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The Prague Church-In The Beginning
By Dana Vannoy In
1989, the Berlin Wall came down and, after many years, communism finally fell.
Eastern Europe slowly began to open their doors to missionaries carrying
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Czechoslovakia
was one of these nations. But, who would venture into this predominantly
atheistic country, and start a church? Where
would they begin, and how would they do it? The
Roger Buckland family had served as missionaries for nine years in the
Philippine Islands, but found themselves being called to a different part of the
world in 1993. Czechoslovakia had
since been divided into two separate nations, the Czech Republic and Slovakia,
while the need for an Apostolic church was still great.
In August of 1995, the Buckland family arrived in Prague, the capital of
the Czech Republic. They were determined to start a brand new work in that city
and immediately started holding services in their home. As they began to reach out to people and see growth, they
began searching for a new place to worship.
As the months passed, they found nothing available.
However, and it’s not a cliché to say this, God works in mysterious
ways. Their
eldest son suddenly developed a serious eye infection.
The family went to a Canadian medical clinic, which had English speaking
doctors. The doctor who took care
of Matthew’s eye expressed an interest in the Bible, and began attending their
services. He soon realized their
need for a larger place of worship. He
informed them of a building owned by his family that had a chapel, perfect for
(you guessed it) holding services. Still,
there were major problems. A genealogical society was renting it at that time
and right next door was a gay bar. They
knew they just had to leave it in God’s hands. In
August of 1996, the Bucklands began to prepare for Prague’s European
Evangelistic Crusade with Bro. Billy Cole.
In preparation, Youth on Missions brought a group that passed out 80,000
flyers on the streets of the city, while Sis. Doughty brought the choir from
Mattoon, Illinois, and they led prayer walks throughout Prague. Over 500 people
attended the crusade, and 75 Europeans, from numerous countries, received the
Holy Ghost! Before
they left for the United States, Sis. Doughty and the choir members gathered
inside the courtyard of the building with the chapel. They prayed for four hours, beseeching the throne of God.
Within a month, the Buckland family was told that they could rent the chapel,
though they would have to share it with the genealogical society. Two weeks after they began holding services in the chapel,
the gay bar closed! Four months
later, the chapel was all theirs, and they were able to sign a five-year lease.
Soon, the church was also able to rent an office and then a large room
perfect for a fellowship hall. A
Bible School was started, and this year there are 12 students.
God blessed beyond all expectation, as is His way!
Another
amazing part of the story is the history of the building we’re in.
The man who built the building as his personal home in the 1600’s was a
Protestant by the name of Vaclav Budovec. He
was a devout follower of John Huss, an important figure in church history. On
the morning of June 21, 1621, Budovec was escorted from this building to Prague
Castle, where he was beheaded as a heretic for his religious beliefs. Four hundred years later, God led the Buckland family to this
man’s house, and the chapel he and others secretly used.
Today, the same walls are once again hearing prayers asking God to make a
change in the city of Prague, and the country of the Czech Republic.
While there are no longer any physical religious wars here, a spiritual
battle rages on. The Czech people
have dwelt in darkness so long they cannot bring themselves to believe that
there is a Light. Jesus Christ is
the Light that gives light to all men, bringing them out of their darkness. Please help the Bucklands pray for believers in this
nonbelieving society. ninetyandnine.com ã
2002, Dana Vannoy -------- Dana Vannoy is in Prague on the Associates In Missions (AIM) program. She is currently going through serious Mountain Dew withdrawals.
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