The Adelaide Polish community celebrated 50 years of worship in their College Park church building on May 26.
The event commemorated the golden jubilee since Polish Adventists moved into their current heritage-listed church.
“Our 50th Anniversary was a great opportunity to look back at the rich history of College Park Church and thank God for His presence in our lives over those years,” said current pastor Erik Kral.
A packed house witnessed the church’s history through anecdotes, photographs and singing. The keynote speaker, Pastor Jan Jankiewicz, charged members with continuing to fulfill God’s work by growing the Church.
The night kicked off with the College Park’s video ministry, CP Film Studio, premiering a new short film about arriving in Australia and forming a community (shown above).
Additional messages from past ministers Eugeniusz Majchrowski and Jan Pollok also reflected on God’s guidance throughout College Park’s history.
The diversity of musical talent within the church was on full display, with a saxophone duet and singing items. A time for reflection about dearly lost members was shared by the church choir, singing ‘Blessed Are They.’ Amongst the names were the first Pastor Jerzy Lipski (1910-2004), and Pastor Dariusz Kuberek (1962-2005).
A final piece ‘Down to the River to Pray’ by the conference choir ended the night on a sweet note, before everyone gathered in the hall for a different kind of sweets. Signature Polish dishes pierogi (dumplings) and pączki (jam donuts) were among the many delicacies shared by the evening’s guests.
The whole event was live streamed to a large audience in both Australia and Poland.
“Remembering the past that evening encouraged us for the future years of our service and ministry,” said Pastor Kral. “I would like to thank everyone for their involvement and attendance.”
Many photos and videos were shared on the church’s Facebook page, signifying the intent to continue ministry into the digital age.
