The past Sunday Sherry and I were in Vienna, Austria to take part in the installation service of Larry & Melinda Henderson as the new pastors at Vienna Christian Center.
We welcome Larry, Melinda and their family to the Central Europe team and to Vienna Chistian Center.
Sherry and I just returned from Warsaw, Poland where we attended the dedication of the Warsaw Theological Seminary. Attending the dedication were a large deligation of Assemblies of God World Missions leaders, missionaries and Assemblies of God Pastors.
The project began 10 years ago in a empty field adjacent to the another building that housed the seminary. Today the addition adds on not only classrooms but also a dormitory, caffateria and a large chapel. The photo was taken during the dedication cermony in the chapel.
The building would not have been completed without the the leadership of Assemblies of God Missioanries to Poland Richard & Lori McLane and Builder's Internerational who organized teams and finances for the construction of the seminary.
It's always a joy to welcome new missionaries to Central Europe. Last week we officially introduced our newest missionary, John Bean and his family, to the the general assembly of pastors of the Apostolic Church of Slovakia.
John and his family are presently the only Assemblies of God Missionaries to Slovakia. You can find out more about them by visiting their website at: http://www.beans2slovakia.com.
Pictured in the photo are: (Right to Left) Bishop Jan Lacho: Bishop of the Apostolic Church of Slovakia, Missionary John Bean, Jim Sabella and Jan Liba: Assistant Bishop Apostolic Church of Slovakia
I was among a group of 5 who were interviewed by the Czech National Radio about the completion of the Czech Study Bible. Here is the link to the article and streaming audio on the Czech Radio website. You will find the streaming audio link at the bottom of the web article.
Very seldom in life do you get to be a part of something that has never been done before. Just two days ago I had that opportunity as I took part in the dedication of the Czech Study Bible. This Bible, with notes and commentary from a Pentecostal perspective, is the first of it's kind in the Czech Republic.
The Czech Study Bible is a culmination of 10+ years of work in partnership with Life Publishers International, Assemblies of God World Missions Europe and the Apostolic Church of the Czech Republic.
The ceremony was held at the Prague headquarters of the Czech International Bible Society. Representatives from Life Publishers, International Bible Societies, the Apostolic Church of the Czech Republic and the major evangelical denominations in the Czech Republic were present for the dedication. Each was presented with a first edition of the Study Bible.
I was honored to be a part of the start of this project 10 years ago and was honored to be there at the completion and dedication of this new study bible.
Assemblies of God World Missions Central Europe is also partnering with Life Publishers International to produce this study bible in both the German and Polish languages.
Pictured right to left: Jim Sabella, Larry Art: Life Publishers International and Bishop Martin Moldan: Bishop of the Apostolic Church of the Czech Republic.
This weekend Teen Challenge in the Czech Republic is celebrating their 15th year anniversary. Yesterday evening A/G Missionary Chris Oakley and I attended the opening session held in Prague. Representatives from Europe and the United States were there to share in the celebration.
Pictured with me is Teen Challenge Czech Republic Founder and Director Peter Minister. I was honored to have the opportunity to address the gathering. Celebration continues through this weekend at the Teen Challenge Center in Poštovice, Czech Republic.
This past week I had the honor of hosting the annual Central Europe Superintendent's Summit in Prague. Executive leaders from the Pentecostal Churches in Central Europe gathered for a closed summit to discuss issues concerning the relevance of the church in our changing world, and faith within the context of the culture of Central Europe. Delegations from the Czech Republic (Bishop: Martin Moldan); Hungary (President: Albert Patakey); Slovakia (Bishop: Jan Laho); and Switzerland (President: Max Schläpfer) attended (see photo).
Our guest speaker for Tuesday evening was Mr. Daniel Raus. Mr. Raus is a journalist and the Editor of Religious Broadcasting for Czech Radio. He is also commentator on international politics. He spoke to us about the impact of media on culture. This summit takes place every spring
and is sponsored by the Assemblies of God World Missions Central Europe
Area.
Sherry and I just returned from Senec, Slovakia where we hosted the annual Central Europe Superintendent's Conference. The leaders of the Pentecostal churches from Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Switzerland along with their assistants and their spouses attended the three day meeting. Visiting with us at this year's conference was Daryle Erickson and Dave Collins. Both Daryle and Dave are working with ICI/Global University Europe.
Pictured in the photo above are the Superintendents who attended the conference. Below is photo of all who attended the meeting.
