fading Christian past whose days are all but forgotten in Europe. Its a stark reminder for us that the Bible's understanding of what a "Church" is ("εκκλησία", or "ekklesia" in the Greek New Testament, meaning "assembly"), is not a building -no matter how beautiful and ancient- but a people.

The Bible-believing Christian population in many European nations today, including the Czech Republic, is often less than 2%—a threshold below which Christianity struggles to grow and sustain itself without the help of foreign missionaries. In William Carey and Andrew Fuller's day, the most critical needs for mission sending and the light of the Gospel were to the so-called "dark continents" of Africa and Asia. But today in the 21st century, after centuries of mission sending and surging indigenous churches in Africa and Asia, the "dark continent" most in need of the light of Christ today has become Europe itself, formerly thought of as "Christendom".

In "post-post-Christian" Prague, Christianity hasn’t just been rejected recently—it’s often not even been considered. Many Czechs and other secular Europeans living in Prague have never encountered a Bible-believing Christian who could share the Gospel with them in a meaningful way. In fact, the percentage of Czech Bible-believing Christians was estimated a decade ago to be just 0.76%, and is probably significantly less today, making Prague one of the most challenging yet critical mission fields for the future of Christianity in Europe and the western world. This makes our mission incredibly urgent and impactful, as we seek to bring the transformative message of Jesus to a community that’s largely unaware and untouched by it.

How You Can "Hold the Rope" for Us in the Mission Field of Central Europe:

🙏 Pray: Lift us up in prayer as well as for those we minister to and come in contact with to hear the Gospel and receive it with gladness.

🤝 Support Financially: Your donations help sustain and expand our ministry efforts. 👉 Give Here: mtw.org/bean

📢 Encourage & Share: Share our ministry in Europe with friends, family, and with your church, to help grow our support network and awareness of how God is at work.

👥 Mobilize Your Community: Invite others to join our Facebook group, share our email updates and blogposts with them, and encourage your church to support our mission through prayer and financial partnership.

Why It Matters:

By holding the rope for us in Prague, you enable us and our team to dig deep, planting and nurturing churches that become lights of the Gospel in Prague, and we hope in the future, beyond into greater Czechia and Central Europe.

Just as Andrew Fuller’s support back home in England was vital for William Carey’s mission in India in creating a lasting church planting movement that continues to this day, your support of our work in Prague today is essential for our efforts to uncover and cultivate the Gospel’s treasures in Prague—all for God’s glory--together. 🤝🌟🙌

Thank you so much for all that you do to “hold the rope” 🪢📿 in supporting the mission of God to draw those who’ve never heard the Gospel to our gracious savior!

🎄 Christmas in the Czech Republic: A Beautiful Mix of Tradition and Opportunity 🎁

Did you know that Christmas in the Czech Republic is celebrated differently than in the U.S. or U.K.? Here’s a glimpse into the traditions—and the opportunities they bring to share the Gospel. 

In the Czech Republic, the heart of the Christmas celebration is Štědrý den (“Generous Day”) on December 24th. 🎅🏽 While many in the U.S. and the U.K. think of Christmas Eve as a time for last-minute preparations or a family dinner, here in the Czech Republic, Christmas Eve is the main event! 🥳 Families often fast throughout the day (some even tell children they might see a “golden pig” 🐖 if they manage to hold out!). The evening meal is a feast typically of fish soup 🐟 and fried carp with homemade potato salad. 🥔 Gifts 🎁 are exchanged after dinner, not delivered by Santa Claus, but by Ježíšek (“Baby Jesus”), who is said to bring presents to families. Children eagerly await the ringing of a bell 🔔, signaling that Ježíšek has passed by and left their gifts under the tree. 🎄 

Unlike in the U.S. or U.K., Santa Claus (Svatý Mikuláš, or St. Nicholas) doesn’t make an appearance at Christmas in the Czech tradition. 🎅🏽 Instead, he visits on St. Nicholas’s Day, December 6th. Dressed as a bishop, he’s accompanied by a devilish figure called čert (“the devil”) 😈 and an angel. 👼 Together, they visit children, giving candy 🍬 to those who have behaved well and a symbolic golden birch 🌿 to those who have misbehaved. This unique tradition reflects the Czech blend of folklore and faith, reminding children of the importance of virtue and good deeds. 

