CEE Story From The Mission Field
Lithuania Crusade
September 23, 2002
Compiled from reporting by Mike Creswell
SILUTE, Lithuania -- For a one week evangelistic campaign in August, many Southern Baptist volunteers from many different states joined together to share Christ in this small northern Central European country where there are few evangelical Christians. The presence of so many Americans was quite noticeable in Silute (pronounced shi-LOO-tay), a county seat town of some 25,000 people near the larger port city of Klaipeda.
The volunteers prayed, witnessed, distributed Bibles and other literature and worked with crafts during the weeklong campaign that included evangelistic services, showings of the Jesus film, and a river baptism service in which fifteen converts from earlier efforts were baptized. By the week's end, a dozen people had come forward to accept Christ as Savior, and another two dozen had registered other decisions that Southern Baptist missionaries Milton and Lara Magalhaes will follow up on later.
Jim Ewing, missions coordinator and minister to single adults at Broadmoor Baptist Church in Shreveport, LA, helped baptize the converts and preached each night at the crusade, held in the city's major auditorium which had a huge banner outside carrying the crusade theme, "Jesus: Our Hope!"
Broadmoor member Mack Lattier, a dentist, provided free dental care to 40 Silute Baptist Church members during the week, using the well-equipped office of a local dentist. "People here have a lot of decay. Prevention is non-existent -- they go to the dentist when they hurt or have a big hole in a tooth," he said.
Lattier also observed holes in spirits. "I find people to be friendly but there's a certain amount of despondency. I think spiritual needs are obviously significant -- less than 1 percent of the population is Christian," he said.
Lattier's wife, Mary, used warm smiles and translators to witness to both children and adults as she led them in making witnessing bracelets of beads, a new phenomenon for Silute.
Broadmoor member Sarah Patton shared her testimony and sang specials during the crusade and also at smaller group showings of the Jesus film. She worked with the Magalhaes for three weeks, sponsored by Broadmoor. She says God is calling her back for more service in Lithuania.
Another Broadmoor member, Kyle Jagers, 18, also opted for the missions trip instead of the traditional trip to the beach most students make. "You come to a point where you realize God is everything and that there really is a God in Heaven. You realize He is everything to you. If there really is a God, I want to give him my all and serve Him," he said.
Linwood Nelms of Southside Baptist Church in Chesapeake, VA, a friendly man with a ready smile, said he had never realized how deeply five decades of communist rule affected the Eastern countries.
"I knew it had an economic effect, but the word 'trust' was just taken out of people's vocabulary," he said. "The church should provide hope. That's the number one thing they are devoid of," he said.
Mrs. Betty Barrett, also from Southside Baptist Church, is on her second trip to Lithuania. "The people here are loving but there's a great need here -- a great need for God," she said, near tears as she considered the crusade. Seeing the small Baptist church in Silute filled to overflowing for a Sunday morning service and requiring people to stand outside, was a great blessing for her, she said. Getting the funds needed to make the trip affirmed her belief that God wanted her to serve in Lithuania, she said.
Mrs. Barrett managed to flag down many cars on Silute's main street so she could give passersby flyers about the week's crusade. "Labas," Lithuanian for "hello," was the only word she knew, but that one word, combined with a smile, was enough to make an impact for Christ.
Jennifer LaFollette, a member of McPheeters Bend Baptist Church in Tennessee, also sang solos during the nightly services in the city's main auditorium.
"I'm excited about the campaign," she said, "The people seem very hungry for something."
While a dozen new Christians may seem a small number in many mission fields, it is a large number in this small Central European country that sits alongside the Baltic Sea beside its sister countries of Latvia and Estonia. Most of Lithuania's 3.4 million people say they are Roman Catholic, though relatively few attend any church. As other countries that shook off Soviet control more than a decade ago, Lithuania is still struggling to find its way economically and spiritually.
"In Lithuania, if you're not Catholic you're a sect, whether you're Baptist or some other denomination," said Southern Baptist missionary Milton Magalhaes, who has served three years in Silute.
"Few weeks have gone by without someone coming to the Lord," said Lara. "God is moving here and people are ready."
The missionaries explain that pressure from family and friends keep many Lithuanians from responding to the gospel. Beyond the dozen people who made public decisions for Christ, many others expressed interest but declined to respond, Milton said. He said he felt very good about the campaign, especially in preparing the way for future outreach.
Southern Baptist missionary Milton Magalhaes is a native of Brazil who studied eight years to become a Catholic priest until at age 18 he accepted Christ as his personal Savior through reading the Bible. He came to the United States at age 26 and later served as a pastor in Texas and with the North American Mission Board in Pennsylvania. The Magalhaes were appointed Southern Baptist missionaries in 1995.
The work of the Magalhaes in Lithuania and that of more than 5,000 other missionaries around the world sent out by Southern Baptists' International Mission Board are supported by Virginia Baptists through the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Offering.
Overseas correspondent Mike Creswell, based in England, reports on missions across Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa for the International Mission Board
View the photo essay of "Lithuania Crusade."