Lithuania
Lithuanians are a people full of pride in their diverse cultural heritage. Ancient folklore, song, and dance remain an important part of their lives as they honor their own culture and traditions. But current trends also shape their future, as evidenced by their admittance to the European Union in 2004.
This entry into modern Europe comes after a tumultuous history, including atrocious acts such as massive deportations and massacres committed during both Soviet and Nazi rule. Despite years of occupation, ethnic Lithuanians still make up 80% of the population. They, along with Russians, the largest minority group, are the focus of International Mission Board missionaries living in the Baltic States.
When independence finally came in 1991, Lithuanians had an ecstatic new hope for a better future. Unfortunately, this hope was short lived. The effects of communism began to show their lasting effect on the general populous and a crucial element was found lacking – trust. During the decades of oppression, the Lithuanian people lost the ability to trust outsiders and authority figures, including the church. Since religion was considered an important step in the reaction against communism, most individuals proudly claim membership to a church but don’t trust the church to have the answers they are looking for. The majority never attend services or even understand the real message of the Gospel.
This broken connection with spiritual truth has led to a loss of hope, which is summed up in one statistic: the country maintains the highest suicide rate in the world. Over 1500 Lithuanians a year commit suicide, most of these are women, but the rate of suicide among youth is growing exponentially. The need for hope that Christ can bring in their lives is greater than ever.
However, many churches are experiencing a renewal of sorts. The Catholic church has been more open and cooperative with evangelicals and the evangelicals are seeing strong responses from Lithuanian youth, who are disillusioned with all that freedom had to offer. Baptist and Pentecostal churches were united under communism and in many cases, driven underground, but they are becoming their own entities once again and are beginning to reap a harvest. There are some congregations with heavy ties to either pre-communist traditions or to Western tradition which have led to legalism or loss if identity, respectively. The most effective tool for reaching the people has been indigenous work through church planting.
If you would like to help bring hope and healing to the peoples of Lithuania, please contact us at hope4cee@pobox.com.