Patrick + Ivetka in Slovakia

CityLight 5-11.12.2010

2010-12-08T11:41:00.002+01:00

Dear CityLight family,

As most of you know our dear friends, the Sano family, have journeyed back to Japan yesterday. Please keep them in prayer as they transition back into life there. Also pray that God would amazes & surprise them as they watch Him unfold before their eyes His big plan for them!

Also, a BIG “thank you!” to all who helped out last Sunday to make the Sano-send-off & Festival of Lights a blast! The atmosphere, food, and gifts were wonderful! If any of you have pictures from this service please send me them or post on FB & tag. Thanks!

Ok.. have a blessed week in HIM,

Patrick + Ivetka

This week:

Tonight: Prayer meeting @ 7pm >>> MORE DETAILS

DigDeep: Special program this week, see: DIG DEEP DEC 2010

Festival of Lights – Check out the pictures, video, teaching, and more online>>> Festival of Light!

Advent: We will shift gears for Advent with a series of services called “LIGHT.” For more info on this service and what else is lined up for the month of December check out: “Light – CityLight Advent 2010”

Good Gifts: If you would like to participate in the gift collection project that Heather is heading up on behalf of the local Diagnostic Center (orphanage) please bring your gifts in to CityLight by the 12^th (THIS SUNDAY!!!) at the latest. Remember to choose age appropriate gifts (nothing broken, used, or inappropriate), mark the box boy/girl + age, and wrap the box & lid separately. If you have more questions email Heather directly.

Recent Teachings: 5.12. “Festival of Lights” + 28.11 “Thanksgiving Always”

"Light" - Advent series at CityLight

2010-12-02T21:21:00.001+01:00

As we celebrate Advent together we embrace the ideas of good things to come, expectation, and revelation. At CityLight we will have a special Advent series called “LIGHT” during the month of December. The focus is simply Jesus – “the true LIGHT that gives light to every man.” (Jn 1:9) The service format will be a bit different, so come expecting to be surprised and hopefully your eyes opened wider to HIM, the true meaning of this holiday season. Check it out at CityLight Church Bratislava: http://citylightbratislava.com/

Dec 5 – Festival of Lights
Dec 12 – Lighting the Way
Dec 19 – Light of the World
Dec 26 – Walking in the Light

CityLight - Nov 29-Dec 5th

2010-12-02T21:08:00.002+01:00

Dear CityLight family,

A few quick announcements & prayer requests:

DigDeep: No meeting this week. For the December times & location see: DIG DEEP DEC 2010

This Sunday!!!: We will have the “Festival of Light” service to kick off the Advent season. For more info on this service and what else is lined up for the month of December check out: “Light – CityLight Advent 2010”

Remember – this Sunday is also our “Sano Send-off Sunday.” Come out to send our friends off properly as they move forward into the good things God is preparing for them back in Japan!

Good Gifts: If you would like to participate in the gift collection project that Heather is heading up on behalf of the local Diagnostic Center (orphanage) please bring your gifts in to CityLight by the 12th at the latest. Remember to choose age appropriate gifts (nothing broken, used, or inappropriate), mark the box boy/girl + age, and wrap the box & lid separately. If you have more questions email Heather directly.

Thanksgiving: Wasn’t last week great! Thank you all for help in planning, prepping, and cooking up such an awesome evening! Let’s do it again next year! Check out the web for pics, audio, etc.. just click: Thanksgiving 2010

Recent Teachings: 28.11 “Thanksgiving Always” + 21.11 “Back to Bethel”

CityLight 21-28 Nov.

2010-11-24T10:22:00.004+01:00

Dear CityLight family,

We hope you are doing well. Please pray for this weekend’s Thanksgiving service- that not only will we serve up a great culinary feast, but a spiritual one as well. Pray that hearts would be turned to Jesus.
Also, thank you all who have been serving at CityLight in some many practical ways – you guys are a BIG blessing and I am truly honored o get to serve& love along side you all!

In Him,
Patrick & Ivetka

Thanksgiving

Location – Narnia School, Beňadická 38

Sign-up – If you haven’t done this do it ASAP! We need to know approximately how many people are coming, and what you will bring (food) with you.

Other important details see: THANKSGIVING 2010

Prayer Meeting: This evening at Ryan & Mel’s @ 7pm. >>> More Details!

DigDeep: Friday at Higgins (Mateja Bela 8) @ 7pm. Topic: Hosea & Prophecy >> More Deatials!

Recent Teachings: 21.11 “Back to Bethel” + 14.11 “Finding Jacob”

CityLight - Nov 15-21

2010-11-19T13:47:00.003+01:00

Dear CityLight family,

A few important announcements – please read!

DigDeep:

Today at Chad & Danka’s @ 7pm. Read ahead: Hosea chapter 4>end. MORE DETAILS!

Next week (Nov. 26) DD will be at the Higgins. Topic: “The Day of the Lord” … i.e. lots of interesting end times stuff. Don’t miss it!

Thanksgiving

Location – we will change the location to accommodate more people. Location to be announced on Sunday & posted on the web over the weekend.

Sign-up – for planning purposes we need you to sign up if you will come, approximately how many people are coming, and what you will bring (food) with you. I need this info by this Sunday (Nov 21st) at the latest! Let me know via email ASAP: patrickivetka@gmail.com

Other important details see: THANKSGIVING 2010

Recent Teachings: 14.11 “Finding Jacob” + 7.11 “Why him?”

Prayer: to get prayer updates you need to be on the CityLight mailing list. Please contact Patrick to do so - patrickivetka@gmail.com

CityLight Nov 7-14

2010-11-10T00:07:00.004+01:00

Dear CityLight family,

I hope your week is going well. I just needed to pass along a few announcements. I would also like to encourage you to remember one another in prayer this week – what an awesome way to express His love!

In Him,

Patrick + Ivetka

This week at CityLight:

Wed – Prayer meeting @ 7pm! Come on out! >>> MORE DETAILS!!!

DigDeep – Postponed until next week. Please read ahead (Hosea 4 to the end). >>> MORE DETAILS!!!

Recent Teachings: 7.11 “Why him?” + 31.10 “Blind”

Events: We have two special events coming up at CityLight – “Thanksgiving” and “Festival of Light." Find out more details on our EVENT PAGE

Web Translation: Got the git of translation? The CityLight website needs to be translated into Slovak. If you think you can help out with this project please email me (patrickivetka@gmail.com)

Citylight Nov 1-7

2010-11-02T22:24:00.003+01:00

Dear CityLight family,

Just a few quick announcements…

Thank you all who helped out on the last service and supported Erik. Thanks Marek for translating! Thank you Catherine & Tana for serving the kids!

In Him,

Patrick + Ivetka

CityLight this week:

Wed: Prayer meeting. See link for info – PRAYER!

Friday: Dig Deep > please read ahead: Hosea 4-14! See link for MORE INFO

Sunday: We will be continuing our study of Genesis. Pleaase read ahad > Gen 25-27

Other:
Recent teachings: 31.10 "Blind" + 24.10 “Conversations”

Nov 28 – Thanksgiving service + Going Away party for Sanos – mark your calendars!

CityLight this week! OCT 25-31

2010-10-27T11:11:00.001+02:00

Dear CityLight family,

Thank you all for truly being a community that seeks after Jesus and expresses His love to one another and those around us. It was a blessing for me to watch everyone on Sunday caring & serving one another.

For those of you who didn’t make it last week I would encourage you to check out the service online at: “Conversations” where we celebrated where the Lord has taken us over the last two years. On the site where you can check out the teaching, personal testimonies, encouragements from afar, and even video.

I want to thank you all personally for blessing me over the last two years. It’s been a great time of serving and doing life with you & Jesus!

Much love in Him,
Patrick + Ivetka

CityLight this week:

Wed: Pray meeting tonight. See link for info – PRAYER!

Friday: Dig Deep is postponed until 5.11 > please read ahead: Hosea 4-14! See link for MORE INFO

Sunday: This Sunday is the TIME CHANGE (1hr back!) so ready yourselves! Erik will be leading the service and is a bit short-handed in terms of help because many will be traveling this weekend. Please come out and if you can assist Erik in any way please contact him ASAP: erikracz@yahoo.com

Other:

Recent teachings: 24.10 “Conversations” + 17.10 “Captivating”

Nov 28 – Thanksgiving service + Going Away party for Sanos – mark your calendars!

CityLight - Oct 17-24

2010-10-19T15:11:00.002+02:00

Citylight this week!

This Sunday: “Conversations: Remember + Share + Dream” we will host a special service reflecting on our last two years as a church, sharing words of hope, and dreaming together of our future. Think of this as a birthday party of sorts… the service will be opened up for sharing so be ready to give testimony, a verse, or a word of encouragement for the fellowship if you want to. We will also have a time of worship, prayer, and communion. Feel free to bring friends & food to the celebration!

Prayer Meeting: on Wednesday at 7pm. See link for more DETAILS.

DigDeep: This week we will study the book of Hosea. If you are joining the gathering please read Hosea 1-3 beforehand and prep so hard questions for Chad! Meeting time is 7pm at the Higgins home (Mateja Bela 8).

Kids Ministry Conference: On Nov. 12-13 CCBCE is hosting a great training for all Children Workers. We would encourage all those who serve the kids to attend. Conference cost will be covered by CityLight.

Thanks+Giving Sunday: we will have our yearly gathering to give thanks for what the Lord is doing in our lives & church community. This will be a time of worship, eating, and fellowship. Mark your calendars for Nov 28th. We will also be combing this with a big “send off” for the Sano family who will return to Japan shortly after.

Recent Teachings: “Captivating” 17.10 & “The Stories We Tell” 10.10

Media: If anyone has some photos or videos documenting the CityLight community, please pass them on to Patrick. We will post it on the web. This is a blessing for those who have been a part of the church but have moved on to their home countries.

CityLight 12-18.7

2010-07-14T09:14:00.002+02:00

Dear CityLight friends,

“However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit…”

1Cor2:9-10

God has great things in store for you, for us, for CityLight church. It’s beyond our imagination & comprehension. Amazingly God doesn’t want to keep us in the dark, but desires to reveal His good intentions to us by His Spirit. Won’t we pause and listen this week?

Enjoy Him!
Patrick + Ivetka
　
This Week at CityLight:

Wednesday: TODAY will have our 2nd “Summer in the Park” event! Get ready for a good football match… For more info: CLICK

Teaching: Miss CityLight last week? Listen to the latest teaching: “Fear Not”

Service: We have some real needs in the areas of Sunday School & Translation for the next few weeks. Please let us know if you can help out in either area ASAP.

Write to: patrickivetka@gmail.com

Prayer:
1) Tom & Debbie - Praise! A super successful baseball camp… more details to follow!
2)) Needs- Worship leader, Sunday school teachers, Translation
3) Heather - immediate need of a Slovak visa
4) Patrick, Ben, Erik, others – new employment in the perfect place God has prepared
5) Aki – Salvation for his parents , perseverance in sharing the Gospel
6) Vic + Darla – God’s favor on them as they prepare to move to Kiev. Open doors to get a Ukrainian visa ASAP!
7) Higgins - good travel & time in California (July 19-Aug 13).
8) Erik - extra grace, strength, and helpers as he oversees CityLight services for the next few weeks.

CityLight July 1-8

2010-07-07T00:00:00.004+02:00

Dear CityLight Family,

“Abraham was looking forward to the city that has foundations. He was waiting for the city that God planned and built… they longed for a better country. They wanted one in heaven.
So God is pleased when they call Him their God. In fact, He has prepared a city for them.”
Heb 11:10, 16

Let us as a church long for that better home, a place established & planned by God. And as we journey like Abram in wild abandonment to the Father, let us be givers of grace and love that overcomes a “hostile and divided” world. Let this be our common prayer this week.

Blessings,
Patrick + Ivetka

This Week at CityLight:

Wednesday: We will have our first “Summer in the Park” event. For more info: CLICK

Teaching: Miss CityLight last week? Listen to the latest teaching: “Naturally Supernatural”

Service: We have some real needs in the areas of Sunday School & Translation for the next few weeks. Please let us know if you can help out in either area ASAP. Write to: patrickivetka@gmail.com

CityLight: May 31 – June 6th

2010-05-31T23:09:00.002+02:00

“From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’“ Acts 17:26-28a

Weekly gatherings:

Wednesday: Prayer & Praise Meeting @ 7:30pm > Higgins 0907.395522

Thursday: Slovak Bible Study @ 7:30pm > Bartosik 0908.472759

Friday: Dig Deep @ 7:30pm > Higgins 0907.395522

Budapest Trip: June 13th. All the important info HERE! Sign up deadline is June 4th. Email: mailto:patrickivetka@gmail.com

Audio Teachings: We are now recording the Thursday & Sunday evening Bible studies. All studies will be available for listening & downloading via the CityLight website. Look for them either on the front-page or in the TEACHING section. We hope that this will be a blessing to those in our church and possibly others afar off. Enjoy!

