About our homeschooling in popular Polish magazine

We debuted in the illustrated popular in Poland magazine for women :) It is a special edition "Moment for You". In the new issue they published an article (and pictures) about our family in the context of our homeschooling. This is actually my wife's Jola interesting story on this subject, which (according to the idea of the editor) starts with our engagement 11 years ago :-)

I published some photos below. Homeschooling in Poland is still something exotic but every year more and more families decide to live this way. In March 2013 we want to make a conference about Christian education and Christian homeschooling in the place of our Services. Please pray for that project and development of Christian education in Gdansk and in Poland.

Restoring fatherhood

Last Saturday I participated in the conference in Pentecostal Church about fatherhood and conversations went good. I had two lectures: 1." What God the Father is Like" and 2."Imitating the Father". 

There were 35-40 men, fathers, most of them between 30-50. I printed for them few articles about biblical parenting. All of them disappeared :-) It was great opportunity!

From January 2013 I want to start and develop regular monthly ministry for families in Gdansk (on the first Saturday of each month). It will be the lectures and seminars for husbands, wifes, fathers and mothers from our town (Gdansk has half million people) about: - fatherhood - motherhood - marriage - childrearing, Christian education etc. - biblical model of masculinity and femininity - masculinity and femininity in the church and in the culture.

In March 2013 we're going to make a conference (with few speakers) about Christian homeschooling and we want to invite all Christian churches from Gdansk, Sopot and Gdynia (3 cities close to themself). All of the lectures will be recorded and publish on our church website, my blog (pbartosik.pl) and youtube.

 If you have any advices, suggestions which could be helpful please feel free to share with me. I would appreciate it. I ask you for praying for that ministry. Restoring marriage and family (especially fatherhood) is big, contemporary challenge in our country.

Pictures from the conference:

We have to looking for another place for Services

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The Headmaster of primary school where we have rented a chapel for 6 years told me that they don't want to give us this place for rent for the next school year. She didn't want to explain me reasons honestly ("I have no duty to say you about reasons" - probably you know that kind of excuses). A lot of signs on the sky and earth seem to say she did it because of pressure of a priest, nuns and catholic parents who don't like the presence of protestants in public school anymore. Also our conferences, my debates and articles in local websites and newspapers could "help" her to make the decision (evolutionism, childrearing etc.).

Last Sunday we met in our flat. We're going do it again next Sunday. But we are looking for another place. BTW, it is my prayer request - if you could please pray for a new, good room for our Sunday Services (for our financial capabilities with good location). Thank you.

Mitt Romney in Gdansk

Look at these pictures:

http://galeria.trojmiasto.pl/-360752.html?id_news=60553&pozycja=0#foto

Mitt Romney visited our town (Gdansk). He met with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Solidarity Movement leader from 80's Lech Walesa (and former Polish President) and President of Gdansk - Pawel Adamowicz. They were very close to our Evangelism Station where we had publications for Mitt about God's plan for marriage, sufficency of the Bible and application of God's law in contemporary democrats. Unfortnatelly there was no chance for sharing it with him  :) 

See also that picture from lewrockwell.com (thanks to Brian Penney for sharing it with me):

http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/117046.html

Blessings,

Pawel

My biography and spiritual journey

About me and my spiritual journey

My name is Pawel Bartosik. I was born in Gorzow Wielkopolski (the city at the West of Poland, close to the German border) in 1977 where I lived for 19 years. Now I live with my wife and 8 years old daughter Zuzia, 6 year old son - Janek and Maja who is 4. From many years we live in Gdansk. I met my wife (Jola) at the Conference with pastor Dennis Tuuri (Reformation Covenant Church in Portland, OR, USA) in Lezyce (Poland) in May 2001. We have been married the 5th of October 2002.

My parents are Roman Catholics (as well as my wife's). I was baptized in infancy in Roman Catholic Church. When I was in high school I met believers of ISKCON (Hare Krishna Movement). For 2 years I visited their meetings, I was a vegetarian and I believed in reincarnation, karma and that Krishna and Yahweh are one and the same God. But thanks God I didn't decide to be a formal member of this Movement. I left the circle of these people after my visit in the Temple of Hare Krishna in Wroclaw. I met there a Guru form the USA (there are 12 Gurus in the world after the death of Srila Prabhupada and all are Americans J ). I saw idolatry and big pressure on me and all members.

After this event I became a zealous Catholic. I used to attend an evening mass 3 or 4 times a week. My neighbor and I used to go to the meetings of small charismatic group of teenagers in the Catholic Church.

