Can a partnership work across the ocean?

Thanks to the courage and determination of our congregation’s Nestor and “foreign minister”, Iva Marková, we decided to give it a try and have since been richly blessed with relationships that have proven their strength over many years and have enriched the lives of both congregations. 

Two years ago, seeing that the partnership with the PC USA was working well, Gerhard Frey-Reininghaus of the ECCB’s central office asked the Olomouc congregation another question: would you be willing to prepare a partnership conference concerning all the partnerships that the ECCB has with the PC USA? We didn’t hesitate long. Why not? The slightly naïve initiative enthusiasm came in handy later and helped us overcome the hardships that would inevitably arise. However, we kept going and the fifth Partnership Conference has been history since July 2023. Over 60 participants arrived, of which more than 23 from various states of the USA.

The conference was framed by a service with the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, and for each day, members of the partner churches prepared a quick devotion. The morning presentation sessions were related to the main topic, which was “Together on the Way”. For each topic, Together in the Family, Together in Church, and Together in the World, someone familiar with the theme would comment, both from the United States and from the Czech Republic. Then, we would break up into discussion groups, which, through their openness and depth, showed the truest definition of what it means to be “together”. 
We were very pleased to also have a group of youth among us. They brightened up the community, not only because of their age, but also their enthusiasm and their contributions to the programme – for example, they took care of the music for evening prayers in the spirit of Taizé. When they stayed afterwards to improvise and make spontaneous music, some of the participants said this had been the strongest experience of the whole conference for them. 

The afternoon programme was separate, the only common part being the reception at the Olomouc City Hall. The participants had the opportunity to play a city game, take part in a workshop concerning the work of the ECCB’s Diaconia, visit the Archdiocesan Museum, go on a trip to Helfštýn castle, bake some traditional Wallachian “frgále” cakes, visit the Zoo near Olomouc, or meet Ukrainian refugees. The last afternoon was dedicated to a panel discussion on the future of the partnership and was also attended by Synodal Senior Pavel Pokorný.

The farewell picnic took place on a beautiful summer evening until late hours in the outdoor area of the nearby rosarium, where personal friendships were developed and deepened over Czech hamburgers and various delicious drinks. Usually, the organisers focus on details, and, like the Biblical Marhta, they try to make sure everything goes as planned and everybody likes the food – simply that everyone’s happy. Still, we were able to see the partnership conference, through the parts we participated in, as a true blessing for ourselves, for our congregation, and for the church as a whole. 

Jana Vrajová