The Czech Mission conducted its first worship service in the village of Rochlov on December 14. Even though this was our first "exploratory-type" service, God richly blessed this new beginning: 40 people attended the first service - enough to fill the pews, leaving standing room only. Vicar Petr Krakora conducted this Advent/Christmas service, focusing the attention of the people on the real meaning of Jesus' birth. There is no church of any kind in the village. But there is a small chapel located inside what was once the private villa (built in the early 1700's) of a noble Czech family.
Rochlov is a few miles west of our western-most mission congregation, St. Peter's in Tlucna. Through a friend, Vicar Krakora learned about the existence of the chapel. A Czech company bought the villa and the surrounding buildings and has been restoring them as a historical site. Further contact with the new owner led to an invitation for our mission to use the chapel for public worship services. During the long years of Communism, the villa was reduced to little more than a shell of a building, but because it was used for storage, it survived. To the best of our knowledge, the last time an actual worship service was held in Rochlov was probably 1944, shortly before the end of WW II. How thankful we are to God for this opportunity to share God's saving Gospel message in an area where it has not been shared in many, many long years. The next service in Rochlov will be at 10 PM on Christmas Eve.
Pastor Mark Grubbs, Plzen, Czech Republic
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