Newsletter We’re flying for freedom!
Pawel Chojecki & Joe Losiak in the US May 27–June 6 2023
The origins of this unusual trip date back to December 2021 when, in Krakow, Pastor Pawel Chojecki met with Joe Losiak, a Protestant missionary of Polish origin who brought the gospel of free salvation in Jesus to Poland during the communist era, preached as part of Fr. Franciszek Blachnicki’s Oasis movement. The trip to the US is one of the fruits of this more than two-year collaboration. It was Joe Losiak and his wife Anna who arranged and organized the events that took place during this trip to the USA.
The purpose of the trip was to lift the spirits of the American Polish community, and to convince American Christians that Poland is in dire need of their support. Indeed, people in Poland are open to ways other than Catholicism.
The trip was attended by Pastor Pawel Chojecki and his wife, representatives of the New Covenant Church in Lublin, as well as participants in the Megachurch project from the US and Canada. Joe and Anna Losiak accompanied the group from Poland, the US and Canada from the very beginning.
See what the route of the “Flying for Freedom” expedition looked like! [Film]
Visit to Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, May 26, 2023.
The first item on the agenda was a visit to Moody Bible Institute. This is one of the best Bible colleges in the world, which is located in the heart of downtown Chicago. Moody Bible Institute has a very well-known publishing house, as well as one of the largest Christian radio stations in the US. The life story of the college’s founder – D. L. Moody shows that even in the worst of circumstances, with humble beginnings, with God’s help, success can be achieved.
Meeting with the Polish community at CrossPoint Church in Ingleside (Chicago suburb), May 26, 2023.
The first meeting with the Polish community took place in the Chicago suburbs where Pastor Pawel Chojecki gave a lecture titled “Will We Complete the Cannon of Solidarity?” [Lecture].
Meeting with the Polish community at The Moody Church in Chicago, May 27, 2023.
The second meeting with the Polish community organized by Joe and Anna Losiak took the form of a conference and was held at The Moody Church, in downtown Chicago, near the Moody Bible Institute college. The main theme of this conference was “Clashing with the truth of the gospel.” The speakers were Pastor Greg Krumes, Pastor of our church Pawel Chojecki and Joe Losiak. A particularly moving lecture was given by Pastor Greg, who supported Joe Losiak on his first missionary trip to Poland in the 1970s and has been serving Jesus assiduously for decades. [Lecture 1] [Lecture 2] [Lecture 3] [Report]
Meeting at the home of Tadeusz and Iwona in Chicago, May 27, 2023.
On Saturday evening we met at the home of Tadeusz and Iwona, Poles living on the outskirts of Chicago. Dozens of people from various local Bible churches came to this open Polish home. The evening was spent talking, sharing a meal, singing and praying.
Meeting with the Polish community at the Polish Christian Center Chicago, May 28, 2023.
The next day, everyone attended a Sunday meeting at the Polish Christian Center in Chicago, where Pastor Chojecki delivered a fiery sermon saying that in evangelism one should go beyond the usual patterns. The sermon has already been viewed online by several thousand people. We experienced the delight of God while praying and singing together. [Sermon]
Meeting with David and Donalyn Bratton, American missionaries
After arriving in Florida, we settled in Orlando, where Joe and Anna Losiak opened the thresholds of their home and their hearts to us. There we had the privilege of meeting David and Donalyn Bratton – missionaries who in 1976 went to Poland on a mission to train leaders of Fr. Blachnicki’s Light-Life Oasis Movement. For two years they stayed in Lublin, where today the headquarters of the New Covenant Church in Lublin and the Go Against the Tide TV are located.
The second meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Bratton took place in their home and was an opportunity to travel back to the time of Fr. Blachnicki’s movement. Mr. and Mrs. Bratton told us many stories from their Christian life, and shared memories of their stay in Lublin, Poland in the 1970s. We also learned that David was a chaplain to famous American sports teams.
Their courage to preach the gospel in the then communist state inspired us to even greater devotion to God. Pastor Pawel Chojecki and his wife, Marzena, expressed special gratitude to them, because indirectly, through the mission of Joe Losiak and Mr. and Mrs. Bratton, they heard the gospel! [Report]
Meeting with the Polish community at Northland Church in Orlando, June 3, 2023.
Another meeting with the Polish community, in Orlando, Florida, took the form of a conference. It was attended by Dr. Jim Henry, former president of the Southern Baptists in the US, Dr. Grant C. Richison, pastor of one of the largest Baptist churches in Canada, Dr. Josh Laxton, pastor of Northland Church, and Pastor Pawel Chojecki. In the evening of the same day, we attended the Northland Church service. The day’s teaching was based on the hugely popular Broadway musical “Alexander Hamilton,” which tells the story of one of the founding fathers of the United States. [Lecture 1] [Lecture 2] [Lecture 3] [Report]
Visit to Live Oaks Community Church in The Villages, Florida and meeting with Zbigniew Zukowski, June 4, 2023.
