10/14/08

Northeast Poland is one of the most beautiful areas in all of Poland.  It is known as the land of a thousand lakes and the green heaven of Poland.  This area has had many previous owners over the centuries including Russians, Germans, Prussians, Austrians and others,  It is a peaceful part of the country where 2.3 million of the 38 million citizens of the country live.  The region has several large cities including Białystok (pronounced Bee-awi-stock) and Olsztyn (Ol-shh-tin).  Białystok is the largest city in NE Poland, with 286,000 people, and is the capital of Podlaise Voivodship.  Olsztyn is beautifully situated on the Łyna River in a lake region of forests and plains and has 175,000 people. There are 11 lakes inside of the administrative bounds of the town and many more surrounding it.  It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodship.  There are many other cities ranging in size from thousands of citizens to just a handful in the small villages. 

Poland has largely been an agrarian society.  The entry into the European Union will create new opportunities and difficulties for the average Pole.  The EU laws regarding farming and agriculture are quite different and will have some effect on the agriculture system in Poland.  (Following from CIA Factbook)  Poland is an ancient nation that was conceived around the middle of the 10th century.  Its golden age occurred in the 16th century.  During the following century, the strengthening of the gentry and internal disorders weakened the nation, until an agreement in 1772 between Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned Poland.  Poland regained its independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II.  It became a Soviet satellite state following the war, but its government was comparatively tolerant and progressive.  Labor turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union "Solidarity" that over time became a political force and by 1990 had swept parliamentary elections and the presidency.  A "shock therapy" program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe, but Poland currently suffers low GDP growth and high unemployment.  Solidarity suffered a major defeat in the 2001 parliamentary elections when it failed to elect a single deputy to the lower house of Parliament, and the new leaders of the Solidarity Trade Union subsequently pledged to reduce the Trade Union's political role.  Poland joined NATO in 1999 and is scheduled to accede to the European Union along with nine other states on 1 May 2004.

Seventeen of the largest cities in NE Poland have a Baptist church, most very small, the rest have none.  This leaves most cities, towns and villages with no Baptist presence and many with no evangelical presence.  In total, there are 17 Baptist churches in an area covering over 10,000 square miles and 2.3 million people 95% of whom are Roman Catholic.  The percentage of the general population that is Baptist is close to .0001% or less than 1 Baptist for every 8,400 Poles.  It is said, to be Polish is to be Catholic.  Being Catholic is tied up in the national identity.  For many, their religious activities are as much about patriotic duty as religious conviction.  Polish Catholicism is similar but not identical to American Catholicism.  There is a greater focus on Mary, the mother of Jesus.  She is considered to be the Queen of Heaven and the Queen of Poland as well as the co-redeemer and co-mediator with Christ.  There is a very high level of worship and adoration of Mary.