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Supporting Healers on the Frontlines: the Fullers' Trip to Poland
Guest Author
Jun 28, 2024
Reprinted with permission from The Outreach Foundation.
Morgan and Rev. Dr. Bob Fuller Join Forces with The Novus Foundation to Host a Transformative Event for Trauma Caregivers
“Since 2022, the Polish people, especially the Polish Church have been incredibly generous. Millions of refugees from Ukraine have poured across the borders and the Poles have taken them into their homes, taken them into their churches...that is an incredible strain on churches and on the people who lead them.” (Bob Fuller, Outreach Foundation trustee and senior pastor, First Presbyterian Church, San Antonio, TX)
In March 2022, three weeks after full-scale war in Ukraine had begun, Bob Fuller, Mark Mueller, and Tom Boone journeyed to Warsaw, Poland, to meet with Dr. Piotr Nowak, president of the College of Theology and Social Sciences (CTSS), Aneta Montano, and their team of leaders who were sacrificially serving Ukrainian refugees. From these early days, The Outreach Foundation has remained alongside these leaders and has been pleased with the war-relief efforts they have performed with limited resources.
Novus Center in Warsaw, Poland, is a Christian counseling center focusing on trauma and PTSD, while also addressing other emotional and psychological needs. They provide training for current psychologists and pastors to deliver best practices in trauma and PTSD counseling. They’ve hosted and placed over 150 women, men, and children from Ukraine, each a refugee in search of a new home or needing various forms of care.
In May 2024, a team of seven from The Outreach Foundation along with the Novus Foundation, co-hosted a marriage retreat for clergy couples and Christian psychotherapists who are on the front lines of addressing the trauma people are enduring. Their stress is overwhelming. Our “healing the healers” experience took place in Krakow and included cultural experiences such as visiting Auschwitz and the historic Jewish Quarter. The three-day retreat was an opportunity to pour into the lives of caregivers who have worked tirelessly.
We spent time together as Christian couples, reflecting on God’s vision for marriage, helping build each other up to face coming challenges, worshipping, praying often, resting, and most importantly providing a safe space for sharing among people who understand the toll a life of ministry can have. One pastor’s wife said, “I don’t remember the last time someone took care of us. I don’t remember the last time someone served us and thanked us for what we do in such a meaningful way.”
This retreat was an outstanding success and it met real needs. The Outreach Foundation and Novus Foundation are discerning another retreat in 2025 with other clergy couples and Christian psychotherapists. Because Novus Foundation is non-sectarian, it can serve as “neutral ground” for clergy coming from a variety of denominations. Please join us in prayer for God’s leading and how you may be part of such an experience. Needs will include a team equipped with marriage retreat leaders, clergy couples, life coaches, people gifted in intercessory prayer, and finances.
The Opportunity
Novus Foundation is a new partner, birthed out of [The Outreach Foundation's] Ukraine Partnership. Through the Novus Foundation, God is impacting the lives of the people in Poland and Ukraine. If you want to join the growing network of supporters for this incredible ministry visit www.theoutreachfoundation.org to learn more about this ministry partnership and how you can donate.