Dear Friends,
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Phil. 4:6
We are approaching a Day of Thanksgiving. Usually it is a time of celebration with family and friends. Although we do not have this day in our Polish calendars, we want to take this opportunity and share what we are thankful for.
We are thankful for God’s vision and provision in our lives and ministry. In our last blog, we wrote about our plans for various leadership conferences and workshops we were involved in. The Lord blessed all of those events beyond our expectation.
National Level Events: Over 400 men throughout Poland joined us at the National Men’s Conference in Wisla called “Winning New Spaces”, organized in partnership with the Life and Mission Foundation. The conference speakers represented various spheres of influence within the nation – church, business and education. It was an amazing time of ministry to those who are key influencers in their circles.
We were also involved in the National Pastors Conference organized by the Baptist Union of Poland. We provided workshops on how to build a healthy network of relationships in life and ministry. We were pleased to receive several invitations to conduct workshops with different churches that will implement this model in their context. We also prepared the materials for the CEL mentoring and coaching program for the leaders and the training conference. Combining leadership, evangelism and biblical studies went really well. The next conference is already scheduled for March 2016. We will also be key partners in developing a new church wide-project for church leaders throughout the nation in partnership with the Baptist Union of Poland and the Evangelical Alliance.
Most recently, we returned from the Global Leadership Summit (GLS) training conference in Krakow which is the largest event for evangelical leaders. This event attracted over 500 participants. The Golden Apple Institute became one of the partners of the GLS this year and we were privileged to be involved. We are already planning a national leadership summit in March of next year called Leaders with a Mission. I will be one of the speakers.
Developing Golden Apple Workshops: We have developed an innovative discipleship coaching workshop called Living with Passion. This has already been implemented by three churches and we are booked to present this to several more churches throughout the country. We also initiated a new project called Leadership Forum which aims to become a platform for inspiration, motivation and integration of Christian leaders who are involved in both the church and marketplace.
Individual Coaching Continues: Although our training platform seems to be moving towards larger venues, Golden Apple Institute remains committed to investing in the lives of individuals through one-on-one coaching. Here is a personal testimony of one of our leaders:
For a year, I have worked with Wojtek as a coach. During this time, I had the opportunity to get to know myself much better: I have discovered my talents, opportunities and potential, but I have also learned my limitations and barriers for growth.
Most significant, I’ve been able to renew my passion for pastoral calling and ministry. Coaching sessions with Wojtek are always motivational! They stretch me to seek answers and to see new ways of handling challenges in context to the resources and opportunities at hand.
I am also accountable to Wojtek for strategic action steps which prove to be helpful in various aspects of my life. Observing the experiences and passion of persons within Wojtek’s ministry have made me a more fruitful leader. Mariusz Nachtman, Pentecostal church in Kedrierzyn-Kozle.
We are so thankful for all of you who believe in us and support our ministry.
We wouldn’t be able to do this without you!
Blessings to you and may you have a joyful Thanksgiving.
Wojtek and Agnieszka