Dear Friends,

This is a letter we wrote to introduce ourselves to a church that wrote to ask us about our ministry. We thought it might be helpful to put this on our Web page.

Ministering in Croatia

Post-communist children of atheists, post-war victims of disillusionment, and traditional, historic churches that need a new, living vision—these are the reasons we are here serving in Croatia. The war in which Yugoslavia was broken into pieces is now old news (though at this moment, the one most responsible for starting it, Slobodan Milosevic, is on trial in the Hague) but the damage from the war, following hard on the heels of the collapse of Communism in the region, have left scars on buildings, institutions, and real people. Croatia is a Catholic country, and we hear the bells of the nearby church each morning, and yet we live next door to a Serbian Orthodox Church which has hate-graffiti written on its walls—fresh signs that the wounds of war for some are still unhealed. Meanwhile, the minority Reformed Church which has been here since the days of John Calvin in the 16th century, struggles to come to grips with the rapid changes all around it and to find its voice of hope and salvation in its new context.

We have been mission co-workers of the PC(USA) serving in Croatia since 1994. Our sons, Benjamin and Nathan, go to the local schools. We both teach at the Evangelical Seminary, an international and interdenominational school which trains leaders for churches in 12 surrounding countries. Steven is also heavily involved with our partner church, the Reformed Church, especially helping to establish new congregations in Zagreb and Osijek. Michelle is involved with the Center for Peace in Osijek. She leads training workshops in Alternatives to Violence and is a consultant to the Peace Project.

The Reformed Church struggled under a generation of Communism, and then suffered significantly in the recent war. Many of our church buildings were bombed, many of our people were driven away as refugees, only to return to bombed-out, looted homes. Support for pastors, rebuilding damaged church buildings, and sponsoring conferences for encouragement and renewal are all apart of the work of being a partner to this historic, wounded Church. Many PC(USA) congregations have been active in supporting these projects, but much remains to be done.

The new church development projects are a source of joy and hope. Right now, in the capital, Zagreb, and in the city of Osijek, where we live and work, we are establishing two new Reformed congregations. This might sound normal to you, but here, it represents a radical, bold new step for a church that has not begun a new congregation for hundreds of years. Led by local people of great energy, vision, and commitment, these two new congregations are reaching out to the youth and young adults who have been alienated from the traditional churches. By means of creative ministries such as English classes, guitar school, Alpha courses, and contemporary dialogue events, we are stepping into the youth world with the message of the gospel and with practical help. It is slow going, but it is working, and people are responding.

Helping former enemies live together again is the goal of the Center for Peace. In this past war, communities were divided. People were killed—who knew?—who cooperated?—who capitulated? How can you ever trust your neighbor again? How can you rebuild a community, or even a local school? First by listening to people tell their stories. Then by giving them some new categories in which to think about their lives. Local Peace Teams are actively involved in the Listening Project and in Alternatives to Violence seminars. As Michelle meets with them and helps them do their work more effectively, she is on the front line of response to war.

These are the activities that fill our days. Raising Benjamin and Nathan fills the evenings and weekends. Benjamin, now in 5th grade, believes he wants to be a librarian when he grows up so that he can have all the books he wants to read. Nathan was born in Croatia and knows little of life in the States. His English is perfect, and he has become fluent in Croatian. Both of them have picked up German from the cartoons shown on television.

Pray for us, for wisdom, energy, patience, and strength to participate in these important ministries to the fullest. Thank you for being our partners in ministry. God bless you for your world-wide vision.

Grace and peace,

Steven and Michelle,
Benjamin and Nathaniel Kurtz

The 2002 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 79