Mike+Heather: Just received an update on their tour across the USA sharing the message of SOLD. Check it out here: SOLD NEWS

CityLight Update: 17-23/5/2010

2010-05-18T20:46:00.005+02:00

Dear CityLighters,

As we approach the celebration of Pentecost this Sunday I would encourage you to pray that the Holy Spirit would guide you & our church in the next days & months. Many of us are seeking “next steps” and feel we are in those rudderless boats we spoke about on Sunday. But know that God has wonderful things planned and He promises to reveal those things by His Spirit (1Cor 2:9-10). So just ask!

Blessings,
Patrick + Ivetka
　
This week at CityLight:

Wednesday: Prayer & Praise Meeting
Time: 7:30 pm
Location: Higgins home (Mateja Bela 8)
Contact: 0907.395522

Thursday: Slovak Language Bible Study
Topic: the Gospel of John
Teacher: Erik Racz

When: every Thursday from 7-9pm

Where: Stara Stupavska 8 (Bartošík family)

Contact: 0908.472759

Friday: Dig Deep: Bible study / discussion group in the book of Genesis
Where: Mateja Bela 8 (Higgins home)

When: every Friday from 7:30-9pm

Topic: “Big Boat, Big God” - Gen 7

Teacher: Chad Shively

Contact: 0907.395522

Lucenec Missions Trip: VIDEO

CityLight Causes:

60 Beds: Heather Eccles is heading up a project to raise funds to buy 60 new beds for the Diagnostic Center (like an orphanage).

Upcoming ways to help:
1. Bake Sale May 23 after church. God loves a cheerful giver… and in this case eater!
2. Got beds, bedding, mattresses, tables, chairs or wardrobes you or your friends need to get rid of? Donate it to the Diagnostic Center.
3 Sahar Khoury from the International Baptist Church cuts hair and has offered to give all donations for her services to the Center if we mention this. (contact Heather)
4. DOMINIC is spearheading an effort to raise money for this cause, and if he raises 1,000 he'll buzz off all his hair! (Ask Dominic for how to make your bid!)
5. Direct donations? via City Light (we will have envelopes available for donations)

If you have any questions or some crazy ideas how to raise funds pass them on to Heather (eccleshm@mail.masters.edu). Please pray for this need & project!

ps... that great cookie making VIDEO

Click HERE to listen to a radio interview they recently gave!
　
　

CityLight Update: 10-16/5

2010-05-12T23:50:00.003+02:00

Dear CityLight family,

Today I was reminded in a lecture by Mr. Walter Hooper, personal secretary & friend of C.S.Lewis, that “Unless a grain of wheat fall into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (Jn 12:24) There is so much that we run after in this life to fulfill our own desires & dreams. Yet, there is such a greater reward in being spent on Him. For as the same passage continues - “He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (v25) What a great prize, what good fruit - Life….”and that more abundantly!”

This week I’m including in the CityLight update a few ways you can spend & be spent for Jesus. Also, please serve one another in prayer (see list below).

Be blessed & be a blessing,
Patrick + Ivetka

　
This Week @ CityLight:

NEW! Slovak Language Bible Study: staring this Thursday!
Where: Stara Stupavska 8 (Bartošík family)
When: every Thursday from 7-9pm
Topic: the Gospel of John
Teacher: Erik Racz
Contact: 0908.472759

Dig Deep: Bible study / discussion group in the book of Genesis
Where: Mateja Bela 8 (Higgins home)
When: every Friday from 7:30-9pm
Topic: “Big Boat” - Gen 6
Teacher: Chad Shively
Contact: 0907.395522

Men’s Breakfast: will be postponed. Details to follow.

Prayer+Worship: every Wednesday’s @ 7:30pm @ Higgins home. If someone would like to host this meeting in their home let us know (email: patrickivetka@gmail.com)
　

CityLight Causes:

60 Beds: Heather Eccles is heading up a project to raise funds to buy 60 new beds for the Diagnostic Center (like an orphanage). If would like to help financially you can do so via CityLight and also a baking fund raiser that the youth will be organizing on May 23rd. If you have some crazy ideas how to raise funds pass them on to Heather (eccleshm@mail.masters.edu). Please pray for this need & project.

The Sold Project: Please keep our very own Mike + Heather Colleto in your prayers as they tour America sharing the vision of SOLD and the needs of women & children who are victims of human trafficking. Their efforts were written up in a news article recently - CLICK HERE TO READ! Also if you are interested in learning more about the issue see this report “Statistics of Modern Day Slavery”
　

CityLight Events:

Golgotha Gospel Choir: The 100 member Golgotha Gospel Choir from Calvary Chapel Budapest has asked CityLight to help them organize a concert here in BA on June 3rd. Please pray for a hall big enough to house this group as they use their talents to spread the Good News. We need a location to open up in the next couple of days or we will postpone this event.

Field Trip: We are considering taking a church “field trip” to Calvary Chapel Budapest. This will be a day of visiting the church and enjoying that beautiful city together.
The target date: May 30th… so mark your calendars. More details to follow.
　

For Prayer Requests please email to: ccnitra@yahoo.com
　

CityLight Update 3-9/5

2010-05-06T23:24:00.004+02:00

Dear CityLight family,

Here are a few updates & prayer requests for this week... sorry it is a bit late! Please be praying for one another!

In Him,
Patrick + Ivetka

　
This week at CityLight:

Dig Deep: “Nephilim” this Friday @ 7:30pm @ Higgins home (Mateja Bela 8)

Prayer+Worship: every Wednesday’s @ 7:30pm @ Higgins home. If someone would like to host this meeting in their home let us know.

All Parents!!! : I would like to ask you to pray for all the CityLight kids & Sunday School teachers. The last few weeks have been very rough with many distractions and misbehavior with most of the kids during the class time. We really need your parental support and ask that you remind your children of what is expected of them if they wish to attend the classes. Please also pray for a better space to serve the kids in and also a helper for the 4 & under group. Thank you for your help!

Golgotha Gospel Choir: The 100 member Golgotha Gospel Choir from Calvary Chapel Budapest has asked CityLight to help them organize a concert here in BA on June 3rd. Please pray for a hall big enough to house this group as they use their talents to spread the Good News.

Field Trip: We are considering taking a church “field trip” to Calvary Chapel Budapest. This will be a day of visiting the church and enjoying that beautiful city together.

The target date: May 30th… so mark your calendars.

More details to follow.

For Prayer Requests please email to: ccnitra@yahoo.com

CityLight Update 26/4-2/5

2010-04-29T11:52:00.002+02:00

Dear CityLight,

I hope that you were all challenged and encouraged last Sunday by Allen Buchanek‘s story of how God is so mighty to save. In reality it is our story as well. Each of us tells it a bit differently, but the Hero in all of them is Jesus! I would encourage you to share your stories of His touch on your life with others this week.

Here are a few updates & prayer requests for this week. Please be praying for one another!
In Him,
Patrick + Ivetka
　
This week at CityLight:

Dig Deep:

“Acts + Athens” this Friday @ 7:30pm @ Higgins home (Mateja Bela 8)

Roma Mission: Heather Eccles is leading a group this weekend to Cinobana to minister to a Christian community of Gypsies there (Carnival, construction work, Outreach event, kids stuff, etc.) and are looking for donations of baked goods. City Light “bakers” who are willing to donate cookies/biscuits, brownies, etc. would be appreciated! If you would like to contribute contact Heather (0902 129 703) ASAP for her to pick it up. Thanks!

April Teachings:
4.4 Hope (Easter Sunday) LK 24
11.4 A Heart to Give - guest: Fred Ruppel
18.4 A Joel Moment
25.4 Saved by Fire – guest: Allen Buchanek
　
Extra:
Summer Pad: A missionary friend is taking a furlough (June-Aug) and is offering his flat to rent for 280 EUR per month including utilities, electricity, internet. If anyone knows of someone in need of short term housing please contact: fstephenson@twr.org

Weekend Tip: This weekend is Bratislavsky Majales- so there are lots of free events going on to enjoy. Check out above link for details. (It’s in Slovak, but Google Translation Bar work well)　

CityLight this week 19-25.4

2010-04-22T22:16:00.003+02:00

Hi guys,

Just a quick update. If you haven’t heard already, little RAY Sano has arrived! And even Chad, Danka, Alberto, Ilga + kids are back in BA! Praise the Lord on all accounts!

Thank you to all who came out to support and serve at CityLight last week for the special service at the Palisady Baptist church. The “box” was a bit bigger, but it still doesn’t contain our BIG God! A special thanks to Silvia for going out of your way to serve the kids!

Take care and hope to see you soon Sunday!

Patrick + Ivetka

　
CityLight this week:

Dig Deep: this Friday @ 7:30pm @ Higgins home (Mateja Bela 8)

Special Guest: This Sunday we will have a guest, Allen Buchanek, sharing the Word and his dynamic testimony.

Weekend Tip: This weekend is Bratislava for All - so there are lots of free events going on to enjoy. Check out above link for details.
　
Prayer Requests + Praise!:
1) Praise God for returning Chad, Danka, Alberto, Ilga + kids to BA!

2) Employment & provision: many of us are changing or seeking jobs. Lift each other up in these challenging times.

3) For provision, guidance, and strength for all the families that are moving away in the upcoming months (Melo, Leong, Sano).

4) Patrick - wisdom and spiritual insight to properly steer the church as we move into a period of many changes. Provision for next years work. Praise God for many open doors and current provision!

5) Pray for the unsaved around us. That we could be a people that bring grace to this city and that CityLight would be a point of refuge for the weary.

6) Kieko + RAY - Praise God for a good delivery of baby RAY!

7) Jacques - God to guide him to a job perfectly fitted for him!
8) Aylwin - to have open doors to witness to his coworker.
　
　

CityLight this week 11-17.4

2010-04-15T16:55:00.004+02:00

Dear friends,

Here are the latest prayer requests & news for CityLight church.
Have a blessed week!

In Him,
Patrick + Ivetka

　
This week at CityLight:

City Light “Out-Of-the-Box“: We have been invited to pack up our church and bring it over to the Palisady Baptist church this Sunday! Come out for a great time of worship, Word, and fellowship!

When: This Sunday @ 6pm
Where: Palisady Baptist Church - Palisady 27
Kids: Childcare will be provided only for kids over 3 year of age. Drop older children off at CityLight (Zirnskeho 2) by 5:30pm.

DigDeep: starting back up this Friday!
Where: Higgins Home (Mateja Bela 8) @ 7:30pm
Topic: “Loving People & Using Things”
　
Men’s Breakfast: This Saturday! We will gather at Coffee&Co (Laurinská 5) at 9:00 am.
　
Kids’ Ministry: Thank you to many of you who signed up for serving the children! Together we can raise these little ones up in Jesus!
We still need teachers for these dates: April 18 + May 23 + June 6, 27 + July 4

Prayer requests:
1) Pray for school placement for Fillip and wisdom for Peter & Silvia how to manage this situation. A similar prayer request for Gabie Higgins.
2) Employment: many of us are changing or seeking jobs. Lift each other up in these stressful times.
3) For provision, guidance, and strength for all the families that are moving away in the upcoming months (Melo, Leong, Sano).
4) Patrick - wisdom and spiritual insight to properly steer the church as we move into a period of many changes.
5) Pray for the unsaved around us. That we could be a people that bring grace to this city and that CityLight would be a point of refuge for the weary.
6) Kieko - God’s hand on her & the baby, a great delivery!
7) Gina - visa and God’s hand upon her life & service here in Slovakia.
　
　

HOPE

2010-04-11T09:13:00.002+02:00

Jesus asked His 12 a pointed question after washing their feet – “Do you understand what I have done for you?” (Jn 13:12) It is a great question to ask ourselves? For the Disciples and most of Israel the reality of “what I have done” was not as vibrant in their minds as their deeply ingrained Messianic hope. But what happens when the story turns sour, the Hero dies, and hope does as well?

Patrick+Ivetka: April 2010 Ministry Update

2010-04-10T21:18:00.002+02:00

Dear family & friends,

Greetings from a blossoming, Spring thawed Bratislava! It's so good to feel sun again after a long winter and see all of the new life emerging around us. Sometimes it hard to believe it‘s really here!

The Apostle Paul wrote "no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those that love Him..." (1 Cor 2:9) It is so true! Since our last update (July 09') God has been sweeping us up into His Big Story and it's so much better then we could have planned. Won't you read and rejoice with us in all that God, not us, is doing here in Bratislava, Slovakia and in the CityLight church?

Read more at: April 2010 Ministry Update

Be blessed & be a blessing,

Patrick, Ivetka, Gabie & David

　
Online Donations: Account # 1175

Our Sending Agencies:Go! Ministries: http://go.ccnorco.org/

CityLight this week! 6/4/2010

2010-04-06T21:47:00.002+02:00

Dear CityLight Family,

I trust that you had a great Easter and have been challenged to live deeply in the LIFE Jesus' is inviting us into!

I needed to pass on a few updates & prayer points to you concerning CityLight.

Have a blessed week!

Patrick + Ivetka

This week at CityLight:

Prayer Meeting: Wednesday @ 7:30pm at the Higgins home (Mateja Bela 8). If you can't come but have prayer requests that you want us to pray for email them to patrickivetka@gmail.com.

DigDeep: Postponed until next week (16.4)

Special Service (April 18th) : Palisady Baptist church has invited CityLight to lead their Sunday evening service on the 18th. This will be at 6pm at their church building (Palisady 27) This gives us a nice opportunity to bless & to deepen fellowship this Baptist congregation which has been really helpful to us (...we rent our facility from them!) More details to follow this Sunday.

CityLight Videos / Pics: Just click links...

CityLight 2009

Passover 2010

Jelka outreach

Kid's Ministry: It looks like we will have an additional room for the kids! A nice answer to prayer! The current plan is to divide the little ones (under 4 yrs) and older children (5-12yrs). This plan will fine tuned as we go, so be patient. For all this to work we really need your assistance. The older kids will continue having a rotation of teacher teams (so please sign up teachers!) and the younger ones I would suggest a rotation of mommies who can take turns keeping an eye on them (any volunteers for this week?!) We are also praying for another group for the 11-15 age group, but this is still in process.. so pray for it!

Easter Sunday 2010

2010-04-05T23:40:00.003+02:00

Easter at CityLight was quite a bit different then our usual worship services... but very good it it’s own way. In other cities Christmas & Easter would be “big church days,” but in Bratislava it seems to be the times where people split and head for their hometowns to celebrate with family. So, we had a much smaller group and more kid oriented. Chad did a great job reading the kids the Easter story. Erik shared his testimony of walking with Jesus since Easter 10 years ago! All in all it was a special time. (Thanks Kieko for the pics!)

The kids watched this as well....

treasure hunt

2010-04-05T23:17:00.003+02:00

Recently we went with the Hovokovci family on a GPS hunt... which is a upgraded version of a treasure hunt. Our wanderings lead us to a hilltop in Austrian in sight of Bratislava. On top was a huge tower which we climbed then explored the forest to discover a treasure cache in an abandoned castle lost in the forest. The guys had a blast!

Ready on the set...

2010-04-05T23:03:00.003+02:00

Apparently my neighborhood is the new Hollywood of Bratislava... two days of film crews outside my window.

Passover 2010

2010-04-05T22:48:00.000+02:00

At CityLight Church we had a Passover celebration which was a great time of shared experience of memory, redemption, and hope. Plus a lot of fun, food, and fiesta!

CityLight church in 2009!

2010-04-05T22:44:00.001+02:00

A quick review of some, but not all, of the highlights at CityLight church in 2009! All glory to God!

CityLight 23/3 Update

2010-03-24T23:27:00.005+01:00

Dear City Light Family,

Lots of changes this week and a few events on the way...so check it all out below. Also, please keep each other in prayer this week (see list).
　
This week at City Light:

Time Change: remember to forward your clocks one hour this Saturday...otherwise you will be part of the set up crew for City Light on Sunday.... we could use the help :)

Men's Breakfast: This Saturday @ 9am. More HERE.

Passover: Next Wednesday (31/3) at 6pm we will have a Passover celebration. If you & a friend would like to participate you must RSVP ( patrickivetka@gmail.com ) by Sunday 28/3 at the latest. More info HERE.

Dig Deep: Wrestling with Gen 4 this week.
Where? Higgins Home (Mateja Bela 8)
When? Friday 26/3
Time? 7:30pm
RSVP: chadshively@gmail.com

Love One Another: I was told this week about a local family that some of us are praying for that is having some real financial difficulties. John says, "..Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and truth." (1Jn 3:18). So, I was thinking a good response would be to set out a box at church this next Sunday. If you want to fill it with non-perishable food items to simply bless this family that would be awesome!

Sunday School: We would like to have the rest of April's Children's ministry teaching rotation filled up. Open dates are: 18/4, 25/4, 2/5.

If you can cover any of these dates please email: patrickivetka@gmail.com

CityLight News / Prayer 5/3

2010-03-05T10:27:00.005+01:00

Dear CityLight family,

I just needed to forward a few urgent announcements, a few less urgent ones, and community prayer requests.
Blessings,

Patrick + Ivetka

Dig Deep: Bible study is postponed until next week (12/3)

HELP: We are in critical need of individuals (in teams of two) to join into the teaching rotation for Sunday School. Anyone can do it - you don't even have to have kids to try it! All materials are provided. Please pray for this ministry, it is really one of the most important parts of the church!

Upcoming openings/dates/themes:
7/3 - Jesus & the Pearl of Great Price (Matt.13)
21/3 - Jesus, the Vine (Jn 15)
28/3- Jesus, Our Hero (Jn 18-19)
4/4 - Easter Sunday: Jesus has Risen! (Jn 20 -21)

Sign-up: send a quick email to patrickivetka@gmail.com

Important for parents: If you have children in the program we would encourage you to join in the teaching rotation. Without your help we won't be able to provide this service for your children week after week. Together we can really invest well into the life of our children as a community. Pray about it, choose a date and simply sign up!

Guest Speaker: on March 14th pastor Laci Gyugyi, from Calvary Chapel Esztergom (HU), will share the Word with us... get ready, it's going to be good!

Recent Teachings + Videos:
21.2 Fearfully & Wonderfully Made
28.2 Rest for Your Soul

Men's Breakfast: March 20th at 9:00 am.... DETAILS
　
Prayer requests:
1) Erik: Time management, greater involvement in the ministry, provision of a good mate!
2) Kathir: Quick return to SK (pray for visa), possibly end of this month!
3) Aki + Kieko: Healing of back ache, continued health for Kieko, provision at work, Mahiro to have a good self-confidence based on Jesus not other's opinions.
4) Alberto: wisdom in making decisions for their time in the USA. Good spiritual health of the missions he serves in. Salvation for new friend, Michael.
5) CityLight: Direction how we can as a church can best serve one another, the Sunday school, Slovak speakers, and unbelievers who visit the church.
6) Yveta M.: God to bring her children Jakub & Linda to church.
7) Ivetka: protection, strength, grace as she experiences many spiritual attacks.
8) Carol & Fred: Daughter Emily - direction & wise decisions as a baby Christian, acceptance to MIT (university). Carol- success in current work project.
9) Patrick: More time to spend more time in the Word & serving at CityLight, protection against attacks, provision in work (renewed contract). Confirmation of a possible trip to China.

CityLight Update Feb 17th

2010-02-17T12:59:00.008+01:00

Dear CityLight family,

Here are some quick announcements & prayer requests for this week. May the Lord empower you to be His “image bearers” to those around you this week!
Blessings,

Patrick + Ivetka
　

this week at CityLight...

Dig Deep: Home group exploring topics in Genesis Topic: “Big Bang- Round 2!” (Gen. 2)
When: February 19
Where: Shively Home,
Zálužická 3
Time: 7:30pm-9:30
RSVP: chadshively@gmail.com / 0917.236.843
Note: No child care

PS: Lots of questions came up durring Dig Deep. I wanted to challege you on one of the,. Think about it, search the Scriptures, and bring an answer on Friday.

Q: "If God is the Light, then what is the darkness in Gen 1:4? Can God be switched off? Why did He seperate it? What should it teach us, what can we draw from it?”

Men’s Breakfast:

This Saturday at 9AM... more info HERE.

PS... Tom is back!

New Prayer Points:

1) Yvetta M. : quick recovery after operation, strength, blessing at work.
2) Ivetka: protection, strength, grace as she experiences many spiritual attacks.
3) Mike+Heather: wisdom and trust as they move forward to serving in Thailand.
4) Patrick: Strength, time management, more time in the Word, protection against attacks.
Healing from sickness (and for the boys as well!)
5) Kathir: Salvation for his father, Lennin. Witness to co-workers & housemates.
6) Erik: Wisdom how to serve a new friend Oto who has many needs in his life.
7) Aki + Kieko: Provision at work, the baby to turn, good health
8) Praise: Tom is back!
9) Silvia + Ilga: blessings as they lead the weekly women’s study
10) Aylwin + family: blessed time reconnecting with family, safe trip back to SK, and a good adjustment for the kids as they will “battle” jet lag & time differences.

Citylight Update: Feb 4th

2010-02-04T22:08:00.007+01:00

Dear CityLight Family,

This Wednesday we had Prayer+Worship and it was great - all of you were prayed for! During the prayer time God gave a verse:

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” Isaiah 61:1-3

Pray through it, think on it, live it out!

Below is a list of current prayer needs - let's lift one another up! Also, we have a few announcements that simply can't wait until Sunday. Enjoy!

Blessings,
Patrick + Ivetka

this week at CityLight...

"In the Beginning": Launching a new teaching series this Sunday through Genesis 1-12. Join us as we discover how good is our God, His creation, and His love for us! Bring your Bibles, and open heart, and a friend.

Dig Deep: Home group exploring topics in Genesis
Topic: “Big Bang- what happens when smart ideas collide” (Gen. 1-2:14)
When: February 12
Where: Shively Home, Zálužická 3
Time: 7:30pm-9:30
RSVP: chadshively@gmail.com / 0917.236.843
Note: No child care

Mike+Heather: Have asked us all for prayer concerning their decision about upcoming service in Thailand. They sent a letter to CityLight church that I would like to share with you. You can view it HERE, the password is: Missions
Read, pray, and enjoy!

Sunday School: As the adults move into the theme of Genesis starting this Sunday, the kids will begin exploring the Creation as well. We are still in need of Sunday school teachers and would love to see all parents (or parents-to-be) sign up to be a part of the teaching rotation. Think, pray, sign up!

New Prayer Points:
1) Alberto: Focus on Jesus in the midst of trials. Open doors that no one can shut! Fruitful Slovak Bible study this Friday.
2) Ivetka: protection, strength, grace as she experiences many spiritual attacks.
3) Mike+Heather: wisdom and trust as they move forward to serving in Thailand.
4) Patrick: Strength, time management, more time in the Word, protection against attacks.
Fruitful teaching this Sunday at IBCB (AM) & kicking off Genesis at CityLight.
5) Kathir: Salvation for his father, Lennin. Witness to co-workers & housemates.
6) Erik: strength, healing his back pains, how to help his friend Oto who is getting out of prison very soon. Salvation and healing for Oto.
7) Heather: strength & focus in the midst of busy life.

8) Tom J: Safe travel back to SK on the 9th.

CityLight Update: 25.1.10

2010-01-25T23:21:00.006+01:00

Dear CityLight Family,

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him...but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit" 1 Cor. 2:9-10

Do you realize that God has great things prepared or you? Hold on to that promise this week and ask Him to show you what is your part in His great Story! And while you are asking, think about the rest of us and bring some request to our good Father (see prayer list below). Thanks!

Thank you all for just loving one another with the love of Jesus. It's such a blessing to be rubbing shoulders with you all...

Blessings,
Patrick + Ivetka

ps. A BIG thanks to all our recent Kid's ministry teachers (Aki, Kieko, Peter, Silvia) you guys are awesome!

This week at CityLight

Upcoming Event: Dig Deep : Discussions in Genesis...talk/think/live

Sunday School: We are always in need of adding to the rotation of teachers. Join the team in leading the kids in exploring the Parables of Jesus. Materials are provided, we just need YOU! If you want to get involved email: patrickivetka@gmail.com

Haiti - Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti. CityLight will donate to the cause to help with relief work via the fund set up by the Slovak Baptist Union. For more info (SK) on the funded projects: Haiti Relief

Pics - Great pictures of you all from January. Thanks Kieko and others!

