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VISITORS TO WBST - past,
present and future
The Seminary is a place
where people from all over the world, as
well as from all over Poland, mix and meet
from time to time. Most months sees new
guests visiting us here in Warsaw.
Recent guests here
include:
Pierre and Hannah Jutras.
Both are graduates of the NorthWest Bible
Seminary in Quebec, Canada where they met
and married. They are now living in Warsaw
where Pierre is currently undegoing
intensive Polish language training. Together
they hope to be engaged in church planting
here in Poland. They have two young children
- Timotei and Rachel. Hannah herself was
born in Poland. The Jutras are supported by
the Fellowship of Evangelical Christians of
Canada, a network of some 500 or so
churches. Already some good initial contacts
with Canandian Baptists have been
established, helped greatly by a very good
friend of this Seminary, Ruth Rappack.
Nigel
Gordon and Roman Baranowski
visited us recently to meet with evangelical
Pastors from across Warsaw. The Rector had
worked with Nigel Gordon in the UK in the
past so it was good for them to meet up
again. Nigel was here to talk about the
2006 Mission to Poland being
co-ordinated by the Luis Palau Evangelistic
Association. He is its European Director. A
team of evangelists will be available to
speak as churches commit to organising and
hosting an invitation meal in a local hotel
or other suitable neutral venue in different
parts of the country. Upto 90% of the costs
of this evangelisitc outreach will be met by
the Association. For further information
please contact Roman Baranowski initially:
RomanBaranowski@post.pl
In December we had a
visit by some wise men – or were they
angels? The photo was taken during an
excellent Advent Social organised here at
the Seminary. A good time and good
food were enjoyed by all.
European Union School of
English. Since
December, too, WBST has been full of new
people visiting us every week day evening.
Over 150 new students to be precise. WBST in
conjunction with an agency supplying
professional language teachers – PRYMUS –
have been awarded one of the many European
Union project grants now available to
communities across Poland. A recent article
in Warsaw Voice (“Fund Functioning” January
15 2006) pointed out that as yet far too few
Poles are taking advantage of the estimated
8.6 billion euros that has been set aside in
the EU budget for Community Support in
Poland over 2004-6. WBST were among the
first to apply for support from this
newsource of funding. Between December 2005
and March 2006, we are providing courses in
practical English for employees of small
companies and businesses in and around the
Warsaw Area. This course is given free of
charge to those who have enrolled. The photo
shows one of the several groups currently
studying English here on the WBST site.
So much for the recent
past and present. What of the future? Among
the international visitors we are expecting
over the next few weeks are Nick Bradshaw,
Team Leader of the South Wales Baptist
Association and Alan Watt responsible
for SWBA liaison with Polish Baptists.
Mark Edworthy from the United States,
another very good friend of this Seminary,
together with a group of co-workers. Mark is
the Baltic Field Coordinator with the
International Mission Board. He and Susie
have been missionaries in Poland for over 10
years and have been closely associated with
WBST during them. And George Boltniew
who is a Baptist Pastor from the USA who was
born here in Poland. He has a Doctor in
Divinity degree from the Eastern Baptist
Theological Seminary and also holds an
honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from
Moscow Theological Seminary. Since its
opening in 1993, George has served that
seminary as a trustee and teaches a course
there annually. He will be teaching three
seminars here in February on: “ The
Pastor as a Person.”
Rev. Michael Bochenski
Rector of WBST |
