December 2021 Serving the Lord in the Czech Republic News from Missionary Cindy Zirbel Wrucke Many visitors attended the Christmas concert held at St. Michael’s Church in Prague. Christmas Outreach in Prague Many churches in Prague host concerts throughout the year and some Czechs may even think this is the main purpose of beautiful, historic church buildings. On December 20, our Czech congregation hosted a Christmas concert to share music about Jesus’ birth and to invite people to join us for weekly church services. Pastor Dominik Žbanek organized the concert with the professional music group, Spektrum. The benefit of asking an outside group to perform instead of the church choir meant that they also promoted the concert with their network of people. A few weeks before the concert, the Czech government announced a state of emergency due to rising Covid cases. Christmas markets were cancelled, and many new restrictions put in place. After reviewing the rules, which lasted until Christmas, we prepared to hold the concert. All guests had to show proof of being fully vaccinated and wear a facemask indoors. The performers had to be vaccinated but didn’t need to wear masks during their performance. As I greeted all the visitors on the night of the concert, I also had to ask for their vaccination papers before they could enter the church. I noticed that everyone was prepared with their documents, nobody complained, and about 95 percent of the attendees were not church members. At the beginning of the concert, Pastor Žbanek welcomed everyone to our beautiful church, shared a few words about why we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with songs, and then invited each guest to return for Christmas services and regular Sunday worship. The music performed by the choir included Czech Christmas carols, some artistic arrangements, and even a few Christmas songs in English, such as “Away in a Manger” and “Go Tell It on the Mountain.” The musicians received a standing ovation at the end of the concert and joy filled the church. The message was clear: Jesus, our Savior, has come to save us all. And now we can share the Good News with people in all nations.     This month we remember the greatest gift: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NIV)     Do you want to find out more about my Christmas in Prague? My Newsletter is attached.

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Thank you for your prayers & support

Please Pray for: •   The Christmas concert attendees to feel welcome and return for church worship services at St. Michael. •   Our Czech pastors, Dominik, Tomaš and Martin, for strength and perseverance as they serve in their respective parishes. •   All of the Eurasia missionaries and the communities in which they serve. Give thanks for: •   Fellowship with other LCMS missionaries over Christmas. •   Technology to connect with my family in America for Christmas and New Year’s Eve.   Praise God for: •   The birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.     To support the LCMS through the work of Cindy Zirbel Wrucke, you may send a tax-deductible gift to: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod P.O. Box 66861 St. Louis, MO 63166-6861 Make checks payable to The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod or LCMS. Include “Wrucke-Czech Republic Support” in the memo line. Or, you can make checks payable and send to: Mission Central 40718 Highway E16 Mapleton, IA  51034-7105 Include “Wrucke-Czech Republic Support” in the memo line. Gifts can also be given securely online through my online giving page at lcms.org/wrucke or at https://missioncentral.us/wrucke/

Gifts can also be given securely online through the LCMS website at www.lcms.org/givenow/wrucke.

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Copyright © 2021, All rights reserved. My mailing address is: Nad Želivkou 475 Prague 6 – Nebušice 164 00 Czech Republic

This email was sent to mission.letters@lcms.org why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Cindy Zirbel Wrucke · Nad Zelivkou 475 · Prague 6 – Nebusice 16400 · Czech Republic