Two weeks of evangelistic meetings in Prague, Czech Republic, kicked off on May 12 with a call to embark on a journey with Jesus that will know no end. Ted N. C. Wilson, president of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, is the guest speaker for the meetings taking place at the Společenské centrum Bethany (Bethany Social Center). The Prague series is part of Christ for Europe, an unprecedented evangelistic initiative that will take place across the continent.
“In this world we live today, hope is a precious commodity. During this series we are on a journey, a journey to understand hope in God, hope in His Word, hope in His prophecies, and hope in God’s ultimate victory over sin,” Wilson said with the assistance of Rene Metz, his interpreter into Czech. “This world is in God’s hands, and ultimately, He will put an end to sickness and suffering and war.”
Wilson invited church members and visitors alike to go back to the Bible to find answers about their past, present, and future. He called them to venture into a journey with a beginning but no end. “This journey does not end with the end of the series of meetings,” Wilson said. “Even though I am a pastor, I am still in a journey with Jesus. So, we’ll take this journey through history and discover God’s plan for us.”
Entrance corridor to the Společenské centrum Bethany (Bethany Social Center) where the evangelistic meetings are taking place in Prague. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review] 
Seventh-day Adventist layperson Radim Passer greets Prague 4 city district mayor Ondřej Kubín and his wife (outside the photo frame), before the start of the evangelistic meetings. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review] 
People arrive to the Bethany Social Center in Prague to attend the first night of the May 12-27 evangelistic series. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review] 
A greeter welcomes an attendee to the Hope for Today evangelistic series in Prague on May 12. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review] 
Adventist literature in the Czech language offered to visitors at the evangelistic meetings. Topics range from health to history, prophecy, and children’s books. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review] 
The team of greeters at the entrance to the Bethany Social Center, the venue for the May 12-27 evangelistic meetings. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review] 
An attendee reads one of the free books as he waits for the beginning of the evangelistic meetings in Prague on May 12. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review] 
Host Tereza Nehonská welcomes attendees on the opening night of the Hope for Today evangelistic series in Prague. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]
A Meaningful Place
At the beginning of his message, Wilson reminded his audience of the significance of the city where the meetings are taking place. “We are here in Prague, in Bohemia, the place where John Hus came from,” he said. “What a heritage you have in this location! What a legacy of being able to share God’s Word and stand faithful to what God has asked!”
Wilson emphasized that it is a privilege to follow in the footsteps of reformers like John Hus. And that it is an opportunity for all those who are willing. “Every one of us can be a faithful witness for God. Even if you are a timid person, God can use you in a powerful way. And [if you are of] those who have great enthusiasm and are outgoing and optimistic to reach people, God can use you too.”
Slavka Krahmerova leads a musical item at Prague’s Bethany Social Center on May 12. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review] 
Adventist layperson and businessman Radim Passer shares part of his personal testimony on May 12, as host Eduard Forest looks on. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review] 
Meetings are being recorded and can be watched and rewatched on YouTube, organizers said. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review] 
General Conference president Ted N. C. Wilson preaches as English-Czech interpreter Rene Metz looks on. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review] 
“The Bible tells us that there is hope on the way,” Wilson said. “God’s kingdom will be established forever.” [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review] 
Prague 4 city district mayor Ondřej Kubín (left) greets Nancy Wilson at the end of the first night of evangelistic meetings on May 12. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review] 
Opening night of the evangelistic meetings in Prague, Czech Republic, on May 12. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]
Importance of the Series
The series in Prague is supported by Adventist World Radio, which has also partnered with various church regions to assist in hundreds of venues across the continent. It has also listed the support of Radim Passer, a lay Adventist church member and well-known Czech businessman with experience in outreach and mission initiatives across the Czech Republic and beyond. With a life story that has resulted in several books and a documentary, Passer will also be sharing tidbits about his life and the way God transformed him.
He has multiple contacts in the business world, where he openly shares that he is a Seventh-day Adventist Christian. Prague 4 city district mayor Ondřej Kubín was one of the special guests who attended the opening night of the series together with his wife.
Passer is also involved in Adventist Laymen’s Services and Industries Europe (ASi Europe) and funds outreach initiatives through Maranatha,* an organization that in its 21 years of existence, has been involved in hundreds of different projects and activities in more than 50 countries.
“I am a disciple of Jesus,” Passer proclaims to anyone who would like to hear him. “And our hope is in Him.”
The Prague meetings have also enlisted the assistance of a carefully coordinated team of smiling church members. They include greeters, hosts, musicians, audio and visual volunteers, and many others.
The meetings will also be posted on YouTube for all those who want to watch or rewatch them, organizers said. Other venues across the Czech Republic are holding or will soon hold their own evangelistic series, including places in Jihlava, Mohelnice, Olomouc, Ostrava, and Zábřeh.
*Not to be confused with Maranatha Volunteers International.
