TBN Taking Life-Changing Christian Programming to Poland

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Sep 11, 2015, 06:00 ET

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 11, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a land once ruled by the iron fist of communist oppression, the light of God's love is breaking through. Earlier this summer global Christian television's Trinity Broadcasting Network began devoting a block of airtime on TBN Europe to Polish language Christian programming, the first steps in a plan to launch TBN Polska, a full-time Christian network in the nation of Poland.

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While the Catholic Church has played a major role in Poland's national identity for centuries, nearly fifty years of efforts by a communist-ruled government to destroy the Christian faith left Poland a "broken nation," said Polish Christian cinematographer and television producer Zbyszek Maziarz. Many people are religious, he said, but few actually know Jesus personally. "They are still looking for a real God."

In fact, in a land of over 38 million people, there are only around 40,000 born-again, evangelical Christians — about .1 percent of Poland's population. Maziarz said that for the most part, the 95 percent of Poles who consider themselves Catholic think of the Bible as "a kind of false story." But a core of evangelical pastors and Christian leaders in Poland are determined to show their countrymen that "the Bible, the Word of God, is real, that it is something that can be useful in their lives," he said. And they believe Christian television is one of the most powerful tools to reach the people of Poland.

Polish Pastor Krzysztof Rompa said that the idea for Christian television in Poland actually began over twenty years ago as evangelical Christians prayed for a move of God in the nation. "Some people began to produce Christian programming for the state channel," he recalled. "And then in the mid-1990s we heard about a Christian network called TBN. Christians in Poland began to watch the channel as they were able, and out of that experience was born the vision for TBN Polska."

Maziarz said that as he and others started to produce and air Christian programming on local channels, "a lot of people began calling us, asking how to know more about Jesus, because no one had ever shown them that Jesus is real." He added that the goal of Christian programming in Poland is to show those who have never heard the truth about Jesus "the power of God's Word, who Jesus is, the meaning of the Cross, and what is this new life in Christ."

Pastor Rompa explained that the block of programming in Polish airing weekly on TBN Europe includes such television ministries as Joyce Meyer, along with Christian music from Polish artists, and is being watched not only by people in Poland, but by Polish viewers across Europe. "People are tuning in," he said, "and they are saying they want this same faith in Jesus that they are seeing on TV." He added that a group of dedicated Polish Christians are anticipating the launch of TBN Polska and are making plans for new programming, discipleship of young believers, and outreach throughout the nation.

Another Polish Christian leader, Pastor Wojtek Wloch, said that "we know this country is really hungry for God and we are hungry for His move here. People have been praying for Poland for a long time, and now is the time...."

TBN Chairman Matthew Crouch, who traveled to Poland to meet with the pastors working to launch TBN Polska, noted that the group is small but dedicated. "They see the enormous opportunity to impact this nation with only .1 percent of evangelicals, but with an incredible hunger by people to know God. And we're committed to partnering with them to see a mighty harvest of souls across the nation of Poland."

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SOURCE Trinity Broadcasting Network