This is one of the oldest Baptist churches in Croatia. It is located in Severin na Kupi, where the camp is also located. Before WWII, 125 people attended here. Today the church only has about 20 who regularly attend.

It is generally understood that to be a "good Croatian" is to be Catholic. If you were to ask most Croatians what religion they belong to the answer would be, "I'm Catholic." This is not an indication that everyone in the country is religious, nor does it mean that a majority attends church regularly. But it does reveal Croatia's strong traditional ties to the Roman Catholic Church.

Croatia experienced a rise in spiritual openness during and shortly after the war in the '90s, when regular church attendance was said to be as high as 15 to 17 percent. But interest in church and in God is now on the decline. In general, the "hunger" for God is all but gone, and people are looking for something or someone else to meet their deepest needs. A desire for security and prosperity drives the nation to look toward the West and to materialism, but in that pursuit many have become disenchanted and overcome with a sense of hopelessness.

A friend of mine once said, "For most people God is on one side, and my life is on another, and the two never connect"--that is, until a person faces a crisis in life. It is in times of distress that people turn to tradition and seek help. If Marko needs to pass a test, he might visit Kamenita vrata* and light a candle for help. If Ana needs a job, she can pay for a mass. If Ivan faces a major operation or terminal illness, then he might choose to go on a pilgrimage to Maria Bistrica* or Medugorje* and ask Mary for healing.

People in Croatia long for answers, but they often seek them in the wrong places. Cults are increasing in number, New Age thinking and practice exist, fortune-tellers and horoscopes attract many, and humanism and pluralism are pervasive. Stronger than all of them, however, is God's Word. And while the work may be slow, God is changing lives in Croatia.

* Kamenita vrata, Maria Bistrica, and Medugorje are all sites where visions of Mary the mother of Jesus have been said to appear. Mary worship is accepted and endorsed by the Catholic Church in Croatia. Click here for a photo of Kamenita vrata "then and now." http://members.ams.chello.nl/d.bardic/kamenita.html

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