Interestingly, even though the Czech Republic is one of the most atheistic countries in the world, Christmas remains a deeply significant cultural and public holiday. 🕯️ Many people still gather for Midnight Mass in Roman Catholic churches on Christmas Eve—a reminder of the holiday’s Christian origins. For many atheistic Czechs, this might be one of the only times of the year they engage with faith, even if only culturally. 🙏 This creates unique opportunities to share the true meaning of Christmas in a society that may otherwise seem indifferent to the Gospel. 

The contrast is striking: on one hand, traditions like the giving of gifts by Baby Jesus point back to Christ’s birth; on the other, many Czechs have little understanding of the Gospel story and significance behind these celebrations. 🌟 For Christians, this cultural tension is an open door to share why Christmas is not just about tradition, but about the greatest gift ever given: the coming of Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God with us. ✝️ 

Wherever you are celebrating this Christmas season, whether in the U.S., the U.K., or elsewhere, would you take a moment to pray for the Czech people? 🙌 Ask God to use these cherished traditions as opportunities to introduce them to the hope and joy of the Gospel. 

🎄 Merry Christmas from Prague to all our friends and supporters around the world. 🌍 May the true Light of Christmas shine brightly in your celebrations this year! ✨

Exciting News: Our Move to Prague is Approved!

We’re thrilled to share some wonderful news with you: we’ve been approved to move to Prague in August! Thanks to the incredible support from our dedicated ministry partners, including many of you, and several new supporters, the Lord has provided significantly towards our monthly pledges and relocation costs in record time.

Current Financial Standing

While we’re still about $1,500 short of our monthly pledges goal, MTW has given us the green light to proceed. To help make this happen, we’ll be taking a voluntary salary reduction to meet the administrative requirements. This temporary measure allows us to move forward while we continue to trust in God's provision to meet our full financial goal. This also means that Caleb and Mary can start school in Prague at the end of August while we continue to trust the Lord to raise the last bit of financial support needed for the long-term viability of our ministry in Prague.

How You Can Help

Please pray with us for the Lord to bring in the remaining monthly, quarterly, and annual pledges. The frequency of the pledge is less important than the commitment to ongoing support. Whether you can give monthly, quarterly, or annually, every contribution helps take the Gospel to the lost in Prague and helps us trust the Lord together to strengthen and continue Faith Community Church's growth in grace.

Special Needs

In addition to ongoing support, we need approximately $14,000 in additional special gifts to cover one-time expenses such as moving costs, real estate and school deposits, visas, and more. Since the U.K. is no longer part of the European Union, we also require a special veterinary exam and an EU “pet passport” for our dog Aldo. Fortunately, driving to Prague with Aldo will be more cost-effective than flying.

Join Us in Prayer

We’re incredibly grateful for your continued prayers and support as we embark on this new chapter in the Czech Republic. Together, we’re bringing the Gospel to the heart of Europe. Please pray for the Lord to provide the remaining financial support and for a smooth transition for our family.

Stay Updated

To stay updated on our journey and ministry, please continue to follow our blog. We’ll be sharing more updates and stories about our work and experiences in Prague. Your prayers and support mean the world to us as we take this step of faith.

Thank you all for your love, support, and prayers. Let’s continue to trust together in God's provision and grace through our partnership in the Gospel.

