Czech Republic: a new space for students to explore faith

In Brno, CMS partners Lea and Petra Williams lead the local Anglican congregation, supporting people to grow in their relationship with Jesus and encouraging others to begin a journey of faith. Lea supports evangelism work among students, including a new initiative starting this autumn called Café Theology, an evening of theology and philosophy in a pub. Pray for students to find a welcoming space where they can ask questions and explore faith.

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Czech Republic: Easter outreach

Mission partners Lea and Petra Williams lead the Anglican congregation in Brno and Lea also supports a student ministry. Building on their successful outreach at Christmas, Christians studying at local universities will be handing out Easter eggs and gospel tracts at Easter. Please pray for boldness and for encounters at each university campus that lead to real encounters with Jesus.

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Czech Republic: integration for Ukrainians

Based in Brno, mission partners Lea and Petra Williams lead their local Anglican congregation. Petra also works with an organisation called Vesna, supplying clothing, toiletries, and household essentials to people in need – particularly Ukrainian refugees. As Petra supports Ukrainian women to enter the workforce, pray for them to grow in confidence and the skills they need to succeed.

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Czech Republic: more people exploring the Christian faith

Lea and Petra Williams, mission partners in Brno, report an increase in men in their 20s and 30s exploring the Christian faith and visiting their church. One man, who considered himself an atheist, arrived at the church in Brno a couple of months ago stating, “this is my last chance with church,” yet something in him was still searching. Since that first Sunday, he hasn’t missed a week and is now preparing for baptism. Please pray for these men, and others like them: that they may feel safe to ask their questions, and that their quiet curiosity will grow into confident faith.

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Czech Republic: growing a vibrant Christian community

“Give thanks for those coming with openness, often from no church background. Pray for us as we walk with people asking real questions about life and faith,” write Lea and Petra Williams, who lead the Anglican congregation in Brno.

As they work to cultivate a rooted, sustainable and vibrant Christian community, pray for more local people to grow in confidence and step into roles of leadership and service.

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When we left for the Czech Republic last September with a vision of living hospitably, we had no idea that the world would change so much…

By Lea Williams

In September 2021 my wife Petra and I, along with our two children Olivia (11) and Theodore (9) relocated to Brno, Czech Republic, to begin our time as mission partners with CMS.

Brno is the second largest and fastest growing city in the Czech Republic after Prague.

Located in the east of the country, this former industrial city that stagnated under the communist regime is reinventing itself as a place of engineering and development.

Young and secular

It is also a place of learning with 80,000 students calling the city home. It feels young. In fact, one in five people in Brno are students.

However, according to recent Pew Research, the Czech Republic is also the most secular nation in Eastern Europe.

Against this backdrop our work will be focused on evangelism and discipleship.

One aspect is joining in with what God had already started in a small Anglican congregation. We long to see a vibrant Christian community develop, committed to the practice of missional hospitality, where people can encounter the Christian faith in culturally relevant ways and in time be resourced to lead.

World-shaking events

When we left for the Czech Republic last September with a vision of living hospitably, we had no idea that the world would change so much. At the time of writing, 371,282 people from Ukraine, mainly older people, women and children, have been granted temporary protection visas by the Czech Republic.

The government and NGOs are trying to transition from short-term crisis activities to more long-term support. The situation has shaped our ministry activities these past months.

Petra is working with an organisation in the city centre, which was formerly a women’s refuge but is now centred on helping refugees with everyday essentials such as clothes and toiletries, sorting and distributing donations, and providing care and support.

Recently the organisation was gifted the use of a former monastery by the Catholic Church and work to furnish it ready for it to be used as short-term accommodation for women and children is now complete.

Student prospects

In addition to developing and investing in the church community I am preparing for the new academic year. I have a meeting planned with the leader of a well-established Czech evangelical student organisation that shares Jesus in relevant ways, enabling students to grapple with the big questions of life: what is my purpose, is there a reality beyond what I can see, and what will give my life lasting meaning?

They’re doing great work and I’m excited to see how we may work together.

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