Bars and Baptists - do they go together???

We had a visitor at our elders’ meeting tonight. He is the owner of a bar that he hopes to open next door to our church - right next door!

He came to our meeting to ask for our approval for their business to operate in the building next to ours. Here’s a photo to give you some perspective http://www.baptist.sk/banskabystrica/foto1.jpg The white building on the 2nd floor is where we have our main hall. The pink-ish (okay, salmon-colored) building to the right, also on the 2nd floor is where the bar called Submarine Music Pub wants to operate.

After a good discussion with the owner of the bar, we told him that we would have to refer the decision to the congregation because it is something that affects the entire body in the church.

So, how would you react? They want to have business hours from 8:00am - 5:00am. During the day, it would server (possibly) as a coffee shop and in the evening it would serve as a “nicer” bar - not a low-class pub.

I could tell you more but I’m not sure that it would serve to help you. I’m really curious what your reaction would be to this man and further, what your ultimate decision would be.

After that decision is made, what would you envision ministry-wise???

Just musing over this very real-life opportunity!

National Baptist Youth Worker Conference - Nov. 24-26, 2006

This past weekend, I was privileged to have the opportunity to do some training with about 23 youth workers from all over Slovakia. What a joy, but what a challenge! Youth ministries ranging in size from 2 - 45 (M-PLUS) were represented there. Here are some pictures of our time together.

Of all of the youth workers represented there, only one of them is full-time in youth ministry. 2 young men are doing a 1-year internship at a church, but youth ministry is only part of their responsibilities. Another young man is full-time employed in a church with a variety of responsibilities, one of which is youth ministry.

Some of the youth workers were fired up, encouraged and looking forward to what God has for them this next year. Some were on their last strands of hope, wondering if they had anything left to offer anyone.

As one young man was challenged to consider what their youth ministry had to offer the young people in their village, his response was sad, “We have nothing sweet to wave under their noses to attract them to us.” What a shame. He’s lost the calling he originally had in Jesus - “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men” and “Make disciples of all nations... and I will be with you until the end of the ages” and so much more.

Late on Saturday night, the pastor who is responsible over all of the Baptist youth ministry in Slovakia asked to speak with me. During our conversation, he asked me to work with him to care for all of the youth ministries and youth workers in the Baptist churches (23 of them in Slovakia). Of course, I agreed. What a joy to be invited to work alongside this man in encouraging, equipping and nurturing the youth workers and their ministries!

The first desire that the Lord has given me in this responsibility is to gain a clear understanding of the condition of the youth workers and their ministries - and perhaps their general church setting. If you have any ideas re: this endeavor, I’m open to suggestions!

God is good. God is great! and God is WITH us! What a huge & wonderful promise in the light of today’s world and it’s condition!

Please, please, please pray for wisdom as I begin to enter the lives of these young men & women to offer them Christ’s hope, love, vision, strength, direction, and so much more! Please also pray for wisdom as I begin to put together a team for the research project to uncover the true condition of youth ministry in Slovakia (at least in the Baptist churches).