29th day - August 6th: Visit to the Protestant village churches in the Těšín region

Today I had to change my daily plan because rain was forecasted for most of the day in the region. I had to give up the goal of Bielsko and a conversation with the bishop of the Evangelical Diocese of Těšín and I was allowed to stay another day with Alfred and his wife in Skoczów. Since it got so late yesterday, we also didn't have enough time to talk. Both speak German very well, so communication was easy. After a late breakfast, we exchanged our experiences in ministry. I learned that the Skoczów congregation, with about 3400 members, is the second largest in Poland after the Těšín congregation. There are always two church services on Sundays. The 10 am service is broadcast live on the Internet and then posted online. There are also regular youth services on Sundays, which start at 8 am and are also organized by young people. Pastor Alfred is also responsible for three other churches in the area where regular church services take place. I had a long conversation with Alfred's wife about the church's work with children and we exchanged our different experiences and materials. In the afternoon, Alfred invited me for a short tour of various Protestant village churches in the Těšín region, which I gladly accepted. In total, we visited 4 or 5 churches, which once again shows the uniqueness of the small but largest Protestant diocese in Poland. On the way back, we also made a stop at the House of Eben-Ezer, the only diaconal motherhouse in Poland, and I spoke with the last professionally active deaconess. It became clear to me - also through the experiences and visits of the last two weeks - that the Protestant Church in Poland is numerically small, but very diverse and above all alive. In the evening, I planned my onward journey. Because the next day, after the Sunday service, I wanted to ride to Bielsko-Biała first, then take the train up to the Beskidy Pass near Zwardoń and end my time in Poland. By midnight, my rough route to my third country of the trip was determined - Slovakia.