René and Renata met in their teens and became followers of Jesus during university. In those early years, René started leading a small group of Christians that eventually became the core of the Zlín Reformed Church. He met MTW missionaries in the mid-1990s, and as he started studying with them, he sensed God’s call to become a pastor. In the early 2000s, René moved his young family to Jackson, Mississippi to attend seminary. When he returned to the Czech Republic, the small church began to grow. The Zlín Reformed Church recently joined the Majak Network and now René pastors two groups, one in Zlín and another in his hometown of Slavičín. 

The Drápalovi have four children, Daniela, Tobiáš, Viktoria, and Timothy.  René is currently studying to become a licensed counselor and hosts a monthly radio Bible study program in the city of Brno.