Dear Redeemer Family-
Thank you so much for supporting our missions trip to Poland this summer.
We were overwhelmed by the generous prayers and support given by so many in our church family.
Your generosity allowed us to share God’s love with the children of Ukraine and serve alongside believers from across the globe.
Over 70 children attended VBS through Christ our Savior Church in Krakow, Poland and over 10 PCA churches responded and 6 countries were represented during this outreach project.
Redeemer was able to send us along with three suitcases filled with children’s ministry supplies, games and sports supplies that we shared with our new friends. Your ministry to the Ukrainian teens and children led to an opportunity for deepened friendship, Christ-centered community and gospel hope during a tumultuous time of crisis.
We are grateful for our church family and are excited to share about our time in Krakow in pictures, words and videos. We have so many sweet stories that we aren’t able to share in this post; please connect with us personally to hear more highlights from our time in Poland.
Blessings-
Amanda Knox, Micah Tindage, and Beckie White
The church we partnered with is Christ the Savior Presbyterian Church located in Krakow. The pastor Sashko is Ukrainian-born and is married to woman from Poland.
Although the church in Krakow has started a “Help Center” with resources for clothing, housing, legal aid, and trauma support, the need to establish residency and education is ongoing.
Pastor Sashko had a vision to hold a 10-week VBS to provide a safe place for friendship and to point Ukrainian refugees to Jesus, our Savior. He didn’t think a single week would be long enough to be of any help to the Ukrainian families in their community.
So, he asked Simone, their Children’s Ministry Director, to coordinate the VBS and asked partnering churches and ministries to come alongside them.
Most of the attendees including the teens did not know a single person before arriving in Poland. They are the fortunate ones who had some way of escaping Ukraine during the war. The fathers who were able to leave Ukraine instead of staying to fight are those who either left before the borders were closed, had a previous medical condition or had three or more children to take care of.
Many of the Ukrainian refugees who attended the VBS were also unchurched, or not a part of a Christian community. Less than .06% of the population in Poland are Christians which is less than the number of Christians in Saudi Arabia, a predominantly Muslim country.
The next phase of the church’s vision is to start a local preschool for Ukrainian refugees. The goal is to directly support the single Ukrainian mothers in partnering with them and providing a loving and supportive faith community while they look for work.
Prayer Requests and Ongoing Support:
1. A New Building:
Christ the Savior is looking for a building that’s not adjacent to the street, along with permits, financial support, volunteers and short-term teams to teach young children.
Their congregation is quickly outgrowing its existing space and wants to be able to accommodate their growing church family.
2. Employment for staff:
Pray for Anna, the Ukrainian translator who was able to work at VBS during the 10 weeks, but will need to find employment to support herself and her daughter, Arina.
3. Training for staff and lay leadership:
Much of the Christ the Savior team are lay leaders and have expressed interest in trainings through the PCA and other reformed ministries. Pray for funds to cover these un-budgeted expenses.
4. Outreach to the City: Christ the Savior has been rapidly expanding their congregation through Bible studies, luncheons and discipleship. Pray for strength and perseverance as they faithfully proclaim the Gospel in Krakow.
Poland has the 2nd largest university in Europe and a high percentage of foreigners end up living and working in Krakow. It’s a developing country so there are a lot of opportunities for kingdom work and gospel transformation. Pray for partnership opportunities with RUF and other college ministries.
VBS Highlights from Poland: