Five Questions for Simona Berdowska
Gdansk, Poland

Dawid and Simona Berdowski have been
pioneering the work in Gdansk, Poland
since June 2004. Simona took a few
minutes to chat about how they're using
cookies, aerobics and Caravans curriculum
to connect with their community.

What's the ministry in Gdansk like?

Right now it's at the stage of a church plant. [We're in] a storefront
property, which we made into a ministry center, and it's the perfect
public place to enter into contact with the local people and meet them
on middle ground. The ministry center is a wonderful place through
which we can minister to the community, and that's what we try to do
through the kids' club we have on Saturdays, and the aerobics classes
that we have for the ladies in the community. We have a toddlers'
club, and it's also a place where we have family gatherings, like our
Christmas service. In Poland, it's a very family-oriented event, so on
Christmas Eve we met in the evening and we sang carols together and we
shared with each other God's blessings––that was quite an event.
People asked if we'd like to open it on New Year's Eve so we could
celebrate the passing of the year together, and we did that. We are
happy we can be part of that community and that they let us be part of
their lives and that we can do things together.  In our part of the
community, we like the fact that people feel secure enough to share
with us––their problems, family issues and their successes.

What's happening with the kids' club?

It's open between 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., so kids just come in and out
whenever they want. It's more like informal playing. We have crafts
for them and games and cookies and tea. Sometimes we have special
projects like decorating Christmas trees together, or making cards for
Moms' Day. Inside that program we're looking for a window of a more
intense teaching time where we'd like to use the Caravans material as
a resource in adapting to the local needs. We want to be more and more
part of their lives and we're just excited to have the kids there, to
see them grow and change from day to day.

What's your dream for the Nazarene Church in Poland?

My dream is to invite people to create a community where they sense
and see God at work every day. I hope we can be a healing, caring
community that makes us feel that we don't have to face life's
difficulties alone. We want it to be a community that reflects God's
care and love, and that through that, we can learn to know God's care
and love as we express that to one another.

How can people support the ministry in Gdansk?

While we tell people that we represent the bigger Church, people have
not seen many other Nazarenes. It's nice when people come to visit for
a few days. It's an encouragement for us, and it helps people here get
a bigger picture of the church and what it means. We also appreciate
your prayers as we are searching for more ways to minister to the
people of Gdansk and Poland.