39th Annual PEF Family Evangelism Conference King College, Bristol VA July 16th 21st 07

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1 ... go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you... Matt. 28: International Team Member - Paddy Cook November 2006 Dr. Jasmin, with Deacon Nenard The President of Croatia Dr. Jasmin You can t talk to someone about Jesus, until you are talking to them. - PEF Evangelist Paddy Cook 1

2 You can t talk to someone about Jesus, until you are talking to them. - PEF Evangelist Paddy Cook 2

3 The Protestant Reformed parish of Tordinci, has been in existence since the Austrio-Hungarian Monarchy. This reformed community in Tordinci has been a witness of the Reformation among Croats, from Tordinici Church and Church House Tordinci Protestant Reformed Church Dr. Jasmin & Deacon Nenard Some of the faces at the Boldly Proclaiming seminar, Paddy held in Tordinci, Croatia. You can t talk to someone about Jesus, until you are talking to them. - PEF Evangelist Paddy Cook 3

4 OSIJEK PROJECT: PRAY FOR CHURCH BUILDING TO BE LEGALLY RETURNED. In the summer of 1998 I started planting the Reformed church of the Good Shepherd in Osijek, Croatia. It was a novelty for the existing Reformed churches in Croatia, since for centuries there was no evangelism which would result in new planted churches. God blessed us with a nice building in the old part of Osijek, known as Tvrda. Church of Good Shepherd was part of the Reformed Christian Church in Croatia, but has also functioned as an autonomous parish with its properties. This was clearly defined by church laws of the Reformed Christian church. Church of Good Shepherd was part of the Reformed Christian Church in Croatia, but has also functioned as an autonomous parish with its properties. This was clearly defined by church laws of the Reformed Christian church. In 2001 there were certain misunderstandings between some local churches (parishes) and the bishop of the Reformed church, Endre Langh. Contrary to the presbyterian-synodal structure, Endre Langh has demanded for greater authority to him as a bishop (practically, he was rejecting the presbyterian-synodal structure which is characteristic for the Reformed churches and establishing an Episcopal system). The Church of Good Shepherd and the Church in Tordinci (the oldest Croatian Protestant church in Croatia, since 1551) wanted to discuss about bishop's authority and about the rights of local churches at the Synod. Bishop Endre Langh did not allow it. After that he suspended me, and has illegitimately excommunicated me as a pastor of the Church of Good Shepherd and the church in Tordinci. When these churches did not accept the decisions of bishop Langh, he started the proceedings against me at the civil court so that he would get the properties of the mentioned churches. I do not understand why other churches with which I cooperated before have supported him asking me to be obedient to the bishop (although those same churches were not in an Episcopal structure and know that Reformed churches do not have bishops). Unfortunately, representatives of these churches never had a need to approach and talk to me, to the presbyters or the believers whom I serve as a pastor. They only believed in what bishop Endre Langh said. Because of this irreconcilable and intolerant behavior of Mr. Langh, the church of Good Shepherd and the church in Tordinci were forces to organize themselves in a new denomination named Protestantska reformirana kr¹æanska crkva u Republici Hrvatskoj (Protestant Reformed Christian Church in the Republic of Croatia). Until 2002, there was no law about religious communities in Croatia and there was no official register of religious communities. It was first established only in As Mr. Langh started a law-suit against me in 2001, in the time when there was no official register of religious communities, the Church of Good Shepherd had a hard time proving that it was already registered (court demanded it). Using his title as a bishop and the fact that many do not understand the structure of Reformed churches, but they know that in Roman catholic churches the bishop is the highest authority, he gained this law-suit. Based on this law-suit, Mr. Langh has sent few guys to use the opportunity to break in the building while the police was in front of the church of the Good Shepherd. But this claiming of the building of the Church of Good Shepherd was illegal because I have personally lost at a law-suit, but the property still remained with the Church of Good Shepherd. Only few days after Langh has sent some guys to break in the Church of Good Shepherd, the official registration of church in Croatia happened and the Church of Good Shepherd was also registered. Using the verdict which he gained against me personally and the fact that I had to pay the expenses for which I had no finances, Langh had brought the police into my house 3 times so that my personal furniture, books and car would be given to auction. In those days, my family, especially my wife and children have gone through an intolerable amount of stress. My furniture and my car were sold at an auction. After he succeeded in this law-suit, bishop Langh had filed another law-suit at the civil court, this time against the Church in Tordinci, trying to get the property of this church too, but as the registration of churches became official in the meantime, bishop Langh has lost this law-suit. The Church in Tordinci remained the owner and in possession of its property. Facts: 1. The Protestant Reformed Christian Church in Croatia is registered as a religious community and the Church of the Good Shepherd and the church in Tordinci are part of it, autonomously with their property. The Protestant Reformed Christian Church in Croatia is Presbyterian in its structure, reformed in theology and praxis, while the Reformed Christian Church in Croatia is Episcopal in structure (which is not acceptable to our understanding of what reformed stands for). 2. The building in Osijek, street Franjo Markovic 7, up to this day is solely in the ownership of the Church of Good Shepherd and not the denomination which Mr. Endre Langh is head of. 3. People who are in the Good Shepherd building since 2003, are there illegally. They do not own the building and do not let the owners in. Please, pray for: 1. Return of the believers of the Church of Good Shepherd and that we would continue to preach the God's word through different activities. 2. For my family, especially for my wife. Because of all this pressure, she became sick, she has a heavy heart condition (she will probably need to have a heart surgery). 3. For a reunion of the Reformed believers in Croatia. Pastor Rev. Dr. Jasmin Miliæ, PhD You can t talk to someone about Jesus, until you are talking to them. - PEF Evangelist Paddy Cook 4