Blessings from London,

Dawson, Shanna, Joshua, Caleb, and Mary Elisabeth Bean

We Urgently Need Your Help for Our Move to the Czech Republic, Especially Our Children

Hello Dear Friends,

As you may have seen posted here or in our Facebook Group, we are preparing for an urgent move with MTW to Prague, Czech Republic. I'll be serving as the Interim Pastor at one of the few gospel-centered churches in the capital and largest city of the most atheist nation in the world, Faith Community Church IPC.  Shanna will be serving in evangelism and discipleship with women in the church and community.  They are a sister congregation of our current host church in London, IPC-Ealing.  After searching for a pastor for over a year, they extended a pastoral call for me to come and serve them last month.  They have just one elder (RE) and need us to come to them as quickly as possible to help lead them for at least the next two years, beginning September 1, in order to help the church continue to grow and eventually become self-sustaining.

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Financial Support Urgently Needed

We are facing a significant monthly financial support deficit that we are trusting the Lord to fill. New and renewed monthly financial supporters are crucial to help us get to Prague and begin serving at Faith Community Church as quickly as possible.

In addition to the church's urgent need, it is essential for our two youngest children, Caleb (17) and Mary (15), to arrive in Prague before school starts for them on August 30.  They have been enrolled in British schools for the past 2 1/2 years and have already been accepted at Riverside School in Prague, which follows a British curriculum, ensuring a smooth transition.

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Why Returning to the U.S. Would Be Detrimental

If we do not meet our monthly support need quickly enough, we will have no choice but to return to the United States for an unknown period to raise financial support.  This would require our children to transition back into an American school, only to have to reintegrate again into a British school in Prague later.  The initial transition into the British school system was incredibly challenging for them, and we want to avoid putting them through a transition like that twice more.

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Meet Our Children

Caleb (17)

Caleb will be flying to the U.S. next week to spend time with his grandparents and other family in Texas and New Mexico. He’ll also be taking an SAT prep course while he’s in the States.  Caleb has amazed us this past year with his academic intensity.  He seems to have a brain like my grandfather’s (praise God for small miracles!), and his work ethic has really impressed us, especially after a tough initial integration into the British school system at his initial school, which forced him ahead a year.  He was able to get a restart on year 10 when he transferred over to Joshua’s school, The Fulham Boys’ School last year, which helped him tremendously.  He finished his last GCSE exam in Latin on Monday morning and is now done with year 11 of secondary school in the British system and plans to focus on Maths and Triple Sciences for his last two years of high school at Riverside School in Prague.  He is on a trajectory to graduate high school in 2026.  He has recently informed us he wants to go to Baylor for pre-med and then on to Johns Hopkins for medical school.  We’re proud of his ambition and determination and we’ve suggested he consider Texas A&M and Texas Tech as well (the Oxford of the South Plains 😉👆🏻) and told him that we hope he does well on his SAT/ACT's and makes good grades for scholarships, because otherwise his hopes and dreams sound really expensive!  He made a 1380 on a practice SAT that he took the other night "just for fun" without any prior preparation.  He's smart and a hard worker!

Mary Elisabeth (15)

Mary is still in school here in London through July 18.  She’s done well socially but has struggled a bit academically due to her dyslexia and being forced to skip ahead a year when we first arrived in the U.K. from 6th Grade to “Year 8” in the British School system, which made her go from being one of the oldest in her class in Texas, to one of the youngest in her class here in London, due to her summer birthday.  Her school, The Green School for Girls, has been inflexible, unlike Joshua’s and Caleb’s school, The Fulham Boys’ School.  She has been accepted into Riverside School in Prague, who have agreed to allow her to restart "year 10" (equivalent of Freshman year in a U.S. high school) to help her get caught up academically, which was very helpful for Caleb to do last year after a rough initial start.  This will put Mary back on her original trajectory for graduation in 2028 that she had in the U.S.  Mary is very bright and very social.  As she is still in school until July 18, we're not sure yet what her travel plans will be for the summer, but she hopes to spend some time in the U.S. visiting family along with her brothers but will have to arrive a bit later.

