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www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2008/08876<http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2008/08876

>Czech mate

PC(USA), Czech congregations meet to extend partnerships

>by Jim Nedelka
>Special to Presbyterian News Service

HVODZNICE, Czech Republic - My wife, Holly, and I have
found our way this morning to Husův Dům - literally, House
of Hus or Jan Hus Church, a member congregation of
Českobratrské Církve Evangelické, the Evangelical Church of
Czech Brethren (ECCB).

Husův Dům is tucked just inside the northern border of this
small Bohemian village, a relatively short drive to the
southwest from the capital city, Prague. The
roomy-yet-intimate sanctuary shares the ground floor of the
three-story church building with the pastor's office and a
kitchen/meeting room.

Immediately upstairs is the pastor's apartment. Climb one
more flight, pass several colorful stacks of cloth-covered
mats and slide open the door to reveal another comfortable
open space. On Wednesdays, it is home to a
moms-and-toddlers playgroup; when visiting church groups
sleep over, they simply park the toy trains on a siding,
put the dollies on a shelf and spread out the mats.

This particular morning at Husův Dům is Thanksgiving
Sunday, akin to Reformation Sunday in the PC(USA). The
Eucharist is to be celebrated. For these dedicated
worshippers - small of number yet large of heart - there is
an extra special reason for giving thanks: two Americans
representing Jan Hus Church in New York City are
worshipping with them.

Later, we will break bread together while discussing the
possibilities of a potential church-to-church partnership,
part of the hoped-for result of the ECCB - PC(USA)
Partnership Conference '08.

But first, it is time to break bread in remembrance of
Jesus, and Vendula Kalusová, Dům's pastor, begins. Standing
at the communion table in her black robe and white-lace
prayer, she is simply "Vendula." In the ECCB, the title
"Reverend" is not used.

While the Words of Institution are familiar to Holly and
me, the language is not.

As if scripted by Czech poet and playwright Václav Havel,
at the moment the consecration begins the sun's rays break
more brilliantly over the low buildings across the street
and shine in through the trees. It dances off DaVinci's
Last Supper, the silvery bas relief embedded in the
preaching lectern on the communion table and glints off the
silver and gold chalice, racing around the cup's
hand-etched scrollwork and playing on the walls.

Vendula personally conveys the Bread of Life to each
worshiper.

Then, it is time for the Cup of Salvation. With the Spirit
definitely present in this sunlit white room, Vendula
continues a practice begun some 600 years ago by Reform
Movement pioneer Jan Hus at Prague's Svatý Martin ve zdi
(Church of St. Martin-in-the-Wall): inviting the
congregants to share both the Bread and the Cup during Holy
Communion.

Until Hus, a 15th-Century Roman Catholic priest and
educator influenced by the progressive writings of John
Wycliffe, only the Body of Christ was shared during
communion. Hus' key "radical notion" was his belief that
the Eucharist was incomplete without the sharing of the
Cup.

Additionally, Hus believed the Bible should be available in
a people's native tongue, decrying the Roman Church's edict
which made it a capital offense to possess the Bible in any
language other than Latin.

Hus outraged Rome's hierarchy, ultimately leading to his
excommunication and execution as a heretic on July 6, 1415.
Studies suggest that Hus' last statements included the
prediction: "in a hundred years, God will raise up a man
whose calls for reform cannot be suppressed."

One hundred two years later, in 1517, Martin Luther nailed
his 95 Theses of Contention to that Wittenberg church door.

Ironically, in the Czech Republic - a country where a high
percentage of the population considers itself to be
"non-religious" or "atheist" and where the overwhelmingly
dominant Christian denomination is the Roman Catholic
Church - Protestant religious leaders and symbols adorn
their paper money; July 6th is the festive Jan Hus National
Holiday.

Today, the Cup is an ECCB sacred symbol, prominently
featured on denominational seals. Often, the Cup occupies
that honored place in the Sanctuary usually reserved for
the Cross.

>"The 50 Years"

The power of sharing the Cup is not lost on the faithful
here in Hvozdnice [pronounced hoze-nitz]. Their ECCB parish
was founded in the early 1920's. They built and furnished
the church in 1929 and their congregation grew.

>In 1938, everything changed.

