SPOTLIGHT Central Europe

All Europe Area Director's Meet in Athens, Greece.

    This spring's all Europe Area Director's meeting was held on April 15-18, 2005, in Athens, Greece. All of the Area Directors from the Europe Region were present as well as the Area Representitives chosen by the missionaries of each area.
    The following are the missionaries representing the  6 areas of Europe: Dave Buckley (Central Europe), Ky Prevette (Eastern Europe), Rachel Erickson (Northern Europe), Jackie Conklin (Southern Europe), Tim Southerland (Western Europe). We can all be proud of Dave as he did a fine job representing the Central Europe Area.

15th Annual Central Europe Superintendent's Meeting Warsaw, Poland

    On April 12-14th Sherry and I were honored to host the 15th annual meeting of the Superintendents and leaders of Central Europe's Pentecostal churches. The gathering was held in Warsaw, Poland.
    These yearly gatherings allow us the opportunity to pray, talk and build relationships with the national leaders. It also gives us the opportunity to hear their hearts and vision. This year we were honored to have Europe Regional Director, Greg Mundis and his wife Sandie—who is the director of Save Europe's Children—attending the meeting.
    My thanks to Bishop Czajko and A/G missionaries Richard & Lori McLane for thier help in organizing this years meeting. The 2006 meeting will be held on March 6-8 in Vienna, Austria.

(Pictured above are those who attended the meeting.)

Spring Breakaway: More Like Family

      On the way home from the Breakaway, the youth program leaders Bernie and Sara traveled with us. The topic of conversation in the car varied from the beautiful weather during the Breakaway to wondering what the traffic would be like when we arrived in Prague. In the quiet times of the ride I was thinking about the Breakaway and trying to pin point that one thing that makes the Breakaway special.
      Then about an hour into the ride Bernie and Sara told us something that seemed to sum up our experience at the Breakaway and actually the Central Europe missionary group as a whole. They said,  “we have never seen a group of people who were not family, function so much like family.”
      They went on to explain that they noticed how everyone seemed to look out for each other and consider one another. They said that even the youth have a sense of “family” that was very rare even among those who do not live far from their actual families. Then Bernie gave one small example that made a big impression on him and showed me that "one thing that made the Breakaway special." 
      On Saturday when everyone was packing their cars, he saw a teenage girl—her arms literally overflowing with things. When the teenage girl turned the corner, she came face to face with a mother who was struggling to lift a stroller with the baby in it. Bernie said, “The teenager—even though her arms were packed so full that she could hardly carry it all—went over to the mother, bent down and lifted up the front of the stroller and helped. She didn't even give it a second thought. It was like it was second nature for her.”
       Sherry and I are honored to serve with you. We are proud to call you our colleagues, but most proud to call you our friends. Thanks for a great and special Breakaway!

Pictured above: The whole Central Europe missionary family