Štěpán Janča

My first encounters with Christian faith come from my mum who used to bring us to church every Sunday even in the communist times when it was not usual and could even complicate one's life. As a child I was quite angry because of it but nowadays I am very grateful she persisted. And I am very thankful for her example of Christian life, without many words but always very practical and helpful.

Later it was scout/tourist club where I practised the basic ideas of right and wrong, friendship, respect for the nature and so on.

Even a bit later I got to Christian scout camps which organized very brave people with great personal risk and where I found Christianity is not only for grannies but it is way of everyday life.

Maybe it sounds funny but I have to mention children books by German writer Karl May, adventures among North American Indians or Kurds and Arabs influenced me a lot. I really enjoy every story and with it I swallowed the ideas of respect towards every person across religion or nationality borders, value of life and loving the neighbour.

Later I found these ideas in Jesus's stories and words... and also other books and other writers - let's name C.S.Lewis, J.R.Tolkien, F.M.Dostojevskij among many.

And also Czech Karel Čapek or European Jan Amos Comenius. From recent times I would mention sci-fi writer Stanislaw Lem, Douglas Adamses Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy, Harry Potter and all books of Terry Pratchet...

Many inspirations came through music - trying to play myself or listening to "camp-fire songs". Czech bands of Spirituál Kvintet, Bratři Ebenové, Druhá Tráva or Oboroh, song-writers Jaromír Nohavica, Karel Plíhal, Jan Nedvěd were "my blood-group"

I began to think seriously about faith when I was around fifteen. School taught us there is no God, but I liked Jesus's morals from Mathew 5-7. I was sure if everybody world kept this all the world would be happy. But when I tried to do it myself I always got to my limit - I couldn't do it and always broke some of the comandments. I was very disappointed with myself. And then I found John's first epistle and epistle to Romans and realized God knows me much better than I know myself, and still he loves me as I am. This was revelation which changed all my life.

I started coming to all Christian meetings in the city:-), got quite a lot inspiration from charismatic and pentecostal friends but thanks to very patient parents and very understanding minister I also started to appretiate traditions of the protestant history. Later I decided to become a minister myself and applied for theology studies just before the "Velvet Revolution" in 1989. All shocks of the theological studies brought me perhaps more questions than answers but also gave me a solid ground for later service at the congregation.

One sad experience touched all our group in 1989. At the Christian youth weekend our good friend was hit by a falling stone pillar and she spent more than year in coma and never recovered again. We were praying for her life, and her life was spared, thank God, but this encounter with death and our own guilt touched several of us very deep into our hearts.

International experiences were also very important for my spiritual growth.

First it was meetings with German and Norwegian youngsters at the centre Travná

Later I took part in the Ostrava congregation partnership with congregations in Dessau, Speyer (Germany), Purley (England) and Hartford (USA). Thanks to this connection I made my school leaving exam from English with best result and without any studying:-). During our first trip to the West, to Purley in 1992 I was already official translator for the whole group - which was wonderful practice: from sermons or theological lectures up to guided tour through castles or historical sights.

The English connection brought Lýdie and me in 1995 for three months in Purley URC where we got an insight into the Christian congregation in normal free society - which was something we never knew before and were trying to establish at home. We are very grateful to our Purley friends and never will forget them.

In 1997 we got a chance to go to 5 months exposure programme (organized and sponsored by the World Council of Churches) in Kenya. We were in the care of the National Council of Kenya and moving from place to place: Nairobi, Meru, Mombasa, Garissa, Taita Hills... Leaving Europe (and all our families and friends) for this long time made us to think a lot about our thought-stereotypes. I started to think about mission, about my preaching style, about my approach to other cultures, etc. People are asking whether we were teaching there or preaching but I can say we learned more and we listened and we were thinking a lot, and came back different.

The latest international inspirations we got from the twinning between Orlová congregation and St. Ninian's Church of Scotland in Dunfermline. I have been to Scotland at least fifteen times within last twelve years and I always learned and got inspired. Without this experience we wouldn't dare to start a community centre in the city, and other church activities. Thanks to our friends, sisters and brothers from St. Ninian's!

Last inspirations I want to mention came through the life in Orlová. Small congregation on the undermined ground, left out of the city where you can't just close yourself in the church but have to follow Jesus out to where the people live. Evangelism through YMCA and youth activities or through music with Keep Smiling Gospel Choir. Meeting very interesting people during a brief engagement in the city politics. And all the time thinking what I do wrong when there is still the same number of people in the church, when we still struggle for survival while we are helping many people who never come back...