1918's Treaty of Versailles ended "The Great War,"
dismantled the Austro-Hungarian Empire and redrew the map
of Europe. Czechoslovakia was born of this process,
incorporating the Sudetenland - with its large German
population - inside the Czech borders.

In April 1938, Sudeten Nazis loudly implored German
Chancellor Adolf Hitler to help them gain autonomy. After
months of saber-rattling, British Prime Minister Neville
Chamberlain, hoping to avoid war, personally negotiated a
plan with Hitler that forced the Czechs to cede to Germany
all territory with a German majority.

The result: the Czech population dropped by 800,000. Much
Czech industry and their mountain defenses in the west came
under Nazi control.

Not content, Hitler moved to occupy the Sudetenland,
announcing that the remaining Czechs had to leave. Further
negotiations between Chamberlain and Hitler yielded the
ill-fated "peace in our time" treaty of Sept. 29, 1938.
Within months, Czechoslovakia ceased to exist as a
political entity, parceled among Hungary, Slovakia and
Poland, itself invaded by Hitler on Sept. 1, 1939.

It was the beginning of what Czechs today refer to as "The
50 Years."

When the Soviet Red Army liberated Czechoslovakia from the
Nazis in May 1945, the Czechs regained their national
sovereignty but would soon lose control of their destiny.
The Communist Party, a legal political entity, began
amassing election victories.

By 1947, the Party had gained political majority and in
1948, the Soviet hammer slammed down its domineering
influence on Czech life, its sickle slicing away much of
their freedom.

The next 20 years of life under Communism never lived up to
the high-minded ideals of the Party slogans. The Czech
economy floundered so badly that, by November 1967, Moscow
openly declined to support the Party's incumbent First
Secretary. In January 1968, Alexander Dubček emerged as the
new party boss.

Seeking to turn things around "sooner" rather than "later,"
Dubček began working with other progressive Party officials
on new measures designed to thaw the Party's icy grip.
Sadly, Dubček's "Prague Spring" received the cold shoulder
from Moscow and the other Warsaw Pact nations.

On Aug. 20, 1968, these countries deployed troops
throughout Czechoslovakia. Soviet tanks rolled into
Prague's Válavské Naměstí (Wenceslas Square). Dubček and
the other reformers were arrested. Though released after a
week, by early 1969, Dubček and the other reformers had
been systematically removed from their Party positions.

>Another chilly 20 years lay ahead.

On Nov. 17, 1989, Prague Riot Police broke up a peaceful
student demonstration commemorating the 50th Anniversary of
the 1939 murder of Czech student Jan Olpetal at the hands
of Nazis thugs.

The police brutality outraged the population, sparking
several days of public demonstrations and strikes which
caught the world's attention and imagination, especially
those in the other Soviet Bloc nations. Without intending
to, the Czechs had tipped over the first domino in a series
of events that would ultimately topple the Czechs'
Communist Government.

The Velvet Revolution, as it came to be known, helped lead
to the dismantling of the Berlin Wall and the ringing down
of the Iron Curtain. Today, Communism is relegated to the
history books and to its own museum located, ironically,
above a McDonald's just a few steps away from Wenceslas
Square.

Through all of "The 50 years," the ECCB survived. Today,
its members are the children and grandchildren of those
faithful who rescued, treasured and passed-down the
church's history, books, Bibles and sacred objects.

>The Invitation

Vendula stands before me in her black robe. Looking me
straight in the eyes, she offers the Cup, reminding me in
perfect English that this is "the Blood of Salvation."  I
lift the Cup to my lips - it is deeper than I expect. I
find the comfort point between a sip and a splash in the
face, drink, and return the Cup.

As the distribution of the Sacrament continues, my mind
shuffles through the range of questions I've had since we
left the U.S. on Oct. 13.

Few clear answers have come to me through our first days in
Prague.

During a busy week of conference seminars and field trips
arranged during two years of planning, our PC(USA)
delegation has shared the Eucharist in the Church of St.
Martin-in-the-Wall, received a quick history lesson about
the ECCB and met with the Synodal Council, the
denomination's six-member guiding body equally divided
between clergy and lay people.

We have prayed, sung and lunched with members of The
Diakonie, the ECCB's Social Service branch, which provides
centers for the care of runaway teens, unwed pregnant
mothers along with community centers, assisted living
residences and nursing home facilities for seniors.