Recent Teachings: Catch up on what we have been studying on Sundays (text/video) :

3.1.10 Hebrews 12 “Strip down”
10.1.10 Hebrews 12:14-29 “Esau Syndrome”
17.1.10 Hebrews 13 “Continue in Love”

Prayer:
1. Melo - prayer for salvation for Lubo+Edna, Dusan+Zuska. A new flat to rent. More open doors to minister in BA.
2. Danka - Mother: solid salvation, improved relationship with the rest of her family
3. Chad - Open doors to continue his theological education: location, $, all details!
4. Mike+Heather: Next steps direction from the Lord.
5. Aki + Kieko- Next phase in work. The baby to turn, successful delivery in April. Fruit from the recent witness to two Japanese families
6. Sunday School - helpers + ministry to older youth
7. Tom+Debbie: The Minnesota Twins winter festival is 29-31 January. We will be participating and praying for divine contacts with one or two players-ex players who would be interested in following through in helping to get a baseball field built in Devinska. For meetings at three colleges to share the vision for summer (or longer) internships. For Katka, Erik and other volunteers as they continue working with our kids in Devinska.
8. Viki & Jacques - perseverance and success in their thesis writing
9. Yvetta M. - health, rest during vacation, and free time to come to church
10. Cida - rest & open schedule to be able to come to church.
11. Aylwin - good adjustment back to SK for family. Bigger worship team.
12. Erik - Salvation for Oto who is in prison in Austria.

A little help

2010-01-21T22:31:00.001+01:00

I was gathering some materials for the kids ministry and couldn't pass this up...

Hebrews 13 "Continue in Love"

2010-01-19T21:29:00.001+01:00

Hebrews 13 "Continue in Love"

The Way of Jesus is not a lonely journey. We walk it together as a community. As we wake up to the fact that Jesus is more than enough (better then prophets, angles, Moses...you name it) we simply have to respond. That is why the writer of Hebrews challenges us with the phrase "Let us...". A series of specific ways we as a faith community react to the grace of God in our lives. (see Hebrews 10:22-25; 12:1-3, 28)

Now it's one thing to start a journey, it's another thing to finish it well. I think that's why in Hebrews 13 we are bombarded with a series of last minute encouragements to "Keep on", "Don't forget", and "Remember." The message is simply- continue.

But "continue" in what? "Let brotherly love continue" (v1). Jesus demonstrated true love, instructed us in it, and commanded us to live it (Jn 13). If you are a disciple of Jesus you already have the seeds of His love in your heart, but will you live it out in the world? Will we as a church live dangerously and let His love work it's way through us in service to others?

In verses 2-6 we are challenged with four practical ways that we as a community can respond to Jesus' grace and continue in love. They revolve around these words - Hospitality, Empathy, Honor, and Contentment. But who really wants to let people into your private life and provide for their needs? Or rub shoulders with the down and out? Keep a lid on our lust? Or not charge now, pay later when the urge comes on for that new fill in latest burning desire here? But this is what we are called to, the way of Love, the way of Jesus.

Struggling with this?

Remember: God is with you, on your side (v5). Delight in Him and He will bring contentment. Don't forget leaders (parents, friends, teachers, pastors) who have invested in your life. Model them, follow them, obey the truths they planted in you (v17-19). And of course continue on in the reality that Jesus is the same all the time - He is good and He is for you! (v8). Identify with Him (v11-14) and be strengthened by His grace (v9).

Result: as WE continue on in love we will find ourselves putting a smile on the Father's face (v15-16).

Hebrews 12:14-29 "Esau Syndrome"

2010-01-18T22:37:00.003+01:00

Have you been experiencing a bad case of "Esau Syndrome" lately? You know, that impulsive desire of "trading God's lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite"? Well, you are in good (?) company - some Hebrew Christians were in the same boat as you a few thousand years ago (Check out Hebrews 12:14-29... yes, do it now!) They, like us, were a sorry bunch of people who were easily satisfied with less, when much more was offered by God. They were encouraged to not "miss the GRACE of God" (v15).

So what are the symptoms of "Esau Syndrome"? A lack of grace (God's favor, joy, pleasure) which results in an invasive and infectious form of bitterness (v15). The common side effects are pride, legalism, loss of freedom, judgmental accusations, unforgivness, strife, and a general friction and brokenness.

The cure? Jesus.

It's so easy to catch "Esau Syndrome." But the cure is ever-present and offered to us, simply the grace of God. Despite how many times we fail and fall head over heels for things that never fully quench our thirsts, His grace is always there. He can cover your stains, remove your shame, rewrite your name, and make something beautiful even out of me.

Check out is video “GRACE” It really sums up the theology of Grace in a way that many preachers miss:

Hebrews 12 "Strip down, Shoot straight"

2010-01-18T14:48:00.003+01:00

Sometimes you have get rid of extra baggage (emotional, relational.. and good old fashion "stuff"). Sometimes "less is more" in this spiritual journey with Jesus. As we simplify we are able to gain a uncanny focus on what is important and take in views from heights not normally seen. That seems to be the message in Hebrews 12 - "Strip down, Shoot straight, Stand tall." And all of it is in the context of "Let us" - specific responses to Jesus that we do together as a community.

Jules Verne wrote a novel "The Mysterious Island" which tells of a Civil War prison break via a hot balloon (think: cool gadgets of 007 or Batman). The 5 inmates are carried far out over the ocean and the balloon is slowly descending into the deep. The save themselves they begin to strip off everything that is not essential until its simply them hanging from the ropes of the balloon... (you will have to pick up the book to finish the story). But the point is - when survival and success are on the line you really begin to evaluate what is important. In our faith journey we also have to strip ourselves of "stuff."

Hebrews 12:1-2 encourages us to get rid of anything that slows us down from running to Jesus (responsibilities, relationships, ministries, ideas, enter your "pet" here _________.)
It also speaks about not getting tangled up in sin... an easy thing to do. But as we begin to remove or untangle ourselves from these distractions we begin to gain focus, things... actually HE, Jesus, begins to become clearer and clearer. And its at that point that we are pressed to "fix our eyes on JESUS" (v3).

All of this is easier said then done - right? I think that is why the author of Hebrews slipped in the part "run with perseverance the race marked out for you." Perseverance is not in some of our vocabularies. We like instant photography, soup, coffee, gratification, and results. We are part of the "Why wait when I can charge it now?" culture. But we could use a bit more perseverance in our lives and the qualities of patience, endurance, and steadfastness that come with it. If you make an honest try at this whole Jesus Journey you will realize it's not as easy as it sounds. You might even get weary and start to loose heart. So, how can we persevere? The Scriptures tell us to "consider Jesus" and what he endured and that in that meditation of His life we will find strength to press on.

Also don't forget that you are not alone in this race. The Father is running alongside you, wanting to support you and help you finish even when you would rather give up and fail.
Below is a video clip of Derek Redmond (Barcelona 1992) whose amazing run demonstrates the spirit of persevering and the Fathers love for us. Enjoy, be inspired, run the race to win!

CityLight Update Jan 12th

2010-01-12T23:23:00.005+01:00

Dear CityLight Family,

I hope you are all doing great this week. I would encourage you to pray for one another (see below). Also, here are a couple of brief announcements. We look forward to seeing you this Sunday!

Blessings,
Patrick + Ivetka

Announcements:

Meditation: "Make every effort to live at peace with all ...see to it that no one misses the grace of God."

Lets live in Shalom with those around us this week so that they won't miss out on the good grace of Jesus!

Prayer & Worship meetings

Every Wednesday at 7:30pm !

More INFO > Prayer & Worship

Men's Breakfast: This Saturday @ 9am. MORE INFO

Kids Ministry: In January the kids will be exploring the Parables of Jesus. I encourage you to review the stories & songs learned with your child during the week - this way it will be "planted" in their little hearts. Last Sunday they studied the Parable of the "Lost Sheep" (Luke 15) and this week will learn "The Prodigal Son." You can follow what the kids are learning, hear songs, see pics, and hop onto other useful links via the CityLight website:Kids Ministry

HELP!: Calling all parents and those who love to serve the kids - we need to have you sign up for teaching Sunday School ASAP for the rest of January & February. All materials will be provided, you just have to do it! Let me know soon. THANK YOU! Respond: patrickivetka@gmail.com

Mike+Heather: Check out their video greetings to all at CityLight. Follow their adventures in Thailand here: MISSIONS Please keep them in your prayers!

Prayer:
1. Melo - prayer for salvation & comfort for their friends Lubo & Edna
2. Danka - Mother: solid salvation, improved relationship with the rest of her family
3. Chad - Open doors to continue his theological education: location, $, all details!
4. Mike+Heather - Trip to Thailand serving with SOLD
5. Aki - Next phase in work (Japan?Spain?Brazil?) God's peace in uncertain times.
6. Kieko - baby to turn, successful delivery in April
7. Tom+Debbie: Safe & fruitful time in USA, donors to renovate the new Youth Center in DNV, safe delivery of their soon to arrive grandchild.
8. Viki & Jacques - perseverance and success in their thesis writing
9. CityLight - us to focus on Jesus, be lead by the Spirit, and glorify God the Father!
10. BA - God to bring many to salvation and use us at CityLight in the process of doing that.

Church Closed

2010-01-07T00:17:00.002+01:00

Christmas 09'

2010-01-06T23:42:00.005+01:00

This past Christmas was pleasantly peaceful. We didn't really go anywhere or do anything - which is such a change from our normal life here in Bratislava. It was great to remember the coming of Jesus and simply be together.

We had a traditional Christmas meal, but served up with a twist - Christmas Sauerkraut soup, Carp Greek style with tomatoes & walnuts, potato salad with dried tomatoes and Italian spices and lots of sweets.

One Slovak tradition is to start the meal with wafers & honey. I don't know all the meanings behind it, but the wafers are basically the same as what is taken during Communion in the Catholic church (i.e. the Body of Christ). So, Jesus - the Word made Flesh - is celebrated by eating super sized Communion wafers with the sweetness of honey. It is a nice picture.

Another tradition "imported" from Orava is to bless the kids with the sign of the cross ala honey. It's hoped that it will help the kids behave well, be blessed, and healthy in the next year. We should have poured the whole honey jar on theses guys! :)

Gabe and Dave licking off their "blessings" !

G@Skool

2010-01-06T23:29:00.001+01:00

Snowbording without the board

2010-01-06T23:25:00.002+01:00

Snow Angels

2010-01-06T23:17:00.002+01:00

CityLight Prayer Update: Jan 1, 2010

2010-01-01T21:36:00.006+01:00

Dear CityLight Family,

We hope that your Christmas and New Years' celebrations were good. A few prayer requests were sent in and I would encourage you to pray (see below). Also, here are a couple of brief announcements. We look forward to seeing you this Sunday!

Blessings,
Patrick + Ivetka

ps: More Dec 09' Pics: CLICK

Recent teachings:

20.12.09 “Come let us Adore”

27.12.09 “Ps 95″

SOLD Project: Mike + Heather Colletto (CityLighters “in spirit”) are heading out to Thailand on January 8th - 19th on a missions trip with the SOLD Project which ministers to women & children who are trafficked into the worldwide sex industry. This is a ministry path that the Collettos have been walking down for some time now. On this trip they will be serving scholarship students, assisting in an at-risk drop-in center for rescued children, and getting more exposure to the needs of these exploited innocents.

Please keep Mike & Heather in your prayers. If you would like to help financially follow the link and make sure to write that your donation is for “Mike/Heather Colletto” under the section "Would you like to make this donation in someone's name?"

Think about sending them an email at: colletto.heather@gmail.com

Prayer:
1. Yvetta - Healing for Katka, friend, in the hospital. Also, more time off from work on Sunday's to be able to attend CityLight.
2. Carol - Safe travel for her & Fred's (husband) return to Slovakia.
3. Jozef - getting "plugged in" at Viera Baptist church.
4. Erik - healing for back pain, overcome current sickness, loneliness
5. Danka - Mother: solid salvation, improved relationship with the rest of her family
6. Chad - Open doors to continue his theological education: location, $, all details!
7. Mike+Heather - Trip to Thailand serving with SOLD
(reaching out to trafficked women & children)
8. Aki - Next phase in work (Japan?Spain?Brazil?) God's peace in uncertain times.
9. Kieko - baby to turn, successful delivery in April
10. Tom+Debbie: Safe & fruitful time in USA, donors to renovate the new Youth Center in DNV, safe delivery of their soon to arrive grandchild.

CityLight Christmas Home Gathering

2009-12-26T15:18:00.003+01:00

Dear CityLight family,

We hope that your Christmas celebration was a blast!

Just a reminder: this week we meet at the Higgins home at Mateja Bela 8 @ 5pm.

We hope this will be a blessed, intimate, and special time together with the Lord. Afterwards we will have a time of fellowship to hangout & "break bread" (i.e. eat all those Christmas leftovers together... so bring something to share with others!).

Please remember to keep those in our church in your prayers, especially those who are traveling during this time (D'ttorres, Johnsons, Melos...)

Blessings,

Patrick + Ivetka

Ps: for more pics from Advent 09 @ CityLight: CLICK!

