In 1888, as Poland remained partitioned and its people struggled under foreign rule, a flicker of new spiritual light appeared—small, quiet, and full of promise. That year, Herman Szkubowiec, the first Pole to become a Seventh-day Adventist, moved from the Crimea to Zarnówka in Volhynia, establishing what would become the first Adventist church in Polish territory.

From these humble beginnings, the Adventist message began spreading. In 1893, two early Polish converts, Karol Fendel and Jozef Szlodzinski, traveled from Zarnówka to Łódź. There, they shared their faith with a Baptist family named Lach. The Lachs embraced the Adventist message, opening their home for Sabbath worship. It was not an easy time to share new religious ideas. Poland’s political and religious environment was dominated by tradition and suspicion of outsiders. Yet in the heart of Łódź, amid adversity and uncertainty, the Adventist message took root in prayerful home gatherings. By 1895, a new congregation had formed in Łódź, nurtured by public meetings held by Russian Pastor Henrich Loebsack, who baptized the first Adventist members in the city.

A particularly inspirational moment came when Pastor Herbert Schmitz, a German who spoke no Polish, felt called to preach in Warsaw. Undeterred by the language barrier, he began going door to door, searching for German names. When welcomed in, he would explain the Adventist faith. Though his early audience was small and mostly German-speaking, this seed of faith grew. In just a few months, a church was organized in the capital, eventually conducting services in Polish as well.

By 1912, the growing work in Poland led to the formation of the Polish Mission, with Schmitz as its first leader. That same year, the Moravian-Silesian Mission was also organized, reaching southern Polish territories like Bielsko-Biała, Cieszyn, and Skoczów. This mission laid the groundwork for generations of Polish Adventist ministers.

Despite the devastation of World War I, the Adventist message continued to spread. In 1921, under the guidance of L. R. Conradi, the Seventh-day Adventist Union in Poland was officially organized. With 1,080 members at the time, the newly unified conferences set out to rebuild and expand. Evangelistic meetings, literature ministry, and schools followed.

But perhaps the most remarkable story remains that of those early missionaries—humble pioneers knocking on doors, preaching in private homes, and baptizing new believers in secret. They didn’t wait for perfect conditions. They followed the Spirit’s leading, one home, one heart at a time.

By the time Poland celebrated the centennial of Adventist work in 1988, the small group meeting in the Lach family home had become a vibrant national church. Their courage and conviction remind us that the gospel’s light shines brightest in dark places, kindled by faith, fanned by love, and carried by those willing to go.

Adapted from the Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists, available at encyclopedia.adventist.org