2005 Mission Trip to St. Lukas UMC in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic

Miloslav Cech pauses as he unlocks the church to share his thoughts.

2005 Trip: Exploring Establishing a Partnership
with St. Lukas UMC in Karlovy Vary

Miloslav Cech continued to serve as an extraordinary host during our time in Karlovy Vary. He expressed great joy and a sense that it was a sacred moment as he opened the doors of the church for our group. Until recently, the church had been condemned and persons were not permitted to enter the building. After exploring the building, we gathered in the pews and Milo shared about his personal faith, the history of the church, and the current status of the church membership.

He shared that it was a jubilant time after the fall of Communism in 1989. At the time, Milo was in his early 20s. He visited Prague after participating in revolutionary rallies in his city. He said that a wave of political and personal freedom followed. After a period of time, he felt that something important was still missing from his life. Through a friend, he began to learn about the Christian faith. He said that as he began to live out this faith, he felt a strong sense that Christianity filled that void in his life with the powerful love of God. He joined the United Methodist Church in Plzen and later heard a call to serve as an ordained minister.

In 1999, he was assigned to restart St. Lukas United Methodist Church in Karlovy Vary. He moved his family to the church owed flat in Karlovy Vary that is adjacent to the historic church building. The church began to meet on Sundays in the second story flat that also functions as the parsonage and church office. Milo was able to bring together four families to reconstitute the church.

For four decades, the church had been closed by the communist government. In the early 1950's in the Czech Republic, Marxist leaders acted against churches. Many ministers and monks were imprisoned, churchgoers were persecuted, and almost all churches were closed. After the fall of Communism in 1989, the Czech government returned some of the church buildings to the various religious organizations.

When Milo initially entered St. Lukas Church, he found a beautiful 1887 building that had suffered through years of no maintenance. The slate roof had numerous leaks and some of the windows were damaged. Over the last few years, Milo has invested considerable energy into helping move the renovation of the church forward. He worked with local officials to have the condemned status of the church building changed so that he could hold occasional concerts in the church. These concerts were intended to create some energy around the church building and to introduce members of community to the St. Lukas church family.

In mid 2005, two government grants were awarded to the church for repairing about half of the roof. Milo said that these grants were some of the largest ever awarded to a church in the Czech Republic. He reported that these grants required that the congregation pay 10% to 20% of the repair costs. Milo located a highly experienced contractor and work began on the roof in August 2005. St. Lukas needs help from churches like Suncreek UMC to raise the matching funds. The current church includes only four families who are members. Yet, there is a growing number of persons who visit church services from time to time.

Click here to learn more about the church building.

Click here to learn more about the town of Karlovy Vary.

We enjoyed a barbeque dinner hosted by members of St. Lukas UMC

On Friday afternoon, the church members hosted our group at the home of the Sedlacek family outside the city. We barbecued sausage on an open fire and continued visiting and singing as the sun set. It was a great time for all.

On Saturday afternoon of our visit to Karlovy Vary, we spent some time cleaning the church to prepare it for a music concert that evening featuring classical guitar and flute. We swept the floor and thoroughly cleaned the pews. Milo ran an extension cord about 100ft from the parsonage to the church building for a lamp to light music for the musicians. Candles were placed to provide additional light. The concert was well attended and beautiful. The setting of the candle lighted church was breathtaking. All considered it a great success.

The Sunday Afternoon Worship Service

On Sunday afternoon, a worship service was held at the historic church. Rev. Kathleen Baskin-Ball preached and an skilled interpreter from the United Methodist Church in Plzen translated her passionate words. She told several powerful stories, spoke about the biblical text, acknowledged the challenges of building a church in Karlovy Vary, and urged Milo and the other church members to not give up. The congregation included church members, persons in the community that have expressed to Milo some interest in the church, and many first time visitors to the church. In addition, a photographer from a national paper was present.

At the end of the service, members of the Suncreek team presented a banner to St. Luke’s UMC that was church that was made by Jan Baldwin. Following the service, many of those present spoke with members of our team.

Our Sunday Evening gathering at the parsonage.

On Sunday night, we spent some extraordinary time with Milo, Jana (his wife), and his three children (Matej -15, Eliska -12, and Jitka -9). Every member of the group took time to reflect on their experience in Karlovy Vary.

The purpose of the trip was to explore forming a partner church relationship between Suncreek UMC and St. Lukas UMC in Karlovy Vary. Following the trip, mmember of Suncreek UMC's Missions Committee recommended that the church seek to establish a formal church partnership relationship.

Photogallery (Click the small photos below to view a larger image)