SnowSlide

2009-12-23T15:55:00.001+01:00

Freedom

2009-12-23T15:43:00.003+01:00

Slovakia recently celebrated 20yrs of freedom from the Communist regime. It was a low-key, but memorable event. On one of the big squares in the center was a huge heart made from barbed wire and a candlelight vigil was held there. A lot has changed in 20years. I first visited Slovakia about 14yrs ago and have been living here almost 10. The rapid change is like compressing the last 50-60 years of America's economic, social, and political life into 20years here. It's amazing how far he country has gone in so short of a time... but there is still much room for growth. Here are some pics:

“Carppy”

2009-12-23T11:55:00.003+01:00

There is no such thing as a free lunch, even if it looks free. We went to Metro (like Costco) to get a bunch of things for the holidays. Apparently if you spend too much they give you a free bottle of champagne and Carp... yes, the fish... it’s a Christmas thing here. So the attendant scoops out “Carppy” form a huge vat of writhing fish upon fish out of water struggling for life. Water wouldn’t have helped them, it was freezing, they would simply have been Carp-sicols. Our fish is tossed in a plastic bag and handed him to us. He flaps and our guys go wild with excitement. We have a few more hours of shopping to do elsewhere and figure the “fish slapping” in the trunk will end before we get home.
So, we get home and the apparently frozen and dead fish is in the words of the Wizard from the Princes Bride - “...only mostly dead, which is different from all the way dead.” So, falling back to Slovak tradition we try to resurrect the poor beast and put him in a tub of water. Guess what - he jumped up to 80% alive! The guys loved it, named it, and were checking on him minute by minute (think: overly attached children to the Passover lamb on the way to the slaughter). The boys went to bed and the fish went to fish heaven (by natural causes... I swear!) So, not that his is all the way dead I had to do the fatherly thing and “clean it.” There is nothing clean about this process... especially in your bathtub. I quickly realized that I had never really cleaned a fish, especially at 12pm at night in my bathroom (kitchen was occupied with Christmas baking stuff). So, the moral of the story - ask for two bottles of champagne and leave the “free” fish behind!

Christmas Mules

2009-12-23T10:07:00.002+01:00

Went to pick up some Christmas packages (thanks McKinney's!) for the boys. We live about 3/4 of a mile from the post office and this being the center of Bratislava the mode of transportation is your feet. The weather was cold, but beautiful...so why not? I decided that the boys should be the “mules” today. This is part of a bigger “strategy” to wear them out before their much needed nap. Half way through they wanted me to carry the packages, but I told them they would have to share 1/2 of the loot. They carried the boxes all the way home. It’s amazing what we can do when we have the proper amount of motivation! In the end they did open their packages only to discover that all gifts were wrapped, thus they have to wait until Christmas... but I gave them the box (yes, I am cruel :) But, they didn’t have any problem with that. They proceeded to be creative and build dog houses for Puppy & Wolf (legendary stuffed animals in our home).

"Lord of the Flies"

2009-12-23T09:48:00.002+01:00

In an effort to encourage students to think about their behavior/performance the school, Forel, has introduced a merit system based on the "House" concept in some British school. The basic idea is that classes are divided into "houses" (think: teams) and get points for positive behavior and achievement. They are color coded (Yellow, Pink & Blue) and named: Hamlet, Macbeth, and Lear.....all tragedies...hummm...interesting (not exactly inspiring virtue, but whatever...) The trick to it is that other classes are also divided into these same "houses" as well (3 in our case) and so you get points racked up by overall school wide performance. It's an interesting idea. It could either turn into a crazy "Lord of the Flies" social experiment pushing everyone into a conspiring and consuming 3 way school split, or transform them into brilliant angels yielding to the slightest command of teachers & parents. So far the competition is not that fierce (I suppose mischief & pranks still trumps being "good"). Yet, the "House" system is working quite well for my competitive H6 class (10th grade in the USA). Anyways, above is a pic from Gabie's class visually displaying the houses in his class. It's fun and personalized. Gabe is #8.

Jingle Bell ROCK!

2009-12-23T01:55:00.006+01:00

Last Friday (18th) Gabie + friends had a Christmas performance on the Main Square in Bratislava during the Christmas Market festivities. Gabe & his buddies really took the show, especially with their "improvising" and on stage antics... like grabbing the mic and randomly shouting "Jingle Bell Rocks!" Apparently the crowd loved it! Enjoy the pics & video!

CityLight Advent 2009 pics + vid

2009-12-23T01:38:00.006+01:00

Check out the latest CityLight Advent 2009 pics. http://ccbratislava.wordpress.com/pictures/advent-2009/

"Emmanuel"

CityLight update 14.12.09

2009-12-15T00:06:00.009+01:00

Hi CityLight Family,

Advent season is upon us and for many of us it's not a time of reflective meditation. It is a mad scrabble pell-mell to live our busy lives on hyper drive with the added stress of finding the "perfect gift." Guess what... you already got it - Jesus! So, spend some time with Him and while you do talk to him about the rest of us. Here is a list of things we need you to chat about... Following are some CityLight updates.

Blessings,

Patrick + Ivetka

Prayer Requests

Aki & Kieko:
1. For Aki's job- to have certainly, motivation, and patience as he waits to hear from his superiors about the next steps in his career.
2. Continued good health & pregnancy for Kieko. Wisdom & providence for their family as they anticipate returning back to Japan next year.

Martin: That God would provide a good job; wisdom & fruitfulness in ministering in his home church.

Janka: A good flat for a good price ASAP!

Vic & Darla: Health in their home; refreshing & encouraging time as they go back home for Christmas.

Erik: focus on God's plan, continued witness in the workplace, translation w/Tom

Gina: For safe travel back to USA for Christmas and that God would speak clearly about her next steps with HIM.

Tom & Debbie: 1. Ongoing prayer for space needed for a "drop-in" youth center, a place for tutoring, English classes, games and other activities.
2. For next Sunday's Cesta Klub where we will follow up with the guys about what it means to experience God's "blessing" - we hope to have individual prayer for those attending. It could potentially be a critical time of decision for some of the kids. Pray for Erik as he interprets and joins in the prayer time.
3. Successful organization of our program before returning to the States on December 28.
4. Prayer for our trip home and back - flying standby so are dependent upon space being available; and to accomplish the goals for our trip home - support building (people, groups, equipment and finances).

Alberto & Ilga: God's favor as they teach the Word and disciple the Slovaks that God brings into their lives. May He use them greatly in this city!

Mike & Heather: "Upcoming trip to Thailand (Jan 9-24) with The SOLD Project. We are praying God uses this trip to guide our next step in serving victims of sex trafficking; we are also praying for Him to provide the finances! The trip costs about $5,000 -but we know it is in His plan for us to go, so we know He will provide. He always does!!"

Patrick & Ivetka:
1. To stay focused on Jesus alone, wisdom & discernment with leading at CityLight, being a better witness to those around.
2. Better time management & more time spent with Jesus & in the Word.
3. Pray for Gabriel as he is having some troubles at school & home. Wisdom, grace & patience as parents

CityLight: That we can be a light to the community. That we will seek to be servants and ministers of His love to those we are in contact with. For many people in Bratislava to know Him.

Updates:

Kids: This Sunday, Dec. 20th, the kids will have a chance to show off their talent during an extended worship time with some Christmas songs they have been preparing. Get ready for a good time. A BIG thanks to Ilga for working with the kids on this project!

Men's Breakfast: Is this Saturday - December 19th! We will be exploring the theme: “the Lord comes quietly in the world.” We will gather at McDonalds on Hviezdoslavovo Nam. at 9:00 and migrate to another location from there. For more info CLICK!

StirUp: Some thoughts from last weeks teaching: “Revelation as Gift”

Thanks!: Thank you all, especially Aki & Kieko, for all the help last Sunday. It is a huge blessing for me to see us as a community serving one another. You guys are great! God is good in you!

off roading in Orava

2009-12-14T00:01:00.004+01:00

Orava: land of beautiful mountains, haunted castles, bears, and artery-clogging-good Slovak food, and the birthplace of Ivetka. We took a drive to the Orava Castle area and then a detour through some remote countryside, expansive alpine fields with sheep grazing, dark forests, and lost villages. It's a great place to explore....

joy

2009-12-13T23:50:00.000+01:00

Red Castle

2009-12-13T23:30:00.004+01:00

Over the summer we visited Cervena Kamen (just outside of Bratislava). It had been a wet day, but the sun came out a bit and lit up the beautiful countryside surrounding the castle. After a quick photo shoot on the castle wall we went down to the "dungeon" and put the guys in shackles....wish we had some at home :)

CzechOut

2009-12-13T23:25:00.001+01:00

Prague is for lovers

2009-12-13T23:05:00.002+01:00

If you choose to accept

2009-12-13T22:43:00.006+01:00

The "Summer of Prague" continued: A rainy day spent in the Praha Museum. It was nice, especially the interactive Dino zone. Does the place look familiar to you? Check out the opening of Mission Impossible I and compare.

StreetBeat

2009-12-13T00:21:00.002+01:00

In the gardens of Kings

2009-12-12T23:51:00.003+01:00

Praha was great this year - it’s starting to be a summer tradition for us. To just check out of SK for 2-3 days and chill out in a beautiful city. Unfortunately, it seems that about 6 million other tourist had the same idea (no joke...check out yearly tourism stats). Anyways, we decided to ditch the congested Old Town and just leisurely cruise around the sites a bit out of downtown. We were staying in the Castle district which is a nice hilly section of Praha with all sorts of palaces, gardens, twisted paths and lots of relatively peaceful old world architecture. It for sure beats the heat, crowds, and costs of the center.

Statues

2009-12-12T23:39:00.004+01:00

Gabe & I on a "photo-shoot" in Praha (Prague). He is actually pretty good (most of the time). Which photos are his?

Quack!

2009-12-12T23:29:00.003+01:00

I will upload some pics from this past summer - I'm way behind. Anyways, living downtown has some up's & down's. The down is we live in a flat with no balcony (and of course no yard, dog, etc). The good news is we live around the corner from the President's Place and he has a great "yard"... which is open to the tax paying public (us). No you are not supposed to swim in the fountains, but well one day we found a bunch of ducks doing so (an O2 promo) The guys decided to collect with their new friend Julian (Miro + Beena's son).

friday night

2009-12-12T23:17:00.004+01:00

Here are a few pics from last Friday night - informal party with fellow teachers from work. It was a fun mix - without students!

CityLight 10.12.09 Update

2009-12-10T22:56:00.006+01:00

Hi CityLight Family,

Just some prayer requests and a few updates following:

Prayer Requests

Alberto & Ilga: God's favor as they teach the Word and disciple the Slovaks that God brings into their lives. May He use them greatly in this city!

Tom & Debbie: a permanent location for the Good Sports "drop off" youth center; further opportunities and potential partnerships.

Erik: More Slovaks to be saved, focus on God's plan, potential "better" job.

Patrick & Ivetka: To stay focused on Jesus alone, wisdom & discernment with leading at CityLight, being a better witness to those around. Pray for our boys, especially Gabriel, as they are not behaving well lately. Wisdom, grace & patience as parents.

Aki & Kieko: Continued good health & pregnancy for Kieko. Wisdom & providence for their family as they anticipate returning back to Japan next year.

CityLight: That we can be a light to the community. That we will seek to be servants and ministers of His love to those we are in contact with. For many people in Bratislava to know Him.

Updates:

Kids: The Kids ministry will be a bit more "seasonal" this month. Ilga Melo will be taking the children during the 2nd half of worship to teach them Christmas songs. Then on Dec. 20th the kids will have a chance to show off their talent during an extended worship time.

WANTED!: There are still two Sunday School slots open for this month, Dec 20th & 27th, any takers? If YES, please email: patrickivetka@gmail.com. Thanks!

Men's Breakfast: The next Men's Breakfast Fellowship is on December 19th! We will be wrestling with the theme of Advent together. For more info CLICK!

Also, pics from the last Men's Breakfast: CLICK!

StirUp: Some thoughts from last weeks teaching: "Pregnant with Expectation"

Thanks!: Thank you all for serving each other each Sunday in so many ways - leading worship, kids ministry, set up / tear down, prayers, encouragement, cookies, smiles and hugs.... it is a blast for me to watch His love being manifested in all of you as you serve each other. It's so healthy & good and I'm blessed to be around you all. God is good in you!

Have a blessed week, see you on Sunday!

Patrick + Ivetka

CityLight 3.12.09

2009-12-03T21:37:00.008+01:00

Dear CityLight Family!

