Revival in North Dakota

We successfully returned from a mission trip to the Native American reservation in the Turtle Mountains of North Dakota. Our participation there was in partnership with long-time friends in the ministry from Matters of the Heart and upon the invitation of Rev. Daniel Bean, founder of Wind of the Spirit Ministries and pastor of the Dunseith Church of God.

We held a three day revival, as at the same time participated and helped with the work on the reservation. For all revival services, we were blessed by Jeff Harrison from Matters of the Heart with his ministry in worship and special songs for each occasion. One of them was specifically dedicated to the ministry of Bro. Bean and his family, and Jeff was able to present them with the original hand written lyrics after his performance. We brought a brief sermon every night with a special message on Father’s Day Sunday.

Meeting new people and ministering to them was a true blessing. At the same, we were encouraged by the work of Pastor Bean, his family and his team. Their testimony and the ability to continue the ministry, even in hard times as the ones we live in, are commendable. For it is important that faithful Church of God people lead by the Spirit continue to build the local church as a ministry to our communities wherever they may be located. As we are preparing for the 73rd General Assembly of the Church of God, it is our prayer that such ministries are given further consideration and support by the general Body of Christ.

Revival in South Georgia

We just returned from a revival in the Shelter Church of God in Ambrose, GA – a new ministry started by pastor Kevin Bounds. The small, but growing congregation, which meets in a store front location in downtown Ambrose, already has a vision for establishing a strong ministry center in the area. We had three days of revival and enjoyed the wonderful fellowship of the pastoral family and the congregation.

But our connection with Pastor Kevin Bounds and the Shelter Church of God began long before Kevin was a pastor and the church ever existed. It began several years ago one cold winter morning in Bulgaria, while we were struggling with the dilemma of how to continue ministering there with a virtually exhausted annual budget.

Just as we prayed in our office in Yambol, Bulgaria asking the Lord for direction, we received an email from Pastor Kevin. We had never met before and there was no way he knew of our situation. But led by the Spirit after reading about us on the internet, he delivered a prophetic message over our ministry, which brought about a miracle which empowered us to continue to minister in Bulgaria in the years to come.

So needless to say, although we were meeting for the first time in this revival, we had been partners in the ministry for a very long time. In times of crises like the ones we live in, it is this prophetic move of the Spirit that the Church must follow. And it is this unity created by the leadership of the Spirit that empowers us all to continue in the ministry even when times are tough and keep building for the Kingdom.

Prophetic Presence: The Sign of the Seers

For many years now, as a student of both Pentecostal theology and history, I have always wondered of the ever-present desire for Pentecostals to associate themselves with physical addresses. It is indeed strange, for as a movement of the Spirit we have always strived to remain on the go, being always persecuted or ever-changing as people of God. So I am astounded every time I come across a historic attempt to redefine our identity with a place or a location.

The examples are many. From the very inception of the term “spirit-filled” people on the day of Pentecost, we have always associated our experience with an attempting to restore the identity of and struggled to return to the spiritual context in the experience of the Upper Room – a definite location in the city of Jerusalem. Then Paul, before ever answering his apostolic call and entering what would turn to a global ministry, was instructed to go the street called “Straight” – and this was not just a personal experience of Paul, but a corporate calling that includes the prophetic gift of another man and affected the future of the Early Church as we know it.

The early Pentecostal revivalists are best known with the name of Azusa Street, but not before establishing various locations across the country setting a spiritual rout, a geographic walkabout from the Bethel Bible College to the Santa Fe Mission, reaching the small house at 214 North Bonnie Brae Street and the Azusa Street Methodist Mission by 1906.

Synan records that there: “They shouted three days and three nights. It was Easter season. The people came from everywhere. By the next morning there was no way of getting near the house. As people came in they would fall under God’s power; and the whole city was stirred. They shouted until the foundation of the house gave way, but no one was hurt.”

But it was not until the morning of April 18, 1906 that the prophetic presence of the Azusa Street Pentecostal revival received its full recognition. Once the Great San Francisco earthquake hit California, just as early Pentecostals had prophesied, there was no need for preaching or witnessing any longer. Their prophetic presence was evidence in full. For the assigned geographical location for our vision contributes little to our identity in the ministry. It is a prophetic sign for the people we witness to. And this is a Biblical principle.

John the Baptist associated his ministry with the desert. John the Apostle, with the island called Patmos. The Old Testament prophet laid on his side for 390 long days being seen by all. That is one long year and one whole month according to the Jewish calendar. Then 40 days more on his other side, just like the bodies of the two prophets will lay dead for the three days of Revelation. The Seers were there, seeing the future and proclaiming it to the present through nothing less than a prophetic presence. For the Seers must be seen in order to reveal the vision they have seen in the Spirit, in order that both the world and church blinded by sin, can see the vision of the unseen and invisible God.

Three New Bulgarian Churches

In the last year, among other Bulgarian churches we have worked with, we have focused our attention to three newly started Bulgarian congregations located in London, Cypress and Las Vegas. They all have unique stories. The London church emerged from several home groups, which met regularly for years in various suburbs of the vat metropolis. The Vegas church was started not without the prayer and support of the Bulgarian church in Los Angeles. And the Cypress Church of God is a conglomerate of four congregations located on the Greek part of the island, which meets regularly in four of Cypress’ major cities each Sunday.

In attempt to improve their ministry and create a context of availability to the people in need, among several other ministerial endeavors, we have helped these churches with their websites. They are now launched and active, easy to be found on the internet in support of their ministry in these three significant global locations. They can be found at:

Cypress Bulgarian Church: http://vitezda.com/
Las Vegas Bulgarian Church: http://lasvegaschurch.tv/
London Bulgarian Church: http://bgchurchlondon.com/

Church Building Project for the Church of God in Dupnitsa

Churches Worked With in Bulgaria

Church of God Children Ministry in Sliven, Bulgaria

Chaplaincy Conference and Master’s of Chaplaincy for Bulgaria

The International Association of Evangelical Chaplains just held its first global conference in Eastern Europe. The chosen location was the country of Romania, where the army now has one full-time paid evangelical chaplain. This is the first conference of such caliber held on the Balkan Peninsula and it was natural that representatives from most neighboring countries attended. With this conference the issues of chaplaincy within the Bulgarian and Romanian armies, now members of NATO, is adequately finalized.

Bulgaria was represented by the president of the Bulgarian Chaplaincy Association as the conference marked an important point in the resent development of Bulgarian Chaplaincy. As a result, chaplain col. Rich Young of the IAEC, who last year taught an Introduction to Chaplaincy course in Yambol, Bulgaria, will present a lecture on chaplaincy in the capital Sofia on May 31, 2010. The lecture is brought with the help of the Bulgarian Evangelical Theological Institute in effort to promote the Masters’ of Chaplaincy Program which will begin in Sofia this fall. With it, the Bulgarian Chaplaincy Association has reached an important stage of its long-term educational strategy which purposes the proper and adequate presentation of the chaplaincy ministry to local church, educational institution and government agencies. The Masters’ of Chaplaincy program is one of few taught around the globe on a graduate level and the first one ever to be presented in Eastern Europe.