When I was in the last class of high school I decided to take the entrance exams to the Academy of Catholic Theology in Warsaw. I wanted to be a teacher of Catholic religion or do something in my Church (but I didn't want to be a priest).

My conversion to Lord Jesus

I began my studies in Warsaw on the 1st of October 1996. In December on my way to play basketball I met 2 missionaries from the US. One of them preached in Polish at the street and the second one gave out tracts about salvation in Jesus Christ. I heard a the sermon of the first guy and today I remember that he said that salvation if a gift, not payment. And it is given by faith in Jesus. And that everyone who believes in the name of Jesus – can be sure of salvation. It was something new for me. As a Catholic I thought that I had to give something to God as a condition of my salvation. They encouraged me to read the Bible (Gospel of John and the Epistle to Romans) and highlight the verses where the authors say about justification and eternal life. Then I started meeting these 2 missionaries in Pizza-Hut and other restaurants and we talked about the Bible and basics of faith while drinking milk.

December '96 was the time of my conversion to Jesus. I saw my sin and consequences of it. Thanks to God's grace I saw that the only rescue is in the sacrifice of Jesus at the cross and His resurrection. He opened my eyes and He forgave my sins. I attended the church of these Americans and Polish Brethren. Some months later it appeared that Church of this missionaries is modalistic and these Americans believe not only in One God who plays three roles (heresy of Sabelianism, Modalism) but they are "King James Only" believers. In their opinion only Gdanska Bible (old Polish Bible) is inspired translation which they have read at the Services. But God used them to show me that Jesus is the only way to heaven.

Our church in Gdansk

Evangelical Reformed Church is a congregation of the Lord's people in Gdansk. We are the mission church of Evangelical Reformed Church in Wroclaw. We started our ministry from 3rd of April when all the elders from Wroclaw officially and publicly (during Sunday Service) sent me to the mission work in Gdansk. One week later we started our services (10th of April 2005).

Our congregation was a result of our studies on covenant theology. What greatly influenced our convictions were books, articles, discussions with reformed pastors and authors (Greg Bahnsen, Francis Schaeffer, Gregg Strawbridge, Douglas Wilson, Randy Booth, Ralph Smith, Larry Ball, Tim Gallant, Mark Horne, Gerry Wisz, Robert S. and G. Rayburns and Reformed pastors from Poland). 

We are a Christian Church whose Head is the Lord Jesus Christ. According to the Scripture and Apostolic Church God gathers us on the Lord's Day (Sunday) for worship and to celebrate the Lord's Victory over sin and death. Our ministry goal is to bring glory to the Triune God – The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit

As a Covenant Community we are called to submit to the Lord every area of life - our worship, life of our families, education, art, economy etc.

We believe that the Holy Scripture is the only one authority (Sola Scriptura). God says to us clearly by every word from 66 books of the Bible.

Our conviction is that the Bible teaches that we are saved by God's "grace alone" (Sola Gratia), through "faith alone" (Sola Fide), because of the finished work of "Christ alone" (Solus Christus). From beginning to end, our salvation is the result of the work of God alone (Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:5).

Although our church is very young (and small) the doctrines and convictions of Evangelical Reformed Church in Gdansk are based on historic Protestant orthodoxy as best summarized in the historic Christian creeds (Apostolic, Nicene Creed, Chalcedon) and the reformed confessions (Westminster Standards, Three Forms of Unity).

By His grace and for His glory we are committed to loving one another and our neighbors at home and around the world by proclaiming the gospel to the ends of the earth, making Christian disciples of all families and nations.

We pray to our God for possibilities to preach the gospel in Gdansk and growth of His church and spreading reformed faith here.

If you would like to join us as our partner in our efforts – that would be great! Please contact with us.

Mission Poland – Photo Documentary Book

I would like to encourage you to buy this book. It's an album with pictures and stories from evangelism in Poland (Poznan, Gdansk) in July 2011. Miwaza Jemimah and Peter Mahar made great job!

Mission Poland - Promo from Miwaza Jemimah on Vimeo.

240 pages
Full color
$32
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/291931

Evangelos Productions
Capture, Expose and Magnify His Glory
evangelos.in

Executive Producer
Peter Mahar
petermahar.com

Photography
Peter Mahar, Miwaza Jemimah

Text
John Prescott Unger

Editing & Layout
Miwaza Jemimah
miwaza.com

Cover Design
Miwaza Jemimah

Contributors
Garry Vanderveen, Jack Phelps, Bogumil Jarmulak, Pawel Bartosik, Bethany Forster

© Evangelos Productions
All rights reserved.