Above: participants in the 2023 joint conference of the ECCB and PC(USA) in Prague, Czech Republic
If you’ve never been outside the United States, you may think of our way of life as “normal” and available to all people. We, as Christians, are often guilty of this type of thinking. We assume that all people can gather openly for worship and can live faithful lives in full view of their society and government. But traveling to other parts of the globe and talking with Christians abroad can open our eyes to the difficulties others face in living out their faith.
Connecting with Christians Where Faith Has a Cost
My eyes were opened in summer 2023, when I traveled with a small group from Sewickley Presbyterian Church to the Czech Republic to attend a joint conference of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Evangelical Church of the Czech Brethren, the largest protestant denomination in the Czech Republic. We met for plenary sessions to talk about faith then broke into small groups to speak directly with one another. I listened to stories of faith during the Soviet occupation of (then) Czechoslovakia about how anyone who chose to attend church was followed, examined, and even forbidden from holding certain jobs. The Soviets did not want people who knew the gospel to be in professions of caring for others, like nursing, teaching, etc. If you were a child of a pastor, your professional choices were even more severely limited. The goal seemed to be to stop person-to-person sharing of the Good News. A trip like this, that included conversations with Czech Christians, opened my eyes to the obstacles Christians face around the world. Never would I have thought that believing in Christ would decrease my options for employment.
Ongoing Partnership, and Opportunity to Connect
This year, May 3-7, 2026, Pittsburgh will host the triennial conference between the PC(USA) and the ECCB. The conference will be centered at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, where participants will stay and learn together. The theme is “Bridges Between Neighbors,” inspired the many bridges in Pittsburgh. The goal is sharing and learning from other Christians around the world.
Our partnership began in the early 1990s when a few Presbyterians in the U.S. formed a friendship with their counterparts in Prague. This partnership has continued and expanded over the years to include triennial conferences that alternate in location between the Czech Republic and the U.S.; the last conference was in the Czech Republic in 2023. Participating churches in Pittsburgh include Sewickley Presbyterian Church, East Liberty Presbyterian Church, Shadyside Presbyterian Church, Southminster Presbyterian Church, and John McMillan Presbyterian Church. Through these gatherings, we hope to learn from and support one another in our journey of faith.
To learn more about this partnership or participate in the conference, visit czechpres.net. We need to expand our sights and help one another to live into our identity as the Body of Christ.
The Rev. Emily Miller ’07 is interim pastor at John McMillan Presbyterian Church (Bethel Park, Pa.). She has served six churches in the Pittsburgh area as an ordained minister and two as a student pastor. She holds a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and she practiced law in both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.