Joshua (19)

Joshua just finished his A-Level exams last Friday and has now graduated from the British high school "Sixth Form" program, which is something of a hybrid between High School and University prep.  He has done exceptionally well academically and wants to major in English Creative Writing.  His success is due to his hard work and the excellent school he's attended, The Fulham Boys School. Joshua had planned to start at Cardiff University in September, but unfortunately he recently found out that he doesn’t qualify for UK school loans, which his guidance counsellor here in London thought for sure he’d qualify for.  He’s exploring other financial aid options to continue with his plans for Cardiff, but may end up either taking a “gap year” in Prague with us and work, or return to the U.S. for college, possibly at Covenant College or Stephen F Austin State University in Nacogdoches.  He will be flying to Texas a few days after Caleb to visit family.

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Your Support Matters

We've just picked up two new committed monthly financial partners from members of our IPC churches here in the U.K. who saw the need and were encouraged by how they've seen the Lord's kindness to work through our ministry at IPC-Ealing since 2022.  If you may feel led to join our team or to increase your current monthly financial pledge, you can do so on our MTW giving website at www.mtw.org/bean.

All the best from London, and Lord willing, soon from Prague,

Dawson, Shanna, Joshua, Caleb, and Mary Elisabeth Bean

Exciting News From Prague!

Ahoj from Prague everyone! We have exciting news- this morning, meeting across the Vltava River in central Prague, Czech Republic at DoSlova Praha Church, the IPC European Mission Presbytery voted unanimously to approve Faith Community Church of Prague’s call for me to serve as their interim pastor.

We couldn’t be more encouraged and excited to go and take the Gospel to the capital of the most secular nation on Earth, and desperately need your prayers and continued support to go to them as quickly as possible after surviving (and even growing) for this past year without a pastor. They have been well served by other local MTW and Serge missionaries serving in the city who have given their time so sacrificially over this interim period to help shepherd this church, but they are tired and have other ministry responsibilities that they need to return their focus to, and we are so grateful for their work and to now go and join them.

I’m pictured here with Faith’s founding pastor Phil Davis, and and former associate pastor Jake Hunt, who was sent out by Faith to plant DoSlova Church across town. They are two very distinctly different churches trying to reach very different demographics in Prague and work exceptionally well together. It’s a beautiful picture of what good, Christ centered Presbyterianism and just plain laboring alongside one another selflessly for the Gospel can look like, and Shanna and I are honored and humbled for them and their wives to be a part of now passing us the baton to run the race alongside and after them. To God be the glory, great things he has done.

An Encouraging Note to You, from Our Friend Rico Tice:

Dear Friends and Partners of Dawson & Shanna,

The Revd Rico Tice

My name is the Reverend Rico Tice. I was ordained into the Anglican Church in 1994 and then spent 29 years as an evangelist on staff at All Souls, Langham Place in London. In that time, I also set up Christianity Explored, which is a charity that seeks to help churches and individuals look at the person of Jesus in Mark's Gospel. I’m honoured to have been asked to be one of the keynote speakers at Mission to the World’s Global Missions Conference this upcoming November in Atlanta. I left All Souls in 2023 to work full-time for Christianity Explored and in part in protest at the apostasy of the leadership of The Church of England, took my family out of the Anglican Church and joined the International Presbyterian Church of Ealing (IPC-Ealing) and delightfully we found ourselves in Dawson and Shanna's Home Group.  

I wanted to write, because I just can't speak highly enough of their care and leadership.

First of all, they both have such a clear and winsomely reformed theology. It has been wonderful to be led by people who have such a grip on the sovereignty of God. I really can't think of anything that Dawson has said, as he's led study after study, which hasn't been theologically faithful. There are a number of people in our group, for whom English is a second language and they then personify the old adage that 'those who understand deeply, teach clearly'. The notes that are given out are clear and really enable people who struggle with the language to follow along and take home something solid and digestible. It's obvious they've been so well trained.

Secondly, their theology is followed up by really self-sacrificing lives. I rang them last week and they were out with a couple, both young Christians and the wife was in the middle of really a bit of a breakdown, and it was just so typical that they had their arms around that couple, when I spontaneously rang.