Wow, has your week been like mine? SOOOO busy! It must be the Christmas season or something. Anyways, here is an update on what's happening in the CityLight community and also some prayer requests + praise reports (scroll down).

BTW - A big THANK YOU! to all of you for being such a blessing to the rest of us during the Thanksgiving celebration! The food was awesome, the fellowship sweet, and the worship real. Let us continue in the words of the Apostle Paul, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1st Thess. 5:16-18)

Ps: Did I mention Thanksgiving pics are now posted? CLICK!

Blessings,

Patrick + Ivetka

Advent: During the month of December we will shift gears from studying Hebrews and pause to celebrate Advent. "To have an advent is to have an arrival. In the Church calendar, the four-week Advent season is a time for observing the ultimate arrival, the coming of Christ into the world. During Advent we celebrate Jesus' birth, and we also look forward to his future arrival, the restoration of all things. We remember together that in him, Light and Love have come." At CityLight we hope to do this in a meaningful way that will touch our worship, prayers, teaching, and fellowship times.

Teachers?: Another big THANK YOU! to all those who served the kids as Sunday School teachers in November - you did great! We need to sign teachers up for December ASAP. The Johnsons are covering Dec. 6th, but all other dates are open, get them while they are hot. Please email me...now...please :) patrickivetka@gmail.com. Thanks!

Kids: The Kids ministry will be a bit more "seasonal" this month. Ilga Melo will be taking the children during the 2nd half of worship to teach them Christmas songs (Dec. 6th & 13th). Then on Dec. 20th the kids will have a chance to show off their talent during an extended worship time.
Also, we wanted to invite the kids to bring to Sunday school any Christmas themed story books they may have. These may be shared and read aloud by their Sunday school teachers.

Men's Breakfast: The next Men's Breakfast Fellowship is on December 19th! We will be wrestling with the theme of Advent together. For more info CLICK!

Also, pics from the last Men's Breakfast: CLICK!

Last Chance: Heather Eccles is heading up a collection of Christmas gifts for a local diagnostic orphanage here in Bratislava. If you would like sponsor a child and donate gifts please do. The deadline is next Sunday, Dec. 6th. You can drop the gifts off at the church. Additional info can be found on the enclosed attachment.

PRAYER REQUESTS

Alberto & Ilga: God's favor and excellence as they take an important Slovak language exam this Friday. Also pray for protecting against spiritual attacks and for increased fruit in their ministry. Pray for the Slovak that they serve & disciple to be on fire for Jesus!

Silvia: For a friend Katka who is experiencing a very difficult pregnancy. Currently it is unknown if the baby is still alive. Pray for health & peace for Katka and family.

Tom & Debbie: Encouragement in Jesus; a permanent location for the Good Sports "drop off" youth center; finances for the ministry; increasing fruit in the relationships they have with the kids & community; and wisdom as they explore potential partnerships.

Jozef: strength to live holy for Jesus and shine His light here in Bratislava.

Erik: More Slovaks to be saved, move to new flat, health insurance

Patrick: Strength, energy, and good time management during a busy time of juggling work, family, ministry, and the craziness of life. Wisdom from the Spirit how to lead at CityLight. Guidance as we seek His vision for the church.

Aki & Kieko: Continued good health & pregnancy for Kieko. Wisdom & providence for their family as they anticipate returning back to Japan next year.

CityLight 27.11.09

2009-11-27T14:43:00.005+01:00

CityLight Prayer & Update 27.11.09

Announcements:

Thanksgiving Service: This Sunday! at 3pm!
New location: Súľovská 2
All details can be found HERE.

If you are bringing hot food, please come at 2:30 and drop off the items to Erik "the Big Chef" who will be managing the kitchen for the evening! Any help with set up (1pm-3) and tear down (after 7pm) would be appreciated.

Christmas Gifts: Heather Eccles is heading up a collection of Christmas gifts for a local diagnostic orphanage here in Bratislava. If you would like sponsor a child and donate gifts please do. The deadline is next Sunday, Dec. 6th. You can drop the gifts off at the church. Additional info can be found on the enclosed attachment.

Sunday School Meeting:A big thank you to all who were involved in serving the kids this last month! We would like to get all the teachers together at the end of this month or beginning of Dec. to evaluate together how it went and how we can improve and push forward into the next teaching cycle. My idea is to get everyone together for coffee and have some childcare provided. I propose meeting on December 12th. Any other suggestions? If so, please write back at: patrickivetka@gmail.com THANK YOU!

Prayer Requests:
Aki: co-worker Denisa whose husband passed away. Pray for the family and also their salvation.

Jozef: strength to live holy for Jesus and shine His light here in Bratislava.

Erik: More Slovaks to be saved, move to new flat, health insurance

Ben: Healing & health for his Mom & step-Dad.

Higgins: restored health for little David, good teaching session at VBH conference

Thanksgiving service: That our thankful response to Jesus will be a light to those who come and don't know Him yet!

CityLight: that many Slovaks would be brought to Jesus and we at CityLight would be able to be able to bless and build them up in the Lord! Pray that we as a church would have this heart and God given opportunities to do so.

CityLight Nov. 15th

2009-11-18T20:58:00.007+01:00

Dear CityLight family,

In the words of Hebrews LET US not be "those who shrink back and are destroyed, but those who believe and are saved"! Do you need to be rescued this week? or know someone else who does? Then LET US ask the Father in belief that He will respond and save those who call upon His name.

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked for." 1 John 5:14-15

Prayer - a practical and effective way to love one another as a faith community. Here is a list of requests & praises:

1. Melo family - God's blessing and fruitfulness in their ministry; God's favor with those they work with.

2. Aki - colleague, whose name is Denisa K.Her husband has cancer and probably he will not live so long. Their salvation, peace, and hope.

3. Higgins - protection against spiritual attacks, strengthen our marriage & family, wisdom how to raise our boys, wisdom how to lead at CityLight, God's provision in all areas.

4. CityLight: that many Slovaks would be brought to Jesus and we at CityLight would be able to be able to bless and build them up in the Lord! Pray that we as a church would have this heart and God given opportunities to do so.

5. Tom+Debbie - God's favor on them as they reach out via GoodSports in DNV. Pray for strength, creativity, open doors, translators and support staff, financial provision, and touched lives!

6. 20yrs. of Communist free Slovakia! Pray that Christians here in Slovakia would use their freedom for His glory!

7. Kieko- pregnancy and health

8. All parents - how to raise our crazy kids up in the Lord!

9. Vic+Darla - strength & improved health, blessing during their ESI conference

10. Upcoming events: Thanksgiving (29th) & Men’s Breakfast (21st)

11. Heather: God’s anointing s she reaches out to the youth of BA. Praise: God did good things on the last outreach "party"!

12. Sano family - God's wisdom, guidence and provision as they anticipate their potential retun to Japan next year.

13. Aylwin - God to bless him while in Slovakia, and protection and blessings on his family in Malaysia and their quick return to Bratislava.

14. Gina - God to guide her in her life + service here in Slovakia. To give His peace. For her to hear Him clearly.

15. Ben - Improvd health for his mom, "Frankie", as she suffers from unexplained blood loss.

16. Erik - God's solution to Slovak buracracy...specifically his health insurance policy.

Sorry that was long...but you guys wrote it! So, start praying it!

Announcements:

Thanksgiving Sunday:
Our special Thanksgiving Sunday is being postponed to Nov. 29th at 3pm!
All details can be found HERE.

CityLight Men's Fellowship:
This Saturday! Nov 21st at 9:00.
All details can be found HERE.

Sunday School Meeting:
A big thank you to all who were involved in serving the kids this last month! We would like to get all the teachers together at the end of this month or beginning of Dec. to evaluate together how it went and how we can improve and push forward into the next teaching cycle. My idea is to get everyone together for coffee and have some childcare provided. I propose on the 5th or 6th of December. Any other suggestions? If so, please write back at: patrickivetka@gmail.com THANK YOU!

Lastly, thank you Alberto + Ilga for leading us in worship last week, Vic & Domink for rounding up our little spies, Erik for all the behind-the-scenes assistance, and Kieko for your photos. You guys are awesome!

Take care and God bless you,

Patrick + Ivetka

CityLight Nov 8

2009-11-09T16:12:00.004+01:00

Dear CityLight family,

What can we say other then that we serve a very good God! I hope that you all can move forward into your week with that reality in mind. To walk forward in this life with full acceptance from our Good Father.

On Sunday we read, “...Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” (Heb. 10:24) Part of that takes consideration, which for us should involve praying for one another. I would like to encourage you in that this week.

Here are some prayer points:

1. Kieko- pregnancy and health

2. Alberto - healing and strength

3. All parents - how to raise our crazy kids up in the Lord!

4. Darla - strength & improved health

5. Upcoming events: Thanksgiving, Men’s Breakfast, Youth Outreach Party

6. That CityLight church would grow in impacting the unsaved here in BA

7. Heather: God’s anointing s she reaches out to the youth of BA

Announcements:

1) Thanks+Giving Party: Nov 22nd. (Details)

2) Men’s Breakfast: Nov 21st (Details)

Thank you all for “spurring” us on!
Much love in Christ,

Patrick + Ivetka

PS: Thank You Aki & Kieko for blessing the kids! Aylwin - worship was awesome as usual! Erik - Thanks for the strong right hand.

Swim-Out

2009-07-25T11:28:00.004+02:00

Summer is great, but going by sooooo fast! So many things to be involved in and enjoy. I love Slovakia and surroundings in Summer. But, I know I should blog about it from time to time.

Some friends tipped us off to a nice swimming pool in Hainburg, Austria (about a 15 minute drive from my home). It was great, but obviously not a secret. It's funny that there were more Slovaks there then Austrians!

JULY 09 Ministry Update

2009-07-13T10:25:00.010+02:00

Hey everyone!

We just finished a marathon of ministry activity and wanted to send out a quick update. Thanks for taking the time to rejoice with us in all that God (certainly NOT us) is doing here in Bratislava! Thank you also for your continuous prayers - we feel them and we need them coming more and more.

Many of you asked - So how was the "GROW UP!" retreat with Calvary Chapel Vienna?
It was a good - a small, but receptive group with open hearts to grow in Jesus Christ. We talked about Christian maturity from Hebrews 5-6 - all about responding to God's desire to have a real relationship with you! Lord willingly we will be able to do more activities like this with CC Vienna. Now there are also two other Calvary Chapel church plants in the immediate area (CC Sopron, Hungary & CC Einststadt, Austria). All three of these works are within 45minutes drive of Bratislava. So, it would be great to pray and see how we might build one another up and see what God will do thought it. Please pray for us and these other churches.

Most of June was spent with the FUSE team, a group of 7 young people who came to serve CityLight via the World Race program.. They supported us, the CityLight community, and many here in Bratislava in a multitude of personal and hands on ways. This ranged from leading worship & Sunday school, loving kids in the orphanage, serving in local schools, leading a youth group, outreach in parks, discipleship, babysitting, and even reaching out in love to youth at the Marylyn Manson concert. You name it and they were doing it. Pray that the many seeds that were planted would grow into healthy spiritual fruit. For more info check out the FUSE team's blog: CLICK!

Last week we just finished off an awesome time of service with a team of 4 from Calvary Chapel Tulsa, Oklahoma. The aim of their time was to help lead a kid's outreach in an area of the city called Petržalka - sometimes referred to as the "Bronx of Bratislava". Just picture miles of humanity stacked into "Commie Condos", add a bit of drugs, turf scuffles, and prostitution pick up points and you got a fairly good picture of the area. It's not all terrible (and there are even nice parts of Petržalka) but it is a place in need of the light of the Gospel! The reoccurring thought with this team was - "not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit" And it was so cool to watch HIS Spirit work in ways we could never imagine or orchestrate. We planned to work with smaller kids, but the Lord brought many teens to us who were quite disinterested in the Gospel, but very interested in soccer & water balloons. As the week went on it was amazing to watch these hard hearts soften and listen as we shared about Jesus and what He has done in our lives. !
On the last day of VBS we gave the teens New Testaments and asked them if they had ever read the Bible or knew about the life of Jesus. All of them answered "no." It was clear to us all that God brought us to this area and that we need to continue to sow seeds of the Good News in that neighborhood. Pray for us as we keep visiting the kids and that they, their families, and that neighborhood would be healed from all the brokenness of sin. One great result of the outreach was how it build up the faith of those from CityLight church who actually live in that neighborhood. Wow - God is even God in Petržalka

Through all of the adventures we had a great co-laborer: Erik Razc. What can we say about Erik other then he was an all-around blessing to us and a strength/support to me. Erik has since returned back to London to work and seek the Lord's next steps for his life. Pray for him in this period of his life and that the Lord will bring him back to Slovakia in due time (which is Erik's goal & desire). We love you and miss you brother! Come home soon!