During a wide-ranging question-and-answer session with the
deans of the Evangelická teologická fakulta Univerzita
Karlova v Praze (the Protestant Theological Faculty of
Prague's Charles University), we heard how, during the
Communist era, their library survived nearly intact through
the most bizarre of circumstances: instead of carting the
books off to a warehouse, the Party simply locked the doors
and took possession of all the keys!

During these first days together, we began interacting with
representatives from our potential partner Czech
congregations in scenes reminiscent of nervous first-year
college students meeting their new dorm mates. An ECCB
review panel had paired us based on the church profile
forms we submitted prior to our arrivals in Prague.

At this early stage, both Jan Hus Church delegations have
wondered what prompted the panel to pair the church from
the "Big American City" of New York with one from a small
Czech village.

The first ECCB-PC(USA) partnership was established in 2001
between First Presbyterian Church of Annapolis, MD, and the
congregation in Letohrad. Their partnership blossomed from
the friendships formed during initial visits between both
continents. Further discussions fleshed-out their "formal"
agreement.

The Annapolis-Letohrad success prompted the ECCB, in 2006,
to suggest Partnership Conference '08.

Logistically, the bulk of planning fell to the ECCB team of
Gerhard Frey-Reininghaus and Petr Sláma, both of Charles
University, and ECCB's Magda Matuliková. The Partnership
details were developed by the First Annapolis team of Betty
McGinnis, Steve Hays and First Annapolis' pastor Bill
Hathaway, along with Pastor Jiřina Kačenová of Letohrad
parish.

The Annapolis planners created a 50-page conference
workbook, while the Czech partners assembled a multi-media
history presentation and other study materials, proposed
the initial church pairings and arranged for translation
services.

For added perspective, the Rev. Tim Havlicek, First
Annapolis' pastor when the first partnership began, is with
us in Prague. Now the pastor of First Presbyterian Church
of Morehead City, NC, Havlicek and elder Steve Anthony are
exploring new partnership possibilities. Also with us is
the Rev. Joyce Michael, as PC(USA) liaison to the ECCB.

First Annapolis and Letohrad are enthusiastic evangelists
for partnership. Their candor about the highs and lows
during the formative stages of their partnership is
refreshing and a great help in easing some of the
skepticism that has naturally crossed the minds of those of
us new to this concept.

The twin Jan Hus Churches seem very curious - despite being
from polar opposite-sized communities - how their
partnership will evolve. There seem to be few obstacles to
a positive outcome. Both congregations are small in
membership and both have female pastors: Rev. Moira Ahearne
in New York, Vendula Kalusová here in Hvodznice.

Both pastors are mothers and both have significant
community outreach and social programs: Moira with the Jan
Hus Neighborhood House in New York, Vendula primarily with
her work as a prison chaplain.

Other partnerships being developed here are between Trutnov
Omaha's West Hills Presbyterian Church in Omaha; Boskovice
and The Presbyterian Church, Sewickley, PA; Olumuc and
Covenant Presbyterian Church, Athens, GA; Sloupnice and
First Presbyterian Church, Morehead City, NC;  Brandýs nad
Lebem and Trinity Presbyterian Church, Independence MO;
Klobouky u Brun and Missouri River Valley Presbytery.

This is truly not a "mission trip" in the classic sense -
the Hvozdnice congregants don't seem to "need" anything.
Not only do they have "means" but they also seem to be so
much more "in the Spirit."  So the exploration of
partnership is an even more interesting journey

>"I Do ... I Don't ... I Don't Know"

The worship service is ending here in Hvozdnice. The
congregation rises for the closing prayer and benediction
(it is ECCB custom for the congregation to stand while
praying and sit while singing).

At service's end, Vendula excuses herself from fellowship
hour. A village family has asked her to officiate at a
private funeral at the local cemetery just up the road. The
Thanksgiving Sunday meal with her congregation will have to
wait for a half-hour or so.

As a way of welcome, the congregation had arranged a church
outing in Národní Prířodní Pamatká (Pamatka National
Preserve), hiking along one of the well-marked trails that
border the Sázavou River. The scenery was lovely, the
company and conversations fun, but after six miles over
hill and dale, Holly and I are glad today's most strenuous
planned activity will be that of lifting fork to mouth.