Furthermore, last Monday we had a birthday celebration for a dear man in the group. He's 42, single, lives with his mum and is pretty vulnerable. Shanna organised the party which they hosted in their back garden. There were three cakes and when I drove him home, he said to me, "That's been the best birthday I've ever had". It's just simply living out what it means to be a church family and opening your home again and again.  

And then there is their evangelism. There has been a constant stream of men that have come to IPC-Ealing with Dawson. When I went for a haircut in Pitshanger and tried to raise spiritual things with the barber, he said, "Oh there's an American who comes in here called Dawson, who has spoken to me about this". Furthermore, I was driving through Greenford, a village near Ealing, on a Saturday morning and there were Dawson and Shanna out on the streets doing open air evangelism.  

So as I commend them, there's theology, care of the church family and evangelism. All three have been modelled and embodied by the Beans. There's a real joy in the Lord in them and, as we have interacted with their children, we have just felt that their kids are with us in this great work, but nevertheless are themselves and have lots of personality. My wife Lucy thinks the world of Shanna and has so appreciated her example, and I have appreciated Dawson's. I really want to wholeheartedly commend them both to you their partners in ministry, the Board at MTW, and now to their new church in Prague, Faith Community Church. They are outstanding Christian workers, who have certainly shown themselves to be really effective in the cross-cultural context of West London.

 

1 Thessalonians 1:3 springs to mind - "We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."

 

Warmly in Christ from London,

 

The Revd Rico Tice

Evangelist & Founder

Christianity Explored Ministries

www.christianityexplored.org

www.honestevangelism.com

 

Meanwhile Back in London: An Encouraging Holiday Weekend For Our Home Group And Ministry At IPC-Ealing

Over the Memorial Day weekend (called the Spring Bank Holiday here in the UK) we were so encouraged to see a young couple from our Home Group, Fenno & Reka, get married at IPC-Ealing, the church in West London we've been serving at for the past 2 1/2 years, and to see another newlywed couple who we've been meeting with regularly for discipleship, Eduard & Alice, come into church membership.

Some of our home group gathered for a group pic

Fenno and Reka jumped into church life and our home group straight away after finishing university at Durham and moving to London. It's often something of a discouraging theme to see young people let their relationship with Jesus and the church lapse during the University years, if not walk away from Christ altogether, but that has certainly not been the case with Reka & Fenno as they were deeply involved with the ministry of Durham University’s Christian Union, and got stuck in to church life and our Home Group immediately upon moving back home to London after university. They've also been some of our most committed teachers for our Tuesday night Free English Classes at the church. For Reka, coming to IPC-Ealing was a return to her home church where her parents have been long-time members since moving to the U.K. from Budapest, Hungary when Reka was only 10 years old, while Fenno was quite keen to chase after his fiancee and now bride to London after University, and likewise moved to the UK as a child with his parents from Kenya. Their own experience as immigrants to the UK as children has allowed them to see first hand that welcoming the nations with strategic opportunities for Gospel engagment like Free English Classes is a great opportunity for sharing the Gospel and making new friendships with international people.

Eduard and Alice meanwhile have also gotten very involved at IPC-Ealing as well since moving to Ealing as newlyweds last year after pursuing one another long-distance and getting married and have joined the church now as members. Alice comes from a presbyterian Free Church of Scotland background in her native Scotland, while Ed is originally from Ukraine with roots in Hungary and grew up in Orthodoxy after being baptised in secret as a child of believing parents, in defiance of the communist regimes that previously controlled both Ukraine and Hungary. Ed has been in the UK for many years after coming to study for University, and is a poet, writer, and artist, while Alice works in the world of finance.

We've so enjoyed meeting regularly with each of these couples for discipleship and one-to-one Bible reading, and are so glad to see each of them following Jesus and making Him and His church their top priority in life. Please do pray for them.