Following a year of prayerful discernment and our visit to Austria in September we have accepted a call from the Lord to become missionaries in Austria! In the spring of 2011 we will be embarking on a call to pastor a small non-denominational church in the Austrian Tirol. This small community of believers has been without a pastor for the past twenty years and has been praying earnestly for the last three years for the Lord to send someone to partner with them in sharing the gospel. Interestingly, thirty-four years ago the church was planted by Daniel's parents. Daniel, having spent his youth in the town of Schwaz is naturally equipped with the language and understanding of the Austrian culture.
Not many realize that Europe is arguably becoming the most needful target for the Gospel of Christ in our time. Spiritually speaking, Austria is a country living in the Dark Ages. After a brief time when the Reformation appeared to take root, the Counter-Reformation extinguished the new life springing up and plunged the cause of Christ into a deep depression from which it did not recover for centuries. The church’s role in the annexation of Austria by Hitler in 1938, still remains ambiguous. To this day, the function of the Austrian state church is primarily religio-cultural and socio-political rather than genuinely spiritual.
Austria is a typical western European country, influenced greatly by secularism, pluralism and post-modernism. Despite these influences, Roman Catholicism still has a stronghold on the mindset of individuals, though it has been weakened through recent allegations of corruption and sex scandals. With all these influences, and because of the absence of life changing faith, many lack hope, which shows itself in the high suicide rate among youth and widespread alcoholism.
According to Operation World, only 0.4% of the Austrian population are Evangelical Christians, and protestant denominations such as Baptists or Methodists are considered cults. Most evangelical churches are centered around the Capital Vienna, to the East. Tirol is in the far west of the country, and is roughly the size of Connecticut, with a population of 706,873. Within the Tirol region there are approximately 10 evangelical churches, several without or have gone many years without Pastors. Austria is often referred to as the “graveyard of missions,” not because missionaries die and are buried in Austria, but the vast majority return home bruised, discouraged and traumatized. Andreas Kostenberger, a native Austrian, states that “The Austrians are a people who have generally hardened their hearts to the gospel, not just individually, but also nationally, culturally, religiously, socially, and politically. They actively suppress the truth. They are blinded by the god of this world, with their minds resembling a spiritual obstacle course.”
God does have a remnant there and they are crying out for help to fan the flame. This is the reason God has called us to Austria, as “the field is white for harvest, but the laborers are indeed few”. It is in response to their cry that we are responding to God’s call and saying, “Here we are, send us Lord.” We thank God for his overwhelming grace and that He has given us this opportunity to serve him in reaching the lost.
We are willing and ready to go! Will you partner with us? Will you join us in this work with your prayers and financial support? We will be sent out, through our local church, The Church of the Messiah, Canton GA www.churchofthemessiah.net, around April or May of 2011. Our immediate prayer needs are
I. For wisdom pertaining to the practicalities of the move
II. For the sale of our house
III. For financial support. Our expected budgetary needs are about $3,000 per month. We are in the process of raising financial support stateside, as well as through our contacts in Great Britain and Europe. The small local Austrian church we will pastor has committed to supply a third of our support and Daniel plans on supplying about a third of our support through part time work in Austria.
We will need to raise at least 1/3 of our support from our mission partners like you. Enclosed is a prayer card, as well as a pledge card. Will you please prayerfully consider supporting us not only through prayers, but also financially by indicating on the card your partnership with us?
Would you prayerfully consider committing to $20, $50 or even $100 per month? Whatever you could provide will be prayerfully used to make disciples of the Austrian people.
You may go to our website to give online and set up monthly donations or one time gifts. All donations are tax deductible and you will receive a financial statement of your giving at year’s end. Please select the Mission Support - Harrisons when setting up your donation.
Donations made within Great Britain can be mailed and cheques made payable to: Truelight Ministries. Please indicated support for Harrisons.
Truelight Ministries, c/o Mr. & Mrs. John Woollams
70 Great Northern Rd.
Dunstable, Beds, England
We are truly excited about what God is doing and know that all these issues are in His hands. We thank you also for supporting us in reaching many with the Gospel of our all sustaining Lord.
In Christ,
Daniel, Kathleen & Ava Harrison
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