This paper makes a number of suggestions for mission among the Polish emigracja. It is estimated that over 500000 Poles have made their home in the UK since 2004, when Poland became a full member of the EU. Many of them are “strangers in a foreign land.” How might the BUGB find new ways of responding to this unique mission opportunity on our doorstep? This paper is in three parts. 1) The Vision (mission, goal and method). 2) Key steps for mission work. 3) Responsibilities of the Mission Co-ordinator. 

2) Key steps for local BUGB church mission work.(I) Making connections with Polish Baptists already in the UK. (II) Checking out how many are willing to be involved in such a mission project. (III) Checking if there are UK Baptist churches where they now live. (IV) Contacting BUGB Pastors and encouraging them to develop contacts with other Polish Baptist believers. (V) Confirming the spiritual openness to mission among the emigracja with the local church leadership: e.g Are they open to creating English language courses for Poles? Musical concerts? Multi –media Bible teaching? Polish language brochures, tracts and Bibles? (VI) For a more concentrated mission project in a given area, a BUGB church could invite a small team to visit from Poland, fund and arrange a mission programme for them,   (VII) Confirming if the local BUGB church can find money within its mission budget  to work with Polish believers in such mission activities. And also if there is a willingness to encourage, mentor and support those engaged in such mission. (VIII) Confirming if the local Baptist church would be willing to make (part) of its premises available to Polish speaking believers in return for a voluntary donation each month. Initially this will be quite small.   (IX) Appointing a recognised leader of the local Polish Baptist church and maintaining regular contact with them. (X) Confirming if, after some time, this growing Polish Baptist community – with its own Polish-speaking worship - can be formally affiliated to the BUGB.

3) Responsibilities of the Mission Co-ordinator.(I) To share the vision and steps with the BUGB and PBU and to reach a Partnership Agreement between  them to make this mission project possible. (II) To share a presentation of the vision and the steps with Polish Baptists already in the UK, using a contact list drawn up back in Poland.  (III) To extend an invitation to Polish Baptists in the UK  to start to deliver this project and to report regulalry on it to the Mission Department of the BUGB and to the PBU. (IV) To encourage those already in the UK to begin this mission work, using the ten steps outlined in 2 above. (V) To create mission teams from among Polish Baptist Union churches  and encourage them to visit the UK from time to time. See 2: VI above. (VI) To create a co-ordinated mission programme among the emigracja in the UK for each year, starting in the Autumn of 2007 / January 2008. (VII) To visit Polish groups in towns and cities . If the co-ordinator is based in the UK this will be both more effective and more frequent. But it may also be possible for this to be co-ordinated from Poland with the co-ordinator visiting at least once a quarter. (VIII) To visit and report to Pastors of local churches who have Polish communities in their midst. (IX) To organise regular Bible teaching and counselling among groups who are already better organised and affiliated to the BUGB.  (X) To encourage Baptist churches in the UK to co-operate with and contribute to this mission.

Ireneusz Dawidowicz  and Michael I Bochenski - presented at a meeting facilitated by the BUGB DRTM at the March 2007 Council