THE SILESIAN EVANGELICAL CHURCH OF THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION
Slezská církev evangelická augsburského vyznání

In the region of Těšín (Silesia) evangelical teachings in the sense of the Lutheran reformation started to spread beginning from the year 1524. The whole region soon became evangelical. It was a  prince of the Piast House, Václav Adam from Těšín, who much contributed to that development. He worked out the first order of the divine service and of the administration of the Evangelical Church on that territory. In 1690? the counter-reformation movement started in the region of Těšín and it lasted for half a century. All Evangelical churches were seized, pastors were expelled from the country and the worship was interdicted. The faithful believers gathered in the mountains and forests for secret worship. The Bible, the Tranoscius´ (Třanovský) hymn book and the Sermons by  pastor S. Dabrovský  were their spiritual fare.

In 1790? Evangelicals were allowed to build the only church in Těšín (now in Poland). Further construction of churches started after the Toleration Act had been issued. After the World War I this church was part of the Evangelical Church of A. C. in  Poland with the seat in Warsaw. After the World War II an indepemdent Evangelical church came to being under the name of the Silesian Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession (SECAC).

Mission

The SECAC is concentrated on a comparatively small territory of about 100 km along the river Olše and about 40 km southward.

Mission and evangelisation take place in that region in accordance with biblical principles. The blessed work is done by the Christian Community ( Křesťanské společenskví, Spoleczność Chrześcijańska). It has a considerable share in organizing the work with children and young people. There are large choirs and music groups of various genres working within the church. The aim of the churches policy is to address modern men and women, particularly those living in large citiy conglomerations.

In the charity field it is the Silesian Diaconia that gives practical shape to biblical principles of love, taking care of senior citizens, lonely, forsaken, physically or mentally challenged people and other who suffer or are in need. It runs seventeen centres.

Two languages are used in the church, Czech and Polish. In the congregations whose members are also Slovaks, the worship is led also in Slovak. The co-existence of all the nationalities is harmonious and brotherly. The church has very active congregations and stresses evangelisation. The awakening movement has deep roots in the church, forming principal and decisive part of the church.

Organisation

The church is devided into five administrative units – seniorates. The supreme body of the church is the Synod, which elects the Church Council and the Bishop.

Publishing and historical research activities are entrusted to Evangelická společnost (Towarzystwo Ewangelickie, the Evangelical Society). The church issues the monthly Přítel lidu (Przyjaciel ludu, The People´s Friend), Evangelický kalendář (Kalendarz Ewangelicki, the Evangelical Calendar) and a number of further publications of theological, educational and historical character.

The Silesian Evangelical Church of A. C. leads the department of catechetics within the Pedagogical Faculty of the Ostrava University and cooperates with the Institute of Social and Theological Studies at the Silesian University in Opava.

Statistics

The SECAC has 49 thousand members, 20 congregations, 36 extensions of congregations and preaching stations (which sometimes serve as independent congregations), and 30 pastors.

Address:

Silesian Evangelical Church of A. C., the Church Council

Slezská církev evangelická a. v.
Církevní rada
Na nivách 7
737 01 Český Těšín

phone: 0659-731804
fax: 0659-731815
e-mail: sceav@sceav.cz