Gabriel Hakulin is the Vice President of 4D Ministries in the Czech Republic.
When did you trust Christ?
I grew up in a Christian family, but when I was 13, I started drinking and was in a bad group of friends. My parents asked me if I wanted to attend a Christian summer camp, and I said yes. I acted like a Christian at camp but returned to my old ways as soon as I got home. It took me six years of attending the camps to realise how desperately I needed Christ and a total transformation of my heart. On that day, I decided to be sober. I moved to a city where I made friends at the camps and started attending church and being involved. Now, it is incredible to run Christian camps all around Europe and make sure they have follow-up and all-year-round clubs/youth ministries that I was missing.
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
A defining moment in my Christian walk was attending a Christian summer camp. Although I grew up in a Christian family, there was a time when I had turned away from God, questioning my faith and seeking fulfilment elsewhere. At the time, I lacked a Christian community, so not long after my decision to attend this camp, I moved to another city where my friends from the camp were just about to plant a new church. Having a community of Christians who are serving in the ministry as I am is needed. We need to go out into the world, but at the same time, we can't do it alone.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
I expect to grow as a leader and learn from others, as I experienced during my week at the Forum. I want to make our partners successful and, as a result, to have more local ministries and churches thriving and spreading the Gospel, but that has to start with me and our ministry. In the following years, I expect difficulty transitioning into ministry leadership, and I want to be in a network of leaders. Furthermore, I seek a mentor to lift me closer to God and be a better servant and steward of the mission that God gave to us.
What is your ministry?
Our ministry empowers churches and nonprofit Christian organisations in Eastern Europe to fulfil their calling from God. We provide resources, leadership materials, coaching, and other means of help. The ministry was founded 50 years ago, creating relationships with local ministries, leaders, and pastors. We are encouraging local generosity for long-term sustainability. Our most extensive program is the summer camp program; we empower local leaders to run missional camps with at least 30% of kids from an unchurched background and at least 50% locally funded. Last year, we had 6,189 kids at the camps.
What is your leadership role or what were your past leadership roles?
I am the VP/CFO of the organisation. The organisation has had one leader for the past 50 years. I am now selected as interim leader and the possible successor. My role is to develop partnerships in Central and Eastern Europe, helping them with local fundraising, board governance, and leadership materials. Moreover, I lead other team members responsible for donor relations, accounting, and administrative tasks to run the organisation transparently.
Why should someone invest in your ministry?
Attending ELF is an incredible opportunity to grow in my ability to serve others and make an impact for God’s Kingdom. Individuals might want to invest in my training and ministry to equip me for greater, multiply my ministry efforts, and strategically support me so I can grow without financial stress.
