On September 19-20, there was a pastors’ retreat near Athens. Close to 80 people were able to attend. Joseph Sheremet and the missionary ministry of PCSBA had an idea of such retreats which later became a regular annual event.
How can you bless those who are serving in planting new churches in Europe? By giving them and their wives a few days of rest to replenish their spiritual and physical strength. Conditions are ideal with the beauty of Greece, warm sea, an opportunity to have a tour at Corinth, Athens, and much more. This has become a special source of blessing for those who come to visit this wonderful place. Along with other speakers, I participated in teaching seminars and had an opportunity to get to know and fellowship with those whom God uses to expand His Kingdom in many of Europe’s countries. The days flew by very quickly in Greece, and on Saturday, September 23, we left to Barcelona, Spain.
On Sunday, September 24, I had an opportunity to visit the local church in Barcelona for the first time. Roman Zelenskiy is the pastor of this church.
There was a great atmosphere of friendly people, great fellowship, and the transparency of the church service. Roman shared his impressions about the retreat, and I preached on “How to Listen to God”. Being able to hear His voice and obey Him wholeheartedly is a foundational sign of true discipleship. After the church service we had an opportunity to visit the center of Barcelona and feel the atmosphere of the life of the city (we accidentally ended up at a city festival).
On Monday, September 25, we left on the bus to Valencia. Europe has a well-established transportation system and therefore, it is possible to get away with not needing to rent a car. Valencia is one beautiful city of Spain where our missionaries Alek and Olya Shipuk, and Vladimir and Ella Prizhbilov are missionaries in. Our missionary partners from Ukraine, Dima Murkin and his wife are also serving there.
During our stay in Valencia we had a lunch meeting for all the missionary families. We talked about the current state of affairs, and the future work not only in Valencia, but also in all of Spain. We talked about the responsibility to prepare leaders in the local churches who will be able to continue this ministry. There was also a question about missionary ministry coordination and developing a strategy in planting churches throughout all of Spain.
Praise God for the vision of planting missionaries in Europe which developed over 10 years ago. The leaders of the missions’ ministry of PCSBA first had this idea that was widely supported by the Association’s committee. Today this ministry continues to bring fruit not only in Spain, but also in Italy, France, Poland, and other countries around the world. It is the vision of the Great Commission and is an honor to have a part in accomplishing it.
Ivan Mileyev,
President of PCSBA
