Moderator in Poland to encourage new Presbyterian partnership

He will be hosted by Rev Sashko Nezamutdinov, who did an internship in Richhill in 2015 and gave a keynote address at this year's Presbyterian General Assembly on 'The Global Church'.

Dr Murray will also hear about EPCP's support to refugees from the war in Ukraine - the border being just three hours drive away.

He will also undertake a visit to the notorious Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz ahead of the 80th anniversary of its liberation next month.

Speaking before he left, Dr Murray said: “Listening to Sashko at the General Assembly, I remember him saying that there was a spiritual hunger in Poland and a real need for evangelical churches, and what we would call ‘a reformed witness’, in a country where most people were ‘culturally’ or ‘nominally’ religious.

"He also said that his congregation has gone from four people to between 40/50 worshipping on a Sunday, with most people coming to faith being in their 20s and 30s.

"With abundant opportunities for church-planting, something we have become more strategically engaged in, he is also building a denomination. I want to encourage him that PCI was just a few congregations once.”

The EPCP has a big vision for church planting with six student ministers in training, he added.

Rev Nezamutdinov is the lead pastor of Christ the Saviour in Kraków, one of the four churches in EPCP - none of which have their own buildings as yet.

He said: “It was a true blessing to attend the General Assembly in June, where I experienced first-hand the warmth and fellowship of our Presbyterian brothers and sisters in Ireland.

"I am delighted to be welcoming Dr Murray to Poland, especially as this visit strengthens the meaningful partnership between our two churches.

“During his time with us, the Moderator will meet with our kirk session and see for himself our ministry work with Ukrainian refugees."

Looking ahead to his visit to Auschwitz on Monday, Dr Murray said: “This can’t be anything but a poignant moment that I approach with deep trepidation.

“To go from having spent an uplifting few days hearing about and encouraging what is being done in Kraków to bring the very light and life of Christ for the spiritual good and salvation of people; to a place of such utter darkness and death, the epitome of man’s inhumanity to man, which all happened within in living memory, will I’m sure, be a seminal moment, and one that I will never forget.”

During their one year in office, Presbyterian Moderators make an overseas visit to continue to build relationships, and strengthen ties with PCI’s global partner churches and mission organisations.