Central Europe Countries (Austria, Czech, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia & Switzerland) March 2000 UPDATE AUSTRIA... Teen Challenge Prison Ministry This past Christmas 2,700 gift packages were prepared and delivered to prisons in Austria. The gifts included an Evangelistic calendar and candy. Joseph Rieter, a police officer, began reaching out to the prisons in the early 80'. Through Christian concerts they have been able to get contacts with inmates for follow-up by letter, visitation or Bible correspondence courses. Recently Joseph has appealed to local churches to help minister to the 50% foreign population in the prisons of Austria. A Christian library has been established in most of the prisons with books and Bibles in fifteen various languages. This Fall Joseph hopes to open the first Teen Challenge Center in the country. The center will be geared toward helping male inmates adjust to re-entry into society. CZECH...  Christian Country Radio According to Assemblies of God Missionary Tom Lofton, in answer to prayer God has provided an enormous opportunity to get the Good News of Jesus Christ into every home in Prague through the medium of radio. There are very few, if any, Christian programs on secular stations in the city. Seeing the vast need, Lofton contacted the "most listened to" station in the city--which happens to have a country music formats. Lofton asked his church secretary to call the station and offer to buy time for a weekly 30-minute Christian program. Without hesitation, the program director flatly denied the possibility and refused to even discuss it. "Our secretary hung up the phone discouraged by his comments," says Lofton. "I asked her to call the director again. This time I spoke with him--introducing myself as Tom Lofton from NASHVILLE. Immediately his ears perked and he enthusiastically spoke with me about life, Nashville, country music, and the beauty of Prague. I asked him why he refused our secretary's request that our church have a weekly program on their station and if we could meet with him and discuss our proposal further. The Holy Spirit moved on his heart and now we are proclaiming the Good News on Country Radio Prague." The show, "Christian Country From Nashville" airs weekly at 10:30 p.m. Lofton reports that this is a popular time slot in Prague, when people turn their TV's off and their radios on. Up to 50,000 listeners tune-in. We believe that God will use this tool to reach many with the gospel right in their own homes." POLAND...  Opole Church A MAPS construction team from Kingsport, Tennessee recently spent eight days installing drywall on the new 250 seat sanctuary. The church in Opole is reaching out to a city of 160,000 inhabitants with the Gospel. The team was able to also minister in two services at the church where many people responded to the invitation given at the end of the services. SLOVAKIA...  No New Updates at this time PLEASE PRAY THAT: 1. For a number of the missionary staff that are struggling with physical problems. 2. For Students for Christ Germany, and the pioneering of new groups on university campuses in Aachen, Bochum and Stuttgart. Also for financial support and workers. 3. For workers for the July crusade in Hoyerswerda-Weiswasser, Germany. 4. For Divine direction for the leadership of the Apostolic Church in Slovakia. John C. Baich Central Europe A/G Office Augasse 19 A-2620 Neunkirchen, Austria Tel/Fax: 43-2620-2399 E-Mail: J_KBaich@compuserve.com Return to the Homepage Powered by PraiseNet