Pilviskiai Church

I am very glad to serve in the Churches in Kazlų Rūda and Pilviškiai. Both Churches fill further their Christian task – to make all people as Christ‘s disciples. They seek to preach the Good News not only in the Church, but also doing good works outside the Church. There are a lot of good programs in the UMC in Pilviškiai and Kazlų Rūda, which help not only people of the Church, but also the community of the town. It was especially seen during this summer.

When the guests from over the Atlantic, North Carolina, arrived, we shared the Good News visiting old people in the town and leading the Bible study for grown-ups. Also Rev. Tim Reimer with other representatives of the Church led finely the Sunday school lessons for our smallest children. Together with the comer group we visited the town, communicating with casual passersby and preaching the Gospel. We expect to collaborate with these wonderful people further. We really hope that this Church will become our new sister from over the Atlantic.

This summer we were visited by the second group from USA as well. They were the representatives from the partner church in Green Bay, Wisconsin, who never forget us. This group of six persons came with the aim to help not only the Church, but also the town, too. They decided to put in order the firehouse of the town. So both guests and local firemen worked shoulder to shoulder. All honestly took part in the Bible study for grown-ups, which was led by the comer Rev. Dave. Also old and lonely people and members of the Church were visited; there were women meetings, led by Jeanie Reimer. The week-long stay was ended by the remarkable commemoration of the collaboration for ten years, and the wonderful date was remembered, too – the five years anniversary of the Church building in Pilviškiai. We will seek for a fine collaboration with the Church in Green Bay, which supports us both prayers and donations.

There are a lot of funerals in the Church in Pilviškiai, as in no other UMC in Lithuania. So during that difficult time of loss I, as a priest of this Church, try to do everything as honestly and carefully as possible. During funeral it‘s possible to spread Methodism to common people from Pilviškiai and its surroundings, who have never heard about the United Methodist Church. Also funeral is a step to Ecumenism, because most people whom we laid to rest were Catholics. Also the tradition of Lithuanian funeral is interesting. The farewell with a dead person lasts for two days – then all fellow-men gather to mourn for him. And just on the third day Holy Worship is held at Church, and the dead person is seen off to the last travel, a place of the eternal rest – a graveyard.

People of the Church in Pilviškiai nourish a great dream for the next year. All of them are grateful to the partner Churches, thanks to which they want to retain present services, especially the meal-tickets program. There is an old task, too – to equip the scouts‘ room on the second floor of the Church and finally finish building of the Church. The UMC in Pilviškiai experience quite a difficult period, for because of reduction of resources the wage for the organist is paid from the people‘s donated money for the Church; also the gas reservoir is filled for the part of donated money. But we don‘t gloom and believe that all depends on God‘s will.

We celebrated the wedding in the Church in Kazlų Rūda – even two weddings. It was the largest and most memorable event of the year. The long-lived members of our Church wedded after all. The first couple was Sedaiciai. Regina and Julius were married for 40 years and only then they decided to confirm it before God. After six months we celebrated the second marriage – „Golden marriage“. It was a special feast – the long-lived members Romute and Vytas were married even for 50 years and then they decided to get God‘s blessing in the Church. We all rejoiced at them sincerely. Also this summer we had guests from the Church in Zwickau, Germany. It was a pleasant time, spent together. Such visits strengthen our interrelationship. We understood that the communication and taking care of each other is bliss for all of us.

Also we have a trouble: we need to look for new accommodations for the Church. So we pray sincerely, that we could retain the same services which we are doing, when our place of meeting changes. We also have some plans for the next year: to collaborate with the social workers and distribute food packets to socially maintained people in Kazlų Rūda. We are especially grateful to two partner churches in Pennsylvania and Germany, and to Mary Garber, too.