The following Sunday, at the invitation of Mr. and Mrs. Bratton, we attended the Sunday meeting of the American Live Oaks Community Church. We received a very warm welcome! We were also captivated by the very warm and family atmosphere. There we also met with communist-era oppositionist Zbigniew Zukowski, who appears on Go Against the Tide TV. Mr. Zukowski currently lives in Florida. [Report]
Meeting with the Polonia at Grace Community Church in Sarasota, Florida, June 4, 2023.
The last meeting with the Polonia took place in Sarasota on the Gulf of Mexico. On that day, a lecture entitled “How to reverse the fate of Poland and Polonia?” was delivered by Pastor Pawel Chojecki. [Lecture]
Meeting with Gus Davies, pastor of Northland Church in Orlando
At Northland Church in Orlando, we met a remarkable man – Pastor Gus Davies, whom Joe and Anna Losiak invited to their home. Pastor Gus, who was born in Sierra Leone, Africa, told us a moving testimony of his conversion and service to Jesus in West African countries and later in the US. Such stories are remembered for the rest of one’s life!
Verdict in pastor’s trial, June 5, 2023.
The visit to the United States of America took place in the shadow and context of the trial of Pastor Pawel Chojecki. During his stay in the U.S., on June 5 the Court of Appeals in Lublin handed down a final verdict sentencing the pastor of the New Covenant Church in Lublin and editor-in-chief of the Go Against the Tide TV – the largest Christian television station in Poland – to 8 months of restriction of liberty in the form of community service. Pastor Chojecki was convicted of criticizing the Catholic Church and the Polish president.
The pastor announced an appeal to the European Court of Justice in Strasbourg, calling the verdict a violation of freedom of speech and freedom of religion and a judicial crime along the lines of what is happening in Russia, Belarus and Communist China. Seeing Poland’s slide toward religious authoritarianism, the pastor announced a run for the 2025 presidential election. [Read more…]
Baptism of Michael from Calgary, Sarasota, Florida
This unpleasant moment related to the verdict on Pastor Chojecki did not prevent us from rejoicing in God’s grace and blessing. God lifted us up and made Himself known to us at all times. One such moment was the baptism of a newborn member of our team – Michael from Canada. To baptize him, we drove all the way to the Gulf of Mexico near Sarasota. We were greeted by the setting sun and a wide sandy beach. In such natural circumstances, Michael showed that he wanted to follow Jesus. [Report]
Return to Poland
On June 6, 2023, it was time to part ways. We had known each other before with Joe and Anna Losiak, but it wasn’t until we moved into their home, had long conversations, shared meals and joint ventures that we became as close as family.
God has put wonderful people in our path at every turn. “Accidentally” meeting a stewardess on an airplane who turned out to be a Christian or “accidentally” meeting a Polish woman in a store in Orlando open to the gospel are just a few examples of this divine action!
So we returned to Poland full of enthusiasm and inspiration, which we drew from the country of free, brave and dedicated people!
To be continued…
Missionary Joe Losiak – son of Polish immigrants in Chicago who at the age of 14 understood and accepted the wonderful good news of free salvation in Jesus. He prayed that his parents’ homeland, dominated by Catholicism, would hear the gospel. He did not suspect that God would allow him to play a great role in this. It was thanks to him that the most effective method of evangelization of the 20th century came to Poland. He introduced Cardinal Wojtyla to it, and then Father Blachnicki, whose Oasis movement spread it and used it effectively. He has been coming to Poland every year for many years, because he still dreams of Jesus’ revolution in our country. He met Pastor Paul Chojecki for the first time a year ago. They complement each other very well in the work of evangelization, and in a few months they have already managed to complete several projects. The publishing house Against the Tide has just released the book “Jesus Revolution. Discipleship to the Full” by Joe Losiak.
Pastor Pawel Chojecki – pastor of the New Covenant Church in Lublin and founder and editor-in-chief of the TV channel, the monthly magazine “Go Against the Tide” and the publishing house “Against the Tide”. Several years ago, he initiated the Megachurch Project, an initiative to evangelize Poland based on four pillars: strong local churches, modern media, a Christian university and Christians in politics. In June 2022, together with the rector of the Irpen Bible Seminary, Pastor Dr. Igor Yaremchuk, they established the Polish-Ukrainian Bible Institute in Lublin.
Everything we have achieved so far has been made possible by the blessing of God, the generosity and support of our audiences, and the hard work of a talented and close-knit team. We do not receive subsidies from the government, political parties, corporations or any other pressure groups. It is because of this that we can operate completely independently and have so much success in reaching the Polish people with the truth.
