Protestant festival “has opened doors for further dialogue and opportunities” in Poland

The Evangelical School of Theology (EST) organized their first ever Festival of Protestant Culture in Wroclaw, Poland, recently. “Wroclaw has a rich Protestant heritage, which has been generally unknown,” says Dr. Wojciech “Wojtek” Szczerba, EST Rector. “The festival broadened the city’s knowledge of its past, stimulating ecumenical dialogue and understanding.”

The week-long festival was organized by EST along with numerous churches and parachurch organizations and was partly sponsored by the city government. A wide variety of events took place, including concerts, workshops, a walking tour of Protestant Wroclaw, a showing of the movie “Luther,” lectures, discussions and a fun fair for children. In addition, the official opening of the Jonathan Edwards Center at EST in partnership with Yale University was celebrated.

Wojtek said the festival had several highlights, such as an ecumenical service at a Lutheran church. “I don't remember ever seeing so many Protestant pastors gathered under one roof, and the Catholic archbishop also had a role in the service. I pray that this will be the beginning of much more contact among believers of various churches.” He says they encouraged people to get to know more about Protestantism during the “amazing week” where they saw God’s hand in action among them. “The response was better than we expected, and the festival has opened doors for further dialogue and opportunities.”

EST says without the support of ministries like OC, “it would have been impossible to organize the festival or for this ministry to have an impact on Wroclaw and Poland. You all are a true blessing to us.”