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As church grows, Lithuanians, Latvians take the pulpit

Jul. 18, 2005

NOTE: Photographs are available at http://umns.umc.org.

A UMNS Feature
By Vicki Brown*

Viktorija Jablonskiene was so shocked by the sight of a woman pastor
that she ran out of the first United Methodist church she visited.
Nearly a decade later, she is making history as one of five Lithuanians
leading churches in their own land.

After that first visit to a church in the mid-1990s, Jablonskiene could
not get the "lady minister" out of her mind, so she sought her out.

"I told her this is Lithuania, a Catholic country, how can a woman be a
priest? So she explained that in Europe and America it is normal to have
woman priests," Jablonskiene says, recalling how the minister reassured
her the United Methodist Church was not some kind of sect.

As the United Methodist Church in Lithuania celebrates the 10th
anniversary of the re-opening of United Methodism with ceremonies on
Aug. 27 in the Sanciai Church in Kaunas, churches there are moving from
missionary-led houses of worships to churches led by indigenous pastors
like Jablonskiene and her husband, Giedrius Jablonskis.

"We love and appreciate the dedication of missionaries because there
wouldn't be a United Methodist Church in Lithuania today if it were not
for them," Jablonskiene says. Now, missionaries are training Lithuanians
to take over the leadership of the church.

"Today, there are five Lithuanian pastors. Three are probationary
pastors and two are local pastors. ... We Lithuanians know and
understand each other. We can talk and share the gospel so that all
people can understand. People respond best to their own language," says
Jablonskiene, one of the three Lithuanian probationary pastors.

Bishop Oystein Olsen, whose northern European area includes the Baltics,
agrees indigenous pastors will relate best, since they share a common
language, roots and culture.

"Now indigenous Lithuanians will have a chance to model what they have
seen in the life of missionaries to other Lithuanians. We hope, and
expect to see, a continued growth in the church, continued depth," Olsen
says.

Methodist churches in Latvia and Lithuania were closed and properties
confiscated during the years of Soviet occupation, says the Rev. William
K. Quick, coordinator of Partner Church Ministry for Latvia and
Lithuania and a member of the World Methodist Council Executive
Committee.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the United Methodist Church
was restored in Latvia in 1991 and in Lithuania in 1995. At the end of
2004, almost 4,000 people were connected to 24 churches in the two
countries. Neighboring Estonia, the only country where the United
Methodist Church continued during occupation, has 28 local churches.
Quick says the appointment of indigenous pastors is historic, as is the
acceptance of Grazina B. Ielousova at United Methodist-related Duke
Divinity School in Durham, N.C. She is the first Lithuanian United
Methodist called to ministry to attend a U.S. seminary.
The new churches still face many challenges, including the need for
books and resources, setting up a mentoring process, and salary support.
The last has become more crucial since the cost of living has risen with
the nations' entry into the European Union, Olsen says. Pastors in
Lithuania earn the equivalent of $400 a month and even less in Latvia.

The Northern Europe Central Conference adopted a petition urging annual
conferences in the Nordic and Baltic areas to find ways to support the
Baltic salary fund. And United Methodists around the world can support
salaries through Advance Special donations.

The Rev. Anita Wood, director of Professional Ministry Development at
the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry, will
provide training for clergy who are mentoring the new probationary
elders and deacons.

"We'll be working with them to develop the mentoring process. One of the
difficulties is that the missionaries and clergy who are going to have
to mentor are also supervising in some cases," Wood said. While not
ideal, she said that countries where the faith is new simply don't have
many ordained elders and deacons who can mentor.

"This is the first modern generation of United Methodist clergy for
Lithuania. We need to give them the very best foundation we can for
being in ministry," Wood said. The board is also seeking funds for books
that new pastors can use to prepare sermons and simply learn about their
faith, particularly Methodism, since most attended a Lutheran seminary.

Evelyn Erbele, a missionary in Lithuania, is responsible for the Course
of Study for probationary pastors. "I'm having to teach Methodist
polity, Methodist history and doctrine, and I don't have a Book of
Discipline translated into Lithuanian," says Erbele.

Spending $5,000 to translate and print books in Lithuanian is not
feasible for so few Lithuanian United Methodists, Erbele said. So she
improvises by holding seminars and translating as funds are available.
However, the new pastors are coming up with a list of 20 books that the
Board of Higher Education and Ministry hopes to purchase for them in
their native language.

"For instance, a general church history book is available in
Lithuanian," Erbele said.

Jablonskiene bought a washing machine for the church (with funds donated
by her partner church) because most of the homes in her village of Kazlu
Ruda get water from wells. She says the United Methodist Church is
important to the country because all people are welcome.

"In Kazlu Ruda we reach out into the community, and there is no barrier
between us. We eat, we pray, we sing and we wash our clothes together."

To make a donation for books, call (615) 340-7375. To donate for salary
support, log on to http://gbgm-umc.org/advance/ or call (888) 252-6174.
The Advance Special number for Lithuania salaries is 14715A; for Latvia
salaries, it is 14706A.

*Brown is an associate editor and writer in the Office of Interpretation
at the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

News media contact: Linda Green, (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

********************

United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org

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