5 Joanna Mihael Tamara Dr. Jasmin PRAY FOR: God s faithful and dedicated servants, Dr. Jasmin and his wife Tamara in Tenja, Croatia. and their two children, Mihael and Joanna. Dr. Jasmin is an answer to ministry prayers. He is one of the new shoots, on the mighty truncated oak, which pictures current Reformation thinking and Worship in Europe. Some missiologists say that Europe is spiritually dead. Jesus Christ Himself was once dead, but as the Bible tells us He rose again from the dead. Dr. Jasmin s financial situation far below what it ought to be!!" No wages for 5 years. (Chose to minister in war torn, Tordinci).!" Needs help with legal fees. (See story on page 4.)!" Wife s total monthly income is $1,300 US.!" Tamara, his wife works/nurse.!" Owes $1,500 on social security and medical payments.!" Needs funding for ambitious list of books being translated and published, see page 6.!" $2,600 US needed monthly. You can t talk to someone about Jesus, until you are talking to them. - PEF Evangelist Paddy Cook 5

6 Dr. Jasmine, author, translator and publisher of Reformed literature in Croatia. His books, can be read in Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia, Dr. Jasmin and his publisher are correcting an editorial error. YOUR CHURCH BOOK PROJECT: 500 reformed books can be translated for $500. (500 $5.00 a book!) 500 reformed books can be published for $2,000. These current translations are in progress and needing funding. 5. What is Reformed Theology? by R.C. Sproul 1. The Apostolic Church which is it? by T. Witherow 6. Chosen By God by R.C. Sproul 2. Testimony by Dr. Morton H. Smith 7. Mighty to Save by Richard Phillips 3 The Elder by A. J. Ayer 8. Chosen in Christ by Richard Phillips 4. Pleasing God in Worship by Sinclair Ferguson 9. Turning Your World Upside Down R.Phillips This digital printing press in Croatia, can print 50, or 500 books, depending on the project. Dr. Jasmin s doctoral thesis: Calvinism Among Croats. You can t talk to someone about Jesus, until you are talking to them. - PEF Evangelist Paddy Cook 6

7 Bosnian Update: If Allah wills that the child shall live, he will live. Of course, Allah doesn t will anything, because Allah is not. R.C. Sproul Jr. in, Almighty Over All. Islamic Mosque Orthodox Church While in Bosnia, Jasmin was able to visit many of his relatives who he had not seen for a while. They were proud of him with his new Dr. of Philosophy in Church History degree, and he was concerned for their souls. He gave many of them their first copy of Holy Scriptures. Pray that the Word of the only true and living God, will be read by them, and that the Holy Spirit will open the hearts of His chosen ones in Bosnian. Dr. Jasmine with his Uncle Sunday Lunch in Bosnia Cevapi Cha-vapy Pray that God will bless our witness to Jasmin s family in Bosnia. You can t talk to someone about Jesus, until you are talking to them. - PEF Evangelist Paddy Cook 7

8 August 2006 marked the 430 year anniversary of the first Reformed Synod in Croatia. A National Television station called Dr. Jasmin, and asked him for an interview and his comments on such a historic event. One of Dr. Jasmin s Book signings, made the local paper. The local Press, with their usual accuracy, declared that an American came all the way for it! A Typical Croatian Village Street. You can t talk to someone about Jesus, until you are talking to them. - PEF Evangelist Paddy Cook 8

9 CROATIAN UPDATE: -The Face of War: The war of devastated some areas and Tenja, where Dr. Jasmin now lives, was in occupied territory. The homes were cheap to buy, but not all had money to rebuild.. No money to rebuild! Men known unto God. Symbol of War: The devastated Town water tower of Vukovar. God s creation, and new life. Bombed out building in Vukovar. Rebuilt Croatian Home. Both boys are sons of Orthodox priests from Tordinci area, and sent away to remain Orthodox! We visited and witnessed to them, and treated them to ice cream. Two small boys from Tordinci area, in an Orthodox Boarding School in Serbia. You can t talk to someone about Jesus, until you are talking to them. - PEF Evangelist Paddy Cook 9

10 To Help Extend the ministry of PEF Evangelist Paddy Cook, ALBANIA see box below. Invitations and Proposed Trips for CZECH REPUBLIC ITALY SICILY AUSTRIA SWITZERLAND GERMANY GREECE & BULGARIA 1. Spain LICHTENSTEIN 2. Portugal POLAND 3. France 11. Finland CROATIA, SERBIA & BOSNIA 4. Monaco 12. Romania UKRAINE 5. Belgium 13. Estonia 6. Luxemburg 14. Latvia 7. Iceland 15. Lithuania 8. Denmark 16. Slovakia 9. Norway 17. Hungary 10. Sweden 18. Macedonia 1. Bulgaria 2. Ukraine 3. Germany 4. Italy Albania Greece 5. Croatia Serbia Bosnia Please write your checks to PEF 425 State Street, Suite 312 Bristol, VA Tel: (276) With a post it marked for Paddy Cook s Evangelistic ministry. You can t talk to someone about Jesus, until you are talking to them. - PEF Evangelist Paddy Cook