Getting to Know You: Peter and Renata Rattay, Heart Prague
‘Getting to Know You’ is a new series in which we’ll feature pastors of FEIC member churches.
In this article, we interview Peter and Renata Rattay, pastors of Heart Prague Church, who took the lead pastor role of Heart Prague after founders Chris and Amy Hales returned to the USA.
Share with us a little about your life growing up.
We were both born in Břeclav, the Czech Republic, studied the same high school and we are both from atheistic families. I used to play football all the time and Renata enjoyed hiking. We both like music and traveling.
How did you meet the Lord?
I started searching for the truth about God after high school reading about Buddhism, Hinduism etc. One day I saw a poster announcing that Erich Theis, a Swiss evangelist, was coming to my city. At that meeting I responded to the Lord’s call and gave my life to God.
Unfortunately, I never started going to church. Instead, I started a new relationship with a girl. After we split up, I met Renata at a music festival. We started going out in the U.K. where we spent two years. After that time we came back to the Czech Republic and were invited to a church. At that meeting, the Lord gave a vision to one man and God attracted Peter again. Renata was touched at the same meeting through preaching about the end times. We both repented and got baptized a month later.
Tell us about your children.
We have 4 children. David, 20; Barca, 18; Filip, 14; and Miriam, 6.
What kind of ministry did you do before you came to Heart Prague?
We were involved in ministry for children, youth, evangelism and missions.
How did God lead you to Heart Prague?
God opened the door when we fasted and prayed for planting a church in another city. We started at Heart Prague in January 2021.
What do you find most interesting about the city of Prague?
The potential to reach out to so many nations.
What do you think are Prague’s greatest needs?
Churches relevant to the culture of the city.
What is your vision for Heart Prague?
Our vision is to reach out to internationals, students and young families.
Tell us about the church.
We are running a church with 15+ nations. Mostly we have university students and young families. The average age is 25-30 yrs.
What do you feel is Heart Prague’s greatest strength?
The number of young people we have in the church.
What do you feel makes Heart Prague different from the other churches in the city?
Our international character, our English speaking community, and the young age range of our congregation.
Is this your first international church to pastor? If so, what do you enjoy most about pastoring an international church?
Yes, it is our first international church to pastor. We really enjoy meeting people from different nations and taking on new challenges.
What do you feel are the advantages of an international church?
The possibility to reach out to all nations, create an international community beyond the borders of Prague, use English resources, have contacts in Europe and share resources.
How can fellow FEIC member pastors pray for you guys?
Please pray for the anointing to the ministry and for our 4 children. It is difficult for them to move to Prague. The two oldest have their own lives now.
