Rita Brazaitiene is a Worship Ministry leader in Lithuania.
When did you trust Christ?
I become a Christian 34 years ago, when I was a first-year student at the Lithuanian Musical Academy. It was a time of big revival in Lithuania, just after gaining state independence from Soviet Union. I was 19 and seeking the meaning of life at that time. I was invited to the new-style church by my friend, and after listening to the sermon, I prayed to the Lord Jesus about my salvation. I experienced instant release from the burden I hadn’t even realised I had. From that moment I decided to follow Jesus, I started to attend church meetings (the same church I am ministering in today) and grow in His knowledge and grace.
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
Bible school, the early worship leader's responsibility, and raising four kids (adults now) in the family were the most impacting things urging me to seek God's face. In the past, I led a worship group in a fast-growing community, being responsible for every worship service in the church. Later I was a member of the worship team for many years.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
The Forum provides a place to grow my knowledge of Christ through fellowship and sharing. It is a place where I can give, receive, and recharge. This helps significantly in my everyday ministry since it serves me as a ‘battery recharging’ place. As a returning participant, I always receive a huge encouragement for myself and bring insights and wisdom I get from ELF to my team and community. One of the events that resulted from the encouragement I received through the ELF community was a concert in Vilnius; it was a tribute for the Lithuanian Christian composer Gintautas Abarius (1959-2010). In the concert, his music was performed in a sold-out venue with 400 listeners. The concert was filmed and broadcasted by Lithuanian National Television.
In Year-Round-Mentoring, I expect to gain more knowledge about the tools helping to measure the impact of the events my team and I organise. I expect more understanding of how to prepare good events and how to run them effectively. I expect to gain more understanding of how to organise Christian events, which will make a more long-lasting impact on our society and church. Personally, I am more involved with the events related to music and worship; however, I hope to get wider knowledge and later share it with my colleagues at my church.
What is your ministry?
I lead the music ministry at my church and am a full-time worker there, making musical worship happen smoothly and meaningfully. My responsibility is to curate the musical part of worship services on Sunday and a few other weekly prayer meetings. I am also organising an annual Christmas concert and helping organise different events, including a church tour. We have a worship team of around 20 members, instrumentalists, and vocalists, mostly amateurs.
What is your leadership role or what were your past leadership roles?
I have been a full-time worship ministry leader for many years. I am a pianist by profession
Why should someone invest in your ministry?
I have a vision for my church and country becoming worshipers and would like to be more equipped to communicate the message, the knowledge, and the experience I have from God. I am very thankful for the support I have received over the years. Their investment brings much fruit as it equips Christian leaders to continue spreading God’s Word and do God’s work in various forms in Lithuania and Europe in general.