Lastly, would you pray for the CityLight church? We need that kind of support more then anything else. Despite all the good news, the past two months have been difficult on the church with many losses & struggles in relationships, finances, employment, health and family within our community. God has proven faithful and strong, but we do have an enemy who would love to rob us of the “joy of our salvation.” Also, pray for us as we consider God’s next steps for the ministry. There are so many ways we could further reach the community for Christ and be of lasting impact. Yet, we want to be lead by the Spirit, not the needs. So, please do keep us in your prayers!

Thank you all for following along with us in this adventure. To find out more about what goes on here in Bratislava or at CityLight check out our blogs:

CLICK > Patrick+Ivetka or CITYLIGHT

We appreciate all the love you send our way. If you would like to respond to this update, please do - we would love to hear how you are doing as well!

Much love in Christ,

Patrick + Ivetka

Online Donations: Account # 1175

Our Sending Agencies:
Go! Ministries: http://go.ccnorco.org/
Shepherd's Staff: http://www.shepsstaff.org/

Nepal Team - go, go, go!

2009-07-11T22:20:00.003+02:00

The team to NEPAL is taking off this weekend. It has grown from 6 to 8 members! They are on their way to serve in Nepal for a month. It's a joy for me to see young Slovaks taking the blessings they have received and wanting to go out into the world to now be blessings to the nations. Three of them some of you know - Milka B., Janka C., and Svetlana M (whom we ministered with in Nitra). The team will be leading youth camps, serving in orphanages, and taking evangelistic treks into the mountains of Nepal. It's a pretty amazing work they will be involved in. I will post more info on the CityLight webpage under the CAUSE section. If you would like to be updated on the team, know their prayer needs, or financially support them please let us know.

Mobile Money

2009-06-22T00:41:00.000+02:00

"Angel Gabriel"

2009-06-22T00:33:00.002+02:00

The "Angel Gabriel" tooting his horn... well, kind of. Two of my students, Samuel & Karolina (siblings), invited us over to their home. Samuel was showing the guys his trumpet and they loved it. It got even better when the family dog got into the act and started howling along... a lot for crazy fun for our boys.

Fuse Out!

2009-06-21T23:00:00.002+02:00

Today we had our last day with the FUSE team... they will still be around for a few days, but I'm off to CCBCE (Vajta, HU) for the Foundations conf. It should be great.
All in all the Fuse team did well - relating to many people from many walks of life and simply sharing the love of Christ via service, smiles, and speech. Thanks guys!

Slovakia's Surprising Financial Strength

2009-06-12T13:26:00.008+02:00

For those savvy economist out there, YES I mean you Fred, here is an interesting report about "Slovakia's Surprising Financial Strength." One of the specialist interviewed for the report was Mr.Lecavalier, whose two boys are on my Tee-Ball team. It has been pretty interesting how God has put us in relationship with some very "high-level" personalities. I was just sharing with him about our church at his home last week. Pray that as God brings people in our life that we can bridge the relationships to HIM.

May 09 Ministry Update

2009-05-25T10:00:00.005+02:00

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to send out a quick ministry update before things get crazier here. So much is happening right now and we certainly need your prayers!

On Wednesday (27th) we will be receiving our first short-term ministry team at CityLight (CC Bratislava). The team will be here in Bratislava from May 27-June 20th. The "Fuse Team", as they are called, is part of a ministry called World Race. It's a pretty interesting concept: get young people to commit to one year of Christian service and send them around the world visiting a new country each month to do it! So, their next target is Slovakia! We will have the FUSE team supporting the ministry at CityLight, other local ministries, and breaking new ground via outreaches & evangelism. The team will be serving in schools, orphanages, after school programs and sports ministry (via Good Sports). We also plan to have them lead a local youth group & jump start a outreach to university students in on of the downtown parks. All in all it should be an amazing whirlwind time! Please keep the team & us in your prayers. Also, pray that hearts will be open to the Gospel.

To help us out with overseeing the FUSE team ministry we will have an a long time friend Erik Racz interning here for the month. Erik is originally from the CC Esztergom church, graduated and interned at CCBCE in Vajta, Hungary and just finished working for a few years in London. Recently, Erik felt the Lord calling him back "home" and he agreed to serve with CityLight until the end of June. Pray for Erik as he leads the FUSE team as they shine brightly here in Bratislava. We are also wanting to get some funds together to cover Erik's expenses (about $400)during his time here in Bratislava. If you want to contribute to this please let us know.

Today we had the pleasure of meeting and helping to prepare a team of 6 Slovaks who are on their way to serve in Nepal for a month. It's a joy for me to see young Slovaks taking the blessings they have received and wanting to go out into the world to now be blessings to the nations. Three of them some of you know - Milka B., Janka C., and Svetlana M (whom we ministered with in Nitra). The team will be leading youth camps, serving in orphanages, and taking evangelistic treks into the mountains of Nepal. It's a pretty amazing work they will be involved in. I will post more info on the CityLight webpage under the CAUSE section. If you would like to be updated on the team, know their prayer needs, or financially support them please let us know.

Please pray for us this upcoming weekend May 29 - June 1st). I will be leading the teaching for CC Vienna's Spring Retreat in Purbach, Austria - close to the Neusiedl Lake (45minutes from Bratislava). I'm calling the lessons "GROW UP!" and we will be looking at Christian maturity from Hebrews 5-6. It's all about responding to God's work in your life. Pray for my voice (I lost it today), sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, and open hearts to receive the message.

Thanks for taking the time to rejoice with us in all that God (certainly NOT us) is doing here in Bratislava! Thank you for your continuous prayers - we feel then and we need them coming more and more. If you want to find out more about what is going on generally at CityLight visit the web or our blog.

Take care & God bless you,

Patrick + Ivetka + the boys

Online Donations: Account # 1175

Our Sending Agencies:
Go! Ministries: http://go.ccnorco.org/
Shepherd's Staff: http://www.shepsstaff.org/

Gifted to Give

2009-05-23T23:04:00.001+02:00

Did you every realize that God has good…I mean GREAT intentions for you?! That He is actually on your side? Do you realize that He is shaping you in a unique way, for a unique purpose, for a unique expression of Himself? Now if you do, don’t get big headed. It’s not all about you. It included you, but all this shaping & molding is part of a much bigger work then you might expect.

Read more at CityLight (click here)

how do i stop?

2009-05-17T01:32:00.003+02:00

Gabe recently got a bike for his 6th Birthday. Last year he started to get the hang of riding without training wheels. Now, he is going full force. He is a bit weak on the braking part, but no real damage thus far. Since we live in the city and there isn't really anywhere for him to ride we have to do it around the President's Palace. He proably made 100 laps around the fountian!

Iron Curtain

2009-05-17T01:08:00.004+02:00

It's been 20 years since the Iron Curtain fell in Slovakia, but the relics, scars, and impressions remain. Most of the time in Bratislava you wouldn't even think about it. It's been covered up with wealth, power, billboards, and the latest fashion trends. We are not Eastern Europe anymore, but CE (Central Europe). It's a bit of identity re-mix. Anyways, on a recent bike trip along the Morava river(near Devinsk Nova Ves) we came across a part of the famous curtain and an old bunker. This would have keep Slovaks from crossing the river into Austria. The guys enjoyed climbing all over (and in) the bunker. They still can't quite understand Communism and what it did here, but maybe that is best.

Night in the museum

2009-05-17T00:30:00.008+02:00

Tonight we went out to visit a few museums since it's "Night of Museum" night tonight. Basically, a bunch of museums citywide are open till midnight and you just pay 1.50Euro for a ticket and you can visit them all if you like. Most people pub crawl in BA, we gallery crawled. Either way you get a headache after you are done :)
Actually, it was a nice time out. We went to the Museum of Weapons (we've got two active boys... that's what they are interested in). But the great thing about the museum is that it is situated in the Micheal's Tower and the end of the "tour de force" is on the top of the tower which overlooks the whole downtown area. Pretty cool, but my Nokia in low lighting doesn't do it justice. It was actually a great view but you wouldn't know it by the pics.

Shortly after we cruised over to the National Gallery (on Panska) and saw a very cool optical illusion piece called "Passage". It's great. You gotta check it out. It's basically this narrow passage that you walk through that is lined with books from the floor to the ceiling. However, the "trick" is that their isn't any visible floor or ceiling. With the use of specially placed mirrors it feels like you are walking along a thin bridge with no rails through the middle of an endless abyss of books. Hard to describe, but fun to experience.

After we wanted to either get a McDonald's shake or hit the Slovak National Museum for their photo exhibit Shangri-la. But obviously everyone else in BA had the same idea by the looks of the lines that poured out of MD & the SNM. We caught the shake elsewhere and headed home. 11 o'clock is waaaaaay past the boys bedtime...so we will see how it goes tomorrow! :)

morph

2009-05-17T00:20:00.002+02:00

Gabe was messing around with this huge magnifying glass and unfortunately I didn't have anything but my Nokia with me to capture it. It reminded my of some old photos I saw where artists distorted images with glass. It got my mind going a bit to produce some "real" photo work again... we will see.

SNAP! : BA Driveby

2009-05-17T00:07:00.001+02:00

itchy for summer

2009-05-17T00:00:00.003+02:00

Well, my teaching saga at FOREL continues. It's getting closer to the end of the school year and I don't know who is more itchy for summer - them or me. Here is my brilliant, creative, slacker H5 class (9th graders...love them like the plague :) No, actually, they are one of my "funner" (that isn't a real word BTW) groups.

Big Toys

2009-05-16T23:36:00.002+02:00

Hey Matt,
Remember this truck? Actually, I think you have it (our toy one) at your house? I saw this on a bike ride and had the backyard sandpit flashback!

This Week at CityLight (May 10)

2009-05-11T21:26:00.004+02:00

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to the power at work within us..." Eph 3:20

Hi everyone,

Straight away I just want to thank all of you for being who you are in Christ and letting HIM shine brightly in you on our Sunday gatherings. It is an encouragement to me to watch the Scripture concerning how the Body is to function unfolding before my eyes! For me it is a testimony that God is living & active. I like how the Apostle Paul's talks about having joy from rubbing shoulders with those who made up the church in his day. You guys do that for me too!

Next Sunday for worship we will continue the "park experiment" we started a few weeks ago...but hopefully minus some of the distractions. So here is the game plan: We will meet at 3:30 (promptly!) at my flat and have the whole service there. However, Ivetka will lead the Sunday School and afterwards take the kids to the Presidents Park. When we as adults are finished we will head over to the park to join them for fellowship & fun there. Feel free to bring a snack/salad/dessert to share at the park if you want.

Also, one of you (I won't tell who... you have to guess) encouraged me to pay closer attention to our starting time. I believe this is wise council. So, please try your best to come on time. We do it every day for work & school, why not for church? We don't have to be legalistic about it, but it is an area we can all improve in out of love for one another.

Anyways, here is the promised info:

Third Day Concert (May 29-30: You can find all the info HERE. Basically, its a two day event in Trnava and it's free!

Yes, we will indeed have the World Race "Fuse" Team of 5 gals + 2 guys coming to be a light here in BA. They are basically willing to do anything we direct them to do to help promote first and foremost Jesus and also the CityLight church plant. Click here for more details: Cause

Also I posted Sunday's teaching online, including the "God's Must Be Crazy" clip. Check it out for a laugh. Click: "Shaped to Serve"

Remeber this week to prayerfully respond by asking God for answers to these questions:

Q: What has God been shaping me for?

Q: What position in society has He placed me in? why?

Q: Why do I think He brought me here to BA?

If you clicked on the Cause link you will notice that it is a new tab to the CityLight webpage. Basically, I thought it would be a good section to highlight both outreaches and causes that we as a church community could get behind and also promote to other Christians. Let me know of any causes you think we should add to it.

Lastly and most importantly - prayer requests. I don't have them all, but here are a few:
- Samko's continued therapy (which is going well - PTL!)
- Silvia's Dissertation paper writing: to persevere, be successful, not get depressed by it
- Financing for Peter + Silvia's car
- All us men to be more godly leaders, workers. husbands, and fathers
- For the World Race team: planning for their time & open hearts to their service
- Higgins: time management, sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, strength to go through the next too very busy months.
- Ivetka's health (she is a bit sick), success in new job, creativity/strength for Sunday School
- Mike & Heather: good traveling time in Rome/Paris (do we really need to pray? :), their next steps in life, processing of Heather's experiences in Romania.
- Erick (Patrick's friend) as he moves back from London to Slovakia on the 18th. God to guide Erik as he starts his life over here in Slovakia.
- Akihito as he considers/prays about how to be a light at Sony
- Open doors for us as a church to touch those around us.

