Linz in Focus

This weekend, Dietmar Jowanka came to visit us in Edinburgh, to meet with our church and some other groups.  It was quite a condensed visit.  The itinerary:

Thursday 21 Apr: Arrive at Edinburgh airport … just in time for our first house viewing slot.  Poor Dietmar had to wait until 8:30pm UK time (9:30pm Austria time) to get some dinner.

Friday 20:  Visit to Glasgow … quick tour round St Mungo’s Cathedral, then speaking at International Christian College worship time.  Unfortunately we were double booked with representatives of Gospel Mission to South America.  We shared the time between us and the flexible missions lecturer (David Miller) decided to entitle the time "Mission in Nominally Christian Contexts".  Afterwards we attended a class in the "Theology of Work" module and came away with plenty of food for thought.  Dietmar was able to talk with staff about the training programmes that are a core part of the teaching at Grace International Fellowship, and to enquire about ICC’s training by extension programme.  Hopefully large amounts of "food for thought" can’t make one mentally obese.

Friday Evening:  Dinner with our pastor (Craig Sayle) and his family, who would be preaching at another church on Sunday.

Saturday 21: Dietmar met with our families, and friends of the family, and spoke about the church in Linz and how he saw our role developing there.

Sunday 22: Dietmar preached at Abbeyhill Baptist (our home church).  Kristine and I also took the opportunity to update the congregation with our progress and the Missions Team leader spoke about how the church is supporting us corporately and gave an invite for people to also support us individually.  Afterwards we had lunch with the Deacons and Missions team and their families, with an opportunity for questions. (a recording of Dietmar’s Preaching is available online).

Sunday Evening:  Dietmar and I attended the church that Craig was preaching at and were introduced by Craig and given 5 minutes to say something about the church in Linz and our plans to go there.  Kristine and I have been invited to go back in July, to preach and give a more detailed presentation of the plans for working in Linz.

Monday 23:  An Austrian Lunch with my work colleages at Bethany Supported Housing.  We used a church hall near the office and invited some folks from the Bethany head office along too.  One of my colleagues, Katie, who is half German, cooked some South German food, that fitted well with the Austrian food.  We gave a short presentation and answered questions about Austria, ECM and the work in Linz.  Afterwards Dietmar, myself and Rachel climbed Arthur Seat (pictured).  A great but breezy way to see all Edinburgh at once.

Tuesday 24 Apr: Dietmar, somewhat exhausted I expect, went home today. 

The house went on the market today.  It feels very wierd to have taken that step.  We don’t have a firm departure date yet, so we may experience a period of felt homelessness.  We won’t actually be homeless because we’re planning to invest in a Buy to Let property in Edinburgh, closer to the centre, so we could use that for a while. Still its unsettling …

This weekend was the Austria ECM Prayer Days just outside Salzburg, in a really beautiful spot.  It was good to meet the rest of the Austrian team again.  The last time we met them was in 2004.  Afterwards we went with Dietmar and Brigitte back to Linz and spent some days there.  On the Saturday we attended their church service.  Again it was really good to meet up again with friends we’d made last winter.  There was one strange moment for me when the vulnerability of being in a church plant rather than an established church hit me. It helped me appreciate how secure a home and family our church in Edinburgh has been for us. 

We had hoped to look at some properties and some schools to get some ideas for moving here next year.  It didn’t quite work out as planned (easter holidays - schools were closed!).  But we did become better acquainted with a lot more of the city neighbourhoods. 

Our friends who are working with City Church in Vienna also came through to have a meal with us.  We enjoyed a Levantische supper in the town centre…. and we got the chance to be tour guides … sort of!

Hi,

We are the Fisher family (Johnny, Kristine, Lee and Rachel).  We come from South Queensferry, Scotland and are preparing to go with European Christian Mission to Austria later this year.

To recap on how we got to this stage … about five years ago we began to wrestle with a sense that God might be leading us to work in Austria and as a result I embarked on a degree course at International Christian College, Glasgow.  Three years ago we met Dietmar and Brigitte Jowanka, an Austrian couple who work as church planters in Linz, Austria with European Christian Mission (ECM), and felt an immediate bond with them and the work they were doing.  Last winter I worked for 2 months on placement in Linz as part of the Bible College course.  Kristine and I have wrestled with this sense of leading in quite different ways, but we stand together as a couple believing that God is leading us to move long-term to Linz.  ECM and the church in Linz have confirmed this call in accepting us as candidates.  We also have the sending support of our own church, Abbeyhill Baptist Church.

Dietmar and Brigitte, who became Christians as young adults, have seen first-hand the cultural challenges facing the relatively small, Austrian evangelical Church through the increase in people migration and the multi-worldview mindsets of younger people.  The Jowanka’s started Grace International Fellowship with a vision to reach these younger Austrians, and to reach the growing migrant population, including international students.

They hold their services in English and translate into German.   They run small group programmes to train new leaders and teachers, and for discipling believers.  One service a month is a Fellowship Meal, also including prayer, reflection, and celebration of communion.  The small congregation now consists of a wide age range.  The church sees a need for a native English-speaker, who shares their passion for “outsiders” to know and live in the experience of God’s grace, to become involved in leadership, training and teaching and reaching others.