CRESTVIEW — First United Methodist Church of Crestview provides a homeless shelter during the day and on cold nights.
It operates a food pantry, helps needy residents pay their power bills and sends members to other states for inner city and rural missions.
The 800-member church's influence even reaches to Africa, with its "Imagine No Malaria" campaign support; Lima, Peru, with ministry to street children; and Ilawa, Poland, teaching conversational English for the Rev. Krzysztof "Kris" Kopacz's 30-member church.
Actually, for that Polish pastor who would face unexpected physical challenges, the support grew more beneficial than he could have imagined.
SISTER CHURCHES
Kopacz, pastor of Ilawa's First UMC since 1992, learned about Crestview's First UMC some 13 years ago during a pastoral conference.
In 2002, in Warsaw, Poland, Kopacz was offered American volunteers whose mission was to teach English for Kopacz's church.
Lincoln Sayger, from FUMC of Crestview, lived at the parish with Kopacz for about 10 months and tutored IÅ‚awa's youths.
"The schools already had an English class," LincolnSayger said. "I was there to teach them conversational English. Like pronunciations, idioms and syntax.
"We prayed for them; they prayed for us. We had three teams of summer school over there," said Marion Sayger, Lincoln's mother.
As Ilawans' English speaking abilities grew, so did the sister churches' relationship. In 2007, Kopacz — with help from Crestview church members, who paid for his 16-hour flight — visited the Hub City for two weeks and stayed in a member's home.
After the trip, he slipped and broke his kneecap, and that's when the Crestview church's support turned personal.
'A DIFFICULT REHABILITATION'
After surgery, Kopacz stayed for two weeks in Carolina Medical Center in Warsaw. After removing his cast, he realized his leg became ill.
Kopacz learned he has Sudeck's atrophy, which damaged his nervous system and bone structure. "The bone in my leg is very soft and every day, since 2007, I have been feeling the pain," he said.
Since then, his leg has broken twice — due to the bone being so weak and prone to fractures — and he's had five operations.
"My knee at the moment is bending badly, my leg still has pain and I walk (poorly)," he said. "Every day for the last eight years I have been having a difficult rehabilitation."
Still, through the pain, he leads two churches — including one 12 miles from Ilawa in the village of Siemiany, Poland.
But not without some financial assistance to ease the burden.
'IMMENSE HELP'
Since Kopacz's fall, the Crestview church has supported him several ways. For instance, on Mother's Day, FUMC held a tea to raise money for him.
Each of 15 hosts set their round table with fine china, Depression-era glass dishes, hand-painted porcelain dishes and crystal pieces over 100 years old.
The menu included chicken salad in a croissant; ham, cheese and lettuce roll-ups; white chocolate and raspberry scones; cucumber dip with Ritz crackers; chocolate-dipped strawberries; brownies; lemon and orange muffins with lemon glaze; water; and hot tea.
But for all its local extravagance, the sold-out event's benefit, much like the Crestview church's other efforts, touched Kopacz, he said.
"I would like to emphasize … that FUMC in Crestview, for me and my church, is a great support,” he said. "All the pastors in FUMC Crestview — Marion and Lincoln Sayger, Anne Campbell — have big hearts for me and my parishes.
"Also I, along with my wife Sofia and daughters Victoria and Julia, would like, once again, to express sincere thanks for their immense help."
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview church's ministry surpasses city, national boundaries