Our Home Church Away From Home

2009-05-11T14:35:00.003+02:00

I love being encouraged. I think ever one does. I don't mean the flattering kind, but the kind that does exactly what the word suggests - to put courage into someone. I have heard that the gift of spiritual encouragement is to "demand the truth from a person". The meaning of this being that when someone encourages us they are demanding us to step up to the plate of reality on God's terms & view, not our own (which is so often flawed). We all need this.

Lately my interaction with all the CityLight gang (our home church) has been a good dose of Godly encouragement. It's not that I'm completely off track, but rubbing up against ever ones lives as they manifest the Spirit of Jesus does keep me on the right path. And the great thing is that I don't think it's just me who is encouraged. It's a mutual infection of goodness.

I just got this link from Mike & Heather who are part of the group. They were blogging about CityLight and it was a great encouragement to me. It may also be to you who if you have been praying for the work here in BA.

Check out: Our Home Church Away From Home

“Shaped to Serve”

2009-05-11T12:07:00.003+02:00

Last week in Body + Bride we explored the idea that we have been created to be in community. We need each other. And God is particularly interested in forming us into a community of faith because it is in His own nature. But is this just some type of spiritual system of communism? Or a spin off of a hippy commune lifestyle? Don’t I, the individual, matter? Do I have a significant, purposeful part to play in all of this?

Find out at: “Shaped to Serve”

3rd Day

2009-05-09T23:20:00.002+02:00

Third Day will be playing in Trnava @ Lumen (May 30th)! Unfortunately we will be in Austria then...but if you are in the area check them out. BTW - did I mention the concert is FREE?!

For more info click

This week at CityLight

2009-05-07T23:18:00.004+02:00

Hi guys,

I hope all of you are doing well this week. I meant to send this out a few days ago, but am soooo behind. Please pray for my time management. Anyways, after talking with Ivetka we decided that it would probably work better to have our church meetings on Sunday at the house as usual. It was great to be outside, but the distractions and managing the kids (mainly mine) made it a bit difficult. In the future if the big guys (Jakub & Dominic) can help Ivetka, she will take the smaller kids to the park for the 2nd half of the meetings. That way they get a bit of fresh air and burn off some energy. However, I still love the idea of us all being out together and Lord willing be able to meet with unbelievers and share something of the Lord with them as opportunities arise. I have got some ideas for this, but I would like yours as well. So, lets pray for it together!

BTW - if you have any great photos from our time in the park would you please send me a copy?

Ok, here is the game plan: This Sunday we will meet at our home starting at 3:30 as usual. We can have a meal together as usual, but I would like to suggest that as we move into summer lets just keep things simple & easy. So, don't plan for a feast, but just a light meal or dessert.

Some other announcements: We have two conferences coming up. The first is the GROW UP! retreat May 29-June 1st. Also, the Foundations Conference (June 22-27) in Hungary. Like I said Foundations is an awesome event. Well worth attending. But it's popular and there is limited space. So if you want to go sign up ASAP. If $ is a problem don't worry about it. Just let me know your desire & need and it will be covered. Click here for details on either event.

Also, I could use your help. It looks like we will have a team of 6 from World Race come to serve with us here in BA from May 25-June 20th. They will confirm tomorrow. I need to set up some cheap (if not free) housing for them. Any ideas?

Look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

Blessings,

Patrick + Ivetka

Body & Bride

2009-05-07T21:24:00.003+02:00

Well, we are off to starting a new series all about what it is to be a Healthy Body (i.e. Christ & the Church in the World). It’s a pretty wide topic, but a good one. The goal is to explore some question like: Why a Body? What does God want to express via you (as a part)? What does God want to express via us (as a whole)? How do we do this practically? (always a hard part!) And lastly, what is God’s “Big plan” for this Body?

Right from the start it would be good to simply ask - why do we need to be connected? why do we need church? Did God really set us up to be a Body? A Bride? And if so, why?

Read more at: Body & Bride

Big 6

2009-05-05T21:31:00.003+02:00

Like we said - Gabie is now 6! Can you believe it? this guy is growing up fast, but he is still our little biy and we are enjoying his childhood probably more then he is. It is fun to watch him learn, wonder, and discover.

Here are some pics from his Birthday also his Treasure Hunt map:

Treasure Hunt

2009-05-03T21:30:00.007+02:00

Well, now Gabie is officially BIG 6! His birthday celebration streached over a period of two weeks (it seemed). But, one of the highlights was the Treasure Hunt. Gabe and a mob of classmates (16!) from all corners of the globe were on a mission to find the pirates treasure buried along the Danube river. To say these little balls of energy were excited would be an understatement. How Ivetka & I survived the 2+ hours of following a string of clues, challenges, and sugar-high monsters God only knows. In the end all the treasures where found, we didn't loose any kids along the way, and Gabe + all the kids had a great time!

The Gang

First clue

Matching the map

Little Masscot

The Mob

Dragon's cave

Where is the dragon?

Clean Devin

2009-05-03T21:11:00.003+02:00

Part of the education at FOREL (where I work & the boys school) is character development. Usually this is in the form or ethics like cleanliness, honesty, tolerance, etc. Even better then talking about good citizenship is actually doing it. On Earth Day (April 23rd) the students of Forel went around the village of Devin picking up trash to keep our local environment clean(-er?). For them it was a nice way to apply good values, for me it was a day without teaching and just walking along the river on a beautiful sunny day!

“20/20″

2009-05-03T20:55:00.003+02:00

CityLight teaching: "20/20"

"It has been asked of me - “What is the vision for our fellowship?” What a great question! To be honest, my personal vision for our church is not important. What is important is God’s vision. What is His opinion, His will, His direction? That is what is important..."

See the full text + video at "20/20"

Scrambled eggs

2009-05-03T20:39:00.003+02:00

Wow, I am so behind on blogging. So much goes on in a week that it seems like two or three weeks have swept by us. I try to do a bit of photo-doc of everything at least... so here is a bit from our time with the McCartney Family in Esztergom, HU. As usually our time with the McCarney's was packed with craziness, great food, and Southern hospitality. It's been fun to get to know this family who are faithfully serving the Calvary Chapel in Esztergom. Their main focus is the youth group which ministers also to youth in Sturovo, Slovakia. A good and fruitful work of the Lord.

Anyways, the boys has a blast. Here are some pics of a mad dash Easter egg hunt.

A very cute Bunny cake by our in-house chef extraordinaire Ivetka!

April 09 Ministry + Family Update

2009-04-21T22:16:00.010+02:00

Sometimes life just gets so full that it's difficult to sit down to reflect & report on all the goodness of God around us. Hopefully we can pause and do just that here and we (that includes you) can rejoice in all that God has done. Thank you for your prayers - they are paying off!

As you know our main ministry focus is to plant a church here in Bratislava. Since September 08’ God has opened the doors wide open to do just that and it has been amazing to simply watch God work (it is certainly not us!) The church plant is affiliated with Calvary Chapel (which is our model of ministry), but we have opted to call it CityLight. The name simply summarizes the vision - to be a light to the city of Bratislava. It's been a great encouragement to watch the Lord draw people to the church, to see a desire in the those who gather to serve and love one another, and watch people get excited about Jesus. Starting this week we will be launching a 5 week teaching series focused on God's plan for the Church and our part in it. It should be good, but please keep me in prayer as I prepare!
Please also pray for Ivetka as she leads the children's ministry which is a lot of work. There are sometimes as many kids as adults and they are of mixed age and limited space... so its quite a challenge! Pray that the fellowship will grow in the Word, His grace, prayer, and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit

We are launching the CityLight web/blog site. Please check it out and if you can link to us that would help our site get greater exposure. Feel free to drop in from time to time to see what is new at CityLight and refer it to friends. Simply CLICK.

In addition to teaching at CityLight God has opened up opportunities to give out the Word at other ministries here in the Bratislava area. Over Easter I had the chance to preach at Calvary Chapel Esztergom. This was great for me to give back a bit to a church that really introduced me to missions in Europe more then 14 years ago! At the end of May I will be leading the teaching for Calvary Chapel Vienna's church retreat. Pray that it would be a time of refreshment, building up, and filled with the Spirit.

In terms of being a light to those outside the church I believe that most of the opportunities present themselves in our everyday life - at work, in the park, the grocery aisle, wherever! It's been great to simply watch God bring people in our path who are seeking to know more about spiritual things. Just the other day we were at a party and almost every conversation we had was with people wanting to talk about God! Recently in my classroom there was an offhand comment made, "when Hell freezes over", which incited a good conversation about Heaven & Hell with my students! In short- God has a better way of orchestrating situations for His Message to be shared then we could ever do! Please pray that we would be a bright light to all the people we rub shoulders with daily & that they would come to a saving knowledge of Jesus.

There are a few outreach events on the horizon that we would ask you to pray for. For most of the month of June we are planning to have an outreach team from World Race partner with us. Also, in June/July we will have another team from Calvary Chapel Tulsa coming over. Lord willing they will be involved in shining the light via children's ministry, University outreach, sports based ministry to youth, and just generally loving on the people of Bratislava. Pray for the teams and pray for us as we plan for the teams (it is a lot of work!) Currently we are partnering with Good Sports (a sports based ministry) to help them with their baseball program. Which means I am the new Tee Ball coach (which is a big joke!) and Gabie is one of the sluggers on the team (which he loves!) This is turning out to be a great opportunity to meet many kids & parents from the FOREL & QSI schools. Lord willing it will result in lives transformed for Him! Pray for us, the kids, and open doors to minister to them.

On the home front we are fully busy with the boys, work, and life. Gabe just celebrated his 6th Birthday - he is growing up so fast! Now that the weather is good he is trying to learn how to ride his new bike. Some small collisions, but nothing serious. David is as intense, active, and cute as ever. He is always up to "trouble", but his smile smoothes out everything from split milk, torn books, to toothpaste on the doors...to name a few. Ivetka has added Super-Teacher/Small Business woman to her list of other Super titles (such as Super Mom, Super Wife, and Super Sunday School teacher). Aide from the ministry I am having a blast teaching English at FOREL. It's a fun & interesting group of kids (one of my students is Prime Minster Fico's son) and the job allows me to be pretty creative in my approach to teaching. Pray for us as a family that we can effectively (and sanely) balance all our family, fun, work and ministry activities. There is so much you can cram into a life, but we don't want to push God out of it in the process

Ok... thank for following us along in this journey. I hope that you too will rejoice in all the good things God is doing over here in Slovakia. Thank you for your part - prayers, encouragement, and financial support. We couldn't do it without you!

Much love in Jesus,

Patrick, Ivetka, Gabriel, and David

Online Donations: Account # 1175

Our Sending Agencies:
Go! Ministries: http://go.ccnorco.org/
Shepherd's Staff: http://www.shepsstaff.org/

CityLight web/blog

2009-04-10T18:40:00.005+02:00

We are launching our church web/blog site soon. Here is the "Beta" version.

Click & enjoy: http://ccbratislava.wordpress.com/

Passover

2009-04-10T18:04:00.006+02:00

“For even Christ our Passover Lamb is sacrificed for us”
1 Cor 5:7

On Wednesday we spent the evening blowing the dust off the ancient, but deeply relevant Jewish fest of Passover. We ate, drank, learned, and explored this holiday that even Jesus celebrated and claimed to be the fulfillment of. It is a story of God’s abounding love to generations, grace, and redemption…which leads to JOY!

Vic & Darla D. lead us through the ceremony and highlighted the prophetic fulfillments. They did such a great job! We set the room up “Hebrew” style with one long low table where everyone sat on carpets or pillows to enjoy the festivities. Aside from opening us up to the beautiful imagery of the Passover, this was a chance to really enjoy one another as a church fellowship and serve one another. Personally for me it is just such a blessing to watch the Body serve one another, each person doing their part - hosting, teaching, feeding, crowd (kid) controlling, worship leading, cooking...whatever to edify one another.

Bow-wow

2009-04-10T17:40:00.004+02:00

Recently we had the "girls" (Mahiro + Towako) over for a few hours. Japanese girls are so different from our two intense "sons of thunder," But don't be fooled... they are still wild and crazy, but just in their own way. We took a stroll over to Sloboda (Freedom) square where at around 4pm-6 you are sure to run into a bunch of canine characters at our own unofficial dog park in the shadow of high rises and skyscrapers. Living downtown has it's own sub-culture of people who suck the marrow out of life and every green spot in the middle of corporate concrete. It's an interesting life, odd at times, never dull.

Our little ogre

2009-04-10T17:34:00.000+02:00

little chef

2009-04-10T17:22:00.001+02:00