Poland
Brief History
Poland, a former Eastern Bloc country, has had a tragic history. It has known wars, holocausts, and even 120 years where the people had no land to call their own. During this time, the Catholic Church provided unity and identity for the people. At one time 97% of Poles claimed membership in the Catholic Church and a powerful allegiance to their own Polish pope - Pope John Paul II. Since the fall of Communism in 1989, Poland’s economy has advanced rapidly, welcoming in Western business cooperatives.This has led to a new level of commercialization, as well as a new set of values.
Demographic Profile
The population of Poland is approximately 38 million. This number, however, is constantly fluctuating. Since Poland joined the European Union in 2004, 2-3 million Poles frequently travel abroad to work. Attendance in the Catholic Church since 1989 has been decreasing, by as much as 25%. Poland’s evangelical population has grown slightly, but is still very small; all of Poland‘s 40,000 professing evangelical believers (approx. 1 out of 1,000) would fit into a large sports stadium. Meanwhile, the Jehovah Witness Church has grown at four times the rate of the evangelical church. Denominations like the Brethren Assemblies, the Baptist Union, the Pentecostal Church, and the Evangelical Free Church are viewed by most Poles as sects.
Ministry Outlook
Today‘s young Poles live in a world their parents never imagined. At any high school or university it's clear that the God and traditions of their parents have little relevance to the daily realities faced by Polish youth. In order to reach these unsaved young people with a relevant gospel and grow them in their faith, we offer evangelistic English camps, girls' weekend experiences, and junior high weekend conferences. We also train leaders of youth groups and their staff at events such as our annual youth leader conference, ministry team training weekends and a 9-month internship program. To better facilitate these activities, we purchased in Feb., 2007, a 17.5-acre recreation facility in southern Poland that will serve as a training and conference center, as well as a camp for young people.
More official information about Poland at http://www.poland.pl/
Josh
& Lora Blair
Josh and Lora have been serving God in student ministry for 10 years and are excited to continue serving God while reaching Poland's next generation. more...
Greg
& Heidi Carlson
have been serving with Josiah Venture in Poland since 1996. In 1997 they began serving the Evangelical Free Church in Torun, Poland. more...
Krista
Davis
Krista has a heart for reaching students with sports in Katowice, Poland. more...
Daniel
& Iwona Eifling
live in Wroclaw, Poland, equipping young leaders for youth ministry. They moved to Poland in June 2006, but have a long history with Josiah Venture. more...
Susan
Ellis
has been serving with Josiah Venture in Poland since 1995. more...
Dan
& Laura Hash
have been serving with Josiah Venture in southern Poland since 1993 and have been involved in numerous churches and ministries throughout the region. more...
Leszek
& Grazyna Kozusznik
Part of the reconstruction of H20 to reach the youth of Poland. more...
Lukasz
& Jola Kropisz
In 2004-2005, Lukasz participated in Fala's nine-month internship program. While studying there, he discovered his passion for junior-highers. more...
Alice
Robbins
In 1993, Alice spent nine months in the Czech Republic doing English Camps and lost her heart to the young people of Eastern Europe when she saw how much they need Christ. more...
Michal
& Sylwia Skiba
Like many youth leaders in Poland, Michal began leading his youth group in Zory at the age of 18. more...
Thomas
& Stephanie Washington
Their desire is to work with students and equip them with tools to help them reach out and change their world for the Kingdom of God. more...