Czech Republic Work
• I went to the Czech Republic
around 13 years ago, just before
Slovakia and the Czech
Republic split (1993).
• Leon Mauldin and I spent a
month in Ceske Budejovice
preaching and teaching.
• Lonnie Oldag was located in CB at the
time, and we worked closely with him.
• Lonnie and we used a translator
named Jan Novak.
• We got very close to Jan, and Lonnie
particularly had a great impact on him.
• Shortly after Leon and I returned to
the US we learned that Jan had been
converted.
• We also used a translator named
Mira Vokal. He was already a
Christian.
• During our studies we had several
classes with a very sweet girl
named Rose.
• Shortly after we came back Rose
was converted, and some time later
she and Mira were married.
• During these years, although I had
kept up with the work, I had not
been able to go back.
• Last year Mike Morrow asked me
about coming to present lessons of
Psalms and Minor Prophets.
• He felt the Christians had grown to
the point they needed to begin
studying the Old Testament more
intensively.
• Each year Christians from all
over Eastern Europe meet for
these lectures.
• The lectures are arranged by
individuals, and individuals pay
all of their own expenses, travel,
lodging, and food.
• I therefore accepted the
opportunity to go.
• I arrived on Friday.
• Saturday Mike Morrow and I got out
and toured Prague via shoe leather.
• Sunday I preached at the services at
Prague.
• Sunday afternoon I traveled with two
brethren from Prague and Kesutis, a
brother from Lithuania, to Kamenice
where the lectures would be held.
• Kamenice was located between
Prague and Ceske Budejovice.
• Each morning, Monday through
Friday, I spoke from 9 until around
11:45.
• In the afternoon, from 2:30-4:30,
Buddy Payne and I had a question
and answer session, Monday
through Friday.
• Bill Bynum and his wife Nancy
and their children were there
from Budapest, Hungary.
• Lee Fenner and his wife Sondra
were there from Lithuania.
• Rudolph and Christina were
there from Bratislava, Slovakia.
• Jindra and Mysha and their children
were there from Ceske Budejovice, and
Mira and Ruzenka were also there
from CB with their two girls.
• There were three Honzas: Honza
Novak, Honza Vlcek, and a third
Honza whose last name I did not
remember.
• They were there with their families.
• A Czech named Robert was there.
He married Tommy Andrews’
daughter Tammy. They were both
present.
• The former first chair violinist
with the Brno Philharmonic
Orchestra was there with his wife.
• Steve Baxley and his family were
there from Litomysl.
• Of course Mike Morrow and his
wife Tatiana were there with his
wife’s mother and a niece that
they have adopted after the
tragic death of her mother.
• One lady was there with her
quite old mother from Slovakia.
• There were many others whose
names I cannot recall.
• We probably had up to 60 or so
at some services.
• One of the comments heard in a
prayer was “help us to show the
face of God to the people.”
• The church does not have a
legal status in the Czech
Republic.
• This does not mean it is illegal.
• It means that the church cannot
incorporate, cannot build a
building or own property.
• The place where they meet is of
little interest to the brethren.
• They do not view it as any
problem that they do not have
legal status.
• If they did have it, for one
thing, then they would receive
state funds, and they do not
want that.
• Their worship is scriptural,
although more informal than ours.
• Part of that has to do with the
difference in number.
• We have more people here at
Eastside than are Christians in the
entire Czech Republic and
probably Slovakia, Lithuania, and
Hungary thrown in for good
measure.
• The situation in Romania is
probably the best of all Eastern
European countries.
• In many places these brethren
meet week after week to worship
with absolutely nobody to
encourage them to do so but
themselves.
• Some of them have no preachers
and there are no elders.
• They also are always on the
lookout for people with whom
they may study.
• They are capable students.
• Sometimes they show
immaturity and a lack of
experience, but most of them
are still relatively babes.
• Immodesty is without a doubt a
great problem, but it does not
compare with the problem in most
European large cities, such as
Prague.
• But I found the Czech Christian
women modestly dressed.
• It can be done even when
surrounded by wickedness.
• After the lectures I went to Ceske
Budejovice and stayed until
Wednesday.
• I had studies on Saturday with Mira
and Ruzenka.
• Mira wanted to know how one found
the right balance between a
hypercritical attitude that is never
satisfied with the evidence and an
attitude that never seeks solutions to
difficult questions at all.
• We had services at 8:00 am on
Sunday morning with 11 present.
• After church I spent the day with
Jindra and Mysha.
• I studied some of the Psalms and
talked about how to study with
Jindra.
• I attempted to advise Mysha about
problems with her family.
• Monday I had more studies with Myra
about freedom, a sort of philosophical
discussion.
• Then we had a fairly extensive
discussion of the canonization of the
Bible.
• I also had studies with Ruzenka, one of
which was a fairly detailed story of
Balaam, because she did not know why
he was considered such a bad guy.
• Tuesday I drove up to “the
cottage” with Jindra and Mysha
and their two precious girls.
• There I gave Jindra a most
thorough history of the times of the
prophets and a summary of every
one of the written prophets.
• Wednesday I studied with
Ruzenka, and she took me on a
historical tour of Ceske
Budejovice.
• Wednesday evening we had a
study with the church members
except for Mira who had to miss
because of a business trip.
• Thursday I got up at 4:45 and
traveled to Prague on the train.
• Mike and I then went by Delta and
got my corrected tickets.
• I spent the rest of the day getting
ready for the lecture that evening.
• I put it on power point, and
Tatiana translated it.
• We probably had 20 visitors at
the lecture.
• Tonight you will get to hear that
lecture yourself.
• Several Bible studies were
signed up as a result.
• At 7:30 Friday morning, I got up and
we went to a nearby museum located in
the old house of an aristocrat.
• He had allowed Mozart and his wife
Constanza to stay there while Mozart
finished his opera Don Giovanni.
• I saw pianos Mozart played on, and I
enjoyed that experience immensely.
• We got to the airport at about
11:00, with departure at 12:45,
and it was one of those fairly
rare times when I wished I had
gotten there 15 minutes earlier.
• I made every connection, and 21
or 22 hours after I woke up that
morning, I got to go to sleep.
• After a trip like this, one thing I do
not have to feel guilty about is the
use of my time.
• I could not tell you the total of
lessons and studies presented
during the time.
• I think there is no doubt that the
brethren were profited and built
up by the work we did.
• We need to be conscious of our
brethren and sisters in far away parts
of the world.
• They have their problems and
concerns.
• I am still not convinced by any means
that the pump has been primed.
• It is still necessary to work hard to
establish the cause of Christ in these
places.