Vendula returns and we all head upstairs to the manse,
where her kitchen table is transformed into a banquet
table. The traditional Czech meal of polévka (soup),
vepřova pečeně (roast pork loin) with knedlícky (potato
dumplings) and zely (sweet-and-sour cabbage with caraway
seeds) is the best pot luck church lunch I've ever had.

There is much laughter and breezy small talk in Czech,
English and German and sometimes all three languages in the
same sentence. The Czechs want to know about our family,
our jobs, New York City, the upcoming U.S. elections and to
commiserate about the assorted aches, pains and stiffness
we have from yesterday's hike.

Over coffee, tea, a selection of pastries, we continue our
conversation about the possible partnership between Husův
Dům, Hvozdnice, CZ, and Jan Hus Presbyterian Church, New
York, NY. Holly's and my assignment is to listen.

Vendula speaks for her congregation, stating publicly that
a partnership will work only as a "peer" relationship. The
Czechs' recent history suggests nothing less.

In 1990, when Czechoslovakia emerged from behind the Iron
Curtain as a free country, it was quickly apparent to the
country's leadership that life would be more comfortable
for both the Czech and Slovak cultures if this newly-free
state split into separate nations. On Jan. 1, 1993, this
goal was achieved when Slovakia and the Czech Republic
became a reality, both countries labeled as "emerging
nations."

Today, the Czech Republic is a "peer nation," having shed
its "emerging" tag in record time. In 2009, they will be
seated as President of the European Union.

So what will a peer relationship between our congregations
look like? Vendula says that the leadership of her church,
who are seated around this table, are committed to pursue a
partnership in whatever shape, whatever form it develops.

Beyond the customary e-mail and telephone communications,
they suggest  a cultural exchange visit during September
2009. Their hope is that several New Yorkers will be able
to visit Hvozdnice to further advance this burgeoning
friendship.

Then, in 2010, a group from Hvozdnice would visit New York.
Vendula suggests that the Czech delegation might include
one of her community ministry successes: the Husův Dům
Singers. Though under the baton of the church's Music
Director, Veronika Kopecká, most of the dozen or so singers
come from the village but are not members of the church ...
yet.

After some discussion of the timing and logistics of these
mutual visits, our lunch concludes with a final prayer,
then it is smiles all around as we pose for photos,
exchange e-mail addresses and plans for spending the rest
of this lovely afternoon in the Czech countryside.

>"I was a stranger and you welcomed me"

The sun rises early in Janské Lázně, a spa town in the
Krkonoše Mountains. Before burning off at midday, a wispy
fog hangs low in the valley that breaks at the foot of the
road leading up to Sole Fida, the ECCB retreat house tucked
into the Krkonoše (pronounced crack-uh-nose) foothills. The
fall foliage colors are still striking; the chill in the
air hints at the coming winter.

Partnership Conference '08 has reassembled here after the
weekend of visits to our prospective partner churches

You can't visit this part of the Czech Republic without
venturing into Krkonošský Národní Park (Krkonoše National
Park) for a peaceful hike beside a waterfall. Nor should
you deny yourself a visit to one of the oldest glass
factories in the world or a little souvenir shopping in any
of the nearby villages.

But now, on this final afternoon of our nine-day trip, it's
time for the three-hour drive back to Prague. When we
arrived in the Czech Republic nine days ago, all we had in
common with our fellow conferees were our membership in the
Body of Christ, the blessings of our individual sessions to
explore partnership and the conference preview materials.

During our time here - and especially over the course of
the weekend in our partner congregations - Americans and
Czechs together have come to realize just how much alike we
are.

There are certainly cultural differences. Few Americans
breakfast on the Czech staples of yogurt and sliced cold
cuts and cheese, or have their "big meal" of the day at
lunch. We Presbyterians rarely conduct meetings without a
gurgling pot of coffee (ask for coffee and the Czechs will
most likely serve you espresso).

During group discussions we Americans are usually quicker
to respond, while the Czechs tend to be more restrained,
mulling their responses before speaking.

Where we and the Czechs proved most alike is in our mutual
determination not to limit the Truth of God. This became
most evident during discussions about the mechanics of
partnership, which were the most of the conference.

