Slovakia CCE Ministry
One of the most significant parts of my faith journey has been my connection with the Center for Christian Education (CCE) in Martin, Slovakia. The CCE was founded in the late 1990s originally as a bible college for adults in Slovakia. The idea was to equip Christians with the knowledge necessary to become leaders in churches across the country. The bible college intended to reintroduce the church to the post-communist state. Since then, the CCE has grown into a Pre-K through high school academic center. The school is highly ranked in the Martin region and provides in its own words, "a place where the people of all ages can learn and experience the love of Christ."
My first interaction with the CCE occurred the summer before my freshman year in high school. That summer, my family decided to participate in a builders trip with our church. We spent about ten days assisting in the set up of the CCE preschool but also spent plenty of time meeting and visiting with new Slovak friends. Being one of the youngest members on the builders trip, I brought a different perspective to the project the CCE was undertaking. During our stay, they expressed their desire to develop a highschool (at the time their academic programs extended from Pre-K to 8th grade). As an 8th grader myself, I saw it as a possibility to connect in the future with like-minded students studying at the CCE throughout my high school years. I believed sharing fellowship with these students could strengthen our understanding of our faith and how we could all practice it both locally and globally. This vision during that first builder's trip set the stage for my continued interaction with Martin's congregation and students.
A couple of years later, my family hosted a CCE student through an exchange program. Jàn, the student we hosted, and I quickly hit it off and have been good friends ever since. The following summer, I returned to Slovakia with our church youth choir. Just as I had the opportunity to share my home with Jàn, he had a chance to share his with me. During the trip, he showed me some of his favorite spots around Martin as we spent time reconnecting and developing our relationship. We combined our church choir with their school band to bond through song. We then performed concerts around Martin to promote the CCE to students and the community. That trip seemed like the actual fruition of the vision I had during my first trip. It would be the groundwork for the continued development of our cross-cultural relationships in Christ, that would help us grow both as Christians and compassionate citizens in our respective countries.
In between my sophomore and junior year of college, I made my latest trip to Martin. This trip, I continued to connect with my friends in the area, but on a more independent basis. Being free of some of the formalities of my earlier trips allowed us to dive deeper into topics and getting to know each other a little better than we did before. I enjoyed spending time with everyone in a more comfortable and less formal environment where we were all able to open up more about our lives and communities.
The bond developed with the students at CCE seemed to occur naturally. I believe our faith allowed us all to become and continue to be close friends throughout this journey. I hope to return to the city of Martin and the CCE to visit friends and foster the great relationships we have built. Below are some pictures from both Slovakia and the United States with Slovak friends. There is also a link to learn about CCE and support its educational mission in Martin.
