Mariusz (Max) Bartkowski is serving as pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Bydgoszcz. He is a graduate of the Academy of Physical Education in Warsaw, University of marketing and management, and Warsaw Baptist Theological Seminary. Prior to entering full-time ministry in 2011, Max worked as a Trade Marketing Manager at T-Mobile, Poland. He and his wife Agnes, have two children, John, and Adam. Max has served in Polish Baptist Union churches for four years. In 2015, he moved with the family to Dublin (Ireland) to support his mother-in-law who was diagnosed with cancer and was going through chemotherapy. He stayed there for one year and was trying to reach Polish emigrants in cooperation with the local church. As he was planning to come back to Poland he was praying and seeking guidance from the Lord on how they could best serve Him. Max came to the conviction that he must plant an independent, biblical church in Poland. As he had never planted a church before, he needed to seek training. God, in His provision connected him with Grace Baptist Partnership and he moved with the family to Edinburgh (Scotland) to learn from Pastor Ali McLachlan. He was trained and sent with his family as a missionary by Grace Baptist Church, Edinburgh to Bydgoszcz in July 2017. Grace Baptist Church Bydgoszcz was constituted in November 2019.

Update from Pastor Bartkowski (September 2021):

Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I am sending you few words after a time of holidays and flu relay at our family. Everyone recovered and we are blessed as a family and the church. Our God blessed us with three new visitors – two believers - Aneta and Michael and one nonbeliever Joanna. They were visiting our church for last three weeks.

A young man visited us few times in the past, declares that he was born again in April and wants to be baptized. His parents, very strong Catholics who pray with his three younger brothers on the rosary every day and bow down in front of the image of Mary at home every time they pass it, are against it. He would like to be baptized this year and he will tell his parents about it soon. They consider him as a deceived man and fight with him. He is 18-year-old and has some freedom, but they limit his contact with believers. Please pray for him and his family.

Aneta came to Bydgoszcz at the beginning of September. She is a believer. She grew up at the believer’s home and is a great encouragement for us. She brought her unbelieving friend Joanna at the middle of September. “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” Please pray for Joanna. May the Lord draw her to Jesus Christ. May He use clay vessels for His glory as we share the Gospel with her.

I met another man who heard the Gospel six years ago in Glasgow - Scotland, but no one took care spiritually of him from that time. He listened to some preachers online but never had fellowship with believers. He was wounded by some believers in Bydgoszcz when he was looking for fellowship during the last few months. He declares that he is a believer and was unchained from the occultism and homosexuality. Please pray for us to be loving and wise. We would love to help him to grow spiritually and to see the fruits of his conversion. I hope he will visit the church on Sunday.

Our sister Chloe from Grace Edinburgh is going to spend three months with us in Bydgoszcz. We are glad to host her and want to bless her. She will try to help us at the church, evangelism etc. We are eager to see how God will use her for His glory. She does not speak any Polish, so she has the “language barrier”. Please pray that God would turn “the barrier” into advantage and let her share the gospel with many people.

We are looking for new meeting place which we would like to rent for whole month. We rent the space for Sundays and Wednesdays right now. It would let us to arrange the meeting place in the more churchlike manner and be more visible for others. Aneta turned back 25 m from the entrance to the building as she was sure that “the google map misled her and it cannot be a church meeting place”. I was welcoming people at the door, so I noticed her and was able call her and invite her to join us. Unfortunately, it happened before, as we cannot place any signage (even small one) in front of the building. Please pray for wisdom for us and provision from the Lord.

Please continue to pray: -

• For those who heard the gospel or received tracts. May God draw them to Christ.
• For few people who want to serve the Lord wholeheartedly to join our church and serve alongside us.
• For us to continue to share the Gospel with boldness and love.

We are thankful for your prayers and partnership in the Gospel.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Yours in Christ!

Mariusz Max Bartkowski