Mission Bulgaria Week 6
This past week, upon the approval of the Council of Elders of the Bulgarian Church of God, we began a Sunday School program. My personal participation includes the development of the program and its literature, since the Bulgarian Church has never had a Sunday School before. We are hoping that in two months the lessons will be published and sent weekly to all local churches, and the work will grow to a national event.
This past Sunday we started the lessons on the Declaration of Faith in the Central Church. The first lesson was on Water Baptism and the congregation received it very well. Since it has never been done before, we are working with all age groups at once, so the program is structured as a 15-20 minutes lecture right before the worship service. We had more than 1,000 people during the time of the lesson. The number doubled for the worship service. The auditorium was so full that the younger people had to sit on the steps to free some seats.
On Wednesday, upon the recommendation of the National Overseer Pavel Ignatov, I am started a series on the Book of Revelation, which will continue for 10-12 weeks. During the week, I am also working as youth director and spending a few hours every day in the public relations office of the church’s headquarters.
In September and October the Bulgarian Church of God had organized a number of large crusade meetings in different cities in the country each weekend. This weekend the crusade was planned in the city of Samokov (near Sofia), where we have the largest Gipsy Church of God on the Balkanizes (approximately 1,700 of membership). We had planned to have a picnic for about 7,000 on Saturday as a number of worship teams from around the country were going to perform and lead in worship the people. Unfortunately, due to some social tension there, the mayor and the city authorities of Samokov asked us to postpone to a later date. The situation there arose, as the socially weak families have not received their humanitarian aid for several months. Up to 70% of the population of the town is unemployed. The parents have no way to send their children to school. The directors of the social homes, the orphanages and the homes for elderly people call us for help on a daily bases. The tension transformed into physical attacks between teenagers from the minority ghettos and some local students members of skinhead organizations in the town. The initial attack grew to constant street fights and riots to the point that the police had to establish a curfew, as well as the early closing of all bars, clubs and businesses of this sort in the town.
Tomorrow we are continuing with the Sunday School program with a lesson on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. I have been working hard all week to be able to write, edit and produce the materials for the service. Also in the afternoon we will be visiting the Church of God in Yablaniza where I have pastored before. A gentleman from my youth group is assuming the pastoral position there and we were invited to the ceremony.
Mission Bulgaria Week 5
MINISTRY: Since the time I arrived in Bulgaria about a month ago, I have been working closely with the National Overseer Pastor Pavel Ignatov. Besides my responsibilities in the National Youth Movement, for the past two weeks we have been working on the developing of a strategy to increase the level of Pentecostal preaching and ministry among the churches of the denomination. As a tool we have prepared a series of Sunday School lessons as based on the Declaration of Faith, which will be mailed to churches and ministers on a weekly bases. Such ministry, although much needed, has never been introduced to the Bulgarian Christians and we believe that as a historical precedent it will be revolutionary in its results. I will be presenting the full Sunday School Program tomorrow at the Council of Elders meeting in the town of Purvomay.
This coming Sunday I am beginning a 15-minute series on the Book of Acts, which will be held at the Central Church of God before each Sunday prior to the morning worship service. This series will be combined with the lessons on the Church of God Declaration of Faith. Also, beginning on Wednesday, September 26, 2001 I will start a series of expository preaching on the Book of Revelation.
This past Wednesday night I had my first opportunity to preach. I ministered in the Central Church of God in Sofia. Approximately 200 came to the service. Due to the building limitations, the congregation of the Central Church of God attend different local Churches of God during the week Approximately 200-250 come to the national headquarters where services are held daily. Perhaps, very soon this problem will be solved as the new building, called New Home, for the Central Church of God will be finished. We are praying that the weather will permit for the work to continue every day.
WEATHER: The weather in September has been warm. Although it was in the low 50F in the beginning of the month, it has changed to quite warm and nice weather for the latter part of the month. There have been some rainy days, but this is usual for the fall in Bulgaria.
INTERESTING FACTS: Since the Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, 1,200 Pentecostal congregations have been started in Bulgaria. This simply means that for the past 12 years 2 new churches have been started every week. Approximately 350 of these churches belong to the Bulgarian Church of God, as this fact characterizes it as the fastest growing denomination in Bulgaria.
PRAYER NEEDS: Please, pray for the Council of Elders Meeting on Saturday September 22 in the town of Purvomay. Pray also for the National Crusade with Dr. David Hathaway from England, which will be continuing every Sunday for the remaining of September and into October.
Thank you for your kind responses, which I receive every day. Thank you for your interest in our ministry. May the Lord bless you richly for your work in His Kingdom!
