A United Methodist Pastor's Theological Reflections

"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory (nikos) through our Lord Jesus Christ." - I Corinthians 15:57


Tuesday, February 28, 2012

UMC Ministry in Lithuania Update

     This past summer, Jolita and Andrew visited our church to share with us about how God is at work through the United Methodist Church in Lithuania. At that time, Jolita was finishing her degree work at Asbury seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky and preparing to move back to Lithuania to be the pastor of two churches.
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     A portion of our Lent/Easter special offering goes to support the United Methodist ministry in Lithuania thanks to the partnership we have shared over the past seveal years. Here is a letter I received from Jolita and Andrew about how they are doing since their move back to Lithuania. Please keep our Lithuanian United Methodist partners in your prayers.

Erbele Updates
February 2012

           The February European deep freeze included Lithuania. For about a week the thermometer hovered around -10 F. The coldest day we experienced was -22 F. This was on the Sunday when our car died on the way to church. Thankfully, a friend answered our call and was able to give us a ride to church. Emma was at home with Grandma because we did not want her out in that kind of cold.

In our last letter we talked about our housing concerns. This month we are happy to report that the Lithuania UMC will have a parsonage in Vilkaviskis. The district has decided to purchase the apartment we are currently living in. This was made possible by a Kybartai and Pilviskiai partner church, Trinity UMC in Huntsville, Alabama. Trinity UMC took money out of their missions’ budget to pay for the parsonage. They are hoping to find a way to replenish their missions’ budgets. If you or your church would like to contribute we will be very happy to let you join in. We are so very grateful for this place called home. Now we feel like we can really settle into life and ministry in our community. Thank you.
           
Our month in ministry proved challenging because of the weather. People have not wanted to venture out and freeze in the extreme cold. While we have learned to bundle up and stay warm, it does make sense not to take any unnecessary risks. We canceled a couple of activities for the children and youth. As the weather has been warming up everything is getting back to the life we are used to.

We conducted our first funeral. A member of our church in Kybartai lost her mother. Here funerals are very important events. There are many different stages in the grieving process. Each step has special meaning attached to it. Some are similar to those in the US, yet there are the differences that stand out. The most noticeable is that everyone stands by the grave side to watch the coffin be covered. The pallbearers have the responsibility of closing the grave one shovelful of earth at a time. As each man tired, another came to take his place. This act of love helps those who grieve say goodbye in shovels full of dirt. During this Lenten season we reflect on the words spoken on Ash Wednesday: “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.”

Another Lithuanian custom happens on Fat Tuesday. People eat pancakes, wear masks and go door-to-door asking for pancakes or candy. The belief is that we are scaring away the winter and making room for spring. Since the Pilviskiai youth group meets on Tuesdays, we made pancakes. The girls, including Jolita, had fun cooking. The guys, Andrew and the one male youth, got the privilege of washing dishes at the end. Many laughs were heard throughout the time. It was not until we were heading home that we realized youth group lasted three hours. It is a great sign of the fellowship we had. We must have done a good job of scaring away the winter because today it is above freezing and the snow is all melting.

More exciting news is that a member of the youth group joined the church in Kybartai. She has been attending for almost 12 years but never felt led to join. She graduates from high school this spring and is planning to study theology in the fall. Continue to hold her in your prayers as she grows in a greater awareness of God’s call upon her life.

           We thank you for your prayers, for your love and your support.

          You can reach us by email at: pieciaitehope@hotmail.com and follow Andrew’s blog: www.erbele.org.

Emma, Jolita and Andrew Erbele
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