Polish Christian Ministries in America
July 2000 to April 2004
The Lord knows best and is preparing us for the next task in our lives. Representing the Poles in America as they reach their entire nation for Christ is one of our main callings. Erie, PA has long been known as the crossroads for Americans of Polish ancestry. As our time here ends we thank the Lord for the many friends and supporters which we have met here. We thank the Lord for:
Two trips to Poland, organizing Polish camps in PA, Speaking and teaching at other camps, holding a Polish festival outreach in Buffalo, NY, helping to prepare a team going to Poland at the Alliance church in Erie, the Polish Dinner for 200 at FAC and many smaller meetings with Poles in New York and New Jersey.
The Church of the Cross in Fairview, PA was the sight of our March 26, 2004 Friday 7PM meeting. Denise Maralli and her daughter Haley came from Cleveland, Ohio and sang up a storm. Denise and I sang together in many churches and concert halls in Poland 29 years ago. Today she sings in Catholic churches in the Cleveland area. Only a handful of people came, but the entire area of Erie knew about it through a newspaper report. My company also announced it to all the 500 employees. We gave our testimony to this city as best as we knew how and were allowed.
Polish Fest
Buffalo, New York
July 20 - 21, 2002
Polish American Festival and Pulaski Parade
Cheektowaga Town Park, Harlem Rd. Cheektowaga NY
Andrew Nawrocki organized our first Polish Festival Outreach in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 2001
The Buffalo Polish Fest Report - 2002
Great thanks to our Father go for Ed & Jane Bednarczyk of Buffalo, New York who made the initial contacts with the Festival officials, came on Saturday Night to join us and then organized the Buffalo Christians for prayer and action. Ashley Weaver who worked with TEAM missions in Poland last year was by my side the whole time in ministry, printed up our evangelistic handout, posters and was talking to people eight hours a day. Thanks also go to Jarek and Renata Kodlubanski from Boston who witnessed to many all day Sunday with us in the booth. Finally , great thanks go to Pastor John Carpenter and his crew from the Evangelical Baptist Church of Buffalo which was once a Slavic ethnic Church, as they were with us all day Sunday. Jarek, Renata and Joe talked about the new Polish Christian Network we hope develops. Ashley, Anna and Joe talked about missions in Poland as Ashley aims to be there full time in the near future. Here is Jarek, Renata and Joe at the Buffalo Polish Fest .
On Sunday July 20, 2002 two Polish Roman Catholic priests spent some time talking to us, listening and taking evangelistic literature, along with hundreds of others. We were able to pray with people and to shine in the darkness. About 10,000 grand total attended and our Bible study evangelistic flyer with an interactive plan of Salvation study was well received as it was place in a Polish American context. People were coming to us, we weren't going to people cold. We were proclaiming Christ, Going to the people was what Jesus did. He didn't build a building and ask people to come in. The dynamic is to do the unexpected. We have started many contacts and all know how to contact us by mail, e-mail, phone and web pages. I had the time of my life, we were feeding His sheep. The rest of our summer was filled with work, swimming and fun. We did spend sometime at the Polish Family Camp, helping with the children and our children attended the Pennsylvania Youth Camp at WLD Ranch.
In 2001 we had four week long camps in June and July. Five million Poles live within a 500 mile radius of New York City. The last Polish Youth camp July 8 - 14 was done for those who couldn't attend the June camp, as New York and Toronto schools were not out for the first one. Five of the June campers made clear decisions to accept the Lord as their Savior for the first time, some of them are pictured here in front of the large van God provided for us. The July campers were older and coming from strong Christian homes - so we concentrated on growth.
We were also at PAYC ( Pennsylvania Youth Camps ) sponsored by four area churches.
We were workers in the Polish Baptist Family Camp here in Erie, Pennsylvania in the beginning of July. The pictures above are from last years Polish camps, which were continued this year by the staff of the Polish Baptist Churches in America and Canada.
We were also invited in 2001 to speak about our missionary experiences at the WLD Ranch for an American Summer Camp Convention of 250 highly dedicated young Christians toward the end of July 2001. Our task was to encourage missionary participation at all levels by all the campers. US Airborne Ranger Gary Horton pictured here singing - was the special speaker.
We were attending the Believer’s Chapel Church in Fairview, which is an Independent Bible Church of 130 believers. In 2003 we started attending the First Alliance Church in Erie. While we are here, we would like to help all the churches continue in outreach strategy for the city of Erie which is 75% Catholic ( Italian, Irish, German & Polish ). Erie, PA is one and a half hours away from Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Buffalo. There are Polish and Polish American communities in all four cities and the surrounding area.
We still continue to oversee the radio ministry in Chicago with Ted Tomal and his staff which includes Bogdan and Mariola Liberda .
In May and June 2001 we spent a weekends with Poles from Canada, Cleveland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Chicago and Florida who came here for a time of fellowship and evangelism. We were able to minister to them through our Polish Christian book station. In the summer of 2002 we were able to visit again with the Polish Baptists in Erie, PA and to start a new outreach to Poles in Buffalo, New York which we will not be able to do in 2003 as we are leaving for Poland in July.
As 2003 began, we were concentrating on our family ( homeschooling, work and church ) as well as encouraging Polish ministry worldwide. In 2003 we started attending the First Alliance Church of Erie, PA and in July of 2003 we were in Poland with a team of twenty from the First Alliance Church. We have begun an outreach into the the small Polish speaking community of Erie, PA. Hopefully it will continue with the believers here. The only two Polish Stores in the city of Erie, PA agreed to carry our Polish Christian Books and Newspaper in the future.
Anna & Joe
Joe and Anna Losiak
MissionPoland - P.O. Box 381 - Union Pier, MI 49129
joelosiak@hotmail.com