Our First SG Europe Pastors Retreat

An update from Ed O'Mara, SG Church Planter in Italy and SG Area Leader for Europe…

Partnership is biblical, and it is a gift! Until 1 year ago, my regular experience was being meaningfully partnered with other Sovereign Grace local churches. Having moved to Europe in July 2023 we came to a continent where interdependency is lacking. In my country, Italy, churches battle for turf rather than serve one another. The gospel witness is so lacking in some countries that the nearest like-minded, theologically-grounded church could be in a country where a different language is spoken. The result is that pastors in Europe often feel alone and are tempted to think their work is futile. Europe needs rich gospel partnership.

That is one reason I am so grateful for Sovereign Grace: the leaders and members of Sovereign Grace across the globe are making an investment in Europe for the glory of God, the good of pastors, and for local churches. A recent expression of this was our first Sovereign Grace Europe retreat. Pastors from Belarus, Poland, Italy, the UK, Turkey, and Czech Republic gathered in Warsaw from 21-23 June to receive refreshment from God’s Word, build relational connections, and begin dreaming about what SGC-Europe could be. We were joined by Mark Prater and Dave Taylor, who invested care and teaching as well as Kyle Huber who has significantly invested in the Belarussian pastors and connected them to SGC.

The Lord’s presence bound us together as we ministered grace to one another. Rather than my words, listen to those who have been serving for a significant time in Europe and yet missing the joys and fruits of gospel partnership:

Italian pastor, Giuseppe Fortuna, commented that he has been searching for a church family that is “home” for so many years and believes he finally found it in Sovereign Grace. An Eastern European pastor said that in over 25 years of ministry combined he had not experienced the love and care he felt in just 3 days together in this retreat. His peer from Belarus recounted the sad reality that pastors in his country feel like orphan pastors without help or mentorship. He looked me in the eye and said “Today, I feel the grace of Jesus” and continued to say that our partnership in Sovereign Grace is by far the healthiest church group he has ever seen.

A younger pastor from Belarus noted how he isn’t used to being loved and cared for but rather being treated like a second-class citizen. He was astounded by the love and grace of Jesus in a new way through our retreat. Peter Bowley, from the SG church in the UK, said “I have experienced many highlights in my life, and being with you men last week ranks as one of the most significant… I pray that this is just the start of a God-glorifying partnership in the spread of the gospel in Europe,” while our Pastor in Turkey noted that the retreat “was an invaluable and precious time… like water to my weary soul and spurs my prayers on for what the Lord might and can do in Turkey.”

Friends, partnership matters! The impact on pastors and local churches cannot be measured! I hope you hear in these comments, not how great Sovereign Grace is; what do we have that we haven’t been given? Rather, hear how great God is and how kind He has been to our family of churches to solidify us in partnership!

This is just the beginning for SGC-Europe! Interest is growing in Sweden, Russia, and Ukraine. We have partners in Germany and Italy (including my co-planter Rocco Dalia) who, though they couldn’t be with us for this retreat, have a big part to play. We are eagerly planning how to connect regularly as pastors and looking forward to our next gathering to sharpen our theological understanding and deepen our partnership.

God is at work in our family of churches! This is not for our glory or renown or to grow the name of Sovereign Grace, but to grow the reputation of the Lord as churches are planted, the lost are converted, and every corner of the earth is filled with the knowledge of our King! Thank you for your contribution to this amazing partnership we have been gifted. It is making a difference in pastors’ lives in Europe and across the globe and it is bringing glory to Jesus. So please keep praying and giving and playing the part God is granted to you to play – all for His renown!