Over their seven-year relationship, First Annapolis and
Letohrad have developed a written agreement. Each
congregation developed a committee to oversee the
partnership and any travel projects between the two.
Because of the length of their association, the
congregations have been able to a mutual underwriting
program. Travel lists are now in place, helping keep the
partnership "objective" in the face of deepening
friendships.

Hathaway says "the key is open dialogue among equals,"
adding that "partnerships are based upon prayer, laughter
and regular communication."

To avoid misunderstandings and their inherent hurt
feelings, the First Annapolis-Letohrad team advised the
conferees to be clear, concise and straightforward in
working out their partnership arrangements.  "Avoid nuances
that could be lost in translation between the Czech and
English languages," urged Hathaway, "especially with
'hot-button' items such as financial underwriting or
scholarships."

In the end, no hard and fast rules exist for creating a
partnership. "There is no one way to live within a
partnership," Hathaway said, adding that the partnership
agreement in place for First Annapolis and Letohrad is a
format that works for them.

>No more strangers on the bus

As our mini-bus winds through the countryside en route to
Prague, it strikes me that ECCB-PC(USA) Partnership
Conference '08 has been a living example of the concept of
"Six Degrees of Separation." First set forth in 1929 by
Frigyes Karinthy, the theory holds that the growing density
and technological sophistication of  human networks makes
social distance far smaller geographic separation.

Therefore, any two individuals can be connected through -
at most - five acquaintances. Select any one of the Earth's
6.7 billion inhabitants and using no more than five other
individuals, one of whom is a personal acquaintance of the
subject, one can connect with that subject

For Holly and me, the theory has proved itself in our
journey to Czech partnership. For instance, the day the
conference began would have been my grandfather's 106th
birthday ... he was born in what is now the Czech Republic.
Vendula and her husband Pavel's wedding day was also my
grandparents' wedding day. While here we visited my
grandfather's home town, Světlá nad Sázavou, and met people
who had been neighbors of my grandfather's cousins. Their
in-home bake shop is now a barber shop!

Our circle also encompasses the year 1939, the history of
Jan Hus Church, New York and the genesis of the concept
behind our conference - partnership.

We here we met 81-year-old Alena Zikmundová, whose father,
the noted Czech theologian, Josef Lukl Hromadka, fled the
Nazis to the U.S. in 1939. Their first stop, before
Hromadka eventually secured a teaching position at
Princeton Theological Seminary, was at the Jun Hus
Presbyterian Church Neighborhood House in New York!

Alena's spirit is the candle in the window for those of us
trying to frame the context of the partnership discussion
within our churches. Her own studies waylaid - first by the
Nazis and then by the Communists - she finally completed
her seminary education in 2005 and was ordained by the
ECCB.

Partnership Conference '08 underscored the 21st century
reality that our world truly is a global village. In
today's increasingly secular world - the Czech Republic
being one of the most secular - the ECCB admittedly faces
an uphill climb in their efforts to spread God's message.
Their 150,000 members are approximately 1% of Czech
population.

Yet, the ECCB is strong of faith and deep in commitment. By
being in partnership with other Christians around the
world, the ECCB leadership seeks to learn and teach. With
90 years of shared communion, the ECCB's s expanding
partnerships with the PC(USA) is natural and logical.

Many other ECCB congregations - in Polička, Vsetín, Orlová,
Předhradi, Floridy and Náchod-Šonov - still seek PC(USA)
partners.

Alena Zikmundová says there are five watchwords for
effective partnership:

Be open to people around you Work where you're needed Think
more about what the other person needs If things don't go
the way you plan, it's God's plan Thank God! For
information about The First Annapolis, MD-Letohrad
partnership, e-mail Betty McGinnis [cobe@comcast.net].
Click on their Web site [www.czechpartner.org] to see
images from Partnership Conference '08. Additional
information is also available from the Rev. Jody Filipi
[jody@czechconnections.org]. When e-mailing, please type
"ECCB Church Partnership Information" in the subject line.

Jim Nedelka is a reporter for ABC Radio News. He is a
member of West Park Presbyterian Church in New York City.
His wife, Holly Nedelka, directs family ministry programs
for four New York congregations, including Jan Hus
Presbyterian Church.

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