TEAM EASTERN SLOVAKIA

In April 2006, five members from three separate churches in Three Rivers Baptist Association accepted an invitation to attend a Key Partner Consultation sponsored by the Central & Eastern Europe Region of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board. During that meeting the regional strategy associate for the Central Europe Field shared the top priority needs for the area.  This included the fact that Southern Baptists have no mission personnel working in eastern Slovakia. A priority need was for a Virtual Strategy Coordinator (VSC) for eastern Slovakia, centered in the city of Košice.

After further discussion this group felt impressed that God was leading TRBA to become the VSC for eastern Slovakia. A presentation was made at the May meeting of the TRBA Executive Board with action taken at the July meeting to enter into a partnership with the IMB to become the VSC. Thus, Team Košice came into existence. The partnership agreement was signed in January 2007.  In the years following the team moved from Košicem to the city of Presov and with that move we changed the name fo the team to Team Eastern Slovakia.

ROLE OF VIRTUAL STRATEGY COORDINATOR:

A that time a Virtual Strategy Coordinator was a relatively new position within the IMB. By definition it was "A person, team or church that accepts the task of becoming the strategy coordinator for a people group, but lives in another location." In other words, the VSC will have responsibility for all aspects of reaching a people group in the same way that a missionary on the field would have.  The VSC will receive training and form a task force to travel as missionaries to the loacl field.  As the VSC we researched and wrote a people group profile, developed a ministry strategy, and began implementing that strategy withongoing consultation from field leadership.

Some of the things a VSC  does is Learn, Pray, Advocate, Assess Needs, Strategize, Coordinate, Establish Relationships, and Discover Opportunities in order to Plant Churches. VSC's are also self-funded. While training, endorsement and consultation are provided through the IMB Regional Office all funding for materials, travel, promotion, and on-field costs are the responsibility of the VSC.

As the VSC for Eastern Slovakia Three Rivers Baptist Association sponsors various trips to the country throughout the year. Some of these overseas mission teams have included English as a Second Language/Conversational English, Prayerwalking, Children's Clubs/Backyard Bible Clubs, and Bible Storying, among others.

We are currently working with a Slovak Baptist Union couple who are planitng a new church in the city of Presov.  We have helped them aquire a coffee house type ministry that alows them to connect with locals during the week.  We have also started an on-going EFL class at the local library.  These classes have now allowed the local IMB missionary to start a new small group using the Bible as the text for conversational English. 

Yes, we now have an IMB couple living on the field in the city of Presov.  Thus we are now able to have a continual witness throughout the year.

Team Members:

Bob Dyer                   Virtual Strategists/Logistics Coordiantor              815-545-6980   

Dan Eddington          Director of Missions                                            815-725-7361 

Andy Urbanic            Team Member     

Jill Patterson             Team Member                                               

Be sure and check out our Slovakia blog for more information

about our past mission trips and upcoming events.